First time poster looking entry-level amp opinions...

[gordholio 10+ year member]

Hey guys (and gals?):

First time poster here.

My car audio setup is nowhere near that of most of you. I spend most of my money paying down our house, and I don't have a lot left over.

Anywho, I'm putting together a system with what I can reasonably afford. (Pioneer DEH-P7700MP deck, Alpine Type S coaxials in front and rear - all bought at blowout prices.)

I have a Clarion Pro Audio PXW1041 10" sub in a non-ported wedge-shaped box. It has a 4-ohm single voice coil and is rated at 300 watts. I need an amp for it. I have worked out exceptionally good prices on two amps, and I'm going to buy one of them. The two amps are the Rockford Fosgate P2002 and the JBL GTO 75.2II. Their power ratings are similar - between 250 and 300 watts each RMS when bridged at 4 ohms. (Please excuse my faulty audio lingo.)

Does anyone have any opinions why one would be substantially better than the other? I know Rockford supposedly underrates their amps, and I know the JBL doesn't exacly have a lot of press. But perhaps JBL GTO stuff is pretty good - I don't really know.

Any and all opinions are greatly appreciated. Thanks very much in advance!

gordo

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[jujumantb 10+ year member]

Either of those amps should suit your needs fine. RF has always been solid and JBLs GTO series is also a step up from some of their older lines. And your lingo is dead on //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/smile.gif.1ebc41e1811405b213edfc4622c41e27.gif (except for the "non-ported" part, we call those sealed //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/smile.gif.1ebc41e1811405b213edfc4622c41e27.gif )

Also, I'd like to thank you for a very clear post, most new guys on here would have said something to the effect of- yo i need a amp for a 10" sub 600watts max 60oz magnet //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/wink.gif.608e3ea05f1a9f98611af0861652f8fb.gif

 

[dflw_99 10+ year member]

poweracoustik makes some good amps for cheap, they are a little overrated but not much

 

[NJack2AF 10+ year member]

Ya your lingo is fine cept for it's a sealed box. I think you'll be fine with either, I'd get the cheaper one.

 

[gordholio 10+ year member]

Thanks guys for the replies so far. Glad to know I passed the lingo test. Guess my "English to Car Audio" dictionary really was worth the money. //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/wink.gif.608e3ea05f1a9f98611af0861652f8fb.gif

I have to make the decision today, so unless somebody pops up in the next few hours with depressing tales regarding the woeful inadequacy of the JBL GTO amplifier series, I'll opt for that one. It's marginally cheaper than the RF, and it's part of a package deal where the install (with 8-gauge cables - should be good enough I think) is essentially free.

Thx again!

gordo

 

[soul05 10+ year member]

you can get a refurb profile amp from the profile factory. puts out 300x1 @ 4ohms bridged. will only cost u 45 + shipping too. its the 400sx

http://www.profilecaraudio.com/amplifiers.htm

wont break your bank, and it comes with factory warranty too.

 

[bri487 5,000+ posts]

if you dont mind me asking, what can you afford to spend on an amp?

 

[gordholio 10+ year member]

Don't mind you asking at all, but I live up here in the great wilds of Canada (Vancouver, actually), and prices are unfortunately a lot different up here. This JBL amp, for instance, was a seriously good deal at a Best Buy customer appreciation blowout sale at $179 (with a full four-year warranty and I forced them to throw in an 8-gauge wiring kit). That was within my max of $200. The RF I can get for $189 because I drive a hard bargain.

I know, I know...you can get a hell of a lot more than that in the US for $200. And I could buy off a US-based ebay seller or a US e-tailer, but then there's the cost of shipping, getting it through customs, etc. Plus, etailers like Crutchfield, Sonic Electronix, etc, won't ship to you unless you have a US address on your credit card or attached to your Paypal account. It pretty much sucks.

I will, however, check into that Profile amp at just $45. Man, that's cheap.

Again, thanks for the help to this point!

gordo

 

[khail19 10+ year member]

I'd get one of the Auras from partsexpress for $100. 540w bridged @ 4 ohm. Leaves you room to upgrade subs later on. These are just as good, if not better than JBL or RF. I love JBL amps too (look at my sig), but I think the Auras are nicer. If I needed new amps I'd get those for sure.

http://www.partsexpress.com/pe/showdetl.cfm?&DID=7&Partnumber=269-162

 

[soul05 10+ year member]

never buy at best buy!

 

[slain93gsr 10+ year member]

those aura amps mentioned above are really good deals... picked up a set for my sisters car

 

[Ignatowski 5,000+ posts]

those aura amps mentioned above are really good deals... picked up a set for my sisters car

x2

if I didnt have mucho amps already I would be all over those