Help with amp recommendation

[RossenP]

Hello everyone,

I am soon going to be upgrading my audio setup in a 2005 Toyota 4Runner SR5.

I currently have the following installed:

Pioneer AVH-P2400BT Head Unit

Polk Audio DB651 Speakers (rear) [60 watts RMS at 4 ohm]

Polk Audio DB6501 Speakers (front) [100 watts RMS at 4 ohm]

I've come across a great deal on a Polk Audio db1222 and will most likely buy that. That subwoofer is rated 720 watts RMS at 2 ohm.

Now, I've been looking around the interwebs for a decent amp (or amps) to power my setup. I'm looking for either a 5 channel amp or one mono amp + a 4 channel amp. One box would be better, but space is not the limiting factor.

Price is: I'm looking to spend around 200-450 dollars on the amp(s). This does seem a bit tight for so much power, but that's what i can afford right now. I would like to hear your recommendations for an amp which would roughly meet the recommended power on my speakers and sub.

In my search, the biggest issue has been trying to find something close to 700 watts on the sub channel. Most are around 300 watts, I just don't know what under-powering the db1222 would do to its sound.

I also value sound quality above price, so if a great product is slightly out of my price range, i might nudge my max price up a bit.

Any recommendations or help would be greatly appreciated, thanks!

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[mylows10 5,000+ posts]

You'll need a sub amp that does 1000-1500 at 1 ohm to get 800 at 2. Not alot of 2 ohm mono block amps anymore I'd say look for a 5 channel there is a nice one on the forum here for 250 but you'll need a different sub for this amp

 

[av83 10+ year member]

Cadence F100-5, Kicker zx700.5, Soundstream REF5.1000 ... just ideas.

 

[mylows10 5,000+ posts]

Yes I can do the ref amp new

 

[audiobaun 5,000+ posts]

View attachment 26532642View attachment 26532643View attachment 26532644 If you are into polk that much, i have a brand new in the box sealed in plastic polk momo carbon series 500.1 that will be great for the sub..pm me if interested never been mounted/birth sheet/original box/bass knob

 

[zako 10+ year member]

For the subwoofer amplifier, I'd recommend something like PPI Phontom P1000.1. It's power rating is something like 720watts at 2ohms. Sonicelectronix price is something like $180 shipped right now. Good value IMO. For the speakers, get a modern compact Class D amplifier such as Alpine MRX-F35 or MRX-F65. Anything with honest 4x60watts or so will work fine.

 

[RossenP]

I'm sorry for the long delay between posts.

Now that I looked over the car for space, I'm siding more towards getting a 5 channel amp. I looked at the previous suggestions and have come up with a few possibilities.

Most prominently i have looked at an Alpine PDX-V9 and PPI P900.5:

The PPI P900.5 amp quotes 70 watts per channel for the mids/highs and 440 at 2ohms through the sub channel.

The Alpine PDX-V9 states 100 watts per channel x 4 and 500 watts at 2 ohms x 1.

They don't quite reach the stated RMS of the polk sub but I would think that it's still enough (500 watts or 440 watts respectively).

As for Cadence Kicker or Soundstream, I'd rather go a little higher end on the amplifier.

The last recommendation would be to pick a new sub. Would this be a better alternative?

If so, what type?

***

So, first, any thoughts on either amp or a suggestion for a better alternative?

And second, what about switching subs from Polk to another sub company?

As a last note, I'd like to say that i'm mostly looking for sound quality over volume.

 

[audiobaun 5,000+ posts]

all components picked look great to me for your small truck,and polk do make great sq speakers im my opinion.to make them sound great,you need good sq amps,in which my opinion the alpine is a better amp out of the 2 choices..better sq amps in my opinion were made back in the 90s,and deliver power,along with some true sq such as for mids and highs:JBL GTQ200 4 CHANNEL OLD SCHOOL AMPLIFIER | eBay to push those subshttp://www.ebay.com/itm/Hifonics-zed-audio-vulcan-series-8-/330738831720?pt=Car_Amplifiers&hash=item4d01921168 something like this..both amps are underated,and deliver a real amount of power,and the tdh is unbelievable,and the db on them very nice compared to alot of todays amplifiers on market for the money..there was an awesome autotek mean 4ch,but someone bought it now on ebay,and was a beautiful little powerhouse for just under $200.take your time,and look at some good used sq zed made amps,and alpine duo-b,hifonics vii,viii series amps also..you get the best of both worlds..sq,and true power/rms

 

[RossenP]

Thanks for the suggestion. I'll look into some of those used subs. After some more research I did settle on Alpine over PPI so if I end up buying new, I know what to buy.

 

[mclerico83 5,000+ posts]

ppi is no longer good like they used to be.

ZRS-C8 CADENCE 5 CH 2000 W AMP SPEAKER & SUB AMPLIFIER | eBay

the cadence zrs series are made in the same house as american bass, crescendo, audioque etc. all korean boards, great quality as compared to their lower lines

Memphis 5 channel car amplifier ! BIG and BAD ! 75X4 1100X1 WATTS | eBay

(-NEW-) Massive Audio NX5 5-Channel Nano Block Mini Amp NX-5 Amplifier | eBay

i would look at these over the alpine, all amazing amps

and for a sq setup you will be so much happier witht his setup

Sub Woofers - SoundSolutionsAudio - DCON - SSA STORE

2 of these with a custom box built on these forums.

 

[mclerico83 5,000+ posts]

i personally would rather have seperate

Aura RPM4200 RPM Stage 2 Mobile Amplifier 4x50W 269-190

you can get an amazing sounding amp made in the us like the aura or the old school us acoustics by zed audio

U.S. Acoustics USX4065 Old School Amp 4ch | eBay

MOSFET CFA354 70W X 4 CROSSFIRE STEREO POWER AMPLIFIER AMP | eBay

OLD SCHOOL PHOENIX GOLD TANTRUM 600.4 AMP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! | eBay

OLD SCHOOL PHOENIX GOLD TANTRUM 400.4 AMP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! | eBay

OLD SCHOOL PHOENIX GOLD TANTRUM 1200.1 AMP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! | eBay

you can buy the set of amtching phoenix gold amps and they will sound a million times betetr than any of the 5 channels listed

 

[07denali 10+ year member]

I remember the days when PPI was top notch. I even remember when they first released their flat cone sub. That was a long time ago and times have certainly changed.

 

[audiobaun 5,000+ posts]

that us acoustics is one of my favorites..i had a 4060 uas series ii,one of the best amps ive owned...heres an old school gem Alpine car amplifier | eBay

 

[audiobaun 5,000+ posts]

LANZAR OPTIDRIVE 6200 COMPETITION OPTI DRIVE AMPLIFIER OLD SCHOOL 6 CH ZED USA | eBay all you need rt here man..take care of the whole system,and with authority!!

 

[zako 10+ year member]

ppi is no longer good like they used to be.
ZRS-C8 CADENCE 5 CH 2000 W AMP SPEAKER & SUB AMPLIFIER | eBay

the cadence zrs series are made in the same house as american bass, crescendo, audioque etc. all korean boards, great quality as compared to their lower lines

Memphis 5 channel car amplifier ! BIG and BAD ! 75X4 1100X1 WATTS | eBay

(-NEW-) Massive Audio NX5 5-Channel Nano Block Mini Amp NX-5 Amplifier | eBay

i would look at these over the alpine, all amazing amps

and for a sq setup you will be so much happier witht his setup

Sub Woofers - SoundSolutionsAudio - DCON - SSA STORE

2 of these with a custom box built on these forums.

I would make the opposite claim. PPI amplifiers are great for the price. They provide rated power and clean signal and this has been confirmed in tests. The only thing I don't like about PPI Phantom series is the low channel separation in the mid-30dbs, but their other lines don't suffer from this. Are PPI amplifiers Hertz or JL Audio good? Most likely not. However, for the money, PPI stuff is great. I will buy PPI product over MB Quart or Hifonics every day of week. On the other hand, Massive Audios NX series of amplifiers are quite overrated and I have seen negative reviews on DIYMA. For example here is a link to a test in Russian language that shows the NX4 provides 4x65watts RMS power at 14.4 voltage instead of the 4x100watts claimed.

×åòûð¸õêàíàëüíûé óñèëèòåëü Massive Audio NX4 - avtozvuk.com (use google translator if you're curious). Also the nx series are very compact with full range section being class A/B. These should be installed very carefully due to very highly likely heat issues. I don't mind sending 60watts to my speakers in many cases. However, I don't like buying products from a company that's not very honest about product specs.