Need advice on an amp to run 2 x 10" subs

[mhosier]

Hi there!

My wife has just got a 1962 Cadillac convertable which has been shortened by 35" and had a pretty special custom paint job. She wants a sound system in it that will be impressive enough to take to car shows without sounding silly in the corner!!

We already have a fairly decent Kenwood head unit and CD-changer, but I have never attempted to do anything that loud before.... We have a pair of Memphis Audio 10" 600W RMS subs with dual 4 Ohm voice coils, so we can bridge the coils to give 2 Ohms per speaker. I have found a Jensen amp which I hope will be adequate, because we are on a VERY tight budget for this...

http://www.electronicsbonanza.com/Merchant2/merchant.mv?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=EB&Product_Code=JENXA2125&Category_Code=2020

Is this gonna be worth having, or (bearing in mind this is a convertible) is it just going to sound underpowered? If we have to spend more to make it sound good, then I will, but we are gonna have to wait a bit to save up!

For midrange, we have a pair of Sony 6 x 9's which I will run direct from the head unit for now, but put a small amp on when we can afford it...

Any advice would be great!

Cheers,

Martin

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[MikeofTulsa Moderator]

well...jensen is not usually recomended...but when your on a budget...they are pretty decent...ive had one in the past and it worked great for me..i never had any problems w/ it....also the sony 6x9's...where are they going im assuming in the rear or somewhere similar....while they might be good for rear fill...i would recomend getting a componet set or something similar for the front imaging....thats assuming your wanting an overal sq system....i know mb quart and fosgate make some decent componet sets that are not to terribly expensive for the quality you get...but you might also think about polk or infinity...good luck...if you have any more questions...feel free to email me Goddyd4me@hotmail.com

 

[mhosier]

Thanks for that! I will be fitting the 6 x 9's in the back, and will get some components for the front, although they may have to be just co-axial speakers, because there is very, VERY little space to mount them in the front...

Are these any good:

http://page.auctions.shopping.yahoo.com/uk/auction/66876936?aucview=0x23

They looked like they might be, but the description sounds more like it was written by a salesman than an audio enthusiast!!

Also, if anyone can suggest a much better amp than that Jensen, that would still be under $150-$200 then maybe I could hold out for it! Is it that the Jensen will lack SQ or SPL?

Many thanks for putting up with all my dumb questions!

Cheers,

Martin

 

[wesleysh 10+ year member]

I'm not familiar with those speakers, so I can't comment on them. But if you have room for coax speakers you have room for components. All that is added to the mix is a tweeter and small crossover. On a budget Infinity Reference or Kappa's would be nice. But you'll need an amp to unlock their true potential. JBL makes a great 90 x 2 amp for $149.

The problem with the Jensen is your not actually receiving the wattage that it says. And the other thing is the amp probably won't last long. For a good deal on a quality amp get the JBL600.1 or the JBL1200.1. Those are 600 and 1200 watt amps for $205 and $285. Try http://www.ikesound.com . Their shipping is free, but be aware that they only ship out on Thursday's.

 

[MikeofTulsa Moderator]

i agree...where as i never had a problem w/ my jensen amp thats not to say that they are great....i would definatly recomend the jbl....close to the same price....also i have never heard of those componets either...good luck