Let me premise this post by saying, even after reading most of the stickies on this forum, I am still completely new to the car audio thing. I've been trying to absorb some of the concepts on this site, but it is all very technical and tough to wrap my mind around. So please excuse my foolish questions.
6-8 months ago I purchased a very old, rather crumby setup from a friend for $30. It included an old Crossfire amp (which I believe is at or just below 100w), 2 mismatched 12" (a JBL and what we believe to be a Pioneer), and a large homemade ported box.
I have been having problems with the sound recently. Sometimes the bass hits fine, sometimes it's very quiet, and sometimes there is nothing coming from the subs at all. Most of the time it just hits somewhat quietly.
I noticed the gain is turned all the way up, not sure if that has any effect on the situation. I've checked and double checked all of the connections and everything appears to be just fine. My very uneducated guess is that it has something to do with the amp. Can anyone, with this limited information, confirm or deny this theory at all?
I've been looking to replace this setup a piece at a time, as I don't have a large income. I was thinking that an amp would be the best thing to replace first, as my current one is a big POS. The absolute max I'm willing to spend on the amp is $200. I don't know which are the trusted brands. I was looking at this: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16882117229 The reviews I've found praise it for being good for the money for amateurs like myself. The simple setup on the back of the amp, as far as the gain, etc, are not overly complex like some I have seen on this site. Also, is there any danger of blowing these very old subs with a new, stronger amp?
In summary, I'm looking for an answer to my current problems and for some suggestions on a sub $200 amp. Thanks for any and all replies.
Attached is a picture I found that looks like the amp I have installed.
6-8 months ago I purchased a very old, rather crumby setup from a friend for $30. It included an old Crossfire amp (which I believe is at or just below 100w), 2 mismatched 12" (a JBL and what we believe to be a Pioneer), and a large homemade ported box.
I have been having problems with the sound recently. Sometimes the bass hits fine, sometimes it's very quiet, and sometimes there is nothing coming from the subs at all. Most of the time it just hits somewhat quietly.
I noticed the gain is turned all the way up, not sure if that has any effect on the situation. I've checked and double checked all of the connections and everything appears to be just fine. My very uneducated guess is that it has something to do with the amp. Can anyone, with this limited information, confirm or deny this theory at all?
I've been looking to replace this setup a piece at a time, as I don't have a large income. I was thinking that an amp would be the best thing to replace first, as my current one is a big POS. The absolute max I'm willing to spend on the amp is $200. I don't know which are the trusted brands. I was looking at this: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16882117229 The reviews I've found praise it for being good for the money for amateurs like myself. The simple setup on the back of the amp, as far as the gain, etc, are not overly complex like some I have seen on this site. Also, is there any danger of blowing these very old subs with a new, stronger amp?
In summary, I'm looking for an answer to my current problems and for some suggestions on a sub $200 amp. Thanks for any and all replies.
Attached is a picture I found that looks like the amp I have installed.
