Newbie: Amp Question

[VandalRunner]

Howdy All! This is my first post. You guys have quite a forum of information! I have been reading a ton and learning a bunch of information

I just got myself a 1997 Toyota 4Runner and am going to upgrade the system. The previous owner put in an aftermarket Pioneer Premier HU. Right now I plan on keeping it. I plan on putting 6.5" Components in the front and just replacing the 4" 2-ways in the rear doors. I'm not too worried about the speakers right now because they sound decent. I have been looking at the RE and XXX components for the future.

The HU does allow the connection of an amp. I have read through many of the formums and it seems that many people are happy with the Resonant Engineering SE sub. I am planning on getting 1-12" SE sub. This sub handles 600W rms and 1200W peak. I am looking for a moderately priced amp that will power the one sub and possibly the front components when i switch them out.

Please give me any suggestions for a newbie. I really don't understand the rms/peak power ratings all that much. Do I need to get an amp that will power at least 600W or higher? Anthing that has a good bang for the buck.

Thanks,

Anthony

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[BCONNELLY 10+ year member]

Go by the RMS rating

a 600 watt amp should serv you well, but be aware that what the amp is rated at may or may not reflect a true rating of it's power.

JL Audio, Zapco, Diamond (Great amps with confident ratings, some even underrated)

 

[squeak9798 5,000+ posts]

Keep in mind the RMS power rating isn't a power requirement. Anything 500-700w RMS should be fine.

Also, since the SE comes in dual 4ohm voice coils, there aren't many 4-channel amps that will be stable into 2ohm bridged........so you will likely need to find two separate amps; one for your fronts, and a separate amp for your sub.

From there, it all depends on how much you have to spend.

 

[Jibbercrap 10+ year member]

The baby belle ...made by memphis...dunno how expensive it is though.

55watts x 4

plus it has a 5th channel putting out 400watts RMS @ 1ohm...

 

[VandalRunner]

Keep in mind the RMS power rating isn't a power requirement. Anything 500-700w RMS should be fine.
Also, since the SE comes in dual 4ohm voice coils, there aren't many 4-channel amps that will be stable into 2ohm bridged........so you will likely need to find two separate amps; one for your fronts, and a separate amp for your sub.

From there, it all depends on how much you have to spend.

What does the "dual 4ohm voice coils" mean? What do I need to look for in an amp to satisfy this?

Thanks for you input for a stereo beginner! All your help is appreciated!

Anthony

 

[Jibbercrap 10+ year member]

It just means that your sub has 2 voice coils, each rated at 4ohms...so that sub can be run either at 8ohms or 2ohms. Or 4ohms if you have a 2 channel amp and connect each voice coil to a seperate output on the amp

 

[BCONNELLY 10+ year member]

Diamond

 

[VandalRunner]

Well, it looks like the best way would be to do a dual amp setup when i get the front components.

So if I just focus on the sub right now, I'd need to look for a amp that will power 500-700W rms at 2ohms. Do I have this right? And if I looked for an amp that could possibly power two SE 12" at a later date, I would need to get one that has a 1000-1400rms. Correct?

Any exact examples of amps that you guy would buy if setting up your system this way?

Holy Cow...i thought I had an understanding! Apparently not!

Thanks again for your help!

Anthony

 

[squeak9798 5,000+ posts]

So if I just focus on the sub right now, I'd need to look for a amp that will power 500-700W rms at 2ohms. Do I have this right? And if I looked for an amp that could possibly power two SE 12" at a later date, I would need to get one that has a 1000-1400rms. Correct?

Any exact examples of amps that you guy would buy if setting up your system this way?

Yes, for a single SE you would need to look for an amp that does 500-700w @ 2ohm. However, to power two SE's you'd need an amp that does around 1200w or so into 1ohm or 4ohm.

If you think you may upgrade to two SE's later, then you will want to look for an amp that is 1ohm stable, and puts out the power you need into both 2ohm (for a single SE now) and 1ohm (for two SE's later).

A good example is the DEI Viper 1200.1: http://ikesound.com/product-product_id/2424

It will give you about 800w into 2ohm for a single SE (so, you may have to set the gains a little on the conservative side), and then it will do 1200w into a 1ohm load (which would be perfect for dual SE's)

 

[VandalRunner]

squeak9798. Thanks for all you input for a newbie like myself! I really appreciate it! I was just a little confused about what you said for a dual SE setup. I looked at the Viper amp you suggested and it says 1200 x 1 at 1 ohm. Would you just split that one channel and use it for the two subs, giving each 600W?

Thanks

 

[squeak9798 5,000+ posts]

I looked at the Viper amp you suggested and it says 1200 x 1 at 1 ohm. Would you just split that one channel and use it for the two subs, giving each 600W?

Yup. 600w to each sub.

 

[VandalRunner]

Cool. SO, if I went with 2 10" SE subs, would this Elemental Design Amp work good for that? I've read that many people like ED amps, so I was looking around and found this one.

http://edesignaudio.com/product.php?cid=4&pid=6&tab=Specs&cur=USD

Is this too big of an amp? Or will it be a good power producer for the 2 subs?

Thx

 

[squeak9798 5,000+ posts]

From what I've seen, those will put out close to 1500w.......so, yes, it will work fine. May just need to take it a wee bit conservative on the gain setting.