Not a new noob, but new to getting decent better equipment.. amp choices.. plz help..

[rlowride]

So, I am undecided......and decidedly cheap..

I currently own a Crunch GPA3000.1.. and 4 kicker cvr 12s dual 4 ohm.

When i put all 4 subs in.... in sealed enclosures....the bass was very disappointing at a 2 ohm load.

So i took a prebuilt slot ported box and put 2 of the subs in.. which i put the amp at 1 ohm... which gives me crunches version of what they think 3000 watts is.... It sounded 10 times better...

I want to use all 4 subs.... thats why I got 4...

So.. Im thinking of a new amp... I can get another crunch for just over 100 bucks.... but now i have 3 amps on my system.....

or I can buy a new amp....

Kicker cx 1200.1 1200@ 2 ohms... which would be real.. as apposed to the crunch i think 1300@2..

So it MAY sound better...

American Bass vfl 44801d mini hybrid..... which is secretly .05 ohm stable

PPI Black Iceba 7000.1d

all slightly more expensive than another crunch... but i think id only need one...

I like the thought of the kicker.. but its not near as powerful.. and not 1 ohm stable or have as much rms @ 2 ohms

That 300 dollar range is what I want to stay around....

I know none of these are amazing amps.... buit all 3 i think are better than crunch...

any further advice or options will be very appreciated.... I only wanna buy an amp one more time....

Thanks!!!

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[Umbra]

The fact that you said "enclosures" has me worried. I don't know what your physical setup is or what vehicle it's in, but if you have subs in separate enclosures, unless you have them all facing the same way you're going to run into cancellation issues, which is going to drastically reduce your output.

I'd also advise against using multiple, non-strapped amps, especially if they're different models.

If you're going to get one of the listed amps I'd recommend the Kicker. I'm not a fan of their subs, but their amps are solid performers. I don't know if you have upgraded electrical, but beyond 1,200W you'd probably run into problems on stock. The PPI would be okay too if you have the electrical for it, but I've heard there latest stuff isn't as good as it was a couple years ago. The AB amp will fry your subs at either 1ohm or .5ohms. I don't know what it does at 2 ohms, but it seems like a waste to buy a .5 stable amp to run at 2ohms.

Personally I'd just sell two of the subs. Four subs sealed aren't going to be that much louder than two of them in a half decent ported enclosure, especially on the same power.

 

[negolien]

Umm wait wait I' am confused you have 4 dual 4 ohm speakers and you're running what ohms? You have something wrong bud because that's not 2 ohms. Run them on a SQ 2200.

Subwoofer Enclosure Calculators, Parallel, Series, Port Length and Volume

 

[Umbra]

Umm wait wait I' am confused you have 4 dual 4 ohm speakers and you're running what ohms? You have something wrong bud because that's not 2 ohms. Run them on a SQ 2200.
Subwoofer Enclosure Calculators, Parallel, Series, Port Length and Volume

It is. 4x 4 ohm DVC subs wired in parallel is 2 ohms.

 

[rlowride]

So.... I tried to be as thorough as possible...I failed.

Ok... I have a 98 towncar.. big deep trunk

I have a sealed box set up.each sub has about 1.3 cuft.

And yes.. the above series parallel wiring is how i had them on the crunch. with no output to speak about.

0 guage power and ground. 4 ga. to amps

no big 3 upgrade yet... waiting on a h.o. alt.

MY TRUNK is plenty big enough for 4 12s...

if i run only 2.. i have a 1 ohm stable amp

I would rather have all 4 at .5 ohm or 2...

Thats why i was thinking AB... or PPI decent 2 ohm rms.

The kicker is over priced... and im not sure about the 1200@2 ohm.... if it will be disappointing like the crunch.

Id hate to spend 349.... and get what i already have....

Id like to get near 400 rms to each with the gains down.

 

[Umbra]

Are the subs all facing the same way when you run four? Also, make sure none are wired backwards because it'll still work, it'll just be 180 degrees out of phase, working to cancel out the others.

The kicker should do what it says, i just assumed you'd get it used. Yeah, it's definitely expensive at that price. Check out craigslist, the amp classifieds here, and at CACO. You can also open a wanting to buy thread. You might not find those exact amps, but you'll find all kinds of good stuff for cheaper than that. Post the links here for anything you might want advice on.

 

[rlowride]

yeah... they all 4 face up... wired correctly... took me a bit... but yeah.. im new here.. but been doing systems since i was 16... 41 now.... did some time in a shop.... i just like to play.. but now i want to be a little bit better.... As i am not messing with hydros or air bags anymore i want a clean decent system...nice tight sealed boxes.. amp that i dont have to crank the volume up to 50 to get it loud.....

 

[audiobaun 5,000+ posts]

yeah... they all 4 face up... wired correctly... took me a bit... but yeah.. im new here.. but been doing systems since i was 16... 41 now.... did some time in a shop.... i just like to play.. but now i want to be a little bit better.... As i am not messing with hydros or air bags anymore i want a clean decent system...nice tight sealed boxes.. amp that i dont have to crank the volume up to 50 to get it loud.....

In trunk apace those subs will do much better facing rear,and do so much more ported rear.Being in a sealed environment ,it takes more power to move them reason you are having to CRANK up the volume to get what you want out of them.Ive had those subs, and can tell you that 1.3 sealed is too small for them to get anything out of them.Going sealed on that 12" version, I wouldnt go smaller than 1.8..,A pair,ported, that I had really performed nicely in 2.4Cuft@34 htz each on 1200 rms,seemed to be pretty clean and performed quite well/got pretty nasty.Those subs like space,you have to give them or they will only be depressing in the outcome/waste of money.If you can get approx 5.50-6 cuft @ approx 34-36 htz for all four,would be min I would consider,to retrieve some better results/better performance, if you can get that in the trunk space you have.Those subs will take 600 all day long ea in the proper enclosure..From my experiencing them.IMO

 

[Umbra]

yeah... they all 4 face up... wired correctly... took me a bit... but yeah.. im new here.. but been doing systems since i was 16... 41 now.... did some time in a shop.... i just like to play.. but now i want to be a little bit better.... As i am not messing with hydros or air bags anymore i want a clean decent system...nice tight sealed boxes.. amp that i dont have to crank the volume up to 50 to get it loud.....

Alright, let's crunch some numbers:

If you have four 4ohm DVC subs you can wire them to a combined 8, 2, or .5ohm load. For you to get the power you want at 8 ohms would be unnecessarily expensive, so scratch that. You'll want to double check the model, but I believe your subs can handle 400W RMS each. Multiply that by 4 to get 1,600W. That how much you'll want the amp to put out to get the most out of the subs. It can be less and it can be a couple hundred more without issue, provided you set the gains correctly. Unless you're just building for burps, but we both know you're not.

So Ideally, you'll want an amp that does 1,400 - 1,800W RMS at 2 or .5ohms.

There are a lot of brands that vastly overstate what their amps put out. They can pretty much just make up numbers. A good rule of thumb is you get what you pay for. There's a reason Sundown costs a lot more than Boss:

Again, I'd recommend pursuing buying used. There's a feedback system in place here to help deter scammers and if you ask I'm sure people here can advise you if it's a good deal and if the seller is trustworthy or not. You can also check out caraudioclassifieds (CACO).

 

[audiobaun 5,000+ posts]

As for the Crunch amp you have?...Not to bust your baalls or anything, but that a real low grade amp.Crunch to me went sour after the early 90s.I run the AB 4480.1 ds, and can say that it has been one of the best amps Ive bought in a very long time,and have been very impressed with its stability as well.Ive had just 1 on 4-xfl 12s @.5 ohm for just approx 2 weeks, and it was pretty brutal.I then placed 2 in for a 1 ohm ea on ea set of subs. Plenty of power and ran daily pretty nasty.Great amps for the money in my opinion and experience.It would be more than enough for your 4- 12s,even on a pair it will be fine given how you tune.head room never hurts,as well as not running the amp hard on a daily/yield to last a bit longer as well as running cooler to perform nicely

 

[rlowride]

Umbra... exactly what I came up with and why I came here to post.

As the last post stared Crunch is junk.. I don't want to do that again. I get that most non high quality amps are way over rated...

I have never dealt with the 3 amps I posted about.. I really appreciate you working thru this with me.. it's exactly what I was looking for....And real person experience. I don't want to rely on mfg ratings.. I want real world... I have liked the price points of the 3 I posted, but I feel kicker is somewhat living on brand recognition, but still decent quality. I like the thought of the power of the ppi... the real power.. and rated at .05 ohm... but are the half ohm numbers realistic......how dirty is the signal... I have heard alot good about the cheaper AB 44801.... SO ... thats why I'm narrowed down to those..

but open to other real world experience and opinions...

Thanks for all the input.. again I really appreciate you all taking the time to discuss this with me and kept me from making another worthless mistake.

 

[rlowride]

In trunk apace those subs will do much better facing rear,and do so much more ported rear.Being in a sealed environment ,it takes more power to move them reason you are having to CRANK up the volume to get what you want out of them.Ive had those subs, and can tell you that 1.3 sealed is too small for them to get anything out of them.Going sealed on that 12" version, I wouldnt go smaller than 1.8..,A pair,ported, that I had really performed nicely in 2.4Cuft@34 htz each on 1200 rms,seemed to be pretty clean and performed quite well/got pretty nasty.Those subs like space,you have to give them or they will only be depressing in the outcome/waste of money.If you can get approx 5.50-6 cuft @ approx 34-36 htz for all four,would be min I would consider,to retrieve some better results/better performance, if you can get that in the trunk space you have.Those subs will take 600 all day long ea in the proper enclosure..From my experiencing them.IMO

When you say 5.5 to 6 cuft.... for all 4...

are you talking about all in one box.. no dividers? or just total air space?

would 2cuft per sub... in a ported box tuned correctly for each individually....

or is there an advantage to a common box?

 

[rfluvinmf 10+ year member]

Find a Kicker zx2500 or Alpine MRX-m240 and call it a day. No need to buy an amp and not use it to its full potential, i.e.: 3500 watts and you only want/need 2500. Spend money on a quality amp once and call it a day.

 

[audiobaun 5,000+ posts]

When you say 5.5 to 6 cuft.... for all 4...are you talking about all in one box.. no dividers? or just total air space?

would 2cuft per sub... in a ported box tuned correctly for each individually....

or is there an advantage to a common box?

Total before displacement.One Box ,and try tune towards 32-36 htz

 

[Jeffdachef 5,000+ posts]

300 dollars can get you a used soundqubed 2200.1. Id take that over a vfl hybrid anyday of the week. .5 ohm easily. Sell the subs and get two good subs if you can fit 15s then do two 15s. Give us your trunk measurements in depth x width x height an we will let you know whats the best course of action.