RF 400S - Good For < a$140?

[FullThrottle7 10+ year member]

Hey guys, I just got all of my stuff stolen so its time to start over. I don't have a lot of money to spend since my car was only covered by liablity, so I'm looking to buy older models, budget models, or used models of decent equipment. My cousin has an older Fosgate Punch 150S and it seems to be pretty darn powerful. Definately more than the 150 watts its supposed to put out. Anyways, I was thinking that for my new amp I could pick up one of the 400S amps, which is the same line, only more powerful, and use it on my Pioneer TS-W1241C (My cousin happened to be borrowing it, so I still have it). A new 400S is selling on ebay right now for $135 shipped, which seems pretty good to me. Does anyone have any input on this amplifier or have any suggestions on another amp under $150 that I should look into? I was checking into the Profile Clarus line (CL800 I think) and some of the US Acoustics lines, but I thought that the Fosgate amp will have more power and be of better quality. Any opinions would be helpful. Thanks.

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[Matador 10+ year member]

fyi, i belive teh pioneer sub doesn't require that much power, if i remember correctly they need like 250rms, just so dat if you r gonna run that sub u could prob take a look at less powerful amps n save urself some money in the amp n use it to get some other stuff.

double check w the pioneer site

 

[FullThrottle7 10+ year member]

Nope, its the nice premier from a couple models back and handles 500w RMS and 1000w peak. Its the sub with three gold colored spines in the middle, not the newer subs with just a round dustcap. Anyways, I had an amp that put out supposedly 300, but my cousin's 150s was more powerful, so it couldn't have been near that. I'm going to be switching boxes to 1.75 cu. ft. ported to low 30hz, so I don't want to go with the full 500, and I thought this amp would be good. Anyone else have any information, like benchtest numbers, or anything?

 

[denim 5,000+ posts]

if you search Ebay has had a lot of older RF amps,and SD has had some good salesx along with CBRstereo.com

 

[FullThrottle7 10+ year member]

All right, thanks, I'll check those sites out and see what I can find. I have a question about a similar amp, however. My friend is getting a similar setup to mine and wants an amp around 500w rms so I told him about this fosgate 400s, but he doesn't trust the refurbished model. I then showed him a couple of Profile CL800 amps, which are supposed to put out about the same amount of power. Do you think that this Profile amp is on par with the fosgate? They are about the same price, but the Profile is new and comes with a 1 year warranty as opposed to the fosgate's 90-day. Is there any amp besides both the Profile and Fosgate that anyone suggests for about 500w RMS?

 

[denim 5,000+ posts]

the soundstream rubicon 500-2 on millionbuy.com

 

but also check http://www.kickinaudio.com and Casey the owners can get you a good price on RF amps too //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/wink.gif.608e3ea05f1a9f98611af0861652f8fb.gif

 

[FullThrottle7 10+ year member]

Hey, thanks again, but I would still like some information on the Profile CL800. The kid that I'm telling about the amps really liked the idea of full year warranty, and I do, too. Does anyone know about the Profile CL800 or any of the other amps in the Clarus line, which to my understanding is their top line. Thanks.

 

[denim 5,000+ posts]

umm I dont mean to burst your bubble, but the RF and the soundstream amps are better than the Profile amp

 

[FullThrottle7 10+ year member]

Oh, I don't really have a bubble to burst. Thats why I'm here. Any information is great and helps a lot. Could you explain what about the Fosgate and Soundstream amps are better than the Profile though? I thought that by going with the CL800, which is rated at 600w RMS mono @ 4 ohms, I would get about 500 out of it without problems. What makes the other two better? Thanks.

 

[FullThrottle7 10+ year member]

All right, my friend and I have narrowed the selection down to a few amps and need a good opinion based on reasoning, not just personal preference. The kid bought a Phoenix Gold Ti12, which has about the same power handling as my Pioneer (500w RMS).

1) Rockford Fosgate 400s

2) Rockford Fosgate 401s (I don't know the difference between the 401 and 400

except for their model year, so any insight is welcome)

3) Profile CL800 (More rated power, but will it put out a full 600w?)

I am having trouble deciding whether it would be better to get one of the less powerful fosgates or the profile. The Fosgates are "better amps" but the profile is almost 200w more powerful and as long as it puts out the power it says, I don't understand what makes the Profile "worse" than the Fosgates. I'm going to build a ported box to get the most SPL I can, so I thought it might be wise to get an amp under the rated power (400s or 401s). On the other hand, I could always turn the gains down on the Cl800. I really need someone to give me a logical breakdown of the differences between the amps that I should base my decision on. It sounds like any of the amps will give me what I want, but I am a bit paranoid after my first experience with a Lanzar Vibe430 that went into protection at anything higher than 5/8 volume (gains were waaayyy down). Let me know what you think.