Sundown SA-12

[Magnum099]

I am looking to get a new subwoofer for my daily driver, and I am leaning towards getting one SA-12. I have a couple of questions though, mainly for people who have experience with the Sundowns.

1) Ported or Sealed? I know ported is generally the choice for the Sundowns, but I was just curious if anyone had any experience with them sealed. I like the bass punchy and tight, but I also want it loud.

2) What amplifier? My budget for an amp is $200 or less preferably. I don't want to go over 700 watts though. I was looking at the Alpine MRP-M500, Pioneer GM-D8601, and the Rockford Fosgate R500X1D. All of these put at 500 watts rms at 2 ohms though, and I wasn't sure if that would be enough since the sub is rated at 600 watts rms.

3) Would it overpower my mids and highs? I have Rockford Fosgate Prime speakers with an Alpine 4 channel amp pushing 40 watts rms per channel right now. Would I need to consider an upgrade, or would it matter?

Any input is appreciated. I am open to other suggestions for subs though, as long as they are around 400-600 watts rms.

Thanks!

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[jaeguerra909 10+ year member]

For an sa 12 I would try to find the best priced yet decent 1000 watt amp and also I would nust do ported ive never been a fan of sealed

 

[Magnum099]

I can't do 1000 watts. The wiring is 4 gauge and I don't want to have to get a upgraded alternator. Should I consider a different sub? I want to run between 400 and 600 watts rms to the sub.

 

[Dmac1991]

Audio Technix 400 1 Amp Amplifier 400W RMS 1000W Max Class D 1 Ohm Stable | eBay

and 4 gauge wiring is good all the way up until 1500 watts and less than 20ft

 

[Magnum099]

I should clarify. I have 4 gauge wiring to the distribution blocks and 8 gauge from there. This is the wiring that is in my car:

Rockford Fosgate RFK4D 4 Gauge Complete Dual Amplifier Kit

It says it is good for up to 1000 watts, so I will probably stick to that, plus I don't think my car's alternator could handle much more than that.

 

[Full Tilt 10+ year member]

I can't do 1000 watts. The wiring is 4 gauge and I don't want to have to get a upgraded alternator. Should I consider a different sub? I want to run between 400 and 600 watts rms to the sub.

For a 1K system, you should be fine with a decent 4 ga wire - and a H/O alternator definitely isn't mandatory.

 

[Magnum099]

So you're saying that as long as I had a good battery, I would probably be alright up to 1500 watts? Would I also need to do the Big 3?

 

[Loudmp5 10+ year member]

Ditch the 8 guage tho

 

[Dmac1991]

Actually the bigger the wire, the easier it is on your alt to supply enough current

 

[Tbsh 10+ year member]

For the box I would go ported, and you can just tune it a little higher. As for the amp, the AudioTechnix amp listed above would be a good choice. For electrical I would just get a decent agm battery, do the big 3, and get 4 gauge for your amps.

 

[Magnum099]

What would be the advantage of getting the AudioTechnix amp over the ones I listed? The ones I listed put out 500 watts rms whereas the AudioTechnix only puts out 400.

 

[Magnum099]

I was planning on running it at 2 ohms. The Pioneer could run at 1 ohm also, except it would put out 800 watts rms.

 

[Dmac1991]

just depends on your sub. If you get a dual 4 ohm sub, you can wire it down to 2 ohms and the amps you listed would be good.

The Pioneer 8601 amp is not good if you are running ported due to it not having a subsonic filter. Running sealed on that amp is recommended.

If you get a dual 2 ohm sub, the Audio Technix puts out ~600rms at 1 ohm which would be perfect for that sub

 

[raptor727 10+ year member]

I would go with a sound qubed 750.1.. Get a dual 2 sa12wire that bish to 1 ohm and tune it at 32.. Also keep the box around. 2 cubes after displacement, if not 1.75

 

[jerrod75110]

Im a newbie to car audio so take this for what its worth but i just installed a sundown sd-2 12d4 (shallow mount version of the sa) and an Alpine 500 amp wire at 2ohms. I got the amp off amazon for $120! I dont have much space in the truck so its in a .96 sealed box. The setup Jams. not really rattling bass but loud clean sounding bass!

P.S I learned the hard way..set your gain right first thing and dont use a bass knob usless its really turned right..