What's the state of the medium-output subwoofer amplifier market?

[chillin 10+ year member]

There's plenty of competitors, fret not. Most warranties don't matter when you buy the cheap stuff though. Crescendo is solid, Sundown is good, Treo is good. All the internet brands are making solid stuff. Skar, DD, DC, Incriminator Audio.I think the weakest link right now is your box. A sealed enclosure is often said to rob 50% of the potential output. You're not going to notice much of a difference (if any at all), between 1200w and 1600w. Maybe you'll notice something at 2,000w, but at that point you might start needing electrical upgrades. If you buy some of the pricier amps in that power range, they tend to be more efficient, and may save you from electrical upgrades.

Exactly what I was going to say. You basically need to double your power for an audible difference, so you may notice a little, but not worth the price of a new amp. Build a proper ported box and it will be much louder.

 

[emilimo701 10+ year member]

There's plenty of competitors, fret not. Most warranties don't matter when you buy the cheap stuff though. Crescendo is solid, Sundown is good, Treo is good. All the internet brands are making solid stuff. Skar, DD, DC, Incriminator Audio.I think the weakest link right now is your box. A sealed enclosure is often said to rob 50% of the potential output. You're not going to notice much of a difference (if any at all), between 1200w and 1600w. Maybe you'll notice something at 2,000w, but at that point you might start needing electrical upgrades. If you buy some of the pricier amps in that power range, they tend to be more efficient, and may save you from electrical upgrades.

Good point on the efficiency thing. I'll have to keep a lookout for that as well.

 

[emilimo701 10+ year member]

What would be a best bet in the efficiency category? I see the SAZ-1500D V.2 listed at 86%. Are you going to find much higher than that?

 

[TheUnderFighter 10+ year member]

What would be a best bet in the efficiency category? I see the SAZ-1500D V.2 listed at 86%. Are you going to find much higher than that?

Not really, they are exceptionally efficient. But most of the others are right around there too. Poor efficiency is under 70%. Anything over 80% is pretty good, especially at 1 ohm. One company stands out though, notorious for the most efficient and smallest amps: Mmats. They are like 96% efficient at 4 ohms, and still in the mid 80's at 1 ohm. And they keep an incredibly small footprint. I just picked up their 2k amp for myself. And where I used to get a 1.5v drop with my old amp, I don't even drop more than a half volt now. All on stock electrical. But they sure are expensive new, great deals can be had used on them though.

Also with the Sundown amp, you have one of the best warranties in the game. Jacob will do everything he can to make it right if something ever goes wrong.