amp questions

slim

im running two polk dx 12s. im having trouble picking out an amp to use, can anyone recommend an amp? I want the best amp i can get for around 300 dollars or less. Or i could use two mono amps, or i could get two 2 channel amps and bridge them both. just tell me what you think would work best please.

delvryboy

Originally posted by slim
im running two polk dx 12s. im having trouble picking out an amp to use, can anyone recommend an amp? I want the best amp i can get for around 300 dollars or less. Or i could use two mono amps, or i could get two 2 channel amps and bridge them both. just tell me what you think would work best please.

whats the voice coil configuration....i would personally get 1 mono amp that can supply enough power for both subs

is this the same slim i know?

Thom

Originally posted by delvryboy
whats the voice coil configuration....i would personally get 1 mono amp that can supply enough power for both subs

I agree. Especially if you're only trying to spend $300 or less as mentioned. I don't imagine you'll find two amps for that money.

slim

well for any questions you have on the subs just go to this link: http://www.polkaudio.com/car/specs.php?name=dx12-4 it will tell you everything about them. And this is the first time ive used this forum so im probably not the slim ur thinking of sorry :-\

slim

well i know 300 dollars isnt much to spend. But im sure i could get one descent 2 channel amp just to use for now. im not quite 16 yet so its pretty hard to get a job. i cant get a job until this summer really. so untill then it will be hard to come up with 5 or 600 dollars to spend on an amp. when i get a job i plan on upgrading. i just want something to use untill then and i only want to spend around $300.

sntnsupermen131

i have 2 2 channel amps that i run my 2 subs off of
AB amps are cleaner and if one amp breaks, you just have to replace that one small, cheaper amp, and youd still have one sub going, rather than if your one mono amp blew, ud be out more money, and no bass until you can get a new one
BUT
having a mono amp takes up less space, more efficient, and costs less initially(cuz ur only buying 1 big amp, not 2 small amps)
-Cody

delvryboy

looks like you need an amp that will put out around 800-1000w 2 2 ohms(wire the subs in parallel=2ohm)

i would need a few to find some amps....but to give you an idea..mtx and RF amps put out their power at 2 ohm...it really depends if you are willing to use ebay....there are some good mono amps there that will put out the needed power at 2 ohms...hifonics bx1500(brutus)...puts out 1500w @ 1ohm...however it will match-up quite nicely with an output of around 900-1000w @ 2ohm...it can be had for around $300 also

slim

okay it sounds like everyone thinks i should go with a mono... but theres alot of mono amps out there... can anyone be a little more specific? :-\

slim

ive never actually bought off of ebay so im not sure how great the products would be. but that would be a way to get them for a lil cheaper

sntnsupermen131

the hifonics brutus 1500 is $350 here:
http://www.acaraudio.com/product_info.php?manufacturers_id=46&products_id=1140
brand new w/ warranty
i know its $50 more than 300, but ebay will not come with a warranty, and id rather buy from an actual store than an individual anyday
id try and shell out the extra $50, this is an awesome amp at a great price
-Cody

slim

well for 50 dollars more i dont mind. especially if its this good of an amp and it comes with a warranty. thanks alot for the help everyone. oh and one last question.. this is kinda a dumb question.. but if its a mono amp how would i go about hooking two subs to it.... :-\

delvryboy

Originally posted by sntnsupermen131
the hifonics brutus 1500 is $350 here:
http://www.acaraudio.com/product_info.php?manufacturers_id=46&products_id=1140
brand new w/ warranty
i know its $50 more than 300, but ebay will not come with a warranty, and id rather buy from an actual store than an individual anyday
id try and shell out the extra $50, this is an awesome amp at a great price
-Cody

definatly worth the extar few bucks ...there is also the bx1000 that will put out i believe 700w at 2ohm...but i believe the 1500 would be a wise choice...it really leaves alot of room for upgrades in the future

slim

Actually i was just now looking at a different amp.. but ive never heard of this brand... does anyone know anything about pyle audio... check out this link: http://shop.store.yahoo.com/etronicsnet/pylpla2470.html

slim

Well now that I've figured out the amp im gonna use my system will be pretty good . Thanks alot to everyone that helped me: delvryboy, thom and Cody. I really appreciate it. Oh but i found the bx1500 at this site: http://shop.vendio.com/CEG4U/item/622463678/index.html?q=1070881405 and its only $ dollars so I think Ill buy it from this site. But thanks again everyone Ill definetely have a good system i think .

sntnsupermen131

that amp will not put out its rated power, it is a piece of CRAP
it doesnt even say is thats RMS or peak power
if it puts out more than 600 watts, id be surprised
and even then, its still a POS amp that probably wouldnt last you
go with the brutus, youll be 5000 times happier, and hifonics is an awesome brand
-Cody

slim

Well ya you guys already convinced me to use the hifonics one. I was just wondering how the other one was. but check that link out i sent i sec ago to see if u think i can trust buying it from that site. cuz its only 250 bucks there and if i can do that.. thats a good deal for an amp thats worth like 500 bucks or more . Oh and it says it comes with a manufacturer warranty. so I think its alright :-\

sntnsupermen131

ive never heard of that site before, id a little weary about it and would try to find some more info on it, but yes, it says full warranty, so you could always sue for false advertising anyways...lol
and thats dirt cheap too
-Cody

slim

lol yea true... and if i sued for that i could probably get enough money to buy a better amp . But Its a store.. and u can trust most stores... So Ill take my chance on this one. Hell.... its a 500 dollar amp for 250 dollars thats a 50 percent discount! you cant pass that up especially with a warranty! The last question.. kinda a dumb one.. but u can answer on here or if u want add me on aim.. footballstar1127 and explain on there. but if im buying a one channel amp.. how do i hook two subs up to it? :-\

slim

Hello? Can anyone please explain to me how to hook up my two subs to a one channel amp? is there a special way to do it or do i just simply put both positive wires to the same output on the amp, and both negatives to the same output??

Jethro

Originally posted by slim
Hello? Can anyone please explain to me how to hook up my two subs to a one channel amp? is there a special way to do it or do i just simply put both positive wires to the same output on the amp, and both negatives to the same output??

It depends on the amp. If the amp only has one set of outputs, then you will hook it up as you described above (called wiring in parallel). If it is a mono amp with two sets of outputs, then you can wire one sub to each set, and the amp will parallel them internally.

slim

well jethro.. im not sure but go to this link and look at the amp and tell me how i would wire this one: http://www.acaraudio.com/product_info.php?manufacturers_id=46&products_id=1140

delvryboy

Originally posted by slim
well jethro.. im not sure but go to this link and look at the amp and tell me how i would wire this one: http://www.acaraudio.com/product_info.php?manufacturers_id=46&products_id=1140

the brutus has 2 sets of outputs...inside they are connected together....so basicaly there is one positive and one negative but 2 terminals for ease of wiring

when you wire both subs in parallel(both + to the + on the amp and both- to the - on the amp) you will cut the impedence in half...so you have 4 ohm single vc subs...so when wired this way you will end up with a 2ohm load

here's some good reading material--->JL tutorials

slim

Oo that sounds easy. So I just put both positive wires to the positive on the amp and both negative to the negative. Thats how I thought it was done but havent done it before so I just wanted to be safe. Thanks alot everyone that helped me find the amp: delvryboy, thom, and Cody. and thanks jethro for telling me how to wire it. thanks to the four of you my system will be complete . does anyone have an opinion on me using eclipse 5.25 and eclipse 5 X 7s? or just an opinion of eclipse as an overall company? I personally like eclipse but if you have an opinion please tell me even though i already ordered the eclipse speakers.

sntnsupermen131

egh, im not a big fan of eclipse speakers, a lot of ppl are though, dont get me wrong, theyre a good brand, and maybe ive just listened to an "acoustically challenged" car that the eclipses were in...
they just sound...hollow for lack of a better word
but they make some SWEET head units
-Cody

slim

well ive heard eclipse and they seem pretty good. and everyone ive asked about it thinks they are one of the best, if not THE best car audio brand. but tell me what you think of what my system will sound like... I have an alpine deck... im not sure the model number but its a blue and silver one. eclipse 5.25s, eclipse 5 X 7s, HIFONICS BX1500D, and two dx series polk 12s and this is all inside of a 1996 ford escort 2dr hatchback... ne 1 think it will sound descent? :-\ oh and the 12s are in a box i made myself. i made it out of the most dense wood you can buy in grand junction colorado.. its really dense.. then i angled the front of it and put a piece of 1/2 inch plexi glass on the front. i then mounted the two 12s off of the plexi glass with 2 inch rubber spacers. i made 4 ports/bass tubes with 4 inch pvc piping. then i mounted a couple 15 inch and a couple 10 inch blue neon rods inside of it.. i ran that under my back seats and under the carpet and pluged it in.. it looks really cool.. In all making the box cost me about 300 dollars.. but it was worth it. but what do you think about how it will sound?

delvryboy

Originally posted by slim
well ive heard eclipse and they seem pretty good. and everyone ive asked about it thinks they are one of the best, if not THE best car audio brand. but tell me what you think of what my system will sound like... I have an alpine deck... im not sure the model number but its a blue and silver one. eclipse 5.25s, eclipse 5 X 7s, HIFONICS BX1500D, and two dx series polk 12s and this is all inside of a 1996 ford escort 2dr hatchback... ne 1 think it will sound descent? :-\ oh and the 12s are in a box i made myself. i made it out of the most dense wood you can buy in grand junction colorado.. its really dense.. then i angled the front of it and put a piece of 1/2 inch plexi glass on the front. i then mounted the two 12s off of the plexi glass with 2 inch rubber spacers. i made 4 ports/bass tubes with 4 inch pvc piping. then i mounted a couple 15 inch and a couple 10 inch blue neon rods inside of it.. i ran that under my back seats and under the carpet and pluged it in.. it looks really cool.. In all making the box cost me about 300 dollars.. but it was worth it. but what do you think about how it will sound?

sounds great...my only concern is the 4 ports...did you use a box design or modeling program to figure out your port length?

sntnsupermen131

did you build the box off of any type of specs?
b/c the DX series needs a certain amount of air space to prevent them from getting damaged and to make them sound as good as possible
also, the tuning of the box might be a little off
eclipse is a good brand but, they are by far not best audio brand...
the length of the ports is also an issue
-Cody

slim

no.. i wasnt sure how to measure those. but the way i put them on was kinda cool.. dont tell anyone but i just used shower drains hehe and took the grill off. they look proffessional.. the ports are top of the box.. this part is kinda hard to explain.. but the shower drains.. i just used pipe glue to connect the pipe to them and then theres a piece so that i just put the ports down through holes i drilled and then screwed that piece on to hold it. so i can easily take them off and change the lenght, how would i find out how long they should be? right now.. theyre like 4 inches.. something like that

slim

yea cody, i looked up the specs and built the box to those, i knew that and didnt wanna screw anything up. but i dont remember seeing any specs for port lengths. but i gotta run and do something.. so ill be back in around an hour to check on this so if u have more advice about it just tell me. thanks again.

delvryboy

Originally posted by slim
yea cody, i looked up the specs and built the box to those, i knew that and didnt wanna screw anything up. but i dont remember seeing any specs for port lengths. but i gotta run and do something.. so ill be back in around an hour to check on this so if u have more advice about it just tell me. thanks again.

if you post your internal dimensions of the box and the number and diameter of the ports you used....we can check the port length for you

sntnsupermen131

and if you have 2 chambers or one big one
-Cody