need a strong Subwoofer AMP

drew spelts

Need around 300 to 600 watts at 4ohm subwoofer amp.

twochannel

Adcom GFA-565. Alot of these selling on E-bay recently as low as $350 for one. Pairs going for as much as $1200.

amulford

Get a little Carver cube. It will five you 400 watts at 4 Ohms...

adam2434

You wanting to use a plate amp or outboard amp?

Some plate amps: http://www.partsexpress.com/webpage.cfm?webpage_id=3&SO=2&&DID=7&CATID=43&ObjectGroup_ID=505

If you're looking for an outboard amp, in addition to Carver, Adcom etc., some other options are an Outlaw mono amp (300 watts at 4 Ohms) or maybe a pro amp from the likes of Crown or Samson.

amulford

You can't use that amp. You'll fry it @ 4 OHMs.

reeltrouble1

amulford wrote:

You can't use that amp. You'll fry it @ 4 OHMs.

You got it Anthony.

If you want to use a Carver I might let the extra silver 9t mono I have go.
900w at 4ohm, 1000w for 2 ohms. You may want to investigate the plate amps at partsexpress.com, anything decent though is going to run you some coin. Have any budget in mind?

RT1

Mazeroth

Drew,

What kind of sub are you powering?

Are you looking for a plate amp or a conventional amp?

Then we can help

drew spelts

ok, sorry guys for not completely filling you in. I am in the middle of building my HT sub that contains Two 12 inch alpine Type R's. They will be run at 4ohms. The RMS wattage for these is a total of 600W that is 300W each. However this is the max. So I am looking for and asking for a good sub amp that has at least 300W to around 500W max power. My sub project is getting expensive very fast so I am trying desperatley to get an amp for around $200.00 most likely used would be the only way this is possible. I know the one that i want from parts express that is 500W with a LFE input on it but I do not think I can aford $300. I am starting to think that I do not need huge amounts of power for these things because they will be used in a 15X15 bedroom I have converted into a theater. I am thinking that even 300W should be more than ample for my needs so let me know because I count on you guys for info. The mains of my system will be RTi8's so a good sub is necessary but I just did not like the way any of them looked so I felt "Compelled" to build my own.

tryrrthg

Nady XA-1100 is the current bang for your buck champ in the DIY subwoofer amp category. They also have a "scratch and dent" one for sale here

If you can wait for a back order this site has the Nady for $147.

If you want to spend a little more then the next best amps for the money are from Behringer (EP 1500 and 2500), spend a little more to get a Crown or QSC.

All of these are pro amps and will make some noise because of their fans. You can either mod out the fans for quieter ones (cost you 10-20 dollars) or just disconnect the fans if you find that they aren't running very hot. I have the Nady XA-1100 with modded fans and I can't hear them until I get 1-2 feet away. You could always put the amp in a closet or something if you really want to get it out of the way.

EDIT: Here is a mini-review (with internal pics) of the Nady LINK

drew spelts

but the question still stands...... Do you NEED more than 300W for the subwoofer I have just mentioned above in a 15X15 room?

tryrrthg

No you don't NEED it, but it's always better to have more than you need.

If you don't want that much power, then check out the Nady XA-900

http://www.musiciansfriend.com/srs7/g=home/search/detail/base_pid/482052/

tryrrthg

Have you already bought the Alpine drivers?

reeltrouble1

drew spelts wrote:

but the question still stands...... Do you NEED more than 300W for the subwoofer I have just mentioned above in a 15X15 room?

If you are going for THX standard levels then yes you do. If you just want to vibrate the bed matress or chair some then no you likely dont.

RT1

drew spelts

yes I aleady have the drivers. And I am starting to come to the conclusion that a 500W amp is not even 3 more decibles louder than a 300W amp. You have to double the power just to gain 3 more decibles. the sensitivity is 87db so at:
2watt 90db
4watt 93db
8watt 96db
16watt 99db
32watt 102db
64watt 105db
128watt 108db
256watt 111db
512watt 114db

so I guess what I am saying is that the 3db I would gain in the way I want to gain it would cost me $150 smackers and I just dont believe it is worth it. 300Watts should be plenty for me??????? I dont want to make the neighbors bed vibrate at night.

drew spelts

Plus I Forgot that I will gain about 6db easy just by placing this thing in a corner. This will bring it up to around 117db. I can not remember what the THX standard is but I think it is only 106db. Let me know if you guys remember or find it somewhere.

Mazeroth

I totally agree with you, Drew. The cost to double watts just to obtain 3 more dB is pretty insane.

If I were you, I'd snag one of the 240w Parts Express plate amps for your sub. 24db/octave adjustable crossover (most are 12db), soft clipping, and for the price you can't buy a better amp. I have one running at 2 ohms (dual sealed Adire Shivas) and have yet to have it shut off due to overstressing it. Also, this amp is on sale right now AND they have free shipping. Don't even think about it, just get it!

http://www.partsexpress.com/pe/showdetl.cfm?&DID=7&Partnumber=300-804

Lastly, when you stated 87db/1w it really should be 90db/1w because you're running 2 subs. See, now you got 3 extra dB and didn't have to pay mucho $$$ for it!

tryrrthg

Mazeroth wrote:

for the price you can't buy a better amp.

Oh, but you're wrong! The Nady, 475watts x 2 for $150, just cannot be beat.

Drew, the pro amps, with more power, are a far better investment if you ever plan on building another sub. There is no need for a crossover if you're going to be using a receiver. but it's your money.

You'll also want some extra power if you plan on using EQ on your sub, which you should probably look into in a small square room.

drew spelts

ok, I ordered the Bash plate amp with 300W today and will let you all know how it works in about a week. Thanks for all the info everyone. I just really wanted an amp with an LFE in on it this time and might try something different next time.

reeltrouble1

Ok, a very decent choice, i have a larger HT room, but had to corner load and stack two 450's to get the job done, it was suggested to me by another here, I resisted at first then tried it and was glad I did.

After you get the first one done, you will be able to judge for yourself.

RT1

drew spelts

OK, worked like 6 hrs strait and got all the walls including top and bottom made out of half inch MDF laminated together to obtain a one inch thickness on all walls but the top and bottom. The outside dimensions are 30" tall 16" wide and 14"deep. This is all that will be acomplished for about two or three days becuse of other stuff on the agenda like christmass and all. I sorta pieced it all together to see what it looked like and it is Freaken huge and awsome!!!! Now I am getting excited because this baby is gona rock out with its you know what out!

lanion

You you get the buttkicker amp. 1000watts into 4 ohm, 2000watts into 2 ohm, for like $299. I have one, but use it with my buttkicker... I imagine the sound with a sub would be truly horrible.