how do u figure out what amp is good for a subwoofer??

Alpine Subwoofer SWS1241 is the sub. how do i figure how power the amp needs

 

Getting matching RMS values for the Amp and the Subwoofer

 

That sub is not a huge power eating/wanting sub...what I mean is there are subs out there for competition and bass heavy music that require lots of power to sound their best - 1000+ watts. With this sub I would say with a ported box - 150 - 400 or so and sealed 250 - 500 max. The max values I give are assumming your are not using a crappy amp. Use a trusted brand Kicker, JL Audio, Rockford Fosgate, JBL...you know. If you get an amp that claims it pushes 500 watts and it costs 100 bucks...dont get it!!!


but yes, go by the RMS value given my the Manufacture, for a good close #.

 

so no fourmula 2 figure it out?

 

why do you need a formula?...your not converting one unit of measure to another...amps are measures in how much watts they push and subs are measured in how much the can take constantly...both use the same measurement of RMS...

 

so lets say i had a 500watt sub. what size amp would i need?

i am confused

 

is that rms or peak?...i'd say anything from 300 to 500 would suffice...lower wattage if the subs a crappy brand...cause it might not be able to actually handle that much power continuasly

 

Like I said, the sub you are talking about isnt the best (most power handling....) its not bad at all but you dont have to worry about getting a huge amp like say you had one of the square Kicker subs - I had one 12 inch with 800 watts continuous and it could have taken lots more ( the new 18 inch can take 10000watts!!! crazy.)

Anyway, no there isnt a magical # that you need. Some people that are doing some serious competition do get pretty specific though.

For you get an amp that has at least 200 watts RMS, anything more than about 400 watts RMS and you could run the risk of overpowering that sub - actually fusing the wires in the voice coil together cause there is too much heat.

 

personally i would go with the alpine MRD-M301 .... reasoning because i like to stay with the same brands but other than that this amp would match your speaker specs pretty good... you speaker states power handling from 50-200w... rule of thumb is to find something that is in the uper 1/2 of your range.. so the MRD-M301 is 150w rms @ 4ohms... this would fit your speaker pretty good...

 

thanks so much guys. i think i got this now. what sub do u guys reconmend. big brand, cheap price, amp doesnt have 2 match.

and what do u guys have right now

 

Check my sig and you can see what I have....JL Audio has some great amps and subs. The amps are a little to expensive for me. Personally I think that Kicker is the best bang for the buck in any category. I have had Kicker amps in all 3 of my systems and they did great. Its all up to you and your eye that day at the store.

good luck though!

 

i will most likely by on lin, becuz its alot cheaper, and i like getting stuff in the mail

 

You can't go wrong with Soundstream amps. I have used them for 15 years with no problem ever. They were the leader for years, until they began producing a whole bunch of bad batches in the mid-90s. They then got their act together with the Rubicon line, but they might be fading out again as they have moved their production/assembly to Korea or China. You can get Soundstream amps on ebay for a steal these days. Stick with the Rubicon line, Tarantula, or Davinci amps. Better yet, if you can get your hands on some of their old Class A amps, these are better sounding and very powerful compared to any amp made these days.

 

By the way, your sub would perform very well with a Rubicon 302, 502, 702 bridged. Or for multi-channel applications, a Rubicon 404, 604 or 600.4 (newer Rubicon line), with 2 channels bridged would work very well.

 

i thought soundstream was like mucho money costly.?

 

isnt it best to just get an amp with more watts cuz my amp is 1500 watts and my amp is 500watts rms 1000watts max

 

You are right. But not on Ebay these days....