Hey Guys

I was wondering which amp would be better to hook up to (2) Kicker CVR12 Comp VR 12" Sub Woofer 12" subwoofer
Specs:
Frequency response: 25-500 Hz
Power handling: 50-400 watts RMS
Peak power: 800 watts
Impedance: 2 or 4 Ohms DVC
Sensitivity: 86.7 dB

The first amp is a Rockford Fosgate P3001 amp
150x1 @ 4 ohms, 300x1 @ 2 ohms, 12dB/oct HP/AP/LP crossover variable 40-400Hz

The Second amp is a UltraLinear UL2600D amp
1200 watt x 1 Max Power @ 4 Ohm
900 Watts RMS
450 watt x 2 RMS @ 2 Ohm

Which amp should i use?

THanks

 

A word of advice-- get a sub with a much higher sensitivity if you want to go that weak on power-- ultralinear?? what's that??

Crutchfield is selling PAIRS of infinity kappa perfect 12.1's for $189 SHIPPED!!

Jump on that price while you can-- they're selling out-- kappa perfects are one of the best subs ever made period-- with a 3 yr warranty-- NO kicker sub can even come close to one of these subs-- for sq vs. output they're hard to beat -- (aluminum cone)

Stick with trusted names -- MTX Thunder Series amps (black with gold letters) can still be found from time to time for way cheaper than either of those cost new-- I picked up a 4200x (75x4) and a 1500dx (950w rms = TRUE rms @ .5% thd) -- none of this max crap-- Both cost me $200 total-- The can be compared to phoenix gold, ppi's higher end, rockfords higher end (a little better than RF though) -- much like a zapco or xtant in terms of s/n ratio and THD% at total power--

IF you could find a 2300x in good shape-- they're mil spec boards and components, 850w-- 18db xover, can be found for $125 ish-- if it works now, it will continue to work-- also a 1500dx will pound those 12's, but probably too much power, (just turn it down-- it's better that way anyhow) --

 

UltraLinear because you wont starve you subs of wattage like you would with the Rockford. Word of advice, you cause more damage to subwoofers by underpowering them than by overpowering them.

 

are those the only two amps your looking at?

 

Can you please explain how that is possible? Because I've run subs for years with less power than the sub can handle. I'm currently running a TC Sounds TC2+ (600w RMS) with a 250w amp and haven't had a single problem.

As long as you are pushing an unclipped signal to the sub, keeping the countinuous wattage below the RMS value of the sub so the voice coil doesn't melt and the power you are pushing doesn't push the sub beyond its maximum mechanical excursion, then you can't dammage the sub. A clipped signal is still sending power to the sub but there's not as much cone movement. The movement of the cone is a natural cooling mechanism of the voice coil (look at the back plate on your sub's motor and you will usually see a vent).

Basically, it doesn't matter what the wattage of your amp is, as long as you send a clean signal to the sub. You can have the best amp in the world but if your are clipping your signal from the head unit, you are still sending the sub a clipped signal. Set your gains properly and you will be fine. Tutorial.

-Robert

 

It's always better to pull the power back on an overqualified amp as it will run cooler, and clip way less--

An unclipped signal at the respective gain level may become clipped after cranking it for as little as 20 minutes-- especially with other accessories on (lights, wipers, .... ) --

You can do the weaker amp, but I don't recommend it-- as you'll always want to turn it up--

It is better to pop a sub than to burn the coil-- (but the sub will die if you do either in excessive amts) -- (pop=overexcursion) -- I don't recommend either though--

All that to say it is much better to push a sub to it's mechanical limits than it's thermal limits-- suspensions are generally robust, and coils aren't as tough in most cases.

I would steer clear of brands like ultrasonic, linear drive, power acoustik, jensen, el cheapo, profile, la sound- --

Go for something better that I mentioned before-- a used amp will be fine if it is in working condition and is a quality unit.

Trust my experience, if you want good quality at a good price--

And if you're smart, you'll get the kappa perfects for the $189 shipped per pair price-- they used to run $300 each -- they're comparable to an alumapro or an image dynamics-- believe me-- don't skimp on the subs-- you'll regret it later, and at that price you can't lose--

There's a reason the perfects are spoken so highly of -- it only takes one to get loud, but they will play lower, louder, higher, and cleaner than nearly anything twice the current price.

For example -- I had a boston pro 12 -- $350 sub-- very stout sub, but when I installed it, I immediately had to turn my x-over down from about 90hz @ 18db octave on the perfect, to about 75hz @ 18db octave for the boston sub-- The boston's suspension isn't as well damped, and the cone breaks up at frequencies the kappa perfect is capable of playing cleanly and musically-- This means it will be able to match more seamlessly to your mids-- Kicker subs have always been loud, but generally a tone generator, and not a musical instrument that happens to get crazy loud-- 2 kappa perfects will blow your head off--

The boston wasn't as clean, musical, loud, or tight as the perfects--

Guess what I'm running now-- .......

Just a word of advice from someone that's been in car audio for more than 11 years.

Good luck--