Need a decent/cheap 4ohm 100-400w RMS sub amp

[blackbetty14]

Budget is less than $130

This should hopefully be arriving this weekend: 12" Pinoneer TS-SW3002S4 Shallow sub

12" 4-ohm shallow subwoofer
mica-injected resin cone
power range: 100-400 watts RMS, PEAK Power 1500watts
frequency response: 20-125 Hz
sensitivity: 93 dB
mounting depth: 3-3/8"
sealed box volume: 0.5-1.0 cubic feet
ported box volume: 0.65-1.0 cubic feet

Im going to wait till next month to get a better amp but I have an old Jensen A46XP = 460watts 2/1 channel bridgable
170 RMS x 2 @ 2 ohms
230 RMS x 1 @ 4 ohms Bridged

This amp actually fits in them middle of the RMS rating which is nice but I think due to the system being a single 12" I should get it closer to 300-400w RMS.

I was looking at the Pioneer GM-8601 Class D mono Amp
mono subwoofer amplifier
300 watts RMS x 1 at 4 ohms (500 watts RMS x 1 at 2 ohms)
800 watts RMS x 1 at 1 ohm
CEA-2006 compliant
Class D amp technology
variable low-pass filter (40-240 Hz, 12 dB per octave)
wired remote controls variable bass boost (0-18 dB at 50 Hz)
preamp inputs and outputs
speaker-level inputs via supplied RCA-type adapters
fuse rating: 40A x 2

Im also looking at this cheap rockville which does 400w CEA RMS @ 4 ohm but also says 800w RMS @ 4ohm. But has a 1600w peak power at 4 ohm which is basically on par with the 1500w sub rating.


Rockville RXD-M2 3000 Watt/1500w RMS Mono Class D 1 Ohm Car Stereo AmplifierWith Optical Coupler Technology
CEA Compliant Power Ratings (Rated at less than 1 % distortion) (Use these CEAratings when matching and comparing with other CEA compliant brands such asKicker, Rockford Fosgate, etc)
1 Ohm: 750 Watts x 1 Channel <1% THD+N
2 Ohm: 550 Watts x 1 Channel <1% THD+N
4 Ohm: 400 Watts x 1 Channel <1% THD+N)
RMS Power Ratings: (Use these RMS ratings when comparing with great brands suchas Hifonics, Earthquake, Soundstream, etc)
1 Ohm: 1500 Watts x 1 Channel
2 Ohm: 1100 Watts x 1 Channel
4 Ohm: 800 Watts x 1 Channel
Peak: (The amount of power the amplifier can produce for a split second at theloudest part of a song
1 Ohm: 3000 Watts x 1 Channel
2 Ohm: 2200 Watts x 1 Channel
4 Ohm: 1600 Watts x 1 Channel
High-Speed MOSFET Power Supply
Optical Coupler Class D Technology
Studio-Grade Bipolar Output Stage Transistors
Now exclusively with Professional Peak Limiter Circuitry which guaranteesdistortion free musical playback at all levels.
Fully Adjustable 12dB / Octave Crossover with Differential Circuitry
Low Pass Filter: 50Hz - 250Hz
Subsonic Filter: 15Hz - 55Hz
Phase Control Switch
Full IC-Controlled Protection Circuitry
Remote Dashboard Subwoofer Control
Fully Adjustable 12dB Bass Equalizer
Mute and Delay Soft Start System
RCA Preamp Line Output
8 Volt Preamp Circuitry
Status Mode LED Indicator
Minimum THD at Rated Power: < 0.05%
S / N Ratio: > 100dB
Frequency Response: 10Hz - 500Hz
Damping Factor: > 250 @ 100Hz
Dual 40 Amp **** Fuse
Dimensions: (W x H x L) 8.5˝ x 1.8˝ x 13.7˝

 

[WilliamS]

Rockford Fosgate Prime 500x1. Dont let the tiny footprint or ratings fool you. Ive used more these tiny terrors than any other subwoofer amp in my installs. Ive run 2 Infinty 15's, 3 JBL 10's, 2 Kenwood 12's and so many more. They do not give up, they are clean power.

The dimensions are 8.50 L x 6.80 W x 2.00 H inches.

Has high level inputs.

Comes with Bass remote.

https://www.amazon.com/Rockford-Fosgate-R500X1D-1-Channel-Amplifier/dp/B00BF6HYDE/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1489766877&sr=8-1&keywords=rockford+fosgate+amplifier+500

 

[WilliamS]

DO NOT BUY A NO NAME AMP!

All of those ratings will never happen. You will never see a Rockville amp in a high end install. There are better brands the Rockford Fosgate but it will put out the rated power. Not some imaginary number they make up.

 

[adurm]

I have a jbl msa5001 that is cheap and sounds good. Came from sonic electronics.

 

[blackbetty14]

From what Im reading the rockville carry CEA power ratings... unlike alot of the other cheap amps. So I can compare these directly to most of the better amps like apline, Rockford Fosgate etc. The thing is a 2/4 channel will allow me to add another sub if need be or add more speakers for system flexability. Personally I dont see that happening besides a 2nd sub depending how 1 of these shallow ones does. But then I could always wire dual 4 ohm subs to 2 ohm load on the amp and get more juice out of the amp. Ive just never used shallow subs before so this will be a learning experience.

I'm now considering 2 and 4 channel amps with bridging. I have been reading up on class D and mono amps and they are more designed for 1-2ohm operation and not 4ohm. Since efficiency matters with low ohm, a stable A/B class amp might be better suited for my setup. But running a mono amp at 4 ohm and possibly swapping in another 4ohm for a 2ohm load would make the mono amp work as well. Not sure what I want to do at this point. But looking for the best bang for my buck at hitting close to the 400w RMS with my single shallow sub. I figure if Im maxing out this sub and not happy I'll have to do another sub which will require another box and sub.

 

[WilliamS]

From what Im reading the rockville carry CEA power ratings... unlike alot of the other cheap amps. So I can compare these directly to most of the better amps like apline, Rockford Fosgate etc. The thing is a 2/4 channel will allow me to add another sub if need be or add more speakers for system flexability. Personally I dont see that happening besides a 2nd sub depending how 1 of these shallow ones does. But then I could always wire dual 4 ohm subs to 2 ohm load on the amp and get more juice out of the amp. Ive just never used shallow subs before so this will be a learning experience.

I'm now considering 2 and 4 channel amps with bridging. I have been reading up on class D and mono amps and they are more designed for 1-2ohm operation and not 4ohm. Since efficiency matters with low ohm, a stable A/B class amp might be better suited for my setup. But running a mono amp at 4 ohm and possibly swapping in another 4ohm for a 2ohm load would make the mono amp work as well. Not sure what I want to do at this point. But looking for the best bang for my buck at hitting close to the 400w RMS with my single shallow sub. I figure if Im maxing out this sub and not happy I'll have to do another sub which will require another box and sub.

We warned you. You can state whatever you want on the box, doesnt mean its true. We made suggestions that will work without stressing the amp and last.

 

[blackbetty14]

We warned you. You can state whatever you want on the box, doesnt mean its true. We made suggestions that will work without stressing the amp and last.

haha Im not making any decisions. Just opening the possibiities. That Fosgate amp is right on par with the pioneer GM-8601 i was looking at, the pioneer was $11 cheaper. I'd be more interested in something closer to 400w rms at 4ohm.

that JBL is interesting... right wattage but man thats a big ol amp (5" thick!). I think 3" is the max that will fit under the rear seat.

 

[WilliamS]

On a shallow sub, you do not want to push it full tilt RMS. You need an amp with good control and filters. What you need is an amp with a subsonic filter if you are dead set on that sub. Shallows can sound good, but can also bottom out real fast with lower frequencies.

 

[autokraftgt]

buy an Alpine MRP-M500 and call it a day. 300-500 watts and they're tough and cheap and small.

 

[blackbetty14]

Well lets add these to the list thus far. They are all basically the same but differ in size and price.

Pioneer mono = GM-8601
300wRMS @ 4 ohm
500wRMS @ 1/2 ohm
$110

Rockford Fosgate mono = R500-1D
300wRMS @ 4 ohm
500wRMS @ 1/2 ohm
$130

Apline mono = MRV-M500
300wRMS @ 4 ohm
500wRMS @ 1/2 ohm
$140

Kenwood Excelon mono = X501-1
300wRMS @ 4 ohm
500wRMS @ 1/2 ohm
$120

 

[WilliamS]

Well lets add these to the list thus far. They are all basically the same but differ in size and price.

Pioneer mono = GM-8601
300wRMS @ 4 ohm
500wRMS @ 1/2 ohm
$110

Rockford Fosgate mono = R500-1D
300wRMS @ 4 ohm
500wRMS @ 1/2 ohm
$130

Apline mono = MRV-M500
300wRMS @ 4 ohm
500wRMS @ 1/2 ohm
$140

Kenwood Excelon mono = X501-1
300wRMS @ 4 ohm
500wRMS @ 1/2 ohm
$120

I wouldnt have a problem running any of these. The no names you cant trust, and even if they do output the full power it wouldnt last long.

 

[adurm]

The Jbl fits nicely under the front seat

 

[blackbetty14]

$250/300 is well beyond my price range. I just tested the box which doesn't fit that well and I had to mod it to fit the shallow sub that arrived yesterday as it has a 3/4" larger hole. With my old Jensen 240wrms it hit pretty hard and that was with the engine off. I don't think I'll be going duals lol.

 

[autokraftgt]

Sounds like you're all set up! I can speak with confidence about the Alpine. Back in the day I had two MRP M-500's running a pair of Type R's. I had them both wired to a 2 ohm load and I beat the living holy hell out of them for 3 years straight. They never missed a beat and my friend has been enjoying them since with no issues (prob 7-8 years old now?)
Great little amps. Got my pair off Amazon for $120...tough to beat.
Regarding Fosgate, I like their sub amps...I would have no problems running one in a high end install for sub duty. I would not run a Fosgate amp for front stage duties, but that's simply my biased, stubborn opinion. I like a ton of overhead with my amps....makes the subs/speakers happier due to less distortion. Make sure you set your gains correctly. Best of luck!

 

[adrianp89]

Literally no brainer here, find a clearance Kicker CX300.1 I picked one up for the Charger for $60. 300watts at 2 ohms.

https://www.amazon.com/Kicker-12CX3001-Class-Amplifier-CX300-1/dp/B00BEV2HX2

Do a little shopping and you can find it much cheaper.

 

[blackbetty14]

Literally no brainer here, find a clearance Kicker CX300.1 I picked one up for the Charger for $60. 300watts at 2 ohms.

https://www.amazon.com/Kicker-12CX3001-Class-Amplifier-CX300-1/dp/B00BEV2HX2

Do a little shopping and you can find it much cheaper.

that amp only puts out 150w RMS at 4 ohms. Thats less than my current 10yrold amp. I'm only buying an amp if its got 300w-400w RMS at 4 ohms and a class D for efficency. I'm leaning towards 300w RMS as the 230w RMS now is pretty loud. The extra 70w will be enough and gives me room to grow if I want but Im not going down on power!

Ive found the pioneer 1600w or 300w RMS @ 4 ohm for $110 shipped new. I picked up my pioneer 12" shallow sub for $72 shipped when crutchfield sells it for $180.

 

[adrianp89]

The Pioneer is great as well, bigger footprint but still not too big. Could also find the CX600.1 on clearance.

 

[blackbetty14]

Sounds like you're all set up! I can speak with confidence about the Alpine. Back in the day I had two MRP M-500's running a pair of Type R's. I had them both wired to a 2 ohm load and I beat the living holy hell out of them for 3 years straight. They never missed a beat and my friend has been enjoying them since with no issues (prob 7-8 years old now?)
Great little amps. Got my pair off Amazon for $120...tough to beat.
Regarding Fosgate, I like their sub amps...I would have no problems running one in a high end install for sub duty. I would not run a Fosgate amp for front stage duties, but that's simply my biased, stubborn opinion. I like a ton of overhead with my amps....makes the subs/speakers happier due to less distortion. Make sure you set your gains correctly. Best of luck!

Thanks! Its always good to hear peoples experiences with products. out of the amps I posted Ive never used Alpine or RF. Kenwood would be a last choice. For me it comes down to price... they are all good brands.

 

[blackbetty14]

The Pioneer is great as well, bigger footprint but still not too big. Could also find the CX600.1 on clearance.

I got some space lol The other side (pass side) I just cut a large peice of MDF that fits on top of the cubby. I'm able to mount an amp and capacitor and have a ton of room left. I thought about mounting the amp near the sub but behind the seat that flimsy board isn't going to cut it. I refuse to drill any holes in this truck, and amp access for adjusting or removal is a plus.

Just checked out the CX600.1, looks pretty good. However wats up with all the amps like alpine, RF, kicker and MTX all selling the remote bass knobs seperately. Some even sell the high input harness seperate. lol.... that should all come with the AMP! Seems like they just want to make more money.

My next question is that I'm running the remote bass knob with my scoch LOC and the new amps have high level inputs and self sensing turn on. So technically I could just remove the LOC completely and run the high level inputs into the amp and use the internal crossover for LPF only. But then I need to run the new bass knob which isn't the end of the world but I believe they are all much larger than the one I currently have so mounting is a PITA.

So do I leave it as is, use the LOC to RCA to the amp, keep my switched 12v to turn on the amp and keep my current bass knob. Or remove it all, connect the High levels right into the amp and use the bass knob that comes with the amp?

Can I use the High level input and a 12v switched turn on at the same time? I gotta read up more on it but I had a issue with the scoch LOC and it wasn't turning off for like 5 min after the radio was off and I was getting noise out through the sub. So I didn't use the LOC to activate the amp and ran a hard line switched 12v which kills the amp as soon as the key is off.

 

[blackbetty14]

Don't mind the mess. I have to carpet the amp area but wanted to wait till I had the amp I wanted and run the wiring under into the cavity below.