Amps and subwoofers

[Ajones48]

I've been trying to figure out what kind of amp I need to buy for two 12" pioneer sub's that peak at 1400 watts. I was thinking about getting a mono amp that was around 2,000 watts to run them and I was wondering if anyone knows of a good amp to use and what gauge wiring I should use for the hook up and if there are any extra parts I could buy that might help with the battery consumption. Thanks

 

[razel]

If you meant car subwoofer...

1400-2000 watts requires care otherwise your electrical system will suffer and modern cars ARE very electrical since they're so computer controlled. Start with the big 3 wire upgrade in your engine. Most of us though can realistically do 2 of the 3 which are:

1) 0 gauge wire for battery (-) to chassis.
2) 0 gauge wire for engine block to chassis.

The third which is becoming difficult in modern cars is:
3) 0 gauge wire for alternator (+) to battery

1 and 2, it is recommended that you add wires at existing locations, not replace the old ones. Each wire is a pipe for electricity to flow through... the more, the easier.

Then the usual run 0 gauge from your battery (+) with a fuse to your amp. Buy class D mono amp. If you are buying a sub mono amp, they nearly all are class D these days. The advantage of class D is efficiency and size. When it comes to size I'm very partial to the Alpine PDX and JL Audio HDs. Their max wattage though is 1200 watts. Alpine does make a large size class D @ 2.5k. I will make no brand recommendations beyond what I have used, but do check out the Steve Meade and Sonic Electronix youtube channels. They test multi k wattage amps and I'm sure they'll steer you to a real amp.

You do not need extra batteries, capacitors, or other unicorn dust. Two things I recommend you buy is a multimeter and a Battery Minder. You will have lots of fun bumping when the engine is off and I'm sure you'll be draining your battery often. When you do take it for 30 mins spin on the freeway to recharge your battery just enough to get it out of starvation. When you get home, plug the Battery Minder in to recharge it back up. If you leave you battery in such a thirsty state, sulfation is rampant you'll end up having to buy a new one and you'll begin to complain about dimming lights. A healthy full battery, plenty of pipe (wire) will reduce the stress on your alternator (primary power source when the car is running) and more of it's energy can go to your amp.... that's beside the obvious fact that no-one likes having to jump start their car.

If you meant home...

It's easier. Get Behringer or Crown DJ amps. They're cheap and that's because they have loud fans. You will also want to run then 220. At 110 volts you're usually at 15 amps so 110 x 15 = 1650 watts continuous... but no-one wants to leave their home wiring at max amps so be safe and run 220.

 

[Ajones48]

Thanks for the help I appreciate it.. And I'll probably have them in a older truck late 90's early 2000's so I should be able to do all 3 of the wiring options you mentioned