Intro to Sundown

[jack 0]

I have no direct Sundown experience, I have read a lot of good things and I'm here to see what they have for my application. I have been researching amps for my newest upgrade from 10s to 12s and I wanted to get some suggestions.

I have two 12" Cadence SE Solo Beast DR subs dual 2 ohm vc, 600 wrms / 1200 peak per sub. I would like to be at about 600@4ohms and 1200@2ohms if possible so that if I choose to I can run only one sub at a full 600wrms and potentially upgrade subs in the future. Sure I'd like to say that SQ is all I want but, not in the trunk, SPL is what a sub if for IMO.

I would like to compare actual numbers, for example, I've considered only 13.6-13.8 volts is actually getting to the amp in my car (big 3 upgrade, check, 4 guage, check, old-ass half-dead stock Toyota Camry 4 cyl alty, check!) and, for example, the Hifonics amp is maybe 10% overrated (so I've read) then to actually deliver close to 1200 watts at 2 ohms .

So far I think that these are my best choices (if I missed a good option please speak up) choices, each can be purchased and shipped from eBay for $275+/- 15-20 bucks and this is the top of my price range. (Yes I understand that you get what yo pay for, but those words do nothing for my hobby budget, says my wife and daughter)

A Hifonics BXI 2006, (slightly overrated?) 650 @ 4 and 1300 @ 2 (2000/1)

B Lanzar Opti2000d (i have no idea) 700 @ 4 and 1100 @ 2 (1600/1.3 and 2600/0.5)

C MTX TA 8101 (slightly underrated?) 500 @ 4 and 1000 @ 2 (1500/1) (Or the 7801 that should have the actual power to get me there and at the lower end of my prices so far (4*35 fuses))

D US MD2 (probably low) 550 @4 and 1000 @2 (1500/1) Maybe $50 more than the rest or I've seen a couple recently for 250-275 shipped supposedly "NIB" or "never seen power" but from joe people.

E Kicker zx1000 (Probably low) 500 @ 4 and 1000 @ 2, no intro needed and again 75+ bucks over my ideal budget and therefore a doubtful purchase

So, what is the best Sundown or any other option? Is there a Sundown dealer in Atlanta, GA giving out great deals? Or anything for sale by an individual? I'm open to "used" if A. its a person selling it and has references and B. I pay a "used" price but (not someone looking to get all of there money back.)

Of these other ones, if anyone has actual experience with one or all of them, what are some of the strengths and/or weaknesses of each amp?

What would you pick?

Is there another option that you would chose that is not listed?

Thank you for your valuable time!

[danracer 0]

well IMO I would get the SAZ-1500d and here is why...

1) looks really sexy(atleast for me it does... lol)

2) amp wont get warm...I have a carpet on top of it so when i go to places people cant see it through the back window, and the amp barely gets warm even when my van is on the sun for a couple of hours.

3) really efficient at 2 ohms...i have 2 batts and the stock alt and my voltage only drops bout .3-.4 and when i pound my system all day the most it goes down is bout .6-.7 and that is really rare...so at 4 ohms i imagine there is gonna be realllyy little drop...

you can probably find it used for about 325-375 and new well you gotta check on a dealer to see whats the lowest they can sell it to ya.

also when I was looking for an amp i looked at most of the options you had in mind but i decided to pay a lil more for better quality and an awesome CS...

[jonbearsmt 919]

i allways say stay away from hifonics,... mine was a very large hifonics,. i found it to be unstable, and NOT over rated, but repairs take up to a year!

sundown

jacob is a great guy, that will allways respond to emails and take care of problems best that he can,

i would buy sundown amps for life, simply cause he has great people skills and stands behind a great product. and indeed simple sexy sundown amps.

[Cheesemind 0]

I have no direct Sundown experience, I have read a lot of good things and I'm here to see what they have for my application. I have been researching amps for my newest upgrade from 10s to 12s and I wanted to get some suggestions.

I have two 12" Cadence SE Solo Beast DR subs dual 2 ohm vc, 600 wrms / 1200 peak per sub. I would like to be at about 600@4ohms and 1200@2ohms if possible so that if I choose to I can run only one sub at a full 600wrms and potentially upgrade subs in the future. Sure I'd like to say that SQ is all I want but, not in the trunk, SPL is what a sub if for IMO.

I would like to compare actual numbers, for example, I've considered only 13.6-13.8 volts is actually getting to the amp in my car (big 3 upgrade, check, 4 guage, check, old-ass half-dead stock Toyota Camry 4 cyl alty, check!) and, for example, the Hifonics amp is maybe 10% overrated (so I've read) then to actually deliver close to 1200 watts at 2 ohms .

So far I think that these are my best choices (if I missed a good option please speak up) choices, each can be purchased and shipped from eBay for $275+/- 15-20 bucks and this is the top of my price range. (Yes I understand that you get what yo pay for, but those words do nothing for my hobby budget, says my wife and daughter)

A Hifonics BXI 2006, (slightly overrated?) 650 @ 4 and 1300 @ 2 (2000/1)

B Lanzar Opti2000d (i have no idea) 700 @ 4 and 1100 @ 2 (1600/1.3 and 2600/0.5)

C MTX TA 8101 (slightly underrated?) 500 @ 4 and 1000 @ 2 (1500/1) (Or the 7801 that should have the actual power to get me there and at the lower end of my prices so far (4*35 fuses))

D US MD2 (probably low) 550 @4 and 1000 @2 (1500/1) Maybe $50 more than the rest or I've seen a couple recently for 250-275 shipped supposedly "NIB" or "never seen power" but from joe people.

E Kicker zx1000 (Probably low) 500 @ 4 and 1000 @ 2, no intro needed and again 75+ bucks over my ideal budget and therefore a doubtful purchase

So, what is the best Sundown or any other option? Is there a Sundown dealer in Atlanta, GA giving out great deals? Or anything for sale by an individual? I'm open to "used" if A. its a person selling it and has references and B. I pay a "used" price but (not someone looking to get all of there money back.)

Of these other ones, if anyone has actual experience with one or all of them, what are some of the strengths and/or weaknesses of each amp?

What would you pick?

Is there another option that you would chose that is not listed?

Thank you for your valuable time!

Nicely written question. If you're strictly looking for an amp that puts out the numbers you want, at the cheapest price available, then Hifonics or some of the other cheaper brands might be what you're looking for. They are a good value for the money, as far as putting out watts for cheap. The problem lies not with the numbers as much, even though they are slightly overrated. The problem lies in the fact that they use less quality parts. This results in an amp that gets hotter and has a shorter lifespan than an amp that uses quality parts.

Sure you would probably get a Hifonics amp to put out equal power to a sundown amp, for about half the price. But at the same time, it's not going to be made with as much quality. The sundown amp will be able to take various different loads and still perform better. The sundown will outlast the hifonics, in any install, merely because the quality of parts is just better. If you push the sundown, it will maintain it's stability alot better than the cheaper amps. Say you decide to push your amp hard, it will probably hurt the cheaper amps more than the sundown.

So the answer to your question is I would choose a Sundown, just because I know, even though it might cost a little more, it will flat out last longer, provide rated power, and take more stress than any of the other amps you have listed. If I decide to push my amp hard, I know I won't hurt my sundown, whereas the other amps might take a beating and crap out. To me, the extra money is well spent, because it's an amp I probably won't have to replace. I'll buy my sundown and have it for years, no matter how hard I decide to push it. The other amps do just fine in normal situations, when run moderately, especially for the price, but I personally would rather pay extra for quality and longetivity.

Some people, who aren't going to push their amps, and who might only use them very sparringly might be well off with a lesser quality amp. It might be ok in a situation to buy a cheaper amp when you're going to run it very cooled in a 4 ohm operation, and maybe only use it at less than maximum potential. But as alot of people mention, cheap ends up getting expensive, when you decide to buy a cheaper amp, and it ends up dying or needing a repair in half the amount of time.

So really it just depends on how you plan to use it. If you plan on pushing the amp to the max potential and keep it from doing much damage, I'd go with the sundown, hands down. You'll have it forever, and you'll love it the entire time. I would personally save up to buy one, just because of that factor. But if price is that big a concern then you can safely go with the other amps, and as long as you aren't pushing them very hard, they should last you a long time and you'd probably be happy.

Also, I personally prefer to buy used, until you end up with the system you know you'll keep forever. Most people in this hobby like to upgrade or try new things often, and used items hold their value alot better than new items (you're more likely to get back what you paid on a used item, whereas you'll never get back what you paid on a new item, and it's usually close to half). Once you have decided on the system you know you'll keep forever, then you're good to buy new, but until then I'd buy used, but that's just me.

Good luck with whatever you choose.