chose the speaker... now i need to choose the amp

[wafsman 0]

so i have decided on the speaker for my new setup, it will be an ssa xcon 18 in a sealed enclosure, but now i need to find an amp to run it. i have been doing a lot of research and have come to see what kind of input i can get from people who may have used this equipment before to steer me in the right direction. i have a limit of about 300 for the amp, i realize this will not get me the best amp to run the sub, but i am ok with this. i have composed a list of the amps within my price and power range, but am open to all suggestions and comments to help me decide on the right amp. thanks for all your help in advance.

BRZ1700.1D - Hifonics Brutus Series 1700W RMS 1-Channel Monoblock Super Class D Amplifier

ZRS-7500D - Cadence 3600 Watt 1 Ch Competition Amplifier

RUB1.1600D - Soundstream Monoblock 1600 Watt RMS Rubicon Series Subwoofer Amplifier

ONX1.1500D - MB Quart 1500W RMS, ONYX Series Class D Monoblock Amplifier

ASA1500.1Dx - PowerBass 1 Ch. 1500 Watt Auto Sound Amplifier

DSC1500.1D - MB Quart Monoblock 1500 Watt Discus Series Class D Amplifier

BAMF-40001D - Power Acoustik Monoblock 4000 Watt Class-D BAMF Series Amplifier

BXI 1610D - Hifonics 1600W 1 Channel Mono Block Amplifier

[PHATBOi 38]

http://vminnovations.com/product_4486/Audiopipe_AP1800D_1800W_Mono_Power_Amplifier.html

/thread

[sandt38 448]

http://vminnovations.com/product_4486/Audiopipe_AP1800D_1800W_Mono_Power_Amplifier.html

/thread

You are aware that there are other amplifiers out there, right? You need to expend your horizons a bit.

To the OP, I like the Cadence ZRS amp. I have been using their amps for a decade now, and they always do better than rated and are exceptionally reliable... I still run a ~ 10 year old Z7000HC (1500@1 class AB) on my Brahma in my hot rod. The ZRS amps are very solid amps, and I am actually using a ZRS6000D on my subs in my daily driver right now. It puts out rated, and then some, has a nice small footprint and doesn't even get warm. The output is quite clean too.

[PHATBOi 38]

http://vminnovations.com/product_4486/Audiopipe_AP1800D_1800W_Mono_Power_Amplifier.html

/thread

You are aware that there are other amplifiers out there, right? You need to expend your horizons a bit.

To the OP, I like the Cadence ZRS amp. I have been using their amps for a decade now, and they always do better than rated and are exceptionally reliable... I still run a ~ 10 year old Z7000HC (1500@1 class AB) on my Brahma in my hot rod. The ZRS amps are very solid amps, and I am actually using a ZRS6000D on my subs in my daily driver right now. It puts out rated, and then some, has a nice small footprint and doesn't even get warm. The output is quite clean too.

I am aware there are other amps out there, thank you Mr. Obvious. Point is, I know for a fact that the AP series amps from Audiopipe are solid and reliable at a great price. The OP asked for suggestions on amps that would be in his price range and work with the Xcon which is rated at 1750 rms, hence I suggested the AP18001D. Being cheap (~$190 shipped), proven to do rated power, and proven to be reliable I concluded this was an acceptable solution to his dilemma.

You are aware there are other things to do on the net besides troll and be a dick, right? You need to expand your horizons a bit.

[Notorious on mobile 0]

I like the Cadence too.

The Mb quart dsc is cheap and has good reviews.

But there are dozens of amps on the martket.

Maybe you can have a Sundown for that budget. Try the ssa store or db-r.com(used ones).

Good luck.

[imhungnurnot 9]

You can easily get a used SAZ 1500 for 300. I've helped my friends get a total of 4 SAZ 1500s within the 6 months all under $300. Blown sundowns are awesome too.. Db-R does good work. One of the 1500s was blown; I found it for 125 shipped. So I bought it and sent it to db-r. When it was all said and done, 260 dollars for an amp with brand new internals.

Edited July 26, 2010 by Im Hung N ur Not

[sandt38 448]

You are aware there are other things to do on the net besides troll and be a dick, right? You need to expand your horizons a bit.

Who's trolling? Someone makes one comment about how all you ever do is post the same amp for every single situation and they are trolling? And speaking of being a dick...

[altoncustomtech 773]

I think the used Sundown would be a good way to go, very reliable and solid products. I like the Cadence ZRS series as well, very good amps and the MB Quart DSC series have lots of good reviews also as mentioned. After owning some Hifonics products I can say they do make decent power, but I think you'd be doing the XCON a disfavor with them. While the Audiopipe Phatboi mentioned does easily fit in your budget, and they seem to be decent amps since lots of people are using them, I PERSONALLY just have a problem trusting a product that costs less than the afformentioned Hifonics and expecting it to perform to standard for the XCON. I think you'd be best off looking into used Sundown, MTX, Rockford or another very solid company first. If you can't find any of those or none fit your budget then look into the others. I've spent good money before on products that I regretted purchasing, hate to see you do the same.

[Maddenkid2011 3]

http://vminnovations.com/product_4486/Audiopipe_AP1800D_1800W_Mono_Power_Amplifier.html

/thread

You are aware that there are other amplifiers out there, right? You need to expend your horizons a bit.

To the OP, I like the Cadence ZRS amp. I have been using their amps for a decade now, and they always do better than rated and are exceptionally reliable... I still run a ~ 10 year old Z7000HC (1500@1 class AB) on my Brahma in my hot rod. The ZRS amps are very solid amps, and I am actually using a ZRS6000D on my subs in my daily driver right now. It puts out rated, and then some, has a nice small footprint and doesn't even get warm. The output is quite clean too.

I am aware there are other amps out there, thank you Mr. Obvious. Point is, I know for a fact that the AP series amps from Audiopipe are solid and reliable at a great price. The OP asked for suggestions on amps that would be in his price range and work with the Xcon which is rated at 1750 rms, hence I suggested the AP18001D. Being cheap (~$190 shipped), proven to do rated power, and proven to be reliable I concluded this was an acceptable solution to his dilemma.

You are aware there are other things to do on the net besides troll and be a dick, right? You need to expand your horizons a bit.

Who pissed in your cheerios? Calm down Mr. audiopipe nuthugger.

Edit: P.S. you cant "OH NOES!!!1" yourself, that's just really gay.

Edited July 26, 2010 by Maddenkid2011

[imhungnurnot 9]

Who pissed in your cheerios? Calm down Mr. audiopipe nuthugger.

HAHAHA couldn't have said it better myself!

[wafsman 0]

lol you guys are funny, nuthugger, ha ha. well it general consensus from everything i been reading says the cadence is gonna be a good choice. not dissing audiopipe, but in my opinion i would be willing to spend towards the top end of my budget to get something that everyone says is solid versus something people generally argue over.

[Impious 1,476]

proven to do rated power,

Where has this been proven?

And don't link me to a clamp test, those prove nothing.

[BanginGMC 23]

Surprised no one has mentioned..

AQ2200?

[PHATBOi 38]

Fuck it, if yall wanna spend as much money on an amp as I spent on my whole system go right ahead. That's your choice. But don't talk shit when I offer someone a low cost alternative just cause it doesn't say Sundown, AQ, DD, or Cadence on the front of it. To each their own I suppose. And with that I wash my hands of this nonsense. Good day.

Oh yeah, btw dickhead

[Julian 641]

Fuck it, if yall wanna spend as much money on an amp as I spent on my whole system go right ahead. That's your choice. But don't talk shit when I offer someone a low cost alternative just cause it doesn't say Sundown, AQ, DD, or Cadence on the front of it. To each their own I suppose. And with that I wash my hands of this nonsense. Good day.

Oh yeah, btw dickhead

Uhhuh..

The MB Quart amps are great, I always suggest buying Refurb amplifiers from dB-r, because of the great C/S and great prices.

A refurbed Saz-1500 from dB-R is 320 before shipping, when i got my amp shipped from their shop to my house (missouri) it was around 30 dollars.

[Aaron Clinton 2,372]

Can we all relax please. There is nothing wrong with any of the amplifiers suggested. Let's focus on which ones are the best for this install with in the stated budget range.

I personally can not speak from experience on AP, but I can speak from experience on Cadence. Very solid amplifiers over the years from my experience. We at SSA would like to carry them, but they do not want to add anymore online stores. For the performance, Cadence is not that expensive. Of the other initially listed amplifiers, I would personally lean away from the HiFonic's, MBQuart, SoundStream and PA. I don't know enough about the new Power Bass models yet. The used 1500D is a decent suggestion also.

[sandt38 448]

Fuck it, if yall wanna spend as much money on an amp as I spent on my whole system go right ahead. That's your choice. But don't talk shit when I offer someone a low cost alternative just cause it doesn't say Sundown, AQ, DD, or Cadence on the front of it. To each their own I suppose. And with that I wash my hands of this nonsense. Good day.

Oh yeah, btw dickhead

Some people don't mind paying a little more for better quality stuff. I pay very good money for my gear, because I expect it to perform at a very high rate, for a long time. I don't mind spending more money on my amps than you have in your whole system. In fact, the majority of my gear, in individual pieces, cost more then your whole system. The only thing by itself that didn't is my sub amp, which happens to be a Cadence ZRS amp. When you stop and think about it, that says a lot. I have $600 in subs, $900 in front stage amp, $1000 in front components, and a $150 Cadence sub amp. Did you catch that? If someone spends that kind of money in an SQ system and buys a $150 sub amp, that speaks volumes about the quality of that amp. Perhaps it isn't worth it to you, but to me it really is. I have exactly what I want, it sounds amazing, looks great, delivers a clean, pure sound, and it is extremely dependable. Perhaps people just want nicer things. Just because you can't afford it, doesn't mean that others can't, and it doesn't mean they shouldn't. Cheap isn't better... in fact, it is usually a sign of cost cutting measures... or a possible concern over long term dependability. Also, not a single amp listed will break the budget at all. Everybody's suggestions fell right within, or just a shade over the OP's set budget.

Nobody is recommending anything based on a name, the above suggested amplifiers are all really solid performers at great prices. There is no stigma associated with any brand listed, they are all small company units. Nobody is recommending JL because of their big name status, they are recommending amplifiers they use, or have seen in use, that offer rated or better, very reliable, and dependable power. No offense, but I would never put an Audiopipe amp in my car. I have never seen any testing done on the amplifier at all, and as far as reliability, it hasn't been out long enough to prove that it is reliable and dependable, and frankly it is pretty dirty power.

Besides, your sig says the gear is coming soon... so I have to ask, are you basing your suggestion on first hand knowledge, or just blindly suggesting gear?

Finally, your opinion on the matter is not the only one that counts. In fact, seeing as how you recommend the same amp all the time, it is important that the OP realize this and consider the suggestion accordingly. This is a forum with varying opinions, and experiences. There is no "/thread" like you suggest.

And as far as the dickhead comment; You might need to grow up a little. It is about that time. If you are old enough to have your driver's license, you should really act like it.

[woofy 0]

Dont want to get reemed in here becaue im a noobie but i have heard and seen these amps: http://www.audioque.com/aq/?page_id=26

For the money, there not too shaby and the internals look decent as well .Read what they say about there product !

They even have this monster for the bigger installs: http://www.audioque.com/aq/?page_id=30

Edited July 28, 2010 by rick

[Maddenkid2011 3]

Fuck it, if yall wanna spend as much money on an amp as I spent on my whole system go right ahead. That's your choice. But don't talk shit when I offer someone a low cost alternative just cause it doesn't say Sundown, AQ, DD, or Cadence on the front of it. To each their own I suppose. And with that I wash my hands of this nonsense. Good day.

Oh yeah, btw dickhead

Some people don't mind paying a little more for better quality stuff. I pay very good money for my gear, because I expect it to perform at a very high rate, for a long time. I don't mind spending more money on my amps than you have in your whole system. In fact, the majority of my gear, in individual pieces, cost more then your whole system. The only thing by itself that didn't is my sub amp, which happens to be a Cadence ZRS amp. When you stop and think about it, that says a lot. I have $600 in subs, $900 in front stage amp, $1000 in front components, and a $150 Cadence sub amp. Did you catch that? If someone spends that kind of money in an SQ system and buys a $150 sub amp, that speaks volumes about the quality of that amp. Perhaps it isn't worth it to you, but to me it really is. I have exactly what I want, it sounds amazing, looks great, delivers a clean, pure sound, and it is extremely dependable. Perhaps people just want nicer things. Just because you can't afford it, doesn't mean that others can't, and it doesn't mean they shouldn't. Cheap isn't better... in fact, it is usually a sign of cost cutting measures... or a possible concern over long term dependability. Also, not a single amp listed will break the budget at all. Everybody's suggestions fell right within, or just a shade over the OP's set budget.

Nobody is recommending anything based on a name, the above suggested amplifiers are all really solid performers at great prices. There is no stigma associated with any brand listed, they are all small company units. Nobody is recommending JL because of their big name status, they are recommending amplifiers they use, or have seen in use, that offer rated or better, very reliable, and dependable power. No offense, but I would never put an Audiopipe amp in my car. I have never seen any testing done on the amplifier at all, and as far as reliability, it hasn't been out long enough to prove that it is reliable and dependable, and frankly it is pretty dirty power.

Besides, your sig says the gear is coming soon... so I have to ask, are you basing your suggestion on first hand knowledge, or just blindly suggesting gear?

Finally, your opinion on the matter is not the only one that counts. In fact, seeing as how you recommend the same amp all the time, it is important that the OP realize this and consider the suggestion accordingly. This is a forum with varying opinions, and experiences. There is no "/thread" like you suggest.

And as far as the dickhead comment; You might need to grow up a little. It is about that time. If you are old enough to have your driver's license, you should really act like it.

Well said

Mine would of been a tad more futile

Dont want to get reemed in here becaue im a noobie but i have heard and seen these amps: http://www.audioque.com/aq/?page_id=26

For the money, there not too shaby and the internals look decent as well .Read what they say about there product !

They even have this monster for the bigger installs: http://www.audioque.com/aq/?page_id=30

Audioque is a very quality brand, can't go wrong.

The remote gain control and clipping indicator is definitely a plus.

[Randal Johnson 544]

WOW !!!

[woofy 0]

WOW !!!

I noticed this video on you tube of the 1200d audioque amp:

I couldnt help but notice that sundown and these amps share a lot in comman , double sided board, etc.but what caught my eye in this video was the boxing is identical to sundowns boxing of there amps ,after all these are made in korea ,could be the same buildhouse just ran on a differant production line.

Edited July 29, 2010 by rick

[PHATBOi 38]

Fuck it, if yall wanna spend as much money on an amp as I spent on my whole system go right ahead. That's your choice. But don't talk shit when I offer someone a low cost alternative just cause it doesn't say Sundown, AQ, DD, or Cadence on the front of it. To each their own I suppose. And with that I wash my hands of this nonsense. Good day.

Oh yeah, btw dickhead

Some people don't mind paying a little more for better quality stuff. I pay very good money for my gear, because I expect it to perform at a very high rate, for a long time. I don't mind spending more money on my amps than you have in your whole system. In fact, the majority of my gear, in individual pieces, cost more then your whole system. The only thing by itself that didn't is my sub amp, which happens to be a Cadence ZRS amp. When you stop and think about it, that says a lot. I have $600 in subs, $900 in front stage amp, $1000 in front components, and a $150 Cadence sub amp. Did you catch that? If someone spends that kind of money in an SQ system and buys a $150 sub amp, that speaks volumes about the quality of that amp. Perhaps it isn't worth it to you, but to me it really is. I have exactly what I want, it sounds amazing, looks great, delivers a clean, pure sound, and it is extremely dependable. Perhaps people just want nicer things. Just because you can't afford it, doesn't mean that others can't, and it doesn't mean they shouldn't. Cheap isn't better... in fact, it is usually a sign of cost cutting measures... or a possible concern over long term dependability. Also, not a single amp listed will break the budget at all. Everybody's suggestions fell right within, or just a shade over the OP's set budget.

Nobody is recommending anything based on a name, the above suggested amplifiers are all really solid performers at great prices. There is no stigma associated with any brand listed, they are all small company units. Nobody is recommending JL because of their big name status, they are recommending amplifiers they use, or have seen in use, that offer rated or better, very reliable, and dependable power. No offense, but I would never put an Audiopipe amp in my car. I have never seen any testing done on the amplifier at all, and as far as reliability, it hasn't been out long enough to prove that it is reliable and dependable, and frankly it is pretty dirty power.

Besides, your sig says the gear is coming soon... so I have to ask, are you basing your suggestion on first hand knowledge, or just blindly suggesting gear?

Finally, your opinion on the matter is not the only one that counts. In fact, seeing as how you recommend the same amp all the time, it is important that the OP realize this and consider the suggestion accordingly. This is a forum with varying opinions, and experiences. There is no "/thread" like you suggest.

And as far as the dickhead comment; You might need to grow up a little. It is about that time. If you are old enough to have your driver's license, you should really act like it.

Very well said. I apologize for my hasty remarks. I personally use only Audiopipe amps in my car. Quality, reliability, and a warranty all at a great price is what I have found from my experience. I have 3 kids, a mortgage, and a college tuition all on a single income family. So I have spent a couple years going thru the lower priced brands trying to find a balance between cost and quality. I have used Power Acoustik and Audiopipe mostly. In my opinion, Audiopipe amps and subs are the epitome of that balance. While Power Acoustik subs take a close second, but their amps are pretty much garbage.

Please forgive my immaturity in this matter. In the future I will take into account that not everyone is on such a tight budget as I.

[sandt38 448]

no problem. We're cool, man.

[PHATBOi 38]

Thanks.