[mikegett]

Originally Posted by Ryan from Ohio

Amps: Well again highly subjective on price range. Its documented fact power is power. So you pay for name, build quality and features. Now a black eye is some brands over rate their stuff. So thats what you need to be careful on

This is a bit missleading. There are many factors that determine the quality of the sound produced by your amp. To say it is documented that power equals power, you are way off target. Low frequencies, produced from a sub, have little affect from the quality of the amp. If you just want to power a sub, then go with a decent amp that fits the budget and powers the subs you choose. But if the mid and high range speakers are going to be powered by a amp, then quality is better. The higher the frequency, the more the sound will be affected by the amp. Your amp, by nature is a very dirty piece of harware. One major factor is the conversion from DC to AC and back to DC. This raises cost of the amp compared to a home audio system and hinders the company from placing more imphasis on the filtering. To build a amplifier is relatively easy. The difficulty comes in filtering the signal. This is where the cost of the amp scyrockets.
sillygirl, just remember that sound is very subjective. I can rattle on all day how good one product is over another. Some people may agree, while others disagree. As Ryan stated, you should make a budget and approach it with a list of personal priorities. First, what type of sound are you going for? Is the improvement of sound more important than the features a new deck will give you? And most important, what kind of music do you like. You may find that you choice of music will not warrant a new sub, but should have more imphasis on the lower mid range. Just for a example. If you listen to much rock or metal, a sub will have less impact on the sound (even the bass) than a good mid range speaker and amp. Once you have decided on the approach, you must also factor in the extra costs. Wires, fuses, a electrical upgrade if necessary, enclosure cost, and my favorite sound deadening. All these will cost a good chunck of your budget. this is why it is so important to know your expectations of the system. Let us know your music choices. It will help to know what part of the music you pick out. Do you like the low beats? Are vocals more important than the guitar lead? All these factors will help us to show where your money should be placed. Good luck on your choices and we look forward to hearing back from you. Mike Gettinger