Watts.. Amps.. Rms..

[white04alero]

ok im lookin at subs n amps n stuff to go into my alero and they keep talkin about amps, watts, RMS, stuff like that.. so i was wonderin if anyone could help me on wtf all this means
thanks

[cherrington17]

Watts = total operating power.

RMS (root mean square) = is the amount of watts it can run at for extended periods of time w/o blowing up

AMPS (amperes) = the amount of power it takes to run all of the equipment you have. your battery has a set amount of these, but your alternator (that runs when you can is on) puts out a decent supply. as long as you stay under the amount your alternator puts out, you'll be fine.

[cherrington17]

now, on to the fun stuff....

everyone has a certain company they like. Me, i have abbreviated experience with all this, but i've caught on to some stuff.

Infinity makes good equipment. its not extremely powerful, but they have excellent clarity.

my other favorite is SoundStream. they are who you go to for sheer power. 2400 RMS subs, a 6000W amp... amazing stuff... but the down side is you have to be P.Diddy to afford it all. :lol:


ok, rant over.

hope i helped

[TheSoundDemon]

When looking for things...don't let the "Max Power" draw you in...you only reach that with your gains all the way up, and it's only for a split second anyway...what I look for is the RMS power and then match it up with your components...for instance...my alpine MRD-M300 puts out 300 watts RMS at 2ohms...my type r subs are rated 300 watts at 2ohms...therefore I am running my subs at a point where I'm less likely to blow them...but you don't have to match everything up like that...for instance...lets take a rockford fosgate power series sub...it's rated at 600 watts RMS and 1200 peak...and if you add in their power series 10001bd amp which is rated at I believe 750 watts RMS at 2 ohms...you can still safely run the 600 watt sub without a huge risk of overpowering it...hmmm...I kind of made this explination long winded...anyway hope you kind of get the idea of what I'm trying to say.

[cherrington17]

if you can find an sub with a higher RMS power, then the amp puts out peak, your set! :lol:

[msualero]

well whats your budget?
i had 2 alpine X-types which were 1000 rms and 3000 watts max and they were run to the orion 2500d amp which is 2500 watts rms and 5000 watts max power.
i am now running the orion H2 12's they are 2000 watts rms each and 2500 watts max power...running them to the same amp...i may add another if i can save up for it lol
also make sure your box is to spec's for your subs and i recommend anything alpine except their amps...i recommend Orion or kicker for amps...my headunit and inside speakers are all alpine :biggrin: i run orion amps personally the 2500d and 4004. of course with these i recommend a 2nd battery (optima yellow top and a cap)

[wrightie]

budget is the big question here. What r u willing to spend? Do you just want to run a sub? Do you want to run an amp to your door speakers and back speakers?

Wrightie

[white04alero]

im willin to spend.. 3-400 bucks..
and i jus wanna run 2-12" subs off of an amp with a lil adapter thing off my stock headunit

[msualero]

i'd go with the alpine type-r's then or type s's even and a 300-600rms amp

[mikegett]

Stick to SoundDemon and Wrightie's advice and you will be fine. Find your price range and stick to it. There will always be more expensive products so don't let your self be pulled into that trap. Once you have the price range do as SoundDemon stated and match the RMS of the subs (total) to the RMS of the amp.
One clarification on the max and RMS. The max rating of a amp should be the maximum amount of wattage that the amp produces. Depending on the manufacturer, this may be the maximum usable Peak (for one second) wattage or it may be the maximum before the amp bursts into flames wattage. As stated prior, just avoid these numbers all togeather. The RMS, is the maximum amount of wattage the amp can continuously produce. This is the number you want to pair with the Sub RMS (recomended sustained wattage). Just be aware that the rms of the amp is only seen when the amp reaches its maximum voltage input. Meaning, if your amp accepts up to 4 volts, and you have a HU or Line out converter that produces up to 8 volts, the amp will reach its max rms at half volume. Beyond this, it will start to clip or short out. At the same time, if your HU only produces a maximum 2 volts, you will have to increase the amp gain before it can reach its RMS rating. I know this sounds a bit confusing, but this is why knowing how to set a gain properly is important.

[cherrington17]

personally, i'd take advantage of the "105% guarentee" they have. find all your info on the equip you want, on sounddomain/cardomain since they have good sites w/ great spec info. then go to www.etronics.com or www.froogle.com and search for any site that offers the same stuff cheaper.

sounddomain will give you the same low price w/ an additional 5% off it. :thumb:

[TheSoundDemon]

Originally posted by msualero@Jun 29 2005, 07:02 PM
well whats your budget?
i had 2 alpine X-types which were 1000 rms and 3000 watts max and they were run to the orion 2500d amp which is 2500 watts rms and 5000 watts max power.
i am now running the orion H2 12's they are 2000 watts rms each and 2500 watts max power...running them to the same amp...i may add another if i can save up for it lol
also make sure your box is to spec's for your subs and i recommend anything alpine except their amps...i recommend Orion or kicker for amps...my headunit and inside speakers are all alpineÂ;-) :biggrin:Â;-) i run orion amps personally the 2500d and 4004. of course with these i recommend a 2nd battery (optima yellow top and a cap)
Quoted post


This is a little off topic, but I'm just wondering why you don't like Alpine's amps...do you have reasons or is it just personal preference?