FTO AUSTRALIA

I went to Freeway Car Audio the other day and they had a special on: buy an Alpine MRV-F340 (4x55W RMS amp) for $699 and get the Alpine Type S 12" SVC sub (200W RMS) valued at $220 for free. Now that sounds like a good offer but...... when I originally asked how many W RMS are needed to drive this sub, the guy said at least 150W RMS. Then when I asked why is it being offered for free with an amp that produces only 130W RMS from two bridged channels (at 4 ohm), he now changed his mind and said that 130W RMS is enough. I think this sounds a bit dodgy and I don't particularly want to buy this setup if there's insufficient power to drive the sub to its optimal capacity.

What do u think guys, is 130W RMS sufficient for this sub or is this guy just trying to make a sale?

130 watts would be enough to drive the sub!!! but the sales man needs to take his hand of his..............

the subs should be able to take UP TO 150WRMS, but you DON'T NEED that much power in order to run it...

unless you intend to enter SPL sound-off competitions, 130WRMS should give you plenty of mumbo for a basic setup. I have 200WRMS from my amp feeding my PG tantrum subs (also capable of handling 200WRMS) but to be honest with you i rarely use more then 50% of the total power i have in reserve (even when keenly used in anger) because for one, my ears won't be able to handle it and two, the panels are already rattling like crazy plus three, i don't think my front speakers are already distorting at just over 1/3 of total volume!

Thanx for the replies guys. I'll take advantage of that offer then

Most of those alpines are quite thirsty for power to get them thumpin hard. Usually you would want to try and match your sub to the amp and vice versa. You dont want to have an underpowered amp running a speaker - else you turn it up too loud and you start 'clipping' - sounds distorted. Also the opposite is true - you dont want to overpower a speaker by too much or else you risk frying the thing.

Also another thing to note: when sales men give you your power figures - make sure they are legit. If you have a 4x55W amp. bridging 2 channels doesnt make it 55+55 (110W) It will be less than this. It is a logarithmic scale i beleive (was told by my electronics engineer friend while drunk so i dont remember specifics)

I am running a 500W Eclipse sub off my 4x150W Clarion Amp - Bridged 2 channels and it runs sweet. Got the amp for $650 i think and the sub for $199 on seperate days. I havent turned my system up full yet - as it is too loud - no distortion that i can hear.

For practical music listening - the setup they are offering is probably good enough. One thing to do - listen to the pairing vs other brands. It will be 700 you are paying - u want to be sure it provides the sound u want. You could find $700 worth of another brand is better suited to you.

Daz_FTO wrote: Also another thing to note: when sales men give you your power figures - make sure they are legit. If you have a 4x55W amp. bridging 2 channels doesnt make it 55+55 (110W) It will be less than this. It is a logarithmic scale i beleive (was told by my electronics engineer friend while drunk so i dont remember specifics)

my Q4000 amp is rated at 4x60wrms @ 4ohms and 2x200wrms (bridged) - also 4ohms.

This is also indicated on the official manufacturer's specs.

How do you explain this?

Just decided to ditch the sub. I will not have room in the boot for groceries, nor will I be able to get to the space saver . So I'm going for Alpine Type R 6.5" front splits and 6x9" coaxial rear speakers all powered by 4X55W RMS amp. The whole lot is on special for $1100. I can always get the sub later if I want more bass and power it with a mono channel amp.

Thanx for all the help

dude, if you get a 10" sub, you can get a tailor made enclosure made up for less than $200 and it will not take as much room as you think... my box for the 12" sub alone was custom made to size and yet i can still pack a weekend's worth of luggage for 3 ppl, which should be ample for grocery shopping...

i'm telling you, 6x9s will NEVER compare to the type of bass that only a sub can give you... if you are going to put a sub next time, then in a way the 6x9s will be rendered a waste of money... i was close to making similar decision until i saw the light and went full-hog and i have never looked back since.

GPXXX wrote:... my box for the 12" sub alone was custom made to size and yet i can still pack a weekend's worth of luggage for 3 ppl, which should be ample for grocery shopping...

....what about a corpse? j/k

But seriously, once the sub enclosure is bolted firmly to the boot, is it still possible to get the space-saver out?

rxboy wrote:

GPXXX wrote:... my box for the 12" sub alone was custom made to size and yet i can still pack a weekend's worth of luggage for 3 ppl, which should be ample for grocery shopping...

....what about a corpse? j/k

But seriously, once the sub enclosure is bolted firmly to the boot, is it still possible to get the space-saver out?

LOL... if you chop up the carcasses, i don't see why not...?? P

if it's for 10" sub(s), then i don't see why it wouldn't fit (since they are physically smaller requiring less depth) but for 12" subs then it depends on what brand you go for because various subs have different physical dimensions. In my case, i can 'just' barely fit the spare but i would have to take the box out first...

but then again i have my amp mounted on the boot floor so it's not possible at the moment until my new custom floor is complete.

why not go for the superb Genisis 6x9 subs.These only play the bass or sub base but dont take up any more room.These things are meant to be stunning...Do a search on the web for them, you wont regret it..

Thanks Markyboy. I found a forum thread on the Genesis subs, but the Genesis website itself does not even list them nor do they have a distributor in Australasia. Sounds like a great idea for those who don't want to sacrifice any boot space.

There are a few specialist sites in Britain that sell these things.If anyone wants them then i could purchase them and ship them over all at only the cost of items then shipping.They have more cone area than a 12" sub and go very loud with plenty of detail as far as im aware.Some of the high end sound off guys have used them and all rate them highly..

That's a very kind offer Markyboy but unfortunately I'm not willing to buy unless I hear them in action first. Hopefully they'll get a distributer down under soon.