and what does an equilizer actually do. is it even worth buying and if so what kind would you guys reccomend. Friends have told me that a cheaper one is not a whole lot different that an expensive one.. Yet they don't have them.

plus my friend just told me to get 2 cheaper amps which could do the same as that alpine amp, but they couldn't tell me which amps to get. I told them i'd probably just stick with that one alpine, but could two lower wattage amps be be better than one high wattage amp?

 

My girlfriend just suggested that if i have an amp that only gives me 250 rms per sub when each sub is capable of 500 watts rms then it would be like having one sub.... if i would run the 250 to each sub.
I really dont know if she is right or wrong..it somewhat makes since that having that amp would give me the maximum rms rating for one sub..so do i need 2 subs? would there be a signifigant sound difference with 2 subs with half the rms rating or would just having one sub that has the max 500 rms rating sound pretty much the same? Sorry for another question..just want to get the best possible sound for what ive got.

 

With the system you are considering, I would not even bother putting an eq in the mix.

And yes, with 250 watts per sub, it should theoretically play the same volume as one sub with 500 watts. However, there is more cone area with two subs and the impact may feel bigger. You might take a look at www.edesignaudio.com. Elemental makes some great bang for the buck amps that might fit your budget.

 

And how much of an exta impact would 2 subs give me over one. On a scale of 1-10
how much would an amp with these stats give me for each sub and speaker?
600 watts x 2 channels max
200 watts RMS x 2 @ 4 ohms
250 watts RMS x 2 @ 2 ohms
500 watts RMS x 1 @ 4 ohm
low-pass crossover (50-300 Hz, 12 dB/octave)
variable bass boost (0-10 dB at 40 Hz)
Tri-way capable
15-3/4"W x 2-3/16"H x 10-7/8"D
stereo 2 channel or bridged mono output
4-ohm stable when bridged
Tri-way capable
MOSfET power supply
preamp and speaker level inputs
preamp outputs
gold-plated connectors

 

You won't find one worth while and still have enough money to get an amp for the front. And if you don't get a front spkr amp, a 1000monoblock would overpower the crap out of everything else. The alpine you are looking at is a good choice. quality, ample power for your speakers, right match for the combined sub impeadance, balanced power between sub and fronts, only need to spend money on 1 amp install (or parts if diy), and fits your budget.
As far as 1 speaker vs 2, an amp making 500 watts on 1 4 ohm sub will make the same spl(volume) as an amp making 500 watts on 2 dvc4ohm subs (wired to the same impeadance of 4 ohm total load). Yes the 2 subs would share the power 250 each. In your case if you only used 1 sub you could wire it to be 2 ohms(parrallel) or 8 ohms(series). A 2ohm load on most bridged 2 channel(or half a 4channel) amplifiers would cause overheating issues and low impeadance issues, this is where a mono amp designed to run 2 ohm loads would be useful. Wiring the sub for an 8 ohm load would be a waste of time since most amps are designed to run lower loads. You need to stick to seperate channels for the front speakers to maintain stereo sound but you can bridge and amp for the subs. Don't get too caught up in sig to noise etc. ratings a quality brand amp is what you want. There is no spec police out there to bust the cheap amp companies for publishing inaccurate specs. As far as an eq, power is more important at your point in the game, you would see much better results spending your $400 on a good amp over $200 for an amp and $200 for an eq. And if you think cheap amps sound like crap throw in a cheap eq. stock would be better!
thanks for the comp on the interior, the truck is finally in this months minitruck magazine.