First Question:

I'm getting a ported JL 10W3 or a sealed 12W3 to go behind my driver's seat, (Super Cab) and I need a 250W amp. They are dual voice coil, so if I get a 2 ohm sub., and wire it in series, it presents a 4 ohm load to the amp. Now, if I get a 4 ohm sub., and wire it in parallel, it will present the amp. with a 2 ohm load. Which do I want to go with? For instance, the Rockfore Fosgate G360A2 calims 90W X 2 at 4 ohms, 180W X 2 at 2 ohms, and 360 X 1, but lists no ohm rating. What does that mean? Here's the page: http://www.rockfordfosgate.com/produ...nch_360a2.html

Second Question:

If I get an amp. from Best Buy, I can get it a cost. They have the Rockfords, Pioneer, ans some other brand. Do they offer an amp. for my needs? For instance, the Punch 250A2? I've only seen the G360A2, G500A2, and the G800A2 there. Are the Pioneers any good? One shop is trying to get me to drop $275 on an X-Stant, and another shop is telling me to go with Sound Stream. I can get the G360A2 for $175, so is this my best bet, even though it's rated at 360W, while I only need 250W? TIA!!!

-AR

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2001 F-150 XLT 4X4 Off-Road, S/C, FS, Black[*] 4.6L Triton V8 (Romeo, 20 HP Increase)[*] 5 Speed / 3:55 Reg. Axle[*] Keyless[*] Premium Audio CD

Mods.[*] K&N Cold Airbox / Throttle Body Mod.[*] Flowmaster 40 (3" x 20" "Turn-Down") [*] Cranked Torsion Bars[*] APC XENON PLASMA Super Whites[*] Bugshield[*] Bedliner[*] Ventshades[*] "Light Argent" 4X4 Off-Road Decals[*] K&N & Flowmaster Stickers (Under the Hood)

Build Date: 8/23/00 (Kansas City Plant)

arobbins@mail.liberty.k12.mo.us

 

First off I don't know that much off hand about DVC and the wiring them. But this, it's sounds like your only getting 1 sub, so why not just get a SVC?

DVC's are good but they're made more for running 2+ subs and getting the most out of the amp.

And if your getting an amp from Best Buy, definatly go with the Rockford, they are the nicest amps Best Buy carries. And don't worry about if the amp puts out more power then you want, just keep the gains turned down. Personaly I prefer to have more power then needed, for this reason: when you have more power you turn down the gains which means you'll get less distortion and a better sound, plus when the music hits hard it's not pushing the amp to it's limit to supply power to the speakers.

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black 97' x-cab 4x4, 5 speed 4.6, black westin nerf bars, pilot ground searchers, borla SS split rear exhaust, K&N genII, bosch +4 plugs, superchip, flexalite electric fan, v-tech oval side window covers, IAS shocks

premier 720, pioneer 6cd changer, 12 premier sub, premier componets, 2 soso amps

still to come: new spark plug wires, new rims and tires, maybe a supercharger eventually.

 

Thanks for the info. man. All W3's are DVC, and that's what I've been running all along. I think theirs more to it than just the wiring issue with multiple subs, but I could be wrong. Thanks again.

-AR

 

Well I never new all w3's were DVC's, thats interesting to know. Anyway if you want good info on DVC's go to JL web page, they have alot of info there and wiring diagrams that will help, if you haven't already gone there.

One other thing about the rockford amps, is they are also underrated amps, so keep that in mind when choosing one.

 

Hey, alright man...thanks. So the 250A2 should do me just fine?

-AR

 

Jackal, If you havent bought you amp yet, I one for sale. Pheonixgold XS2500. It will run 500x1 4ohm RMS or 800x1 2ohm RMS, max around 12-1400, but who really cares about peak. Since you are running a DVC 2ohm will be no problem with 1 sub. Let me know, $250 OBO.

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1997 F150 4x2 6cyl x-cab flareside black clearcoat

 

Hey man, if you'd be willing to accept a trade / partial trade for it, maybe we can work something out. I have a $300 RC nitro truck that I sank $260 in last weekend and it runs about 45 mph!!! Fresh motor, only two tanks through it. I also have a (new) Playstation with about 15 - 25 hours of use, and has all Sony accessories and Tony Hawk 1 @ 2. Hell, I even have a 19" color TV with less than 40 hrs. viewing time on it. Lemme know.

-AR

 

go with a phoenix gold ampI've used JL's my whole life and the phoenix's make them work the best. try a zx 400, or even a xs series amp. www.Phoenixgold.com

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99.5 red lightning
Cervini's ram air hood
billet grilles
clear coreners
clear tail's
A.R.E bed cover
SS street style mirror's
Super chip R9
airaid intake
trans go shift kit
Audio: Kenwood 9015 cd, Kenwood kmd minidisc, Kicker 5x7 impulse, kicker 5.25 resolution, phoenix gold zx450, Phoenix gold zx500, Three JL audio 10w3's, Qform's, custom built box.
Built 5/4/99 A tuesday
# 917 of 4000
Best ET. 13.42 at 100.98
best stock 13.96 at ?

When the green light drops, the bullsh*t stops.

 

Jackal, one thing you haft to remember when wiring subs like that. When you wire 2 subs in parallel on an amp, it increses the wattage output of the amp and also increses the power draw on the alternator. when wiring 2 subs in series it will increse the load to 8 ohms, but it has the oppisite effect of parallel wiring, it decreses the power output. just hypothetical, but if you were to get two Power DVCs(500 watts RMS) I would use the Punch 500a2(also 500 watts bridged at 4 ohms) wire it in series, and you will have a nice sub setup. Also thats is what is going into my truck, along with the RF 6x8s and the RF 400a4 amp. Can you say THUMP!

 

Hey Jackal,
for that price (175$ for the 360a2), thats a real good deal. I just paid 250$ (on sale) for a 250a2. Im running one fosgate 12"He2 sub in a sealed box and it sounds great. The 360a2 will sound louder and cleaner then the 250a2 on your sub. good luck

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97 f150 lariat 4x4 ext cab,shortbed,Black
4.6L, KN FIPK, dual glasspacks exhaust
bed cover,billet grilles,head/tail light covers,lighted ford emblem on grille
punch 250a2 amp,punch 12"He2 sub

 

first off let me say im not much on JL's i have Rockford DVC 15's. but i do know alot bout JL. first of JL's r a wierd speaker because of the ohm impedence u buy them at. JL's need to be an odd num. setup seems like u never get a good sound from an even num of speakers. BUT, u r an exception because at least u got there beter line of DVC's. so anyway if im not mistaken i believe the W3 series handles roughly 300-500 peak. so i would recommend two 12w3's in a sealed box. but as far as your amps not sure if your familiar with AUDIO ART amps but they r the SHIZNIT!!! i have an audio art 100hc(high current) technically speakin the amp puts out 50x2, but it puts out 1100-1200 at 1 ohm which is really easy to do with 2 dvc's. and the amps r a fairly cheap amp as well but i will tell u from experience that u will NOT burn that amp up. i am really good friends and a repeat customer at a stereo shop in myrtle beach, sc where i am from. and they took the fuse out of an audio art 50hc and put a loop of wire so that if the amp did overheat to the point it would blow the fuse there would be no fuse to blow and the amp would keep goin and goin. then we wired the amp to a 110 converter and put 2 dvc's parallel mono briged down to 1/4 ohm and cranked ever gain and adjustment we could to its max and the amp absolutely hammered the life outta the 12's and NEVER shut off or burned out circuits. rockford on the other hand burned out internal circuits that were soooo badly melted that they were almost non-replacable. now as far as the kicker zx, zr, and xs series amps. i had a kicker xs 50comp. amp on my 2 15's up til the time that i had to send it off for repairs. just to come to find out the only thing that was wrong with the amp was a left rca input that had rattled loose (NO BIGGY). but that amp was another amp that i would recommend over the rockford as well. then i would reccomend the rockford series. now on the the rockford series. for the 12w3 or 12w3's how ever many u do decide to put in. i would reccomend a 250a2 on each or a special ordered 800a2 power series. which if i recall is roughly in the high $700 price range maybe a handful of change more in your area. now on to the wire setup. to get a crisp clean sound out of the w3's seal both in a single box with a seperator inside the box so that each speaker uses its own air space. now somehow (doesnt matter how u decide) for a cleaner install so that u dont have wires everywhere. wire the subs ++ -- inside the box so that way u only have 1 set of + - comin out of the box to the amp. also dependin on weither or not u want to spend the extra money on a crossover or not. if u dont mind spendin the money try to find the audio art amps(u will surprised at that amp). if u want a more compact install go with the kicker amps with the built in sub crossover. i would recommend a zr1000 for the 12w3's which puts out 1000 at 1 ohm very very low distortion. happy huntin. keep sayin AUDIO ART, AUDIO ART, AUDIO ART! word for the day is AUDIO ART!!!!

[This message has been edited by FORD15098 (edited 11-17-2000).]

 

Well, thanks for the info man, but you're wrong on almost all counts. W6's do come in 3 and 6 ohm impenences, but the W3's are dual 2, 4, and 6, unless you step up to the 15" or the 18", which have no 6 ohm impedence. W3's are also rated at 125, 250, and 400 watts RMS, depending on the size. Also, if you think your Audio Art amp is pushing anywhere NEAR 1,000 watts, your're smokin' crack...period. If it's rated at 50x2 at 4 ohm stereo...then you'd be lucky to see 175x1 at 2 ohms. Theirs NO WAY those amps will run at 1/4 impedence, though some are "stable" at that rating...these, I'm sure, are NOT. If your local shop bypassed the fuse, they are smokin' just as much crack, if not much...much more. Thanks for your input man, but this is just rediculious. Anyway...I got my setup lastweekend. Went with the JL 12W3-D2 in the JL ProWedge box, and a Fosgate G360A2 amp. Couldn't be happier if it was an Audio Art fantasy amp.

-AR

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2001 F-150 XLT 4X4 Off-Road, S/C, FS, Black[*] 4.6L Triton V8 HPI[*] 5 Speed / 3:55 Reg. Axle[*] Keyless[*] Premium Audio CD

Mods:[*] K&N Cold Airbox / Throttle Body Mod.[*] Flowmaster 40 (3" x 20" "Turn-Down") [*] Cranked Torsion Bars[*] APC XENON PLASMA Super Whites[*] Bugshield[*] Bedliner[*] Ventshades[*] "Light Argent" 4X4 Off-Road Decals[*] K&N & Flowmaster Stickers (Under the Hood)

Audio:[*] Rockford Fosgate G360A2 Punch Amp[*] JL 12W3-D2 (JL ProWedge Box)

Build Date: 8/23/00 (Kansas City Plant)

arobbins@mail.liberty.k12.mo.us

 

well i have to say this. have u ever heard of underatings! well thats what some companys do. kicker, audio art, and even rockford underate there amps. it is just the way some companys do there amps and even speakers. and if u dont believe me go to your nearest car stereo rep.(not circuit 'breaker' city) and look at the manuals as far as what the power RATING(what the company says the amp will put out) as compared to the BENCH TEST(what the amp actually DOES put out)! cause my kicker xs50 was RATED at 25x2. but it bench tested at 647. that is also the case with rockford too. your 360a2 is RATED at 360 but look at your BENCH TEST OUTPUT? little more than 360 wasnt it?!! im sure it was i have seen power outputs of up to almost 600 watts on that particular amp. and as far as my 100hc! the amp is RATED (by the company) at 50x2=100. but the BENCH TEST OUTPUT was 1104. and as far as the JL subs i stand corrected i forgot to go back and correct myself on the ohm impedences, MY B! lol and one more thing u contradicted yaself on one of your comments! how is an amp NOT gonna RUN at 1/4 impedence but be stable at 1/4?! not quite sure but i think u might have had those backwards. and as far as bypassin a fuse with a wire substatute thats cake dog. just loop some wire from one fuse input to the other; by doin that all your doin is makein what we call, "an unblowable fake fuse" but trust me it works, i helped do the test, and ill admit i had never heard of it either, and yes it does sound ridiculous. so, dont shoot the messenger! lol but anyway glad that u r happy with your new install i would never knock on another brothers thumpbucket, all i think is that u could upgrade to a more powerful amp if u still want more bump, but hey, like i said glad your happy. if u ever get a chance to put it on a meter let me know what your spl output was, because i will tell u right now that the spl in my club cab was alot lower than what it was when i had my club cab splash! when i had my setup in my splash i hit 145db. in my full size i dropped to 142db. but it SOUNDS and FEELS louder because there is sooo much more room and airspace to fill. also, one last thing. just so youll know if u ever get a chance to find an audio art amp(preferably the 50hc or 100hc) compare the RATED POWER to BENCH TEST OUTPUT. youll be shocked. also check your fosgate amp it is the same way. u shouldve got a little piece of paper in the box that says what YOUR amp put out on the BENCH test. all the numbers on that amp mean is what the rockford comp. RATES the amp at(360). run to your local car audio store and check this out, circuit city dont know. there r just people lookin to make money they could care less bout what it sounds like as long as there pockets get fat; RIGHT? makes sense to me. i have been around and workin on car stereos for almost 10 years. not sayin im god but i wont lie bout these things. congrats again on your install. ford15098

 

well i have to say this. have u ever heard of underatings! well thats what some companys do. kicker, audio art, and even rockford underate there amps. it is just the way some companys do there amps and even speakers. and if u dont believe me go to your nearest car stereo rep.(not circuit 'breaker' city) and look at the manuals as far as what the power RATING(what the company says the amp will put out) as compared to the BENCH TEST(what the amp actually DOES put out)! cause my kicker xs50 was RATED at 25x2. but it bench tested at 647. that is also the case with rockford too. your 360a2 is RATED at 360 but look at your BENCH TEST OUTPUT? little more than 360 wasnt it?!! im sure it was i have seen power outputs of up to almost 600 watts on that particular amp. and as far as my 100hc! the amp is RATED (by the company) at 50x2=100. but the BENCH TEST OUTPUT was 1104. and as far as the JL subs i stand corrected i forgot to go back and correct myself on the ohm impedences, MY B! lol and one more thing u contradicted yaself on one of your comments! how is an amp NOT gonna RUN at 1/4 impedence but be stable at 1/4?! not quite sure but i think u might have had those backwards. and as far as bypassin a fuse with a wire substatute thats cake dog. just loop some wire from one fuse input to the other; by doin that all your doin is makein what we call, "an unblowable fake fuse" but trust me it works, i helped do the test, and ill admit i had never heard of it either, and yes it does sound ridiculous. so, dont shoot the messenger! lol but anyway glad that u r happy with your new install i would never knock on another brothers thumpbucket, all i think is that u could upgrade to a more powerful amp if u still want more bump, but hey, like i said glad your happy. if u ever get a chance to put it on a meter let me know what your spl output was, because i will tell u right now that the spl in my club cab was alot lower than what it was when i had my club cab splash! when i had my setup in my splash i hit 145db. in my full size i dropped to 142db. but it SOUNDS and FEELS louder because there is sooo much more room and airspace to fill. also, one last thing. just so youll know if u ever get a chance to find an audio art amp(preferably the 50hc or 100hc) compare the RATED POWER to BENCH TEST OUTPUT. youll be shocked. also check your fosgate amp it is the same way. u shouldve got a little piece of paper in the box that says what YOUR amp put out on the BENCH test. all the numbers on that amp mean is what the rockford comp. RATES the amp at(360). run to your local car audio store and check this out, circuit city dont know. there r just people lookin to make money they could care less bout what it sounds like as long as there pockets get fat; RIGHT? makes sense to me. i have been around and workin on car stereos for almost 10 years. not sayin im god but i wont lie bout these things. congrats again on your install. ford15098

 

hey no prob. i wasnt worried bout u soundin like a **** because i knew for a fact what was talkin bout. but anyway im not sayin u have to bypass the fuse im sayin we did that as an expierement to see if it would burn-up any circuitry instead of havein a fuse to blow for safety reasons. and the reason the amps dont sell like hot cakes is cause most people have never even heard of the name. seriously! how many times have u heard of the amp audio art? i know i had never even heard of it til i went to my stereo place in myrtle beach. cause most of your more common name brand stuff is pioneer, sony, rockford, jvc, etc, etc. and another reason y the amps dont sell like hot cakes is cause people dont feel like payin $600-700 for an amp they have never heard of. especially one that is RATED at only 50x2. o yeah and soem other info i had forgot to tell u bout the audio art amps, which is a huge plus! my amp, for instance, puts out 1100 watts at 1ohm for a contant 12.5v system. it puts out 1800 at 1ohm if u can give the amp 16.5-17.5v constant power. and this is no ***** if u send the amp back to the comp. along with $200 they will upgrade the circuitry to a 22v system and it will put out 2200-2400watts 1ohm! smashing baby yeeeaaahhhhh! now tell me that isnt some bad mojo! now is that not bump for your ears? just a heads up for my plans in the future r to replace my 2 15" dvc rockfords with a wall of 4 of the new kicker solobaric s15L7's(square subs!) yes i said 4 which means that my club cab will sound like it has a club in it. lol and then put 1 of these audio art 100hc's on each. and bein that the s15L7's come in a new 2ohm DVC!!!! i can put 1100-1200 per speaker, at least til i upgrade the alternator and add some batteries and caps! then im lookin at sendin off the amps and have them converted to a 22v system and pound those puppys with 2200-2400 watts a speaker!! sounds like some ISAC-USAC quality winning system to me!! the kicker rep. truck already has 6 of the s15L7's in a ranger with a zr1000 on each but thats only 1000 watts per speaker and its hittin 177db supposedly. so any ideas as to what mine would hit? i cant wait to find out. if u or anyone else wants a more direct link to me for some quicker responses on stereo advice or suggestions email me at Gilmore@gibralter.net ford15098