i just purchased a pioneer gm-5100t amp, 760 watt max, and got 2 crappy subs with it for free, i figured id use them for awhile...since they were free lol, i have a dual 10 box from musicmoose audio. my question is what would be good subs for this combo? For hi end subs would i need a better amp? Any comments would be greatly appreciated. thanks.

 

For hi end stuff, you dont NEED a better amp, but it never hurts. But yours will do fine. Depends what you call high end too.

What is the RMS rating on that amp, and at what Ohm.

Also, how big is that box (cu ft per sub) and how much mounting depth is it?

Finally, what is your budget?

Just need to ask these questions so you can get better help.

 

i have never really been sure what rms stands for...from what i take it, it is the constant wattage that amp can handle, not the max..if thats so its 125w x 2/ 380 x 1 and 4 ohms.

dual 10 musicmoose box for an xcab, i believe its .63 cu ft. each

budget is flexible, i can always save for alittle longer and get what ever it is that i want..but i dont want to pay the extra $ just for the popular name.

Thanks for the help bartak

 

I'm glad to hear someone admit they could save a bit longer for some better gear. Too often, people, especially young people, are too impatient to do that. RMS stands for Root Mean Squared, and is actually a mathematical figure that can be calculated as to how much power a speaker can handle or how much power an amp can produce CONTINUOUSLY. The problem is that manufacturers do not have any strict standard that they have to abide by when they publish these specs. So, consequently you have very cheaply made gear with published specs that are "seemingly" similar to more expensive gear, when, in fact, that is NOT the case. For instance, a "flea market" brand like Rockwood may sell an amp for $75 that "claims" 100 watts RMS vs. a "high end" amp like Audison that sells for $750. The Rockwood may actually be able to produce 100 watts continuously, but at outrageous distortion. Something very audible, whereas the Audison may be able to produce 100 watts RMS at 0.5%, which is not audible. Don't get caught up in specs when you are looking at cheap equipment. It's a scam. And, as to your comment about buying the popular brand, good job! As you learn about audio, you'll discover that the very best gear is stuff that 95% of people will never hear of. I love having a sound quality system with gear that most people haven't heard of.

 

when i was studying audo to be able to do my own and find how stuff works i ran accross some info. that the rms is like stated above. it is a number that even it itself can be misleading. but is very close to the real output. peak power or max power handling capability is what the component handled in max load for one second. i have read that each componenet is loaded to near 1 or 2 ohm and pushed to the max. even if it did it for one second it is rated at max for that load. often max load is double the rms load. but! even rms can be above what the component can actually handle for periods of time. most of us are not going to listen to it all the way up for long periods of time. so! if the amp is going to put out what they say. and the speakers are not going to handle what they say. then we will never know and they will ususally outlast us or blow later.i have used many a speaker and amp combo. i like mine very clear and no noise. even my amp from autotek is rated at 750 rms. i think it is actually about 650 but there is no real way to tell.

 

Speaking of gear I've never heard of........Has anyone heard of KOVE Audio?

There is a local shop around here that has claimed several SQ Championships and this is the brand they claim to have used and carry the most of.

www.koveaudio.com

The stuff seams pretty nice and the 6" pair in the showroom sounded pretty clear. I was just wondering if any of our more experienced members have heard or had any experience with KOVE

Jeff

 

Jeff, I have never owned any Kove gear myself, but I have heard of it for years and it is considered pretty "high end". Especially their subs. Not to be confused with Kole audio, which seems to be "low end", in comparison.

 

thanks 97f250 and 0ne04 for finally giving me some insight as to what rms stands for. mounting depth is 5 1/5 bartak, forgot to put that in other post.

 

^ What he said.


I remember that amp now, seen one a few times. Cheap and it gets the job done.

To get your 380 watts (or whatever it really puts out) you first need a subs that are Singe Voice Coil 2 ohm, or SVC 8 ohm, or a DVC 4 ohm ones. (assuming your getting 2 since is a dual box) That way they can be wired for a 4 ohm final load on the amp, which is what that amp is rated at when bridged for the 380 watts.

Now, I guess I shoulda asked this before, but do ya wanna be cool and go with stuff no one has really heard of and kicks a$$, or more mainstream type stuff(Kicker, Alpine, Pioneer, Rockford etc) Nothin wrong with mainstream, but the stuff no one hears of is awsome to have and usually twice as good as the mainstream stuff that cost the same or more.

Im kinda with 97f250, awsome SQ stuff and most people havent heard of it, all though RE (my comps) is starting to get more popular and known (kinda makes me wish I woulda went with the Rainbows). Some people have heard of my amp too, (diamond audio), but its not really a mainstream brand, and its good. Only thing is my RF amp, which I just had laying around so I used it. That will eventually get replaced with another Diamond amp.

 

let me think...better sound...same price, hmmm not to tough, i really dont care what the name says on it, i just want something that sounds good, that hopefully i can use with the amp i have.

 

Only deal is, I dont know many cool subs that will do a whole lot with 150 watts to each one. Oops.

RE RE 10 will work, Id check that out. Only one that comes to mind that will work good with that little of power. Ill think of some once I gett in a thinkin mood. Give me another day

Untill then, Id check out the RE RE.
REAudio.com

 

k here is another noob question then lol, when i decide to get the better subs can i add another amp to the one i have and have them both powering the subs? or should i get one amp that will have enough power to boast stronger subs?

right now i just have the stock speakers and an aftermarket HU, and other then just replacing the door speakers with better ones i wouldnt add any other components, so i wouldnt need an amp for those would i? Would my system sound better with my speakers on an amp and not the HU? if so i suppose i could use the amp i have now for the door speakers and get a better one for the better subs?

im in no hurry bartak so deliberate for as long as youd like lol.

 

Thats a good idea. Get some aftermarket speakers in the front that can handle at 100ish watts RMS *cough*component speakers*cough*. Screw the back speakers.
Then, get another good amp for subs, and some nice subs(a bigger selection etc). Then you could have an amp that has good power for subs.

Or you could get another amp like you have now, and put a sub on each amp, like you said. Youd also have way more sub options then, but your still stuck with the crap stock speakers then.

If you put aftermarket speakers in, you done need an amp, but if they can take the power of one, its worth it.