Pair of 12" and 1200 Watt Amp - Ordering

 

Bronze Member
Username: Stripes

Nebraska United States

Post Number: 25
Registered: Apr-10
I'm getting ready to make an order and figured I'd see if anyone had any reason that I shouldn't order what I am about to.

2 ALPINE TYPE-R SWR-1243D 12" CAR SUBWOOFER DUAL 4-OHM
for $137 each, shipped.

1 Hifonics Brutus BRZ1200.1D Amplifier
for about $200, shipped.

So basically, the two alpine's are 600RMS and then the amp is 1200RMS. Let me know if you have any last minute suggestions before I order.

Thanks.
 

Gold Member
Username: Drant19

TX

Post Number: 2272
Registered: Aug-07
i would recommend that you pass up the Hifonics amp. Its overrated.

what is your budget for the amplifier?
 

Bronze Member
Username: Stripes

Nebraska United States

Post Number: 26
Registered: Apr-10
Pretty much 200. How is it overrated? It's a brutus 1200.1 Monoblock....very common.
 

Platinum Member
Username: Glasswolf

Columbia, South Carolina

Post Number: 14366
Registered: Dec-03
HiFonics garnered a reputation for underrating their amplifiers some years back, by using unregulated power supplies and rating output at 16VDC; a voltage most cars are incapable of supplying, and versus a 12VDC power supply, an increase in output of 25%. Honestly though, even 25% in the case of a 1200 watt amplifier is only a difference of 1 or 2 decibels, and hardly worth getting too upset about.
 

Bronze Member
Username: Stripes

Nebraska United States

Post Number: 27
Registered: Apr-10
I am aware of their over-rated power I heard 14Volts instead of 12, not 16 instead of 12. But either way, my main concern is would this amp actually not be potential to power these subs all the way? I'd like to have to turn my gain down instead of max it out, (for heat reasons, and just long-etivity of the amp) I'm willing to spend $50 extra to get a better amp than this one, ONLY if it's going to be "overpowering" the subs to the point that I shouldn't have them on full gain. So in that case, any recommendations?
 

Platinum Member
Username: Nd4spd18

Philadelphia, PA

Post Number: 11914
Registered: Jul-06
If you think that anything should be at "full gain" ever, then I have a recommendation that you not install car audio





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Bronze Member
Username: Stripes

Nebraska United States

Post Number: 28
Registered: Apr-10
K, thanks for the suggestions.
 

Platinum Member
Username: Glasswolf

Columbia, South Carolina

Post Number: 14370
Registered: Dec-03
Actually your gain knob should never be used as a volume knob anyway. the gain adjusts the impedance for the input stage of the amplifier and should be matched to the line voltage from the head unit. If your sub is too loud, just turn the sub output level down on the ehad unit and attenuate the signal at line level.

That said, HiFonics used 16 volts, which is why there was a stink over it. 16 volts will fry most car electrical systems, like the onboard computers and such. Many amplifiers are rated at 14.4 VDC, since 13.8-14.4VDC is the output of the alternator above idle.
 

Bronze Member
Username: Stripes

Nebraska United States

Post Number: 29
Registered: Apr-10
So, I'm fine with the HiFonics?
 

Platinum Member
Username: Glasswolf

Columbia, South Carolina

Post Number: 14374
Registered: Dec-03
I'd venture to say yes. They aren't poorly made from my experience, there have just been some disputes over the rated output to some degree. That said, a lot of the drama just came from people being so used to amplifiers being "underrated" and producing more actual power than they advertised. In truth, if you want accurate power output specs, always try to find a CEA2006 specification for an amplifier. CEA uses very strict guidelines for output measurement, so there is far less room for fudging results by manufacturers.
 

Bronze Member
Username: Stripes

Nebraska United States

Post Number: 30
Registered: Apr-10
Would you suggest a better amp than this one within 50 dollars of the price? ($190)
 

Platinum Member
Username: Glasswolf

Columbia, South Carolina

Post Number: 14376
Registered: Dec-03
at that price, the only decent competitor is the Audioque AQ1200D for $249 shipped from audioque.com, but either one should serve you well.

The thing about amplifiers is that you're really buying two things with a good amplifier:
reliability (build quality, circuit design etc), and a honking big transformer for the power supply so that you have a ton of reserve power for instantaneous peak demands.
Otherwise, all amplifiers should be utterly transparent, meaning they make things louder, but otherwise have absolutely zero affect on the sound.
If an amplifier colors the output at all, in other words if it alters the sound from the original media, then there's a problem. That being said, this is why many people are of the mind that spending loads of money on boutique brand amps is pointless, and just getting any amp with decent quality will give exactly the same end results.
Spend your money where it matters, on things like speaker choices. In this case, either amp would be a good choice. The AQ will probably have a slightly higher power output, but you'll pay $60 more to get it, and the difference will probably be barely perceptible in volume increase.
 

Gold Member
Username: Kaerfpl

Spencerport, NY USA

Post Number: 1142
Registered: Jun-06
Within the price range of $200-$299, the Audioque AQ1200D is going to be the best choice like Glasswolf stated above.

Audioque > Hifonics

http://www.audioque.com/AQ1200D-Amplifier_p_30.html
 

Platinum Member
Username: Glasswolf

Columbia, South Carolina

Post Number: 14379
Registered: Dec-03
yeah to be clear, between the two, I'd go with the AQ, myself, if you have the budget.
 

Bronze Member
Username: Stripes

Nebraska United States

Post Number: 31
Registered: Apr-10
I liked the HiFonics because I could get the Cadence wiring kit with it bundeld, that made the amp $160 instead of $210 from the store. Which to me was an awesome deal. (I checked the wiring kit, and it would be perfect for me, otherwise it's a $35 kit in addition to the AQ amp. Right now I'm an a draw. I'm thinking I may wait until my summer job is over to decide what kind of extra cash I'm willing to spend. No sense in a $500 stereo system when I can't even fill my gas tank on this thing... (11.7MPG) Lol. But I do remember now that I did like the AQ about 6 months ago when I was just browsing, lost my bookmarks and thus the information. Now knowing that the HiFonics amp is basically $160 New with 1 yr warranty, would you suggest the AQ still even if it's $130 more? (GlassWolf, did you misread their price or did they mark it up...because it's now $269 and $20 shipping on top of that )

Thanks Guys,
 

Gold Member
Username: Kaerfpl

Spencerport, NY USA

Post Number: 1144
Registered: Jun-06
Yea, a few months back AQ did mark up the price on the AQ1200D a bit, but overall, I would spend the extra money and get the AQ1200D, but that's just me.

All in all, if you don't have the money now, I would suggest saving up. Just remember that you get what you pay for.
 

Platinum Member
Username: Glasswolf

Columbia, South Carolina

Post Number: 14383
Registered: Dec-03
Ah I didn't know they raised the price. sorry

crap economy
 

Silver Member
Username: Alonzoub

Post Number: 234
Registered: Apr-10
Yea the price raise was within like 6 weeks ago, I was pretty bummed when I saw that considering AQ was the goto brand for quality amps on a budget. I have no experience with Crescendo yet but their new Bass Clef series amps may be the new goto quality budget amp. Their lowest power amp is a 2kwrm @ 1-ohm tho.

Honestly though, the Hifonics BRZ series is CEA certified, it is a step up from hifonics from a couple years ago IMO. You should be fine with the BRZ.
 

Bronze Member
Username: Stripes

Nebraska United States

Post Number: 32
Registered: Apr-10
Any input on the Cadence ZRS7000D ? It's rated the at the same voltage as the AQ with 1300 x 1 ohm. And I can get it for about $200.So it sounds like a happy medium, right?

To follow up on alonzoub, all of the new 2010+ models of the BRZ have the CEA rating and become rated at 14.4Volts, not the "18Volts".
 

Silver Member
Username: Dloco486

Post Number: 115
Registered: Apr-11
that brutus will do rated power @ 14.4 v. and on your amp wireing kit what gauge is it. for that much power i myself would make sure the wireing kit i bought was 100% oxygen free copper. i don't know much about cadence wires but i know soundstream makes an oxygen free copper wire but costs a little more and for around 80$ rockford fausgate makes 1 that is 100% oxygen free and double stranded. makes for less power resistance.
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