this may sound dumb but, what is the sound differance between say the audiobahn a8000t and the kicker 600.1. I have the audiobahn and people are telling me I'm getting the 800 watts out of it, so what is the differance, the kicker has 600 watts @ 2 ohms and the audiobahn is 800 @ 2 ohms. the only thing I see on the spec sheet is the audiobahn is class a/b and the kicker is class d. and the thd is a little off, but I don't here any noise. what is the sound diffance? is a watt a watt? if i put in a kicker would I here a differance?
The kicker amp is a Class D which draws less current than the Class A/B and stays cooler.
In general class D amps are for use with subs cuz subs need more power and it is good for you alternator to draw less current from it.
Now the audiobahn is a cheap company and probably wouldn't be as good as the kicker amp but the kicker amp probably isnt the best you can get either. Some companies "overrate" thier products and dont really tell you what it is really putting out.
If your really looking into getting a good amp that will sound good, try looking at: zapco amps, Elemental designs, US Amps, TRU amps, Memphis amps
these would put out probably more than they say they do (underrated) and will give you very good sound quality and accurate bass.
power wise the difference would be very minimal , you probably would hear the difference in spl.. i doubt you would hear much sq difference between the 2 as well.. the "a watt is a watt" saying does apply more to subwoofer amps as amp distortion is more unoticable with subwoofers as opposed to speakers,, the main thing you pay for when u buy an amp is quality. say you have 2 amps, cheap amp "a" that puts out 1000 watts rms, and expensive amp "b" that puts out the same u can expect amp "b" to last longer and have fewer problems if any than amp "a"( also in most cases amp "b" will put out more power than rated while "a" may not even put out its rated power)
joshua, you said that "zapco amps, Elemental designs, US Amps, TRU amps, Memphis amps" are good how does oroin,crossfire,diamond amps compare to them. I'm looking for something in the 600 to 800 rms range at 2 ohms. I want something with good quilty but not so much $
dude it's a class ab. I just got this off of crutchfield.com "The A8000T pumps out 400 watts RMS of MOSFET-fueled Class AB power to your 4-ohm subwoofer. Hook up a 2-ohm load, and you get twice the output!"
I just went to 4 web sites, all of them are listing the a8000t as class ab. but on audiobahn.com it says under "common features" that it's a class d. either way I think this amp sucks!