so i guess i should of asked before i bought it. but a friend said that the brutus series was alright. i had it hooked up to a 12" orion hcca 2000 watts rms.(my car broke down so i took everything out) it sounds great but i dont think the amp is giving the sub the power it needs. i have seen videos of orion hccas flexing and mine doesnt flex as much as the one in the videos. what do you guys think about this dilema? could it be because i havent upgraded the alternator?
The suspension the box provides can limit excursion. If you have a ported box, the sub simply isn't going to "jump" the way it will in a sealed enclosure. This is due to the way the ported box dampens driver movement, but ported boxes also increase mechanical power handling.
Anyway, I wouldn't worry about how much the driver moves. I'd look more at the output from the enclosure, sub, and amp combination. Ported boxes also increase driver efficiency at or near the port's tuned frequency, so they provide more output per watt. Another bonus.