I have two MA audio 12" subs powered by an Infinity amplifier running off my factory deck in a 2003 Grand am. I had it installed previously with a 600 watt fosgate and that amp ended up frying. Could that amp have damaged or weakened the speakers in any way? Now i have the Infinity on there, which is bigger that the foegate, and after getting that today they were slammin for about a half hour and then they stopped workin. Im not sure what the problem is. I ordered two more 12" MA audio subs, but i just dont know if theyll blow again...PLEASE HELP!!!
Well Matt, I am going to put this to you the shotest way possible, only problem is that its not a short explaination since there could be many factors. First off, I have been into both home and car audio as well as competting In Iasca and USAC for years. So while others harp on you for playing it loud and blowing it up. Just a few thing to keep in mind so you can keep it loud and not roll smoke out of the amp or subs.
First of all....until you are used to the limits of your system, learn how to tell if you are over pushing the mechanical limits of your amp and subs. you can do this by turning your system up to the loudest level you think it can handle. Then leave it there and walk to your trunk and open it. If it sounds like crap, You have what is know as audible distortion. It is the number one killer of speakers. This is what happens when your amp passes it RMS power rating. You get a garbled sounding speaker and you have no idea how hard that is on your sub. many times, the acoustics of your vehical tend to drowned that sound out and you dont notice it until you open the trunkor have smoked your subs.
Second, buy a real sub. MA audio is....well...not so good. Great on a budget but you will spen just as much trying to replace them as it will cost to buy a good quality sub. look on ebay. The PPI and Orion H2 subs are very good as well as alphasonik and clif designs. only problem is you need a real amp to push them. Infinity aint going to cut it.
Also when choosing a amp, make sure to buy somthing you know is good. Fosgate is a name with a lot of hype just living of its reputation. Which I never felt was a good reputation to begin with. Always look at the RMS power rating. Max means nothing. Manufacturers can put 1 million watts max if they want but RMS IS THE TRUE POWER YOU AMP CAN SUBSTAIN FOR EXTENDED PERIODS OF TIME.