Ok, so I need an amplifier to power my new 12" RE XXX
Needs 2000wrms So here are my options so far:

Us amps ax2000 - 2000wrms at 4ohms, damping factor >1000, Class A/B amp -$850
Soundstream Tarantula TRX2000D- 2000wrms at 1ohm, Class D- $500
MB Quart Discus DSC2000.1D- 2000wrms at 1ohm, Class D- $500

Also, Preferably wanting to spend max of $750, with an amp that puts out atleast 2000wrms..

Which amp would you chose?

Edit: Also forgot to mention that the ax2000 is a 2channel, so im pretty sure the 2000wrms at 4 ohms is the max rms it will put out in mono..

I've not played with big car audio for a long time, but the brands you've picked were highly regarded 10+ years ago and hopefully still are - the Tarantula line back then was pretty special too.

If your requirement is to have at least 2000W RMS, then only the US Amps jobbie ticks the box.
The others have 2000W RMS at the most, according to their specs.

What is the resistance (ohms) of the XXX speaker you've got? If it has multi voice coils, what configuration will you run it, or will that depend on the amp?
I'm guessing you've got 2Ohm DVC which means you'll use either 4 or 1 ohm hence your amp choices so far....

I can't remember, but what are the efficiencie's of Class A/B and Class D? One of them will need to draw less power so that might be the one to choose?

Is the Earthquake D2000 still around? I used to love them and they're something like 1000W @ 2 Ohms, but not sure if they're 1ohm stable.

I just looked at ebay and found something second hand that is still a touch out of your price range, but maybe make the guy an offer?
http://cgi.ebay.com.au/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=200421643056

It's a "EarthQuake PHD10,000W/2" - 1900W @ 4 ohms or 5000W @ 1 ohm !!! holy heck! :)

I've not played with big car audio for a long time, but the brands you've picked were highly regarded 10+ years ago and hopefully still are - the Tarantula line back then was pretty special too.

If your requirement is to have at least 2000W RMS, then only the US Amps jobbie ticks the box.
The others have 2000W RMS at the most, according to their specs.

What is the resistance (ohms) of the XXX speaker you've got? If it has multi voice coils, what configuration will you run it, or will that depend on the amp?
I'm guessing you've got 2Ohm DVC which means you'll use either 4 or 1 ohm hence your amp choices so far....

I can't remember, but what are the efficiencie's of Class A/B and Class D? One of them will need to draw less power so that might be the one to choose?

Is the Earthquake D2000 still around? I used to love them and they're something like 1000W @ 2 Ohms, but not sure if they're 1ohm stable.

I just looked at ebay and found something second hand that is still a touch out of your price range, but maybe make the guy an offer?
http://cgi.ebay.com.au/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=200421643056

It's a "EarthQuake PHD10,000W/2" - 1900W @ 4 ohms or 5000W @ 1 ohm !!! holy heck! :)

Yeah, Its a DVC 2ohm..

Pretty sure class A/b has the higher current draw, but apparently class A/b amps are much better for sound quality than D's... So its a tough decision...

Wow, that amp is very nice!!! I'll make him an offer, but will probably still go for the Ax2000, only as the ax2000 has not been hammered as that amp sounds like it has... and I must say the ax2000 is much more visually appealing...

A class are inefficient as the output transistors are always on.. but at one point in time were considered to sound better than all other amp types.
D class are more efficient because they switch the output transistors on and off... and these days are said to rival or exceed the sound quality of the lower class amps (unless you've got super human hearing)

Ok, I have another amp to consider.

-Rockford Fosgate T20001Bd, 2000wrms at 1ohm, Cea complaint, $700

i am always impartial to rockies

i am always impartial to rockies

Hmmm ok

Well I think the Rockford might be a winner! Puts out atleast 2000wrms which is good and is a class b/d amp so I think its pretty efficient! It definately looks the part.... and its cheaper than the Ax2000. Also one of the only amps I have found to give out big power at 1ohm and still be CEA complaint (at 1 ohm)!

The ax2000 is slightly more expensive, but it is also second hand (ex display I think), although it will power the sub at 4ohms....It also has a large dampening factor, but a big current draw...

Such a hard decision...

i like mtx amps personal prefference

i like mtx amps personal prefference

I'll have look into those! Thanks mate :)

Edit: Cant seem to find any that put out 2000wrms at 1 or 4 ohms? Only 1500wrms (Which will underpower) or 3700wrms (Overpower)... hmm

Got another amp to add to list now! Its a sundown SAZ-2000D. Its pretty solid though from all the reviews!! Apparently it goes down to like .25ohms! Also puts out much more than rated (The one thing that holding me back....)
A quote "We've seen 2600watts @ 1.1ohms & 12.9v out of the saz-2000d"

Seen loads of good reviews though! Its gonna cost around $700..

I dont want to blow my sub though....

Edit: Think I will be buying this amp tommorrow!! Looks veryyy nice!

Personally I wouldn't worry about having significantly over 2000W RMS as that won't be likely to blow your sub.
Firstly, at normal volume levels, you might be lucky to use 500W RMS and secondly the way to blow a speaker is to have the amplifier or headunit's volume/gain up too high when it starts to clip the signal. It's the clipping which will blow a speaker faster than running more clean power through it.

EG: Look into the technique of burping - this is where a clean signal of HUGE power is sent to a speaker for a short period of time - well above the rated power handling of the speaker. Reason is to create a HUGE SPL reading without breaking anything.

Oh yeah, I like RF gear - especially older stuff. I've got an old Alpine 4x40W amp with a birthsheet that reports it's tested power was 4x45 (11% bonus is cool), while my RF 200.1 (rated at 50Wx2 RMS) birthsheet read something like 107Wx2 (114% bonus = super cool). My Alpine cost me $750 new and the RF was ~$220 second hand. I'm happy to see that $750 buys a LOT more amplifier these days.

Oh yeah, I like RF gear - especially older stuff. I've got an old Alpine 4x40W amp with a birthsheet that reports it's tested power was 4x45 (11% bonus is cool), while my RF 200.1 (rated at 50Wx2 RMS) birthsheet read something like 107Wx2 (114% bonus = super cool). My Alpine cost me $750 new and the RF was ~$220 second hand. I'm happy to see that $750 buys a LOT more amplifier these days.

Yeah, Ive heard they put out quite a bit more than rated! But no, in Australia $750 doesnt get you much more than it used to. My prices for all these amps are from the US... Australian prices are double the US ones..no joke...

So its between:

-Rockford, Looks awesome, puts out more than rated, Cea complaint
and
-Sundown, Doesnt look that great, puts out more than rated, built like a rock, slightly more expensive

just another amp to throw in...alpine now do an 2000rms mono... MRP-M2000 i think. only just beenreleased so not 100% on price
http://www.alpine.com.au/products/product.asp?modelID=445 sorry rrp is $999... my bad lol

just another amp to throw in...alpine now do an 2000rms mono... MRP-M2000 i think. only just beenreleased so not 100% on price
http://www.alpine.com.au/products/product.asp?modelID=445 sorry rrp is $999... my bad lol

Yeah, already looked at that one, but thanks man. :) Was one of the first amps I looked at as im quite fond of alpine... Reason its not considered is because is only stable at 2 ohms and I need it to run at 1...
Shame its not rated at 1ohm though, coz I could get it for like $650 :(

So looks like I will be buying the Sundows SAZ-2000D tonight! Looks to be an extremely solid amp which is very underrated... I havent read a single regative review on them so far! They arent the most visually appealing amps, but if they are built well, thats all that matters...

So if anybody has any opinions on the sundowns, whether negative or positive, please state as I would love to hear them! :)

Thanks to all the people who voted in the poll though! The Soundstream Tarantula TRX2000D seemed to be very popular? If it were CEA complaint it would have probably been considered more seriously...

Rockford. Game Over.

You might wanna check this one, really cheap. US$359.99.
I bought from this site before, it arrived in less than 2 weeks.
Hifonics Brutus BXI Single-Channel Monoblock Super-D Class Car Amplifier
RMS Power Rating:
4 ohms: 850 watts x 1 chan.
2 ohms: 1700 watts x 1 chan.
1 ohm: 2600 watts x 1 chan.

http://www.sonicelectronix.com/item_17599_Hifonics+BXi+2610D.html

Rockford. Game Over.

Really?? Arggg such a hard decision. I would love the amp to come with a birth sheet as knowing the amps actual output would be very useful, and I obviously wont get that with the sundown, so I will have no idea how much power it will be getting :(... The rockfords do seem to be more mainstream and I dont so much like that. Also, not being as solid as the sundowns is an issue as I do want the amp to survive the journey to australia and also have a good life at 1ohms.... Would be hell if the thing died. Apparently the sundowns are extremely hard to kill... Ive also heard that the rockfords often die from an insufficient car charging system power, whereas the sundown will work at lower voltages and still go strong....

The appearance of the rockford is another of its positive attributes, it sure does look the part....

The guy who sells the sundows is also a really nice bloke and has been good to me, so im gonna feel bad turning the amp down now.... rgggggg WHAT TO DOOOOOO?!? :headbange

I have noticed though, that the sundown amps are widely used for car audio spl competitions, whereas the rockfords are mainly used in non-competing cars who just want a nice audio system...



You might wanna check this one, really cheap. US$359.99.
I bought from this site before, it arrived in less than 2 weeks.
Hifonics Brutus BXI Single-Channel Monoblock Super-D Class Car Amplifier
RMS Power Rating:
4 ohms: 850 watts x 1 chan.
2 ohms: 1700 watts x 1 chan.
1 ohm: 2600 watts x 1 chan.

http://www.sonicelectronix.com/item_17599_Hifonics+BXi+2610D.html

Yeah sorry man, not a fan of hifonics at all....

Well I am now the proud owner of a Rockford Fosgate T20001Bd! Just paid for it and it should be here on the 6th of Jan!

Was a very last minute decision, but I decided the rockford over the sundown mainly because of the birth sheets, and the sexyness of the rockford....
I like the idea of knowing how much power is going into my sub, that way I can adjust the gain/volume accordingly....
Ive also read that the average output from the rockford T20001Bd is around 2700wrms at 1 ohm, which is quite a bit more than rated.. (Almost too much for my sub), but hopefully I will get one that puts out around 2300/2400 as that would be perfect....
The rockford may not go under .5ohms like the sundowns will, but after all, Ill only be using it at 1ohm and its stable at that so it should be fine..

Thanks all you guys who shared your opinions/commented in this thread! Muchly appreciated! :)

Good to see you decided mate.

3000WRMS is not too much for your sub, a XXX doesn't even wake up until 1kw. Since you're running sealed you will have no drama's with 2700WRMS... well your car might but lol.

Recieved my amp today!! Its veryy nice! Anyway, see my car thread for more details (Power output etc)!
Thanks for everybody's inputs! :)

If you want to suss out actual output, you can create a test tone cd at 60hz and run your multimeter on the output.

DIY birth sheet FTW!

If you want to suss out actual output, you can create a test tone cd at 60hz and run your multimeter on the output.

DIY birth sheet FTW!

Amp came with a Birth sheet so its all good! (2213wrms @ 1ohm) :) Thanks anyway man!