what watt amp do i need?

[lucki17]

okay, so i want to have 2 12" subs that are 1600 watts (max) 1100 watts (rms) each. how much amp do i need, ive heard that i need the same as the watts of the sub but also i heard that they need to be like half of the max of the sub. so needless to say i am very confused, please help.

[Navy I.C.]

the rule of thumb is to follow the rms rating and you should be cool. if you want to know how much it could be under-powered, that's hard to say because subs are made with different amounts of stiffness, rigidity, efficiency and tension. you need to know how that sub was made to perform because a 500 watt amp can push one 1000 watt sub really good, but not another. most companies will tell you in their literature what is the recommended amount of power necessary for the optimal performance of their subs.

[Haibane]

better companies will tell you that you can power their subs with pretty much any power you want to as long as you can set gains and adjust as needs to be. I have heard of many people running subs off 50 watts and being happy. I have heard many people pushing 1000 watt subs with "1800 watts", but the 1800 is toned down to where it is only realistically pushing about 1000 or whatever the speaker is handling well. It all depends on your knowledge what you can do with a speaker.

[PaulD]

I always overpower my stuff .... gives me more headroom

[lucki17]

alright cool, i think that ansewrs my question then. by the way are R.F. amps any good or are their better ones for the same price range?

[Navy I.C.]

R.F. makes a whole range of amps. they're trying to get something for every budget, but stay away from their lower end.

[Haibane]

there are better for the cost