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In light of all of the recent amplifier threads, I felt it was time to introduce to you, the complete buying guide for amplifiers.
A. Determine your budget.
B. Determine the amount of amplifier channels you need.
C. Decide whether you want to go with multiple 1 and 2 channel amps or 1 multi-channel amp etc.
D. Determine the necessary impedance capability of the amps.
E. Make note of where you plan to install them and and measure it to determine what is the maximum size that will physically fit there.
F. Decide what features you need or don't, ie eq/crossover etc.
G. Take your cars electrical system and the amplifiers efficiency into consideration as well.
After that, narrow down what amplifiers are available that fit the above criteria from brands you have heard of or that there is at least some feedback from other users then buy the one that delivers the most amount of power and if they are all pretty close in power output, pick the one you think looks the coolest. DO NOT overly concern your self with THD, S/N ratios, damping factor and dare I say channel separation specs.
*Here's a true story, John needed 5 amplifier channels and had a budget of $400. John decided that he would use a 4 channel amp and one mono amp. He also checked out where he could mount them and decided that 16" would be the limit in length. John didn't care about processing power in the amps because his H/U was going to be the processing unit in the system.
John knew he was going to run 4 ohms on the mids and tweeters and 4 ohms on the subs, but that 2 ohms could be needed in the future. His electrical system was fairly stout, so after coming up with several possible candidates, he selected the JBL GTO 75.4 II and the GTO 600.1 II due to price, power, size and known quality of the amps. John didn't even look at the THD, S/N ratio, damping factor or channel separation specs.
John sold those JBL amps when it came time to do a new system, simply because they wouldn't physically fit the new cars install. John choose the Alpine PDX 4.150 and 1.600 only because of their rated power and small size that would fit the mounting area. John doesn't even know what the THD, S/N ratio, etc is on the PDX amps or care either.
*The names have been changed to protect the identity of 89grand.
A. Determine your budget.
B. Determine the amount of amplifier channels you need.
C. Decide whether you want to go with multiple 1 and 2 channel amps or 1 multi-channel amp etc.
D. Determine the necessary impedance capability of the amps.
E. Make note of where you plan to install them and and measure it to determine what is the maximum size that will physically fit there.
F. Decide what features you need or don't, ie eq/crossover etc.
G. Take your cars electrical system and the amplifiers efficiency into consideration as well.
After that, narrow down what amplifiers are available that fit the above criteria from brands you have heard of or that there is at least some feedback from other users then buy the one that delivers the most amount of power and if they are all pretty close in power output, pick the one you think looks the coolest. DO NOT overly concern your self with THD, S/N ratios, damping factor and dare I say channel separation specs.
*Here's a true story, John needed 5 amplifier channels and had a budget of $400. John decided that he would use a 4 channel amp and one mono amp. He also checked out where he could mount them and decided that 16" would be the limit in length. John didn't care about processing power in the amps because his H/U was going to be the processing unit in the system.
John knew he was going to run 4 ohms on the mids and tweeters and 4 ohms on the subs, but that 2 ohms could be needed in the future. His electrical system was fairly stout, so after coming up with several possible candidates, he selected the JBL GTO 75.4 II and the GTO 600.1 II due to price, power, size and known quality of the amps. John didn't even look at the THD, S/N ratio, damping factor or channel separation specs.
John sold those JBL amps when it came time to do a new system, simply because they wouldn't physically fit the new cars install. John choose the Alpine PDX 4.150 and 1.600 only because of their rated power and small size that would fit the mounting area. John doesn't even know what the THD, S/N ratio, etc is on the PDX amps or care either.
*The names have been changed to protect the identity of 89grand.
