[LuckyKevin]

Hey guys I currently have a 12" Kicker Comp running off a 250w Alpine amp and I have replaced the stock door speakers with better ones running off a 4-channel Kenwood amp. The 12" Kicker I have now pushes some, but not as much as I want (I got my sub and amps for free from my brother).

I'm thinking about getting a 12" P3 Rockford, but had some questions,
If you go to Rockford's website and view the 12" P3 here and scroll down and click the 'Box Advisor' tab, it shows what the recommended power range is, and it shows from 150-500 watts.

Do you think I'll be able to get enough kick out of the P3 from my 250w amp? Will it be a big enough difference from the 12" Kicker Comp (it's Kicker's simplest sub)?
If not, do you have any other recommendations/suggestions?
Feed free to add any comments or help!

Thanks,
Kev

 

[LuckyKevin]

doublepost

 

[Mylt1]

if your pushing the kicker with 250w and thats all you have then pushing a 500w sub with that same 250w amp isnt going to make a difference. plus, 250w is NOT enough to push that RF sub.

 

[something else]

OK. Let's see what we have here.

250 watt alpine amp - more details please. is it a single channel amp? Is it a two channel amp? > And if so, are you bridging the two channels for maximum power?

On your subs... your existing kicker comp 12"... is it a 4-ohm or 8 ohm? It looks pretty well matched to your amp with the limited information given.

The Rockford P3 12" you are looking at is a dual voice coil unit - which will need more watts than you can give with your existing amp in order to sound good, as Mylt1 has said. I looked at the P1 12", a single voice coil, and it has nearly the same specs as your existing sub... no surprise.

IMHO, your existing sub and amp are fine if you are looking for reinforced bass that won't rattle your mirror. If you want more, then you are looking at an amp upgrade to start.

 

[LuckyKevin]

if your pushing the kicker with 250w and thats all you have then pushing a 500w sub with that same 250w amp isnt going to make a difference. plus, 250w is NOT enough to push that RF sub.

okay thanks for the info bro

OK. Let's see what we have here.

250 watt alpine amp - more details please. is it a single channel amp? Is it a two channel amp? > And if so, are you bridging the two channels for maximum power?

On your subs... your existing kicker comp 12"... is it a 4-ohm or 8 ohm? It looks pretty well matched to your amp with the limited information given.

The Rockford P3 12" you are looking at is a dual voice coil unit - which will need more watts than you can give with your existing amp in order to sound good, as Mylt1 has said. I looked at the P1 12", a single voice coil, and it has nearly the same specs as your existing sub... no surprise.

IMHO, your existing sub and amp are fine if you are looking for reinforced bass that won't rattle your mirror. If you want more, then you are looking at an amp upgrade to start.

the alpine is a single channel amp, and the 12" kicker comp is 4 ohms. and okay I understand now, if I want a sub upgrade I'll need a new amp as well, thanks. say I were to upgrade to a P3, what wattage amp (single channel) should I get?

another question.. with my 250w alpine amp and 12" kicker comp (which is 300w peak and 150w rms), how much can I turn up the gain without doing damage?

thanks for the help

 

[something else]

The gain control is really only good for small adjustments in volume - so you can balance out your entire system. It does not increase the power of your amp.

Turned up high, your amp may operate hot (and subsequently shut itself off) because it is working at near maximum output continuously, or it may clip (high gain over driving the amp) and send damaging distortion to your sub. None of this is anything you want.

That said, you can adjust the gain up, and listen closely for distortion. Since your existing sub is well matched to the amp, you will also be pushing it near its limits. IMHO, nothing sounds good pushed at the spec'd maximums.

 

[ScottXGTR]

i agree with whats been said already.

a larger sub can be run on your 250w amp, but dont expect much. a larger sub has a heavier moving mass and stiffer suspension, and requires more power.

a solid 500w mono amp is capable of a lot of things. easy to find, not terribly expensive, still small, and doesnt put a terrible load on the electrical system. id start there, unless you just want to get nutty. i can recommend some stuff with warning labels and personal injury waivers if you'd like. for now, an alpine mrp-m500 is a cost effective choice

subs, youre on your own. there is a lot of subs in that wattage and price range. id check out some memphis, image dynamics, or JL subs as benchmarks or whatever brands you may be loyal to.

the gain adjusts the input level, and not the volume. you want it set as high as needed, but not too high to distort(clip) the signal. the only downside is a lot of people perceive distortion as being louder. as a general guideline, a good gain setting is between 12 and 2 o'clock on the dial. results may vary.