Hey I was just wondering what your guys opinion would be on which would be the better amp for the money. I don't want to spend more than $300 canadian. I'm looking to maybe run a 12" Alpine Type R or an 12" Eclipse, not sure which model it is I forgot to ask lol but the guy said it was 300 or 350w rms. Neither one of these subs are for sure, just ideas.
The amps I'm looking at are as follows:
PPI PCX 280 - $299
JBL P180.2 - $229
JBL 300.1 - $299
Personally I'm thinking to go for the P180.2 because of the price/watts. However, I think the PPI is a better amp, but then I found the 300.1 for the same price as the PPI and it seems that everyone on here likes that JBL amp.
Also any suggestions on 12" subs for $250 CDN or less would be great too.
Thanks,
Jay
Replies (4)
LC1 on 05/26/2004 18:21:22
I found out which Eclipse sub it is:
12" 87121.4
I found a place that has this sub for $250 with a box or $200 without.
swez on 05/26/2004 19:56:18
The best value and price per watt is the JBL 180.2. Delivers a full 90 watts RMS/channel @ 4 ohms, 360 watts Bridged @ 4 ohms.
If you get this amp, use a SVC, 4 ohm sub or a DVC 2+2 sub. Bridge the amp MONO and be sure you have a 4 ohm net load to the amp to prevent overheating.
The Alpine SWR-1222D is a 300 RMS , 2+2 DVC and will do well with this amp, if you choose only 1 sub. The Eclipse model mentioned is very good as well... The Eclipse 87121.4 is a 4 ohm SVC and this handles 300 RMS as well. A good choice as well.
Swez
LC1 on 05/26/2004 22:07:38
Swez, or anyone else else of course. The more input the better, trying to get the best system for the least amount of money.
If the PPI and JBL 180.2 amp were both priced exactly the same would you still recommend the JBL?
Also, is there any major differences in the Alpine and Eclipse subs as noted above? The Eclipse is $50 cheaper then the Alpine. Again, if they were both priced the same which sub you guys recommend?
Thanks,
Jay
PS I was reading some reviews about the JBL amp some people said it wasn't a very effecient amp and lacked some features etc...
swez on 05/27/2004 08:40:05
Both PPI and the JBL P180.2 are 2 channel amps. This means they are Class A/B amps. What's that mean??? Class A/B is a full range, High fidelity amp design. They are good for subs and full range applications. The major drawback of any Class A/B amp... they are all low efficiency designs. (meaning, for every 100 watts they comsume, they produce ~60 watts of audio power)
Now, looking toward a different amp technology... Class D MONO is a sub only amplifier design. They employ switch mode power supplies and have the ability to run low ohmic loads. (typ. is 2 ohms, a few can do 1 ohm loads) This design is very efficient. For every 100 watts they consume, they return ~90 watts of audio power. This design is limited to subs as they do not produce mids and highs well above ~500 Hz. That's why they are sub only designs.
Class D amps are usually cheaper than their Class A/B bretheren due to less circuitry and used more for raw power and less frills. JBL takes that approach in all thier Power Series amps.
PPI or JBL??? Both are solid performers with well respected brand names. Power and features are pretty close to the same. The only major difference I noted was that the PPI was a tad less power and had a wider input voltage capacity.
PPI: 0.15 - 12.0 volts input range; 320 watts RMS bridged MONO
JBL: 0.25 - 4.0 volts RCA input range & speaker level inputs; 360 watts RMS in MONO.
As for subs, both are very good SQL subs and well know brands as well. If I recall right, the Eclipse is able to use a smaller enclosure design and offers good bass in small sealed enclosures. The Alpine SWR series is no slouch either. Really, the best thing to do, is listen to both and judge for yourself.
Swez
The amps I'm looking at are as follows:
PPI PCX 280 - $299
JBL P180.2 - $229
JBL 300.1 - $299
Personally I'm thinking to go for the P180.2 because of the price/watts. However, I think the PPI is a better amp, but then I found the 300.1 for the same price as the PPI and it seems that everyone on here likes that JBL amp.
Also any suggestions on 12" subs for $250 CDN or less would be great too.
Thanks,
Jay
Replies (4)
LC1 on 05/26/2004 18:21:22
I found out which Eclipse sub it is:
12" 87121.4
I found a place that has this sub for $250 with a box or $200 without.
swez on 05/26/2004 19:56:18
The best value and price per watt is the JBL 180.2. Delivers a full 90 watts RMS/channel @ 4 ohms, 360 watts Bridged @ 4 ohms.
If you get this amp, use a SVC, 4 ohm sub or a DVC 2+2 sub. Bridge the amp MONO and be sure you have a 4 ohm net load to the amp to prevent overheating.
The Alpine SWR-1222D is a 300 RMS , 2+2 DVC and will do well with this amp, if you choose only 1 sub. The Eclipse model mentioned is very good as well... The Eclipse 87121.4 is a 4 ohm SVC and this handles 300 RMS as well. A good choice as well.
Swez
LC1 on 05/26/2004 22:07:38
Swez, or anyone else else of course. The more input the better, trying to get the best system for the least amount of money.
If the PPI and JBL 180.2 amp were both priced exactly the same would you still recommend the JBL?
Also, is there any major differences in the Alpine and Eclipse subs as noted above? The Eclipse is $50 cheaper then the Alpine. Again, if they were both priced the same which sub you guys recommend?
Thanks,
Jay
PS I was reading some reviews about the JBL amp some people said it wasn't a very effecient amp and lacked some features etc...
swez on 05/27/2004 08:40:05
Both PPI and the JBL P180.2 are 2 channel amps. This means they are Class A/B amps. What's that mean??? Class A/B is a full range, High fidelity amp design. They are good for subs and full range applications. The major drawback of any Class A/B amp... they are all low efficiency designs. (meaning, for every 100 watts they comsume, they produce ~60 watts of audio power)
Now, looking toward a different amp technology... Class D MONO is a sub only amplifier design. They employ switch mode power supplies and have the ability to run low ohmic loads. (typ. is 2 ohms, a few can do 1 ohm loads) This design is very efficient. For every 100 watts they consume, they return ~90 watts of audio power. This design is limited to subs as they do not produce mids and highs well above ~500 Hz. That's why they are sub only designs.
Class D amps are usually cheaper than their Class A/B bretheren due to less circuitry and used more for raw power and less frills. JBL takes that approach in all thier Power Series amps.
PPI or JBL??? Both are solid performers with well respected brand names. Power and features are pretty close to the same. The only major difference I noted was that the PPI was a tad less power and had a wider input voltage capacity.
PPI: 0.15 - 12.0 volts input range; 320 watts RMS bridged MONO
JBL: 0.25 - 4.0 volts RCA input range & speaker level inputs; 360 watts RMS in MONO.
As for subs, both are very good SQL subs and well know brands as well. If I recall right, the Eclipse is able to use a smaller enclosure design and offers good bass in small sealed enclosures. The Alpine SWR series is no slouch either. Really, the best thing to do, is listen to both and judge for yourself.
Swez
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