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Watt Kind of Amp?
On this website, I will focus on getting you the right kind of amp for your setup. Everyone's is different, but I have been in the game for at least 5 years now and have messed with enough sound systems to know how to configure them and optimize them. With this blog, I hope to help some of you learn which kinds of car amps are the best, what you might need for your specific subwoofer, and how much power it's going to cost you. Plus, most of these have a budget mindset in focus, since no one wants to spend hundreds on amps when clearly more affordable, yet quality, amps are up for sale. Also note that because these are mostly affordable, their wattage will be modest at best. If you are looking for more power, though, I recommend checking out this post for the best 1500 watt amp.
Here we go.
Here we go.
Alpine MRV-M500
I personally love this amp because it comes with two snap-on covers and is easily one of the quickest and most simple installation I have come across in all my years of configuring sound systems. I have also noticed, even after several hours of continuous playback (I test them in the house prior to installing it on the car so as not to drain my car's battery), that it hardly overheats. For something this small, relatively, the MRV-M500 is a very durable and heat-resistant amplifier.
The circuitry is well-designed as well. I have had the Alpine MRV-M500 amp for around a year and a half. While I do not use it everyday, I have put a bunch of miles on it in testing and basic use, and the circuit has yet to fail on me. This is due to outstanding electrical engineering on Alpine's part and my shameless ability to optimize audio setups.
The circuitry is well-designed as well. I have had the Alpine MRV-M500 amp for around a year and a half. While I do not use it everyday, I have put a bunch of miles on it in testing and basic use, and the circuit has yet to fail on me. This is due to outstanding electrical engineering on Alpine's part and my shameless ability to optimize audio setups.
Rockford Fosgate R250X1
The Rockford brand name is an important one in the audio industry. Their products are highly recommendable by almost everyone in the industry, mainly professionals. Thus, prices are typically the highest in the market. Thankfully, they came out with a budget-oriented amp that delivers quality the Rockford brand is proud of.
The Fosgate R250X1 isn't strong enough to power 15" subwoofers, since it is on the cheaper end of things. But it does provide immense value for what it does do, and that is power basically any other lower-current subwoofers and speaker sets with optimal efficiency and sound. It is also highly compatible with most factory units, which I found extremely helpful in some of my audio system builds. It surprisingly does well with aftermarket units as well, becoming almost plug and play.
The control panel is located at the top of the box, so to make it easier to optimize it on the fly without having to remove the amp. This can cause problems, however, if you accidentally press a button on the amp. Fortunately, that is again very easy to fix. The remote control knob is a very nice addition to the amp. However, you should again watch out for accidental changes with the knob since the control panel is top-mounted and very easily accessible, whether by intention or accident.
If you were to come out with anything from this review, just know that I wholeheartedly recommend the Rockford Fosgate series as probably the most affordable and best value amp you could buy in this year's market.
The Fosgate R250X1 isn't strong enough to power 15" subwoofers, since it is on the cheaper end of things. But it does provide immense value for what it does do, and that is power basically any other lower-current subwoofers and speaker sets with optimal efficiency and sound. It is also highly compatible with most factory units, which I found extremely helpful in some of my audio system builds. It surprisingly does well with aftermarket units as well, becoming almost plug and play.
The control panel is located at the top of the box, so to make it easier to optimize it on the fly without having to remove the amp. This can cause problems, however, if you accidentally press a button on the amp. Fortunately, that is again very easy to fix. The remote control knob is a very nice addition to the amp. However, you should again watch out for accidental changes with the knob since the control panel is top-mounted and very easily accessible, whether by intention or accident.
If you were to come out with anything from this review, just know that I wholeheartedly recommend the Rockford Fosgate series as probably the most affordable and best value amp you could buy in this year's market.
Hifonics Brutus
Hifonics isn't necessarily a name-brand. In fact, I honestly did not know about it until I purchased the Brutus amp. With everything in the market, I would definitely say that brand power is important, since you never really know which company you can trust to power your audio. Rockford is a reputable company whose products I have used several times over the years. However, Hifonics is just one I have never heard of and only purchased because of the good volume of positive amp reviews there were online.
With all things said, the Hifonics Brutus is a solid and affordable amp. It is surprisingly efficient considering its price. Typically, with low-end sound amps like this one, you would expect more power to run and with less efficiency. The Brutus took care of that issue. Another concern I had for the budget amp was that it might heat up too quickly. Again, this comes with most cheap amplifiers. However, I was happy to find a heatsink near the bottom of the amp that drove any heat away from the core of the product. It wasn't always efficient, as I noticed the box warm up after an hour or two of playback, but the Hifonics Brutus still is a solid amp that is dirt cheap.
With all things said, the Hifonics Brutus is a solid and affordable amp. It is surprisingly efficient considering its price. Typically, with low-end sound amps like this one, you would expect more power to run and with less efficiency. The Brutus took care of that issue. Another concern I had for the budget amp was that it might heat up too quickly. Again, this comes with most cheap amplifiers. However, I was happy to find a heatsink near the bottom of the amp that drove any heat away from the core of the product. It wasn't always efficient, as I noticed the box warm up after an hour or two of playback, but the Hifonics Brutus still is a solid amp that is dirt cheap.