i feel like i got ripped off but i paid 350 bux for a precision power dcx500.1 amp. its a damn good amp but wouldn't push a single kicker l5 solo baric 12. i now got two 12s punch p2s hits good but damn for 350 why i only got 500 watt of power is beyond me i never been screwed this bad.


i paid 750 for a cheap pioneer deck installed over the bose radio,and amp installed. wow i just wanna see what you guys think about this.


did i pay for the name brand? or why is this amp so damn expensive? he said he would upgrade me for 160 bux to the dcx1000.1 amp.

 

anyone info?

 

That amp will run an L5 12. Did you have the shop install the sub or did you install the sub up to the amp yourself? Either way probably the sub was wired out of phase so it sounded like it had no output at all off that amp.

PP makes nice products. I am more of a fan of their older lines but like I said it's still good product.

 

A single sub simply cannot be 'out of phase' as you stated. Only thing would be the coils being out of phase and at that point I think he would notice alot more than just " not pushing it".

 

I saw the specs for both your amp and the sub. Sub requires 750 rms amp and your amp at 2 ohms is only putting out 350 watts. What's wrong with this picture? You are under powering your sub. PPI makes good products and I agree with Ami Creations, that their old school products are much better as they were way underated! Try a different amp with more power! I hope you sealed up all the holes in your trunk as it will rattle every time bass hits.

 

Please explain your terminology here of 'requires' and 'underpowering'. Are you honestly telling me you think he is going to damage his sub due to 'under powering' from what is 'required' ?

 

No he isn't damaging his sub but becuz he is only pushing half of required power he isn't getting the full use out of his sub!

Rule of thumb for adding an amp and a sub always been that the amp has more power than the sub requirement. One could always turn the gain down. If you are using under power amp you could turn the gain all the way up and still won't get the full use out of it!!!

 

Hey pearl did you get that? Hope you made a note of that. Lol

 

Geez. A gain is not a volume control, guys.
It's only to level match to your source unit. That's it.

Underpowering a sub is fine, as long as that is kept in mind.

Turning the gain too high will add distortion. Which will hurt your sub. Or any other speaker. Regardless of how much power it puts out. Underpower, overpower, whatever.

Yes, in theory, using an amp rated higher than the sub works. The reason being that you won't be tempted to turn the gain up past the point of being level-matched.

If the amp and source unit are properly level matched, and it's still not loud enough for you, buy a bigger amp.

Yes, what is said previously is exactly true, I just wanted to point out the proper use of an amp gain.

I've seen way too many people damage their equipment using a gain as a volume control.

Please don't make that mistake. Turning the gain up past that point may add more volume, but the distortion is a killer, and may even damage the amp, as you're asking it to do more than it was designed for. Taxing the power supply, and possibly over-driving the input stage until poof! no more audio for you.

As far as the original question, more info is needed.
Type of box, is it airtight, what final ohm load, are there any crossovers on either via the deck, amp, or external crossover, and if so, what frequency and slope, where does the amp get it's signal (I assume RCA, but you never know), are the power/ground wires adequate for what the amp requires.

Just a few things to think about.

 

Well written!

 

not sure i think that l5 was no good burnt coils or something. i got two 12s sony xlpod in a bandpass box with same amp and it hits them really hard. the guy said my amp is more like 650 watts to each chanel and he said it was underrated so i love this amp.

 

There you go! Glad to know that you are loving your PPI amp!

 

youre telling me that a 500.1 is putting out 650 to each channel? This dude is going to scam you for everything you have.
First its a 1 channel amp
Second, here are the power specs
* 4 ohm: 200x1
* 2 ohm: 300x1
* Mono Operation: 500Wx1 @ 1 ohm

and an L5 12 specs
# 12" subwoofer with dual 2-ohm voice coils
# power range: 50-600 watts RMS (300 watts per voice coil)
# peak power: 1,200 watts

now I am not an audio master by any means but, if your amp is only putting out 300 watts to 1 channel at 2 ohms then it would drastically be underpowering that sub.

@pearlmax--my use of underpowering means: not enough power

 

If i understand correctly he gave you two sony explodes in a bandpass box. Essentially offering you two lower wattage (More efficient subs) in an enclosure that is more efficient in the range of what your listening to. You just gained more cone area on cheaper speakers.
Either way it goes, you still have a starter amp that when You attempt to use it in a different setup you'll be disappointed. For me i always go big on the amp and radio. speakers you can tailor to sound how you want to a point lol.

 

And your point is?

 

I am thinking he meant in to a single channel since 500.1 indicates a mono amp?!?! If I am not mistaken majority of the amps out there are underated to certain degree.....