Auido help please

[ZoomVT]

Alright, i have read a ton of the posts in this thread and i know there are some serious audiophiles and knowledgeable people here. yes im looknig at you Tsunami and Chuyler1 (and some others i cant recall the names).
First off: Currently i have a setup given to me by a freind. It sucks.
Xplod 550w amp and xplod 12" sub enclosed in a Q logic box.
Now i want to start upgrading the sub with an intention of upgrading speakers and tweeters next spring or fall. I checked my local car audio specialist and they quoted me: Alpine type R 10", Alpine LV? (top of the line, cant remember exactly), and a custom MDF box. Installed and including the amp rack for about 850. It doesnt sound too bad but not exactly great.
A freind of mine in cali also offered to sell me 4 Alumapro 12" MX subs for 500 or he would sell me 2 for 300. I wouldnt mine taking them all and then selling 2 of them, according to the site they retail for like almost 300. (www.alumapro.com). I would like to hear some opinions on this brand.
How much power would i need to power 1, or 2 of this subs? I would like a good amp, not necessarily top of the line but good. I dont want to spend a fortune but i could go for about 800.
Also, does anyone know where i can get a custom box? im useless withstuff like that so i wont even try it. the shop around here (only one in the whole area) would do it for 250 bucks (its a standard rate for 1 day of work regardless of what it is) and it includes the amp rack and installation.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

PS. I am not sure it makes a difference but it may. I will be going with a carputer by next spring.

 

[BrianG]

Yeah, I wouldn't go with Sony XPlod. They aren't total crap, but they aren't that great either.

I currently have an Alpine Type R 12" sub and I really like it and it was really cheap on Ebay. It's in a 1.5ft^3 ported box with a 14" long by 4" diameter port. It goes quite deep for a ported box. It's only a 300w sub running on a 600w amp with no problems. I'd imagine the 10" sub would sound somewhat the same.

Those alumapros should work well. The shop I worked at had some 12's (about 4-5 years ago) and I like them. They went pretty deep, but weren't very "snappy". That's how they were like back then, so I don't know how they are now. I'd just buy 2 for $300 though so you don't have to deal with the pain of selling the extras, unless you know someone who does want them for sure. Are these subs used or brand new? If new, it's a good deal. If used, it's a so-so deal.

Like any setup, the amp you get should be selected to run the impedance of whatever sub(s) you get. Then select an amplifier power rating higher than the total rating of the subs. This will ensure a clean signal to the subs and will provide a little headroom should you want more power. You can always turn down the gain if you don't need the power, but you can only turn up the gain so much.

 

[tsunami]

those alumapro got a good review for there price range, and if the 500 for 4 12's is shipped it doesn't sound like a bad deal at all. just make sure you know what the impedence is on these before you buy so you can shop for amplifiers before hand and have stuff ready to install. i would buy the components yourself and install it yourself to save money. since you already have the car wired for the sony stuff (what gauge did you use 8 or 4?) and you already have a loc, or direct line inputs ran it shouldn't be to hard at all. as for making a box it is relativly easy... you just need some MDF (medium density fiberboard) NOT plywood and some glue and some sheet rock screws, then some covering of you choice, carpet, fleece, vinyl, suede....or you could builc a custom enclosure with wood and FG and kind of round things over. 250 for a custom box sounds pretty steep to me... if you want a great amp that will power everything check out jl's 500/5 though i would only recomend 1 sub for that amp not 2.

 

[tsunami]

if you want to run 2 subs and then later do door speakers i would recomend a more powerful class d amp and a small 2 channel amp for your doors. i don't know of a four channel that could give you the power you are looking for with the subs...

 

[tsunami]

here are some amp choices that i found real quick on crutchfeild and they will give you enough to power 2 subs.

 

[ZoomVT]

hey guys i really appreciate the comments. i think im gonna get the alumapros. I heard they are not very punchy but thats ok since i am more interested in having a nice crisp sound. I will take a look at the subs you guys mentioned.
Tsunami you are right, half the installation is done you are right but i am useless at working with wood/mdf/fiberglass so i dont even want to try it. I may just ask someone to do it on the side.
Chuyler also gave me a link to a guy on ebay that makes fiberglass enclosures that are not totally custom but maybe it would fit ok and i can clean it up well.
oh, I think i used 8 gauge i dont really recall, i just kinda picked one up on bestbuy.