I'm ordering a subwoofer. Its a 12 inch sub rated at 300 watts rms. I have an amp laying around thats rated for 150 watts rms and 400 watts peak. I know that they usually say peak doesn't matter. But, will this amp be able to push this sub well at all?

 

They usually say under powering an amp is just as harmful as overpowering them. If say get an amp that has the same rms as the sub your getting. It's going to save you the trouble in the long run.

 

There's a lot of talk about overpowering and underpowering. Of course, overpowering is the obvious that you can destroy the sub (or speakers) as you can burn up the sub (heat up the voicecoil), *IF* you're driving that much power to the speaker/sub (running the amp at full power - volume maxed, etc)... Underpowering is a large subject which you'll see a lot of debate on. The fact is, as volume levels are rising and lowering, so is your power to the sub. Amps do not run on a continuous 45 watts similar to like running a lightbulb. Look at large amps (guys running like 1000 watts) with headlights for example, when you turn the volume right up, your headlights start to dim to high bass because the amp is driving more power to the sub at those moments and stealing more from your electrical system, not continuously. Just remember, underpowering you're more likely to experience distortion so the quality of your music will go down. I'm running an underpowered amp in my other vehicle, the only factor is if I turn it up too loud it begins to distort and sound bad so I adjust it accordingly. I didn't put that sub in the car to rattle the mirrors though, just for some extra bass (sometimes I get carried away).

This is an interesting writeup that may help:

http://www.monsterproducts.com/mpc/s...Some_Facts.pdf

 

Get the gub model and google specs. The manufacturer websites will usually list the range of RMS power you can safely run the amp on. 150 watts should be ok to drive that sub. I will say it wont be too loud.

Look on Craigslist or ebay though. A 300 watt rms amp (usually will be advertised 600 watts. The peak power) will be pretty cheap. Get the most out of your sub.

 

it will barely push it. You will not be satisfied.

I'd say buy an amp new, or one that was pawned, that puts out equal to or more than the RMS from your subs. It's safer to overpower the subs than underpower them.

 

Thanks for all the tips guys. Would an amp like this work?

http://www.ebay.com/itm/POWERBASS-ATM330-2-600-WATT-2-1-CHANNEL-CAR-AMPLFIER-SPEAKER-SUBWOOFER-SUB-AMP-/181314734907?pt=Car_Amplifiers&hash=item2a37334b3b
I'm not very familiar with ohms and bridging and all that fancy stuff. The sub is a single 4 ohm 12" subwoofer. 300 watts RMS.

 

Will this amp push enough?^^^

 

doing a google search for a review on that specific amp states that if you bridge the 2 channels(use the positive speaker terminal for the positive lead on the sub and use the negative speaker terminal on the opposite output channel on the amp for the negative lead on the sub) you will get 300 watts rms at 4ohms. In short YES it sounds like a good match.

 

I ended up scoring 2x10's from a friend. 300 watts RMS for each, so 600 total, in a custom box for an F150. WIth a 600 watt amp included! all for $200. should be a good starter set...

 

Run this amp.. http://www.sonicelectronix.com/item_...-EV2.1600.html
For the price it will guarantee great sound and plenty of power, plus room for expansion.. I'm driving a 10" JLw3v3 4 ohm sub with it now for 2 years and the amp stays cool and consistent.. Always spec your amp to be bigger then your needs if you only want to buy a cheap amp once....