I'm in the market to purchase an amp and looking for Brand/Model suggestions. I've recently purchased Polk db speakers, 6501's in the front and 651S in the rear. The amp will be installed under the passenger seat, so there are some size considerations (16.5" x 10.5" x 2"). So far I've been looking at Kicker, JB Audio, Rockford Fosgate, MTX & Blaupunkt. Any other brands to check out? Should I stay away from any of these?

 

alpine makes nice amps and the pdx is small

you will love those polks

 

I have not like MTX and Blaupunkt in the past but don't know much about them anymore...I vote for your first three and the Alpine

Also, I do not mean to plug anyone or put doubt onto anyone's advise, but PGT always has been a help to me and many others...maybe give him a PM and describe your system goals

 

Ditto on the ALpine. That's what I've used over the years, and they have more than proven themselves.

 

i have a Kicker KX300.2 for sale.

what kind of power are you looking for?

this is the one i have.

http://www.sell.com/29RC6


$115 + shipping ?

 

I should have put Alpine on the list, since it's where I started. I love the everything about the pdx....except the price. $400 is way out of reach at this point. I'll look at them again and see what I can find.

Chris: I've been trying to hook up with PGT for a couple weeks. Hasnt' happened yet, but you never know. In fact there are several audiophiles who hang out in these parts and have helped me in the past on other issues. I was hoping one or more of them would lend some advise.....hint, hint.

Pimped: I didn't mention in my original post but I'm looking for a 4 channel amp. Thanks anyway.

Since posting this I found this. Seems pretty cheap, though I know nothing about the amp. The refurbished part doesn't scare me as I've had good luck with refurbished stuff in the past. One thing is it doesn't come with any hardware or wiring. Not sure how big a deal that is. I was going to order the pair of Metra Harnesses PGT shows in the second post. So, I think the only thing I'll have to buy is the power connectors and fashion some type of mounting bracket.

Some guys on another site recommended Autotek. I hadn't heard of them before....any one with any opinions?

 

that kicker amp you linked to will be a nice choice


i say go for it.

 

the non pdx alpine amps are also very very nice and more affordable

 

Finally made the plunge with the Kicker as linked above. So while it's being shipped I can fret about hooking it up. In th meantime, in an effort to make things easier I purchased some Metra wiring harnesses (71-9003 & 70-9003). Problem is that I didn't receive any wiring diagrams for them. Anyone know of an online resource that would show this information? Or have one that can be emailed?

 

Check out this site, they may have something here:

http://www.the12volt.com/installbay/vehicles.asp

or here:

http://www.installer.com/victory/

 

check out the JL audio HD amps the footprint is small (nearly the same size as the PDX amps) and they sound phenomenal.

 

Kicker is a good choice.

I purchased the Kicker 550.3 amp for my other MINI when I did the whole sound system upgrade. Pictures to be posted soon.

 

Hey I've been trying to figure out, but I haven't been able to locate the stock h/k amp on my '05 cabrio. The doors say h/k, which leads me to believe it's got the amp somewhere, but nothing in the passenger side pocket in the back, nor under the passenger seat.

Any help is appreciated.

 

If you have an H/K upgrade in the cabrio the amp is under the passenger seat. If so, the amp is protected by a plastic "clamshell" type cover. If you don't have the amp there then all you'll see is carpet, and you don't have the H/K upgrade. You can also tell by the choices you have on the head unit. H/K upgrade has equalizer choices which are not available on the stock head unit.

 

Sure enough, under the back of the passenger seat was the plastic cover over the amp. Took up the seat, removed the billion screws (why does Mini insist on using both Torx and philips screws at random?) and voila! there was my amp. Thanks for the info, I had even taken off the panel in rear looking for the amp in the "boot", which as I'm sure you know didn't exist.

 

sorry I missed you that day....work's been crazy lately.

I looked at a few amps and having owned and sold JL, they were on my list, but the multi-channel amps wouldn't fit. I got a Fosgate Power Series....T600-4. Fits perfect in the well and 137x4 = plenty of power.

The new JL HD series is intriguing. I need something for my Jeep and have room under the back seat where the jack stores.

For great budget amps, check out www.edesignaudio.com - they have the four channel and small two channel on sale at the moment, and the five channel on clearance.

 

I am a 2 time 2nd place winner in bass competitions in the NE USA and here is what I can tell you. I have a younger sister in high school and her boyfriends friends all have alpine, kicker, rockford, etc and they all have 2 12's. If you want great sound, buy JL Audio w3, w6 or w7 woofers. and a500/1 or 250/1 amplifier. Here is why, the speakers are top notch and they are of the highest sound quality ( I did not say the loudest.....loudest speakers sound like SCHAT!) I just installed Sunday a JL audio w6 v2 10" woofer on a 250/1 amplifier in an s-10 of all cars and it is louder and better sounding than any of his friends systems bar none! Also, the JL audio Slash series amplifiers have a OHM impedance of 1.5-4 ohm and they will give the same wattage no matter what the speaker resistance. This will allow for easier speaker changes in the future such as going from 1 to 2 subs, 2-4, etc. If you do not want to spend theemoney on JL (didn't say it is cheap) buy Memphis. Great sound and great amps for the buy! if you want it to be really loud, buy one of JL's H.O. Boxes with a W7 woofer and a 1000/1 amp. It will blow your moonroof out..................and your ear drums too!

 

two cars enterered right??

I had a single 10W6v2 on a 500/1 in my Subaru and it was MORE than enough for this admitted basshead. The 500/1 is underrated...I know Manville Smith VP at JL from my time in the biz. He told me it's really doing about 650w....that's a ton of power for most any sub.

I've a pair of Elemental Designs SQ10's I'm going to try in the MINI. I also got a pair of their 13kv.2's for the Jeep. Those will handle a combined 1200w.....serious subs, similar to a JL W6 in performance (a bit less SPL, but supposedly more musically oriented). ED has their 13ov.2 4ohm on clearance for $50/ea right now....one of those plus their Nine.2 amp for $175 and you've got a budget sub/amp combo for the MINI that will more than hold it's own.