Is kole audio pretty good brand?

 

Kole audio is mid level. It's not horrible, and its not great. It's a decent starter amp, and considering you may not need all the thump thump in the truck, it should be just enough to push the subs at a decent sound. Honestly, if you arent into audio, you dont need to have a system that will wake the dead. You sound like you just want a lil something to bump to and I think it would do you extremely well.

Someone you might want to ask for their opinions are Thump186 and Alpine25, as they both are pretty knowledgable of car audio. You could also ask Grinner as well.

 

Beware of the "900watts" of raw power advertisements. That is refered to as Peak Power. It is when the amp delivers a big thump. When comparing amps and subs go with RMS or Continous(sp) rating. This is the more realistic rating. Buying packages is a good way to go. If the company is any good they will take out the guess work. Try looking around locally at shops. On my first incarnation of the sub system, I got 2 10" Alpine subs and a 350wRMS @ 2ohms mono amp for $350. Saved about $200 over list price individually. We all know that list price is neogatable(sp). Also when comparing amps make sure that the RMS rating between the two is at the same voltage 12.2 vs 14.4. 13.7vdc is the highest I have seen my electrical system at, thats what it is regulated at. And final comparison the ohmage (2 vs 4 ohms) that the rating is at.

The Kicker package:
4 ohm 450wRMS spaakers with a 370wRMS amp at 4 ohms is a better matched system than:

Kenwood package
4 ohm 800w PEAK(usually 400wRMS) speaker with a 200w RMS amp.

The matching of amps and speakers have many trains of thought. Here is mine, right or wrong.
Take the RMS value of the speaker(s) and add 10%. Here is why.

When an amp is pushed to the upper limits it starts to clip (distort). This is very bad! If you take an amp and never push it over 3/4 drive you will have a nice clean signal all the way up to 3/4 volume. This is why a friend of mine who bought 500wRMS speakers and powered them with a 100WRMS amp blew them up. His thought was that the amp was way under power so he was safe. But he was turning it up to max when listening, and the amps were clipping like crazy. It not rocket science, but it is not as simple as buying and pluggin it in.

 

Excellent points 356MAGNUM!!! I posted the system combos just as an example of what he could do, not as something he should get. I really believe you hit it dead on the money though. Glad to see others pumping in great knowledge and know how.

RMS power is the real power rating on an amp. They say "peak power" numbers that are usually overblown. RMS however is the sustainable maximum power per channel.

Basically your RMS rating is how many watts can be pumped into a speaker per channel.

I also would go with the Kicker system myself, as I know Kicker subs are better then average quality and they are well made. I also know that the amp on that system is better rated then the one on the Kenwood system. Either system setup would be a decent purchase.

You would be able to put the Kickers in a smaller area and lose less space with them.

 

If I were you.....

1 type r 10 or 12"

A memphis 500.d or alpine mrd 600

Buy a box locally or build it yourself

Install it yourself as well, save a lot of money there.

 

I figured as much, I was just trying to show Nate the logic using the examples already here. I for one am not a fan of online ordering for electronic equipment, I like to be "hands on" with the store so if something does happen, I can take care of it on the spot. Like I had a bad 10" and i went to the store, told them, and they handed me a new one right there on the spot. These guys give a "no question" 1 year warranty. I took out the trusty cordless drill and swapped them. Cant do that online. Plus I get a pretty good discount the more stuff I buy there. Like the $80 knocked off the Treo replacement. I wish I could have heard the Type R but the mounting depth was too deep. The more and more I have the TREO I cant say enough, this thing totally rocks, thumps and takes a beating.

 

Anybody know where I could go to get new subs at a really low price? ( a store, not online) I Live about 30 min outside detroit.

 

You might be surprised at a local stereo store. They have more room to haggle with.

 

You can almost always talk local shops down.

 

I think I might try Gibralter Trade center, my friends say they have some cheap prices. If its a miss there then I will Try some local shops. My last resort is the internet.