Car Stereos: amps, watts rms, ohm loads

Question
Hello, i have a set of Profile BX12 Baja series subwoofers. What kind of amplifier should i get to power these. I know their not the greatest subs but they were given to me, and hooked up by a freind. I had them hooked up to a 720 watt Jensen(JXP720). I believe they were bridged. The whole thing was hooked up in a Cougar and sounded fairly good but tended to overheat. I dont have the jensen anymore and i have another car, 2003 Neon. I guess im wondering what the best setup would be or if i should just get newer equipment. I appreciate any time you spend on my query. thanks

Answer
Hi Austin,

I'm assuming you have two subs.  Each sub is rated at 4 ohms, so if you combine the wires in parallel, you'll end up with a 2-ohm load at the amplifier.  That's why your Jensen amp tended to overheat--most 2-channel amps shouldn't be used with a load impedance below 4 ohms in bridged mode.

The best amp for these subs would be a mono design, because mono amps are usually designed for 2-ohm loads.  According to the owner's manual, the BX12 can handle 250 watts of power, so I'd suggest a mono amp rated between 300 and 500 watts RMS at 2 ohms.  (Any mono amp should have a 4-ohm power rating and a 2-ohm rating, so be sure you're looking at the 2-ohm rating, and be sure you're looking at RMS, not "max" or "peak" power).  There are many, many good amplifiers that fit this description.  One very popular amp that should be a good match would be Alpine's MRP-M500, but there are plenty of others that would do just as well.

Hope this helps!

Brian