Audio Systems: car audio upgrade

Question
hello sir. i am installing a sony xplod xm-502z 500 watt amp in my car and i have a rockford fosgate punch 2 200 watt 4ohm sub that i am wanting to use with it. i have tried to find out how it is set up to see if i should bridge or not but havent found anything reliable yet on the net. any help would be much appreciated. thank you for your time.

Answer
Hello, Patrick.

The amp is more like:
50   watts x2 at 4 Ohms
60   watts x2 at 2 Ohms
120 watts x1 at 4 Ohms
...so you may want to consider a better amp.
If that is all you have then you can bridge the amp by using the BTL + and BTL - outputs located on the regular speaker outputs (it should be labeled).
Source:
https://www.manualowl.com/m/Sony/XM-502Z/Manual/60376
The Sony amps really are sub-standard turds.  I am just being as direct as possible. Just do not expect it to stand up and salute.

Here is some generic data on the Punch 2, 12" speaker ( you did not specify which one you have by model number)
http://www.crutchfield.com/S-x7tZZirKDmN/p_575P212S4/Rockford-Fosgate-P212S4.htm
You'll note the efficiency is not that great  (86Db @ 1 watt) so more power is better.
In a proper enclosure, 120 watts will only give you about 107 Db with one speaker. If you are using 2 speakers you might eeek out 113 Db.   These are generic figures since in the vehicle it will be a bit better depending on the particular vehicle resonances.

I hope this data can help you out.
Good luck and thanks for choosing AllExperts

Regards,
Jerry Mael