Hi all!! I want to get a system done, this is what I have in mind:

Focal Utopis 165w
Tarantula 500/4 or Phoenix Gold Ti500/4
12" JL audio W6V2

Is this setup good? is not too much of a overkill is it?

 

Did he just ask if a 500w amp driving a sub and two Focals is overkill? In THIS forum?

No, certainly not overkill. I am wondering if 250w to that sub is going to be enough. Are you planning on a ported or sealed enclosure for the sub?

Also, any particular reason for going with the Utopias and not something else? Just wondering here, because the Utopias are certainly very nice.

 

If you step down a tier with the speakers you can save your amp choice, if you keep the speakers you selected you are going to need more wattage.

With the Utopias/ JL 12 you will be much happier with two amps. The sub is going to need more power to truly shine. Dedicated amps sound better in my opinion and you don't want your sound to suffer after such a huge investment in drivers.

But I love the amps you chose, and I think they are a good match for the S2000; so you might want to get a more efficient ten instead of that power hungry twelve. You can definitely get more bump for the buck with another sub. The JL Subs are great but are way expensive for what you are getting. Dave can turn you on to a bunch of Subs. I've got the Infinity Perfect DVC & love it.

The Utopias will work with the PG 500 Ti but are better suited in a Benz or Lexus where you're not going to get all the wind noise inherit in a convertible sportscar. They are super nice, but many of the subtle improvements will be wasted once the car begins to move. But they are super nice speakers, and are not a waste of money. I just wonder if they would sound better in your other car, my guess is that they would.

 

Get a sub that wants a 2ohm load....so you can have DOUBLE the power for it. The Tarantula is a great sub....and is 1ohm.

Which in turn, equals BOOM!

 

"No, certainly not overkill. I am wondering if 250w to that sub is going to be enough. Are you planning on a ported or sealed enclosure for the sub?"

I donno, the Tarantula amps stated "RMS Bridged @ 4 Ohms 500 x 2 " on their site. and the JL 12" W6V2 stated 400rms for it's optimun level of power. So I thought this amp would give this sub enough power.

"The Utopias will work with the PG 500 Ti but are better suited in a Benz or Lexus where you're not going to get all the wind noise inherit in a convertible sportscar"

Which Focal is better? The Focal 165w KP or the Focal 165w K2. I donno, they are in the similar price range, one handle more power and the other is a newer model and has a larger frequency range.

 

The Tarantula is 125x4 for a total of 500 watts. Yes, it's 500x2 bridged, but that would only allow you to run EITHER the sub OR the front components. Each component speaker in the front is a seperate channel. When you add the sub you are driving 3 channels. So, in essence, you'd be doing 125x2 (front components) and 250X1 to the sub, by combining the remaing two 125w channels. Pushing 250 watts combined to that sub may not be enough. You follow what I'm saying?

I also see that sub retails at $1299.00. For that kind of money, you could get 2 sweet amps that would run rings around the setup you described. Just looking at the MMATS line (which is what I am installing but not necessarily the best for your application) the SQ2150 is 150x2 into 4 ohms for $699, and the D1000.2 is 700x1 into 2 ohms for $489. Those two amps combined are smaller and more powerful than the TR 500/4. Other manufacturers can get you similar power for even less money, and with good sound.

 

its 125x4 at 4ohms. It is 1ohm stable, and will push 800+ for the right sub.

 

Ahhh.. ok. The guide I have lists it as 2 ohm stable. But I didn't check the manufacturer web page. Oh well. Still seems like a CHUNK of money!

 

I check some of the online sites for the price of the Amp and the Subwoofer they are both about $600 cdn.
Not bad, in my opinion.

NRF : I knew you were gonna suggest me the Tarantula sub for sure. But I dont' like subs that have big logo and stuffs.. I like subs that looks clean, like the Elemental Design, JL, Infinity..etc.

 

I dont mean the new sub....the old one looks literally like a black hole....there is nothing on it.

http://www.purecaraudio.com/index.asp?Page...ROD&ProdID=1513

I dont know about the new ones, but the old ones, such as the T2-10 were some of the best subs Ive ever heard.