I don't know what to look for in an amp. Im looking for about 1000+ watts but i dont know what im looking for. basically my question is.. how does this rms stuff work.. may sound noobish, sorry

but this amp says 400 watts rms on it and the description says 1200 watts?

 

1200watts is peak rating!
rms means the amp can supposably do 400rms all day. provided it has a clean signal!
rms is the true rating of the amp

 

What is the amp going to be used to run? Post way more info dude. Brands, model #'s, what else in the vehicle, what is the vehicle year make model?

 

subwoofer/s i have a 12" rockford punch and a 10" pioneer something?. there both already hooked up to a 600 watt ( rms i assume? ) amp cheap from walmart i was just looking either to run both off a 1000 watt amp, but i was also considering a second amp and a disto block. but either way i need help with the watt rating as said in the first post

EDIT: i plan on replacing the 10" with another 12 along the way to but no specifics yet.

 

You are putting the cart in front of the horse. What if you get your 1000 watt amp and the amp is too powerful for the sub(s) or it is the wrong match? You need to be 100% certain as to what the sub(s) will be, the voice coil arrangement of them and then you can shop for a amp.

 

When building a sound system..you need to build a system... not just a hodgepodge of numbers thrown together. It;s always best to spend some tme planning and getting out to a bunch of shop and LISTENING to what's out there. You cannot hear a spec sheet, and most opinions on the internet are derived by the theory "I have it, therefore it's good" instead of the proper "It is good, therefore I have it" .

Take some time and ask some shops. Don't be shy to go ask questions. Good shop Owners actually like clinets like you, who will ask and look at everything. It makes them feel all warm and fuzzy inside knowing that ypu, the customer will buy something and leave completely satisfied.

 

to mr3nr, i planed on getting a second RF punch/a new set because i am satisfied with the one i have,

sikk nation same as that.

so what your saying is that i should look into my new subs first ? And now that were on the topic of me still being new.. would one 10"/12" 1000 watt sub be better/worse than 2 at 500 watts each?

 

well mr installer (perhaps your threads title is a little misleading as you are not an installer yet eh) what the others are saying is "what do you want to do?" you have to ask yourself some vaguely hard questions to determine what it is that will make you happy?
The real question is where are you going... once you know that then the other things start to line up. As yet what you want to do is a mystery... at least to us.


To answer the "what to look for in an amp" question... first off the amp needs to fit in the space you have (this way it wont get in the way of the subs or groceries and will receive adequate cooling) and the location needs to be safe, dry and provide adequate cooling for the amp, it will need power (so your alternator and battery need to be fully functional and ready to accept a new load), you will need adequate power wiring (sized to meet the maximum draw of your new system on the positive and negative side of the amp), you should upgrade the big 3. Once all this is done then you can start talking about the amp. Lets assume 1000 watts RMS as this is a fairly common size (and should be enough to over power whatever subs you currently own (you still HAVE NOT answered that question BTW). The amp you choose must be able to drive the impedance of the speakers you are going to use (series or parallel loading changes system impedance and dual voice coils make it more challenging as well), and the amps wattage rating (you requested 1000 watts) needs to be able to make the subs loud enough for your purposes (on the other side of the coin the subs need to be able to take the power you give and not burn up) so system matching comes into play as well.

your mystery amp from walmart (that you assume to be 600 watts (and I assume to be 300 watts RMS) isn't loud enough correct?

one or two subs... well there are a couple things here... if you already have a good sub that can take enough power than one sub can be enough but generally two subs are louder than one (and cost twice as much and take up twice as much room). I have a concern that a 1000 watt amp could fry your RF sub (s).

the goal, from what I can tell, is to have a bangin loud system that is not going to have mechanical or electrical issues as you use/ abuse it. the remaining question for you is how much do you want to spend and how loud is loud enough. Personally I like simple whenever possible, as I am a simple guy, with simple fewer things go wrong and faults are easier to diagnose.

 

welll no i am not an installer.. i just ment that this is second ( as i did the original ) install space is no worry as it is in the back of an SUV with the back empty other than the subs. I said i had a rockford punch ( unsure of exact model number ) and some pioneer that i bought with the amp off a friend. the pioneer is a 500 watt sub. i plan on upgrading for christmas but i wasn't sure of what do do first so i assumed amp. witch led to my question

 

I need to know the exact model # of the sub that you have (yes that means take it out of the box) and then you need to know if you can still get another of the exact same sub. Then and only then will I be able to start to narrow down some choices on amplifiers for you. If you do not, then you run the risk of buying the wrong amp for the system.