[strathmustang]

hey guys.... so what size amp do i need to run 1 alpine type-e sub. its a 12" sub. i have an 800 watt amp. it can be bridged for1 channel 400 watts at 4 ohms. is that to much....is that too much???

[gunz4me]

The 12" Type E subwoofer appears to have a 200 watt RMS power handling with a 600 watt peak. IF, and I mean IF you know what you are doing, you could use a 400 watt RMS amplifier to power that subwoofer. You would have to keep your gains all the way down, but it could be done!

I would recommend setting your gains with a Digital Multimeter to get your desired power @ 4 ohms. Using a 50 to 60 Hz -6 or 0dB test tone with yous subwoofer disconnected:
1. set your DMM to test for AC voltage
2. insert the proper leads into the positive/negative of your amplifier outputs
3. Turn your head unit up to about 75% volume (or less if it clips earlier)
4. Set the gain on your amplifier to where it reads at 28 volts (which would equal to 196 watts RMS @ 4 ohms.

Granted, your amplifier must be capable of producing unclipped power output at that particular voltage level.

If you are lost as can be, I will try to find a decent gain setting tutorial for you using Ohm's law as the formula.

[gunz4me]

Doh, I forgot something:

This gain setting is generally performed with your subwoofer disconnected from the power amplifier because a 50 to 60 Hz Sine wave would make short work of your subwoofer. Also, you can download test tones from here: Michael Knowles: Extras

I generally will use Audacity or another audio editor to make my test tones about 20 minutes long and normalize them to the decibel level I am trying to achieve. You can use this program to accomplish that: Audacity: Free Audio Editor and Recorder