JL Audio Stealthbox, 1000w?

I just ordered a JL audio stealthbox (for 05+ dc) to be installed by a local shop (sound sensations), and the guy said they were going to install it with a 1000w amp
I, having done extensive research on this and other sites, told him I'd rather they run no more than 600w amp to the box, seeing as both subs are 300w rms, and I could think of no instance in which anyone I had seen had run more than 600w to theirs.
The guy told me that at 600w the subs would be underpowered, and wouldn't perform at their best. I told him that though both subs are 600w max, I felt they were 300w rms for a reason, and I didn't want to damage them.
The guy reassured me that I wouldn't blow the speakers because it's still 200w below their advertised max. Went ahead and spent $80 on a 2 year warranty on the whole setup, so if they do blow I'm covered, but what do you guys think about what he said?

 

1. What amp will he actually be using?
2. Warranty is a waste of time. If it blows, I doubt they will honor it - seems like a shady place anyways...
3. See 1. My guess is it is a "1000w", not a 1000w @2 ohm RMS amplifier. It will probably be fine. And besides, you control the volume, and therefore the power to the subs. You can always turn it down/adjust the gain and be fine.

 

The dealership I work at (see my sig.) does a lot of business with this place, so I trust them to back up their stuff. I'm also not one of those guys who turns the bass up past the point of distortion, it's about sound, not power (though power is nice). I don't plan on "turning heads" with these, but how will I know if I'm pushing them too hard?

 

Smell or sound, or it just stops working.

If you trust the guys, dont worry too much. You can always use the gain knob to turn it down after they give the truck back to you.

 

The one setup I've seen online the guy was driving those subs with a alpine pdx 600.1 amp and said it was more than enough power. I can't say for sure, I never heard it, but that's the amp he was using.

Depending on what amp they are using could be the key to why they need a 1000watt amp.. Just cuz it says it does a 1000watts doesn't mean it actually pushes out a 1000watts of CLEAN RMS power.

 

Thanks, I'll ask the guy about it tomorrow.
On a different note, there's what can only be described as a field mouse parked next to me in a prius, it does not seem happy...

 

I would really like to know what amp they chose and why. Let me know what you think of this setup, I love JL's and been looking at this stealth box for awhile now.

 

Alpine MRX M100, I get the truck back Thursday, I'll post pics and such then.

 

You get it back Thursday??? It takes them 6 days to install subs and a amp??

 

No, I'm just out of town until then, I'm actually dropping it off Monday.

 

New question, I got the truck back and the gain on the amp was almost all the way down, so I turned it up maybe 1/3 to 1/2 the way. The way they installed it made it ultra difficult to turn up the gain, should I have done that/am I safe doing that?

 

Why did you turn the gain up? It isn't a volume knob.

 

Underpowering speakers does more damage than over-powering. I saw more people "blow" their subs because they ultimately over drove them when they cranked their insufficient amps. You'll be ok with yours!

 

Thanks for all the advice everyone. I've only got one problem, these subs are drowning out the rest of my stock speakers! Guess I'm gonna have to upgrade, but before I do does anyone know how the stock speakers stack up against aftermarket ones? At what point/price range will I be getting a significant increase in performance.

EDIT: Perhaps this would be a good point to start a new thread......

 

You will get a significant improvement with an amp and new speakers. Speakers alone will be an upgrade, but not a huge one.

Also, if the subs are drowning out the speakers, turn the gain back down.

 

I turned the gain back down right after I posted my question above. Now I'm wondering if there are any speakers out there that are about even with the stock speakers so I can compare. Been looking and I can hardly find any specs on the stock speakers at all.

 

Most if not all JL subs can handle at least half again, if not twice their rated power. In fact, (assuming they still have the chart) most of the subs can handle upwards of 200w more than rated and still be under warranty. My old W3's were rated for 250-300 but according to their power handling chart, they would warranty for upwards of 400 watts in an install.

As for your amp gain, you probably have high power outputs from your head unit. Your amp gain should be set based on this output.... the higher output from your head unit, the lower the input level. Vice versa for lower power head units. Your amp will peak much sooner if you're not set correctly.

 

The optimum power, or recommended power, is not the same as the thermal power handling. Even the little graphic on the page shows warranty void if over RMS power rating.

Also, of note - Almost all subs can handle well above the rated power in certain installs/conditions.

 

They must have changed their policy then when they started doing budget gear. I promise you, it wasn't always that way

 

They did change their rating system, I am aware of their practices over the past 10 years or so. I am just providing more current information.

They changed it because they were listing the thermal power handling, and people were using this instead of their RMS ratings, and blowing too many subs, causing lots of warranty issues.

Basically, and "idiot proofing" method to keep things in check.