hi there. has anybody had any experiece with these subs? i hear they are great for SQ but dont actually go that hard. wat are pplz opinions on these? basically im looking for an SQL but not sure about the IDMAX or Brahma becoz im not sure if my electrical system will be able to handle the power ill need to run them optimally. any info would be great
cheers

just because a sub has a rating, say of 1000rms for IDMAX, doesn't mean you need 1000rms for it to sound good. 1000rms is the maximum recommend continuous power handling. it is definately not a guide or rule to what is required.

at the moment i've got my MAX running with only 200rms while i'm waiting for my new amp to arrive. it's about the same level of loudness as my previous sub. but it just sounds a whole lot more tight and clean.

anyway my point is don't dismiss awesome subs such as the IDMAX and brahma just because you won't be able to give them their full rated power. they will still sound awesome, just not as loud.

anyway how do you know your electricals won't be able to handle a big amp anyway? might be as simple as upgrading your wires.

I couldn't have put it better myself. As Eric Stevens of Image Dynamics himself said on this very forum, you don't need a 1000watt amp to make a 1000watt power handling subwoofer work properly. You only need a 1000watt amp if you want it to go earth shatteringly loud. Also, don't forget that a 500watt amp will only be 3db less loud, and when we are talking about 135-140bd anyway, whats 3db? (unless you are building an SPL car)

although a sub like Idmax will run fine off 200 watts, these subs will greatly benefit from extra power. For an idmax, I'd say have a good 500-800 solid watts. The brahma will need a lil more than the idmax or focal because its very inefficient.

Focal utopias are great subs, but you should run them ported to get a fuller low end.