What amp for a pair of bullet 770's?

I bought a pair of bullet 770 tower speakers a while back, now I'm trying to get some opinions on a good amp for my speakers. I'd like to find something for under $400.
Thanks-
Brandon

I have two JL Audio G1300 for 4 Bullet Hollow Point 770's. Plenty o'power and a solid amp for around $250 each to two for $400 through Earmark Marine. I went there in person to get my equipment. Search Youtube for "Bullet Hollow Point Speakers" and you'll find Earmark's video of the 770's on the G1300 amps.

Brandon, you can't go wrong with the setup that AJ West mentioned. The amps are compact, have plenty of power and are very efficient.

Swing by Earmark, I think they have this exact setup so that you can listen first hand. $400 for a pair of JL anything is steal!!

Not to mention, you are in DFW and you have the opportunity to support one of our top local dealers as well as receive a life time of great customer service in case you ever need it.

I don't work or have an affiliation with Earmark, but I strongly beleive they are one of the top marine stereo shops in the country.

David, will also have some great options that you can run at 2 0hms should you want to upgrade to a second pair. This would allow you to get another pair and not have to add an amp and all the wiring that would go along with it.

Brandon,

If you're going to stay with a single pair of HP 770s then I would recommend bridging a four channel JL Audio G4500 into two channels. This will have the 770s delivering their full potential and is very affordable.

The twin JL Audio G1300 monoblocks would be the route to go if there is a possiblity of adding a second pair of 770s in the future.

David
Earmark Marine

Just curious, not doubting David's recommendation at all but for my own understanding.....

Looking at the specs wouldn't the G4500 give him 180 watts per speaker with one pair and the dual G1300 only give him 120 watts with one pair and 110 with 2 pair? (This is at 12.5 Volts)

G4500
Rated Power 12.5 V Bridged:
180 W RMS x 2 @ 4 ohm

G1300 (each)
Rated Power 12.5 V:
120 W RMS x 1 @ 4 ohm -1 pair of speakers
220 W RMS x 1 @ 2 ohm - 2 pair of speakers

What a good subject! This is a good opportunity to share a little product knowledge.

If most consumers only knew the fallacy in amplifier specs especially among the cheap brands.

Most amplifiers will only give you their CEA-2006 rating which is at 14.4 volts and don't reveal their 12 volt power.

Many don't provide any qualifications at all. They might only put out their rated power at 1 KHZ at 16 volts for three minutes. They may not meet their specs or even come close. The point is you really don't know. It's not like we've got the food and drug administration governing the car stereo amplifier specs on China imports. Most 12 volt publications are gone now so we seldomly see independent test reports that would keep the more deceptive manufacturers honest. Off-brands were rarely reviewed anyway.

There are numerous import brands that represent their amplifiers as Class AB but when you take a peek inside there are no biasing pots or evidence of an AB output section. So you might get a little more power from a small power supply but in reality its just a dirty Class B amplifier.

At the other extreme, amplifiers with strictly regulated power supplies (JL Audio Slash or HD for example) will not vary in power output as the supply voltage decreases but will cost a premium for similar power.

So the better amplifiers from the better companies generally exceed their specs by a comfortable margin across a wide bandwidth and for a prolonged duration without thermal shutdown.

All we can do is recommend what we feel is the best value based on our first hand experiences and comparisons. Few of us take power specs for face value until their products are proven and we've grown to trust their performance.

I strongly recommend the two JL Audio amplifiers. Here's a quote by Robert Zeff:

"This amplifier has what perfect reproduction of audio requires: Good slew rate, low distortion, high damping, and high output current delivery." "In pure audiophile terms, I doubt you could do better than the 300/2." The Slash 300/2 has the same basic Class AB output topology as the G series. However, the G series has an unregulated power supply but comes in at a fraction of the cost.

Both 'Car Sound & Performance' and 'Performance Auto & Sound' stated that these amplifiers greatly exceeded their ratings, even at 12.5 volts.

The G4500 delivers an honest if not underated 500 watts (250 watts per each of two speakers) and twin G1300s deliver a very conservative 150 watts per each of four speakers based on the same rating methods that other reputable amplifier manufacturers use such as Alpine PDX, WetSounds and Arc Audio KS series to name a few.

I particularly like the fact that the twin G1300s feature two separate power supplies. You can hammer two pair of 770s and the G1300s stay on cruise. They love two ohm loads.

Keep in mind that all unregulated amplifiers deliver lower power at lower voltages whether or not they share the facts.

David
Earmark Marine

Thanks everybody for the recommendations. I think i'm going to go with the g4500 because i don't plan on adding another set to the tower as long as they can be easily heard while riding. David, how long a head of time would i need to schedule a time to have yall install the speakers and amp? I have to take the boat up to lewisville to have the dealer check it out before summer and would like to drop it off with yall after that so i don't have to tow it up from granbury twice.
Thanks-
Brandon

Brandon, I believe Earmark can do most jobs in a week or few days notice. I'm going to have to drive over 3hrs to drop off my boat there.

AJ i noticed you have a 08 xlv. I've got a 08 lsv and was wondering how your speakers fit under the z5 bimini if you have one. I've measured and know they'll fit but just wanted to see what your impressions were.

I've mocked it up on my Z5 and they clear with a couple inches to spare. My Z5 is actually from a 2009 Supra so it's shaped slightly different than the XLV Z5 (has some curves at the front whereas the XLV is just a big rectangle). I'm dying to get my stereo installed since I'm always staring at 4 Bullet HP 770, 3 JL amps, and 6 Polk cabin speakers in my spare bedroom. Going to run the stereo off 2 Deka AGM batteries, then have the dedicated starting battery. Going to have Earmark also install a 3 bank Pro Mariner onboard charger

I've mocked it up on my Z5 and they clear with a couple inches to spare. My Z5 is actually from a 2009 Supra so it's shaped slightly different than the XLV Z5 (has some curves at the front whereas the XLV is just a big rectangle). I'm dying to get my stereo installed since I'm always staring at 4 Bullet HP 770, 3 JL amps, and 6 Polk cabin speakers in my spare bedroom. Going to run the stereo off 2 Deka AGM batteries, then have the dedicated starting battery. Going to have Earmark also install a 3 bank Pro Mariner onboard charger

I've mocked it up on my Z5 and they clear with a couple inches to spare. My Z5 is actually from a 2009 Supra so it's shaped slightly different than the XLV Z5 (has some curves at the front whereas the XLV is just a big rectangle). I'm dying to get my stereo installed since I'm always staring at 4 Bullet HP 770, 3 JL amps, and 6 Polk cabin speakers in my spare bedroom. Going to run the stereo off 2 Deka AGM batteries, then have the dedicated starting battery. Going to have Earmark also install a 3 bank Pro Mariner onboard charger

I've mocked it up on my Z5 and they clear with a couple inches to spare. My Z5 is actually from a 2009 Supra so it's shaped slightly different than the XLV Z5 (has some curves at the front whereas the XLV is just a big rectangle). I'm dying to get my stereo installed since I'm always staring at 4 Bullet HP 770, 3 JL amps, and 6 Polk cabin speakers in my spare bedroom. Going to run the stereo off 2 Deka AGM batteries, then have the dedicated starting battery. Going to have Earmark also install a 3 bank Pro Mariner onboard charger

I've mocked it up on my Z5 and they clear with a couple inches to spare. My Z5 is actually from a 2009 Supra so it's shaped slightly different than the XLV Z5 (has some curves at the front whereas the XLV is just a big rectangle). I'm dying to get my stereo installed since I'm always staring at 4 Bullet HP 770, 3 JL amps, and 6 Polk cabin speakers in my spare bedroom. Going to run the stereo off 2 Deka AGM batteries, then have the dedicated starting battery. Going to have Earmark also install a 3 bank Pro Mariner onboard charger

I've mocked it up on my Z5 and they clear with a couple inches to spare. My Z5 is actually from a 2009 Supra so it's shaped slightly different than the XLV Z5 (has some curves at the front whereas the XLV is just a big rectangle). I'm dying to get my stereo installed since I'm always staring at 4 Bullet HP 770, 3 JL amps, and 6 Polk cabin speakers in my spare bedroom. Going to run the stereo off 2 Deka AGM batteries, then have the dedicated starting battery. Going to have Earmark also install a 3 bank Pro Mariner onboard charger

I've mocked it up on my Z5 and they clear with a couple inches to spare. My Z5 is actually from a 2009 Supra so it's shaped slightly different than the XLV Z5 (has some curves at the front whereas the XLV is just a big rectangle). I'm dying to get my stereo installed since I'm always staring at 4 Bullet HP 770, 3 JL amps, and 6 Polk cabin speakers in my spare bedroom. Going to run the stereo off 2 Deka AGM batteries, then have the dedicated starting battery. Going to have Earmark also install a 3 bank Pro Mariner onboard charger

I've mocked it up on my Z5 and they clear with a couple inches to spare. My Z5 is actually from a 2009 Supra so it's shaped slightly different than the XLV Z5 (has some curves at the front whereas the XLV is just a big rectangle). I'm dying to get my stereo installed since I'm always staring at 4 Bullet HP 770, 3 JL amps, and 6 Polk cabin speakers in my spare bedroom. Going to run the stereo off 2 Deka AGM batteries, then have the dedicated starting battery. Going to have Earmark also install a 3 bank Pro Mariner onboard charger

whoa!!! iphone went crazy on the mtiple posts

David thanks for the information. It sounds like the JL Audio amps are really the cream of the crop...

But, I am still confused. Why would you recommend amps that have such different power levels delivered to the speakers? I would think the there would be a huge difference between these 2 setups?

Per your post .....250 watts vs 150 Watts - "The G4500 delivers an honest if not underated 500 watts (250 watts per each of two speakers) and twin G1300s deliver a very conservative 150 watts per each of four speakers based on the same rating methods that other reputable amplifier manufacturers use such as Alpine PDX, WetSounds and Arc Audio KS series to name a few."

And per my earlier post...at 12.5 volts, 180 Watts vs 110 Watts - "the G4500 give him 180 watts per speaker with one pair and the dual G1300 only give him 120 watts with one pair and 110 with 2 pair"

Same speakers but way different power levels...

My advice on getting your install done at Earmark would be to schedule and get it over there sooner than later.

The Dallas boat show starts this weekend and they tend to pick up pretty quickly after the boat show through summer.

FJK,

I thought I already answered those questions so this seems a little redundant. But I don't mind giving it another shot. But this is my final answer.

As the video clearly portrays, twin G1300s can be heard on four 770s loud and clear at over 400 feet. We've used this exact set up repetitively and its a proven winner. IMO you would have to double the power before you could hear a negligible difference. Plus, we haven't experienced more 'real' power at this price point.

When only running a single pair its a little more difficult to make the same impact with half the speaker surface area so in this case a little excess power is definitely welcomed. But the primary reason for recommending the G4500 is that its so inexpensive to get a premium quality amplifier. While there are less expensive alternatives, the fall-off in quality would be substantial. In tuning the system we might gain this combination a little more conservatively. The rating is not our only concern.

Here's another example. If I had four WS Pro80s I'd use a SYN2 which delivers 175 watts per speaker. That's 87 percent of the speakers' power rating. If I had one pair of WS Pro485s I'd use a SYN4 which delivers 500 watts per speaker. That's 133 percent of the speakers' power rating. These are also higher voltage ratings with a predictable but acceptable decline in power at lower voltage.

In each case the amplifier selection is the best fit and configured, whether stereo or bridged, to optimize the power for the given impedance load. Quality ranks high.

It requires a doubling of power to achieve a 3 dB increase in output, not withstanding speaker compression, and yet 1 dB is the smallest incremental difference that can be perceived. So a little over and under powering isn't much of an issue. Converting electrical energy to perceived acoustical output is not a linear function.

As I mentioned before, I place proven performance and my experiences over a set of specs that may be less dependable on entry-level or cheaply-built equipment.

Also, wattage can be like horsepower. You can build a four cylinder turbocharged tuner to turn a 10 second quarter mile but you can't tow a boat without torque. I'd rather have power that is backed up by current. Again, quality wins out.

Hope these analogies eliminate any further confusion.

David
Earmark Marine

Sorry..."SYN4 which delivers 400 watts per speaker."