amp/sub install question

ok im a huge newb when it comes to this kind of stuff so bare with me...

Question #1:

I just bought an amp and was trying to install it but i got to the last step (power) and i saw that it needed 8 guage wire... tied to a battery terminal.  is this normal in all amps?  my amp is 2 channel 200 watts and i wanted to hook my subs up to it.  (before i read 8 guage i was going to hook it up to the 12 volt wire my stereo was hooked up to... )

Question #2:

i have 2 kicker subs that are really old... i dont know how many watts or anything about them really but I was wondering if i hook them both up to a seperate channel or splice the bridged cable thats suposed to hook to 1 sub.

Question #3:

is there such thing as a BAD amp?  because i just got a 200 watt 2 channel amp for 50 bucks (i dont know what i was expecting but i cant get it hooked up yet without an 8 guage wire)  i just want to know if the amp could lower the quality of the music its amping...

Question #4:

is there any IRC or aol chats for speakers?  (little faster responce then with a forum :D )

First of all is your amp's manual or cover say 200 watts peak or 200 watts rms (continuous power, this is what you should use to compare speakers and amps with). If its peak power then you will only need a 10 gauge ground wire and a 10 gauge power  wire going DIRECTLY to the positive battery post in your car. If it says 200 watts RMS then you will need 8 gauge power and ground wire instead.  Also you will have to ground the amp if you havnt already. To ground it use the same gauge wire as your power wire going to the battery (except try to keep the ground wire 3 feet in length or less) and find a spot close by the amp where there is a screw or bolt that is attached directly to your car or trucks chassis(or you can screw directly into the chassis). Clean this spot (scrape away any paint) and attach your ground wire from your amp firmly to this spot with a good screw (like the 24 karat gold ones that come with most amp wiring kits). Now for the subs. Look on the bottom of the subs magnet and it should say a RMS and peak power rating. compare this to your amps RMS output to see if they will be a good pair to use with your amp(dont worry about the peak rating, just use the RMS rating and its ok if your subs list an RMS power rating larger then your amp, just dont use subs with a much lower RMS power rating then your amp). Now for connecting the subs to your amp. If your subs are 4 ohm single voice coil you can hook them up to each of your amps 2 channels, if your amp is a 2 channel amp. If your amp is a mono amp (usually only has one output and can handle a 2 ohm load, then you can wire your subs like this diagram shows:

if your amp is mono and can handle a 2 ohm load  you will be getting more output probobly because wiring your subs like above will make your amp give your subs more power then wiring each one to a 2 channel amp in 4 ohms. And yes all amps sound different and they can sound like crap. If you tell me the model and brand of your amp then i can give you more info on how to wire everything for the best sound. 

I'm a newbie to this forum as well, but I have been installing/selling car audio for going on 13 years. On behalf of everyone in the industry and on this forum, welcome, and I hope you learn a lot.

Power wire size is paramount to the performance of the amp. Always run as big a guage power wire as the amp will accept. Never hook your amp to the back of the stereo. That 12 volt lead from the factory is usually a 14 or 16 guage and is fused for 10 to 15 amps. You probably won't get to listen very long before you snap the fuse in the block.

As for the subs, post the model number and perhaps somebody here might know what they require for input power. If not, I would try running just one of them bridged (assuming it is a 4 ohm speaker and your amp is bridgable). I find that running one speaker really well is much better than barely running 2. Probably keep your equipment alive longer, too.

There are better amps than others, but in general even a basic amp is better than no amp. Just look at the real ratings. A 1200 watt amp for 150-200 dollars seems a little askew, for instance. Always look at the amps RMS rating at 12 volts, not 13.8 or 14.4. Chances are you have not built an electrical system in your car that can really supply that kind of voltage. Also look at the amp's power output relevant to your speaker's ohm load. If you bridging your amp into one 4 ohm sub, look at the amp's 12 volt, 4 ohm RMS rating. If you sort through the BS and get the real numbers, then as a rule, there really isn't a bad amp. There are exceptions, but they are few.

Hope that helps. If you get stuck running a wire to your battery, consult your local shop. They should not charge more 40 or 50 bucks to hook everything to the amp for you.

Enjoy!

thanks for the tips so far... i think im starting to understand all this amp / sub / speaker stuff :D

my subs dont say the max watt or anything but i can tell you what it DOES say...

KICKER  uniplate extended pole, SEPARATES by still water designs, competitions c-10 8 ohms;  and the number is: 3692LXUSA          (these subs have been hooked up to my stereo for awhile and act just like normal speakers execpt that they are much lower in frequency and are half as loud as all other speakers... so im not even sure if they are true subwoofers... )

the amp:              VR3 vertual reality sound labs serious sound

200 watts peak power, 2 channel  (brigeable),  model is "VRA2.0"        (btw i just bought the amp to test my subs if its not a good amp PLEASE let me know so i can return it and buy a good one)              -                if you need more info on the amp i can get it i just gave the stuff i thought looked important (another newbish action) 

ALSO  -   Will the amp take down my car battery fairly quickly if it needs HUGE wires connected strait to the car battery??  and the instructions say i need a battery terminal and stuff like that, does that do the same thing as me just putting a different i loop on the end for 2 8 guage wires?

ok so i use the bridged amp thing and wire them parallel... i think i can figure that out :D

what is a good amp? i dont know how good or even if my subs work yet thats why i bought such a crappy amp... im stuck right now because i have to run a 8 gauge wire from the front of my car to the back and i have no clue on how im going to do that.......... (threw the interior  or possably run it exterior underneath? )

ok amps.... what is the best?  do i want a mono amp or a 2 channel amp? if my subs dont work im going to have to buy a new sub so what is good if im ONLY hooking subs to it?  im going to find out the wattage on my sub after I buy an 8 guage wire so hopfully i can get back to you with the stats to my subs soon. 

- I desided to to go with 8 guage since im not possative im going to stay with my amp... unless almost all amps can be wired with 10 guage...?? )

mono amp is just one channel correct? does that mean that i can imput though speaker wire or does it still require RCA jacks?

ill see if theres any way to run it though the interior then........ bottem of car idea didnt sound to good since there is over a foot of snow on the ground right now (snow is water, water and a 8 guage wire powered by the car battery dont mix well )

any requrements i need on an amp? so far when i go to buy one im going to buy a mono amp that does 4 ohms and has bass boost built into it.... is that all i really need?  (i will determine wattage later........ )