2 12 Xplod's vs. 2 15 BMF's

alright fellas i appreciate all the advice.  sorry it took me so long to get back to you, i was at the US Open for a couple of days.  I will definitely get on here if i have any more questions

I highly recommed installing a good power cap close to your amplifier. There is definately no need for a second battery, just forget about that idea. Go with atleast 4 Farad, and one with a digital display of your voltage. A capacitor very quickly recovers the power that your amplifiers have just sucked back each time the bass hits. The number one importance of the power cap is that it prevents NASTY surges of electricity to the rest of your vehicle, which is very bad for sensitive electrical components, such as the computer brain in your car. All these sensitive components have their own little capacitors to keep a steady, safe level of current, but fact is, cars have very erratic levels of current. You need a capacitor to prevent surges of power to your car, which a monster sound system will always cause. If you get any dimming with your headlights when the bass hits, and you've installed a monster capacitor, then go for a fancier alternator, But I say go with a good capacitor first, see how that goes, and if it still sucks, then throw on an alternator. Cause a good alternator won't stop the surges to your entire car when the bass in your amps hits hard enough. Don't have a hero.

Look up to no one;

because if someone's leading the way, the best you'll ever be is second

ok i will look into that.  how much will a 4 farad cost?  i'm already going to spend more than i want to, but if it will protect the rest of my car then it is probably a good investment.

BS caps are junk waste of money an alternater and a kinetik battery is the way to go do you ever see caps in big SPL setups no you dont because putting a cap in a setup that runs 1000 rms to 2500 rms is like putting a bandaid on on a gunshoot wound i installed a soundstream van gogh 1600.2 with a 5 farad soundstream cap it worked for the first  2 OR 3 times the bass hit a cap or battery for that matter CANNOT charge any faster  with the stock alternater running i am not the only person that thinks caps are a waste or money  1974 ford pinto 4 15" punch Z power punch bd 1001 pioneer DEH-6700

A cap is one of the most wrongly understood device's in car audio...hence why they are selling them by the boat load.  A cap does nothing unless you have a good power supply in the first place, if you have major power fluctuations your either have a weak alternator or a bad battery.  The only thing a cap is good for imo is to get rid of some unwanted radiated noise in the power wire before entering an amp.  Shure it can store power,,but if your alternator can't produce enough power to keep the system at 14 volts, how can your cap magically make your system stay at 14 volts if its power source (the alternator) is already way behind, so basically in that scenario (about 99% of the average misinformed consumer) the cap is just adding more resistance to the power wire.  The only thing i can see the cap doing is sucessfully keeping your voltage at a steady low which stops dimming, but thats because your system has no chance to get back up to 14 volts, and that my friend kills a car's electrical system.2003 Chevy Avalanche,Eclipse CD7000,Morel Elate 5,Adire Extremis,Alpine PDX-4.150, 15" TC-3000, 2 Alpine PDX-1.1000, 470Amp HO Alt.

good lord.  there is just too much stuff to know when it comes to car audio.  i think i will stick with my putting in my new subs and amp in for now, then if that doesnt work out i will look at a bigger alternator first, then possibly a better battery.  if i need to upgrade the head unit and other speakers, then i will do that as well

if you do upgrade your headunit  and your mains checkout www.ikesound.com and if you need to upgrade your alternater  checkout www.dbeletric.com1974 ford pinto 4 15" punch Z power punch bd 1001 pioneer DEH-6700

iv never heard of dbelectric, , do they make good alts? Like compareable to mechman, irregi, ohio gen, mean green?2003 Chevy Avalanche,Eclipse CD7000,Morel Elate 5,Adire Extremis,Alpine PDX-4.150, 15" TC-3000, 2 Alpine PDX-1.1000, 470Amp HO Alt.