SQ vs. SPL?

so i've gotten out of the performance tuning market and would like to start with amateur sound competition. I have a decent platform to start with (1998 Buick LeSabre Custom) and currently I am running 2 12" Alpine Type Es in a sealed box, with a crappy sony amp i had lying around (it hits pretty hard for the age/condition). its a small box, but i'd like to upgrade to something thats louder.

what i was planning was an interior speaker upgrade (obviously), since i have the 6 speaker package. also i'd like to upgrade the 2 12"s to a single Solo Baric 15" L7 in a ported box w/ a Power Acoustic SL2000 (i think thats the model number) which will both save me room and allow me to upgrade later if i like the sound. But, i have 2 questions:

1. Since i really don't listen to 1 type of music, will this box allow me to keep the tight punchy bass i got with the sealed box, and also give me the deeper bass that really gets heard down the block (hence the title SQ vs. SPL)?

and 2. the amp is rated 900 watts RMS but the sub is rated 1000 watts. will this be a problem? i searched around but maybe since this is such a basic question and beat to death i havent really gotten a straightforward answer for it.

any and all advice will be appreciated. I hope to learn a lot from these boards!

is that 1000 watts in rms or burst? i dont know alot about the L7 so correct me if im wrong. if it is rms then 900 watts will do just fine. i have listend to power acoustic subs/amp and didnt like the subs, havnt heard a power acoustic with any other sub so maybe there subs arnt good. REMEMBER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! the L7 has to be broken in!!!!! dont throw it in your car and crank it to the max, it will take about 2 weeks to be broken in. and as far as SQ vs. SPL the L7 doesnt have the greatest SQ from what i heard, might of just been the box but the SPL is really good. what music genre do you listen to the most if you listen to everything? if you listen to jazz or country with tight bass i would go sealed but if you listen to rap or rock i would go ported. hope this helped ya out a lil bit.

the speaker is 1000 rms and 2000 max, and the amp is 900 rms into 4 ohm and 2000 max. they also have a 1980 watt model so i apologize if i get the specs wrong at the moment. i'm responding from my pda.

and i listen to mostly hip hop and rock, which is why i asked. a lot of rock i listen to has that punchy tight bass and hip hop, with the lower, deeper bass that travels down the block. i was going to add a bass processor just to experiment if it didn't sound deep enough.

i picked the combo because i'm sort of on a budget at the moment. i'm also saving up for a good alarm w/ remote start and 2 way and the possibility of mobile video. plus, i don't want to take up all the room in my trunk with a ported bandpass. i was going to do 2 15"s with the 2000w amp, but the speakers and box was going to run me close to $650 versus the $350 i would spend for the solo baric. plus the size difference. if i wanted to i would add the same speaker and amp combo to upgrade.

oh well, i heard those L7z really hit when pushed. i used to work at a benz dealer detailing and a customer came in for parts w/ a kicker sponsored blazer w/ 3 15" L7s. the thing was crazy, so i figured i'd give it a try.

What exactly are you looking for, SQ or SPL?

a good mix of both to start with. still somewhat undecided, but everyones gotta start somewhere...

and that L7 is the new 2006 model with 1000 watt rms with 2000 watts max, and the amp i was looking at is 900 watts rms into 4 ohm with peak power at 2000 watts, so i fail to see how this amp won't push this sub. please elaborate   As for it not being able to hold ground in the competition circuit, well that remains to be seen. my installer took 3rd in state (IL) with all Power Acoustik equipment, and hell, you cant beat the price. like i said i'm on a budget at the moment.

i'll post specs for both:

Power Acoustik SL2-2000:

and the Kicker S15L7-2 (2006 model)