[JJJMan75]

I have a 750 watt mono amp powering 2 600 watt CVT10s (Kicker), and I saw a dual subwoofer box loaded with 500 watt Fosgate 12s on Amazon. Is 750 watts too much power for these subwoofers? If so, what alternatives are in the $200 price range?
EDIT: Also, would I still be sending 750 watts of continuous power regardless of gain and volume? How does that work?

 

[NA Blur]

Power in this case is a function of the voltage output of the amp and the resistance of the speaker.
 
The speaker is probably somewhat linear in resistance so that leaves the voltage of the amp to control the power.
 
If there is a gain switch or volume knob then this controls the voltage and this power to the speakers.
 
Keep the volume down and the power ( Watts ) goes down with it.  You should be fine.  Just use  your ears and best judgement for the volume and the setup should work.

 

[JJJMan75]

Thanks for clearing that up. I'm probably going to get the 500 watt subs, but what are the advantages of spending more for higher rated subs? Don't they just require more power to achieve the same volume?

 

[NA Blur]

Like headphones is is more about the actual performance and scientifically acquired data rather than simple sales specs.  A higher rated sub may be able to handle more power from an amp, but you really will not know exactly how much the sub can take without having some serious science behind the numbers.  That or just listening to it while it is being driven.
 
Higher quality subs will be made from better materials and have better designs leading them to have better sound.  This means clearer sound, lower likelihood of distortion, and can handle higher volumes.
 
As for your volume / power question this is where sensitivity comes into play.  Depending on how the speakers is designed such as how many wraps of wire make up the coil along with other factors make up how much power is required to achieve a volume.  One could have an easy to drive cheap sub and a hard to drive expensive sub.

 

[cel4145]

Like headphones is is more about the actual performance and scientifically acquired data rather than simple sales specs.  A higher rated sub may be able to handle more power from an amp, but you really will not know exactly how much the sub can take without having some serious science behind the numbers.  That or just listening to it while it is being driven.

Higher quality subs will be made from better materials and have better designs leading them to have better sound.  This means clearer sound, lower likelihood of distortion, and can handle higher volumes.

+1

There's no easy answer to your question since both the driver and the enclosure design/size influence how loud a sub will go and how it sounds. Gotta get into learning to how buy separate drivers and modeling them with jwith different sub boxes as your first step down this road to subwoofer wisdom

 

[JRG1990]

Every sub is a trade off between spl and low end extension, just because it has or can take more watts doesn't mean it will be louder the driver might not be very efficent.

 

[NA Blur]

Most people agree that going for a larger diameter sub is more important than the power rating.