W. David

I'm looking at buying a JL amp and was just wondering if there is anything outside of not having a warranty that I should worry about if I decided to buy preowned?? The amp is a JL 250/1, and it retials up here in Canada for about $550, and I can buy it off a friend of a frend for closer to $300. Is there anything you can do to an amp that would seriously damage it or should I be alright if I chose to buy?

Also, while I'm on the topic. I have two polk audio mm2104 subs, should the 250/1 be enough to drive them sufficiently or should I really be looking at the 500? I've been told by my local JL dealer that the 250 should be just fine for what I want (SQ rather than SPL), just wanted another opinion.

W. David

I would really appreciate a response here........

DaveGS4

iTrader: (2)

WD, give it some time. It's only been five hours since you posted this and the AV forum isn't terribly fast paced.

There have been only six views of your thread. Two are yours, three are mine.

Patience, grasshopper

W. David

sorry Dave, just that I'm looking to buy asap as the trunk setup is being put together in the next day or so....just a little anxious i guess.

DaveGS4

iTrader: (2)

I guess one question I'd ask is was it 'just working' and removed from their trunk? If so you've got a better chance it is good.

Amps are built pretty solidly to withstand all angles, shocks, etc. but like any electronics they can have problems.

Why did he replace it? Did any of your other friends hear the amp in his car (and did they note any issues)? Did it ever get wet in the car or where it was stored? Are there any visible marks or dents on the amp to indicate it was dropped?

engin_ear

iTrader: (1)

Dave has posed good questions for you.
To answer your question about damaging the amp, yeah, if the owner is both brain-dead and a hearing loss patient, he may have consistently overdriven the amp, maybe into distortion. Two things are death to an amp - heat and overdriving it. Heat kills electronics - you may never know how hot this amp has been, and therefore how long it will continue to live. Overdriving and distortion kills circuits - too much current flows in bad places, stressing transistors and ICs. It all comes down to how much you trust the seller.
This is almost as bad as buying on ebay, except that you may actually be able to ask the owner some questions that you might get legitimate answers for. But you still may not know where this amp has been. What I might suggest is that you ask the owner if you can buy it after you try it out, but then you could be blamed if it doesn't work. Caveat emptor.
Do you have the DVC version of Polk 2104? (you need to figure out how you're going to connect them and what the equivalent impedance will be)... Regardless, you can probably get away with a 250/1 if you don't plan on cranking them up, but otherwise, 500/1 recommended. The speakers each have a 300W continuous power rating, 600W peak.

W. David

Unfortunately I did not buy the DVC model of the subs, and to be honest, i am entirely useless when it comes to explaining or even figuring out how I'm planing on wiring them; which is exactly why I'm going to let the shop do it. The single voice coil model calls for a minimum of 200RMS, however my JL dealer said the 250/1 should be just fine.....given that I was looking at the 500/1 when I went in, I'm sure he wouldn't have recommended the 250 unless he really thought that it was all I'd really need!?!?! Regardless, I'm making my decision tomorrow, although you guys have pretty much scared me out of buying used, and the whole issue of not having a warranty kind of bothers me as well. I'll post some pics/reviews when I get everything setup.

I appreciate the responses!