PA 880 or PA 1200.1 to drive SR 124 DVC?

[the88thpianoman]

Hi all, new to the forum here, but not new to car audio. I'm planning a new system, and (unless there are better options out there) am definitely planning on using a single SR 124 DVC at 2 ohms. I don't need incredibly loud bass (think classic rock, jazz, classical), but from everything I've read, the sound quality of the SR will be unbeatable at that price point.

Now, the PA 880 would give me 500 watts, and the PA 1200.1 would give me 800 watts. There's almost no way I would even run the PA 880 high enough to output 500 watts, much less 800 out of the 1200.1. However, my main question is: will there be a noticeable sound quality difference between these two amps? Also, if I'm pushing say, 400 watts (80%) out of the PA 880, is there a higher likelihood of distortion than pushing 400 watts (50%) out of the 1200.1?

I greatly appreciate any opinions, especially from anyone with experience with these amps and sub.

[arun1963]

Both amps will be fine. The PA 1200.1 is much bigger than the 880. Make sure you have the space, if you go that route. Amps don't have sound quality differences, they just put out different levels of power. Don't worry about the distortion levels of the amps. 500 watts would be fine. *00 would give you a bit more if you wanted to crank it a bit at times.

[Vital]

I'd go with PA1200.1 simply because of more wattage. I also dislike 330, 660, 880 amps because.... well, let's just say i do so that's another + for 1200.1 from me but again, extra wattage is main thing here.
BTW PA1200.1 and SR124dvc is a peeeerfect match for each other, why would you get something that's "less than"?

[the88thpianoman]

Thanks guys, I appreciate the responses.

I'd go with PA1200.1 simply because of more wattage. I also dislike 330, 660, 880 amps because.... well, let's just say i do so that's another + for 1200.1 from me but again, extra wattage is main thing here.
BTW PA1200.1 and SR124dvc is a peeeerfect match for each other, why would you get something that's "less than"?

The wattage alone isn't enough of a reason for me. My current setup is a single 10" 4 ohm sub running bridged on two 60 watt channels, should be getting 120-150 watts max. This definitely leaves something to be desired, but not so much that 500 watts into a 12" SR wouldn't be more than capable of pushing way more volume than I'd ever need.

That said, what are your other reasons for disliking that series of amps? They do appear to be something of a value line from what I can tell, but what are the actual differences?