02 Cougar Install, Opinions?

Ok, I'm no car audio expert, so I figured I'd run this by the bbs and see what people think.

I'm trying to get something that sounds good, but doesn't cost an insane amount of money and doesn't take up alot of room.

Head unit: Empeg + Tuner, no cd/tuner unit.
Amp: Rockford fosgate Power 550x 65w RMS x 4 amp.
Speakers: 4 Infinity Kappa 5x7s 2 ways that handle 100w RMS/ 400w Peak.
Sub: Infinity Basslink 10" Powered sub with 200w class D amp.

The basslink gets pretty good reviews, and is small enough I can still use my trunk. The rockford amp is right around what I was looking to pay and has a variable crossover, unlike the MTX thunder I was looking at earlier. The speakers are the best 5x7/5x8s that I could find for the price. Unless anybody knows anything better that can handle around 60-70 watts.

It'll be professionally installed, but I havn't found an installer yet... Is there anything special I should look for in an installer?

Thanks for your help.

So nobody has an opinion on this?

Here's some of my concerns:
Does rockford fosgate suck?
Is there going to be a problem using 100w/rms speakers with a 65w amp?
Should I use a smaller amp/cheaper speakers?
Does the basslink suck? Would I be better off with a small box/sub/amp combo? What about those powered bass tubes? I heard they're not very good...

Should I have posted this in the install forum? It's not really related to just installing, so I posted here.

You are probably better off finding a GOOD installer or checking some of the card audio forums where there is more discussion of this stuff. For what it is worth here are some opinions...

Does rockford fosgate suck?

They definitely don't make the highest quality stuff. Popular opinion is that they are geared more towards bass with less concern for sound quality. They are also know for quality issues. MTX probably has better "bang for the buck" in this price range, I would also consider Alpine.

Is there going to be a problem using 100w/rms speakers with a 65w amp?

You may get distortion when you turn the amps up. You are better off sound quality wise with an amp that is too powerful and then keeping the gains lower.

Should I use a smaller amp/cheaper speakers?

The speakers you listed are probably pretty decent (although I have never heard them myself, I have the 4x6s from the same line), but like I said I would look for a little more powerful amp.

Does the basslink suck? Would I be better off with a small box/sub/amp combo? What about those powered bass tubes? I heard they're not very good...

Sound quality wise a small sealed box is your best bet, but I have also heard good things about the basslink. Tubes put out a lot of bass with a pretty small enclosure with the trade off being sound quality. They aren't as tight and the ones I have heard tend to warble (they don't maintain a single tone) under constant heavy bass.

-Mike

Does rockford fosgate suck?

They definitely don't make the highest quality stuff.

I'm absolutely not an expert, but I've heard that they have two different product lines that are hard to distinguish, and one is sub-par BestBuy crap and the other is not half bad. But I could be wrong.

Punch is not so great, Power series is. This amp will be fine - because, while I might not recommend their speakers based on sound quality, I'd have their amps on my recommended list based on their "bullet-proofedness". I also think 65 x 4 is plenty. Yes, a more powerful amp is even nicer, but unless you're planning on waking the neighborhood, 65 will be quite a bit. RF amps are also typically under-rated. For most people, 65W per channel is "enough". If you're just looking for a good, reasonably priced setup, again (my opinion is that) this amp is fine.

I use RF Power series amps in my car, the fronts at 100W and the rears at 62.5 (strange rating, but that's what it is). I like my music loud, and my ears give out (can't listen for more than a few seconds at top volume) before the speakers do (Boston Acoustics Pro series), and the speakers give out before the amps do. Basically, 100W front and 65 rear is more than enough for me, and again - I like it loud.