word. with a H/O alt and big 3 upgrade, i'm getting a good 14+ volts out of my batteries atm. to get up to 16/17 volts would cost more than you wanna spend on one of the other amps mentioned that you said was too expensive. i used to have an MA audio amp. it was ok, but i was getting about 1/3 of the power out of it. i'd go with hifonics if you're on a budget . just play the saving game. i'm doing it now and hate it lol