You are completely right to say that you don't need 1000w to push any driver (well, maybe most...). I never endorsed needing 1000w but it allows some nice headroom if you ever want more output. I hooked up my sister's ride with 2200w available but she never ever uses that much; it's like just because you have a Dodge Viper doesn't mean you have to drive 100+ mph. It's available but it's not something that is used daily.
Personally, I am an SQL guy who dabbles in SPL competition only as a hobby. Honestly, without serious electrical system upgrades, your alternator will crap out within a half hour if you try pumping too much power which is why SPL competitors only use their stereo for 1-3 seconds and then shut everything down.
If you want to know what my current car system. It's all stock except for the head unit. I'm upgrading to a cheap component set and a 8" sub later and then I am finished. This is all going to be run off of a 5-channel amp with a 300w sub channel. Unless it is a competition vehicle, I try to keep it simple because I have no desire to have anyone listen to my system but me. My sister's vehicle is a temporary setting for a competition system that also can be used as a daily driver; I just didn't have lower powered amps to switch out and I won't give her my collector edition gear.
These are the same people we in the professional car audio industry hate as well. They drop a few grand on a system and have it installed for the sole purpose of being loud. They put those aweful coffee can exhausts on their 1.8L Hondas and drive around residential neighboorhoods at 3AM blasting their music and rattles.
No one that I know of in the competition circuits and take it seriously will do that because most of us know how annoying it is. Some of us have kids who we don't want to be wakened up in the middle of the night by some wannabe "playa/gangsta." Because of them, our community is getting a bad rap based on the few *****s who don't respect those who actually enjoy not hearing someone else's music at the stoplight or at some ungodly hour of night.
Love the last commment. We have sound dampening to get rid of those rattles which comes in the form of Dynamat, Second Skin, BrownBread, and even high temp mastic sheeting which can be bought at most home improvement stores.
Just to be a ***, some subs can't be pushed with less than 1000w because of the stiffness of the suspension and these are strictly competition subs. MTX RFLs and Shocker Signiture Series come to mind immediately. The also have no way to dissipate the heat so they burn up when playing more than short tone bursts; no music playing on them at all...Sorry, just had to provide an exception to that one statement.
