CamaroZ_85

This is my current setup:

Alpine CDA-9835 HU
Boston pro 10" sub
Phoenix Gold XS2300 amp for sub
Cheap polk 6.5 coax in the front for the mids/highs (no rear)
Cheap Planet Audio 2ch amp for the polks

I'm looking to get rid of the planet audio amp cause its got something wrong w/ it and I want some better quality. In the not too far future I will also get a good set of 6.5 components. I'll prob put the polks in the back (this isnt for a 3rd gen...its for an accord ) I'm looking for suggestions for a 4 channel amp, I'll take 50 watts per channel I suppose, but will that be enough for good components? I plan to grab something off ebay, used is ok. I like my Phoenix Gold XS but I cant find a 4 channel anywhere, so I've been looking into the Titaniums. I hear their new stuff is junk. I'm also interested in the better Memphis line of amps; is their new stuff junk too or is it decent? I've always heard some good things about them but any more comments would be nice. Other than that I'm open for options. How are the Boston Acoustics amps? I haven't heard a thing about them, but then again I really havent looked. Have they gone downhill as well with the new product lines? It seems as though they've totally revamped their approach, I'm just hoping that they haven't sacrificed quality as part of it. As far as the technical aspects I only have one question: What is the importance of input sensitivity? Is there a real noticeable differece between 2 and 4 volts? Thanks for the help!

CamaroZ_85

I'm usually the only one in the car and I dont plan to spend any real $$ for rear speakers. Do you think it would make more sense to just get a smaller 2 channel amp and maintain my current setup?

1meanGTA

i've got 2 orion 8004's, one new one used. they do 100x4 at 4 ohms or 200x4 at 2 ohms. also bridgeable so you could use a 100x2 for your components and 400x1 for a sub.

the used one is basically brand new, been in my car for 3 or 4 months but not abused or scratched up or anything. i'll sell it to ya for 200 shipped or 250 shipped for the new one.

only selling it because my sub amp is 2 feet long and it wouldnt fit next to that orion, and i only need 2 channels for my components anyway.

1meanGTA

memphis does and always has made really nice amps, but the new ones are ugly imho. pg, i wouldnt go so far as to say its junk, but they're definitely not what they used to be. the tantrums i think were the last of their good amps. dont know much about BA amps, but i know they used to be some of the best sound quality companies around, not so much these days though. simply because there is so much more competition though, not saying their quality has dropped off.

input sensitivity is how made of the signal from your decks rca preamp outs it can make use of. if you only have 4v preamp outs on your deck, 4v is fine. mine has 5v. some eclipse decks have 8 and even 16v rca outs.

Gummie

I would sugest against an orion and/or a memphis for this reason. If you're looking for great bang for your buch elemental designes is a good place to start. A brand like kicker would also be another good option.

1meanGTA

the nine.2 costs 15 bucks more than my 8004 and has half the power lol. kickers are even more expensive.

edit - just glanced at the power specs real quick heres how it actually compares. the eD nine.2x does 200x2 @ 4 ohms and 300x2 @ 2 ohms. its 265 shipped. im assuming your components will give 4 ohms of resistance to the amp. the 8004 does 200x2 @ 4 ohms or 400x2 @ 2 ohms, if you bridge the channels, or 100x4 @ 4 and 200x4 @ 2 ohms if you dont.

kickers are nicer than both, but more $$, and also a bit ugly i think.

CamaroZ_85

Thanks for the info! What would you guys say are some of the top names for quality amps these days??

1meanGTA

you're talking about high end sound quality amps? look at arc, zapco, diamond, mcintosh, tru, us amps, or if you can deal with a used amp look for an old ppi art series or soundstream rubicon or reference amp. it isnt cheap to buy a good new amp though. i got a really good deal on my diamond amp, only paid 200 shipped for it, but it was used.

Gummie

JL should be in that list as should Rockford and possibily kicker. JBL Crowns are also amazing amps. ED amps are rated really well also.

It will be expensive, I agree 100% with mean on that

CamaroZ_85

I'm looking to stay around $250, used is ok. I'm not expecting some extreme quality amp that is brand new at an authorized retailer for that price...thats why I'll go used. I did a quick check into some of the brands mentioned by 1meanGTA and the Diamond D3 400.4 is priced way lower than any of the others, even lower than the amps I had in mind originally. Specs wise I dont think anything I look at is going to vary too widely....has anyone had experience with this amp?

CamaroZ_85

Spent a few hours reading...Heres what I'm narrowing myself down to:

Going to stick w/ a 2 channel...just seems like the better choice for me, I'm quite happy w/ only a fron soud stage. I'd take the Orion offer but its way too big to fit where I've mounted my amps.


Diamond D3400.2: 100x 2 - Seems to be the best bang for the buck, and they seems to be fairly well regarded. I might still opt for a 4 channel if I go w/ Diamond

Memphis 16-MCA150: 75x2 - I've looked into them for yeras, was just never ready to buy one until now. Almost everyone who owns a Memphis is very emphatic about them

Phoenix Gold Titanuim 400.2: 100x2 - Always liked the PG Titaniums but never thought I could afford one. Also fairly well regarded

Boston Acoustics GT22: 75 x 2 - Always have been a fan of Boston as well. Have heard a few decent things about them, but Boston is also new in the amp market too. I've also heard some reliability problems w/ them, I'd only be able to get one off of ebay ($$) and thus without warranty...


What are your opinions on these?

1meanGTA

well the main things i look at with an amp is the total harmonic distortion and the signal to noise ratio. kickers generally have around .09 to .1%. doesnt sound like much, but its pretty high. my diamond d5 does 0.02%. rockford fosgate makes some very powerful amps, but i'd never use them for anything but running woofers, and even then i'd hesititate because they're also up around .1%. and EXPENSIVE. jl amps are nice, but good *** are they pricey. elemental designs doesnt post the thd of their amps, so i imagine its pretty high.

i know a guy selling an old school ppi art series 150x2. these amps are really, really nice. i'll see if he still has it and what he wants for it, i imagine its around the 2-250 range. i'll try and get ahold of him and let you know. its the same guy i bought my crossfire amp from.

if i were you, if you need an amp now, i'd go with the memphis. that art series would also be really nice, probably better than the memphis, but a lot of people dont like the way they look. but then, i dont like the way the new memphis amps look either.

Gummie

http://www.cardomain.com/item/JBLPX6002

Car domain is having a crazy sale on JBL Power PX600.2 ($260). It might be worthwhile to check it out.

Again, Mean brings up another good point with THD. Don't be too wowed by it though. The above JBL amp has a .04 THD raiting but it has a s/n ratio of 79.5 dB

1meanGTA

yeah i was going to get back to that but forgot lol. the higher the better for the s/n ratio. try and look for at least 90, or 100 if possible.

and i was wrong on the rating of my diamond, its actually 0.03% and 102db s/n ratio. this place has it for 300.

http://www.hifisoundconnection.com/S...id/0/SFV/30046

Jim85IROC

iTrader: (2)

Don't overlook Sounddomain's refurbished Rockford and Kicker amps. Those will give you an opportunity to get a fantastic deal on a great amplifier from a factory authorized retailer.

Gummie

I've got two things to post up. First, ED's s/n ratio is .05%. I posted over on their forum and got a reply from one of their designers.

For kicks and giggles, I'm going to toss in a quote

That said, a few more comments:
- You admitted that you don't have cheap speakers (not the worst by a long shot but not the best), so why worry so much about a crazy high end amp?
- Price. Sure, you can buy used/e-bay, but this brings me to my next point
- Warrantee. These things are great, break something and it's covered. If you buy used/off e-bay odds are that your amp won't have one and you will get stuck footing the bill to repair/replace it if you dammage it.
- You can still have cheap and a factory warrantee (see Jim's post)

I'm not trying to argue for/against any given produdct, I'm just trying to give you more information to base your decision off.

CamaroZ_85

Just looked at the refurbs on sounddomain. The only thing I'd be interested in is the Kicker KX350.4, though it only has a 90 day warranty....which I guess is better than nothing. More or less just a safeguard against DOA. I'm looking for a good amp because I plan to upgrade the speakers I have up front, maybe around tax return time...

1meanGTA

i duno man, i noticed a difference in sound clarity upgrading to the diamond from the orion. i think the orions thd is around 0.09 and the sn ratio is 80-85. not a huge difference, but certainly noticable. i have an experienced ear, but not an expert one, and the difference was plain to me. wasnt that the orion sounded bad, it just wasnt as crisp as the diamond. could just be design differences rather than the s/n and thd differences though.

oh and that guy already sold that art series

found my favorite sound quality cd, guns n roses use your illusion disc 2. excellent for tuning, or just impressing the hell out of people. the thunder at the end of civil war sounds so realistic, i mean it actually sounds like theres a storm.

Jim85IROC

iTrader: (2)

The differences you're hearing have absolutely nothing to do with the THD & S/N ratios. In almost all cases, any differences you hear between two competently designed amplifers are frequency response differences that result from non-zereod (poorly calibrated) eq circuits, variations in crossover topologies (or poorly calibrated crossover points). In some rare cases, the overall amplifier design may have enough garbage in front of and behind it in the signal path that there are some audible differences.

1meanGTA

you're one smart mfer.... either way, i love this diamond amp