car amp watts.....pretty damn small [Archive]

saxophonist56

10-30-2009, 10:40 PM

brlfq

10-31-2009, 06:01 AM

what?

The Last Rebel

10-31-2009, 06:04 AM

I have a Rockford Fostgate and I love it.

kingsxman

10-31-2009, 06:31 AM

i bought a 1200 watt monoblock hifonics d type mono power amp for my 2x12 polkdb's to replace my dead soundstream 1000. 900 at 4ohms is really optimistically rated ......

shite now i have to buy a 2000 watt hifonics to get close to my old ref 1000....

i'm losing interest in hifonics.....i'll bet rockford fosgate would be better....

thk god the places i shop take them back....

which new sub amp do you guys like ... all you car stereo freaks!

and i'm not trying to impress anyone but myself.

Hifonics, if memory servers me right....is not a real high end brand. Its kind of like buying a Squire. I might be wrong.

If you want cheap with good power...look at profile car audio. If you like good quality...look at JL Audio. Its been a few years since I put everything in my car but I have a JL Audio power amp for my subs and a 4channel for my fronts and rear. JL Audio 10" subs also. Very clean and good sound quality. Rockford fosgate is good clean power..but spendy.. Thier subs are all kick/punch and no Sound Quality. IMHO.

Dr. Tweedbucket

10-31-2009, 06:45 AM

It's all fluff. Cheap big watt amps isn't quality power. In audio, you usually get what you pay for. Mobil or Home audio, it's the same thing.

I have a 200W 1980s ADS amp that could blow the doors off of a 1000W rated mosfet piece of crap like what is available today. :tapedshut

Sorry, but it's true. :knitting Dig deep and see what kind of components make up the board inside that flashy housing.

RCM78

10-31-2009, 07:14 AM

Alpine PDX amps are hard to beat. They run cool, compact, and can be stacked...

aeolian

10-31-2009, 09:46 PM

~Abstract~

10-31-2009, 10:01 PM

Ummmm, at even an optimistic 80% efficiency, 1200 watts of output is 120 amps at 12 volts input power. Where do you get 120 amps in a car? What is an alternator rated at, 25-30A? I remember special alternators for sailboat auxiliaries that got 50A to recharge batteries as quickly as possible.

Iraggi, Ohio Gen, and Stinger make high output automobile alternators.

My alternator is 140A @2600rpm...most (140A@2600rpm...most) standard mid size cars have 80A alts.

Remember the alt is just for recharge...your battery has the capacity for hundreds (if not thousands) of amps...

Conservatively...500A x 12V x 50% efficiency is still 3000W.
:beer

Darth Tater

10-31-2009, 10:16 PM

HiFonics is crap nowadays. Car audio equipment took a nosedive when it all went from being made in the USA to most of it being made in China. My JL sub is USA made, but my Kicker amp is not....also pretty sure my Polk Momo's are not USA made.

If you can find the old Zed made HiFonics VII or VIII amps, they'll destroy anything made today...including your alternator :)

~Abstract~

10-31-2009, 11:00 PM

www.zedaudiocorp.com (http://www.zedaudiocorp.com/)

Still actively producing high quality amps! Great stuff.

Darth Tater

10-31-2009, 11:47 PM

www.zedaudiocorp.com (http://www.zedaudiocorp.com/)

Still actively producing high quality amps! Great stuff.

Man I love some Zed..much respect to them. Old School HiFonics, Autotek, Rodek, Alphasonik...many more. The best amps out there and these guys made them.

BUT their website looks like it was designed in 1984, and it only actually has ONE amp on it!

Abe

11-01-2009, 07:36 PM

Buy a nice used old school amp. The old Soundstreams are excellent amps for the most part.

smiert spionam

11-01-2009, 07:57 PM

what?

Glad I'm not the only one.

saxophonist56

11-02-2009, 12:06 AM

Buy a nice used old school amp. The old Soundstreams are excellent amps for the most part.

my reference 1000 is shit hot but died. could be revived by soundstream for 150? i think plus shipping. i was advised that old amps will have multiple problems.

gearhound17

11-02-2009, 12:40 AM

Josh O

11-02-2009, 05:06 AM

I like Diamond Audio.

art_z

11-02-2009, 06:08 AM

I'm a pretty big home audio nut, but I never understood the need for car stereos to have hundreds, if not thousands of watts, if the speakers are two feet from your head.

ImmortalSix

11-02-2009, 07:31 AM

I like MTX amps and Kicker subs.

Alpine everything is high quality, cool, and nice.

I haven't had a car stereo setup in years, though, at least 2 or 3 years. Last rig was alpine from tip to tail, and it was super clean and super reliable.

kingsxman

11-02-2009, 07:41 AM

I'm a pretty big home audio nut, but I never understood the need for car stereos to have hundreds, if not thousands of watts, if the speakers are two feet from your head.

You out to understand then that its not the power for the sake of being loud...its the power for the sake of being CLEAN. More clean headroom, tighter bass, etc. Just like guitar amps.

I have a very nice system that will thump..but I use it for listening to rock and blues in the car. Robben FOrd sounds killer when its coming from a 3D style sound stage in my car...with a nice tight kick drum and bass. I spend more time in my car than I do at home listening to music...so it gets the $$.

JWDubois

11-02-2009, 08:11 AM

I'm a pretty big home audio nut, but I never understood the need for car stereos to have hundreds, if not thousands of watts, if the speakers are two feet from your head.

I was behind this guy at a stop light. His car was painfully loud. I was having fantasies of getting out and kicking his wigger punk a$$ when he turned his head and I saw he was wearing earplugs. The a$$hole was just being loud to attract attention.

JWW

aeolian

11-02-2009, 11:08 AM

I'm a pretty big home audio nut, but I never understood the need for car stereos to have hundreds, if not thousands of watts, if the speakers are two feet from your head.
Look at the efficency of car audio speakers. It is attrocious. I'm used to sound reinforcement speakers with efficiencies in the 99-105 dB/1W range. Most car audio is is the low 80's. No wonder they need all those watts going up in heat. It's a "mine is bigger" numbers game. Not about sound quality. I gave my son a surplus 10" out of an SWR Goliath cab I had and we built a moderate Q ported cab for it. He amazes his buddies with it. Just think, if two of them are enough to play a live bass in a bar, one should be able to fill up the insides of an Integra just fine. And it does.

bsuite

11-02-2009, 11:29 AM

what?

:roll

I was thinking the same thing.
I know nothing about car audio

Slow Reflexes

11-02-2009, 12:54 PM

...he was wearing earplugs. The a$$hole was just being loud to attract attention.

JWWHe probably was - but some people just like to "feel" it.

I have had a couple cars that were noisy enough that I wore earplugs so that I could hear the stereo over the car without going deaf... but not in town.

JWDubois

11-02-2009, 01:27 PM

He probably was - but some people just like to "feel" it.

I have had a couple cars that were noisy enough that I wore earplugs so that I could hear the stereo over the car without going deaf... but not in town.

That's totally fine with me, except they can't keep that damn bass in their own cars, it has to annoy everyone for a block around.

Fortunately, it seems to be dying out a little around here, no where near as many loud punk cars driving by my house lately.

JWW

~Abstract~

11-02-2009, 05:11 PM

I am running a Sundown Audio amp for my subs.
Rated power is 600 per sub. Actual output at 14.4 volts is around 750.
My subs are ran at 1 ohm though. Not sure if your Polks are 1 ohm capable.
Highly regarded in the car audio forums i have been to.
Check them out. Good stuff.

Nice! I've got a few Sundown's in my car. I love their stuff...very high quality. Pretty soon there will be 2 1500D's and a 100.4...I'm running one 1500 on my loaded 15" BTL and the 100 is running active on my CDT's up front.

saxophonist56

11-02-2009, 05:36 PM

i'm getting an SAZ 1000 recomended to me sundown audio

the consensus is?

running my 2x12 polk audio db 's

Jade

11-02-2009, 05:48 PM

In my opinion, there hasn't been a REALLY good car audio amp built since the early 90's. If you can get your hands on an old American Made Fosgate Punch45 etc, you'll be more than happy. Not to mention that any decent tech can fix them if you ever have a problem.

Jade

Abe

11-02-2009, 10:40 PM

^this^

epluribus

11-03-2009, 06:30 AM

Look at the efficency of car audio speakers. It is attrocious. I'm used to sound reinforcement speakers with efficiencies in the 99-105 dB/1W range. Most car audio is is the low 80's. No wonder they need all those watts going up in heat. It's a "mine is bigger" numbers game. Not about sound quality. I gave my son a surplus 10" out of an SWR Goliath cab I had and we built a moderate Q ported cab for it. He amazes his buddies with it. Just think, if two of them are enough to play a live bass in a bar, one should be able to fill up the insides of an Integra just fine. And it does.

Great subject. I'm running a 250W Alpine system in a fairly loud sports car, and at highway speeds the engine note steps all over the middle of the bass range. Been thinking about taking the speakers out of their panel-mounts and putting them in proper enclosures...but would a decent set of studio monitors be even better?

Besides, it would be great fun to tuck a DI rig into the car and run it through the power amp just like a small PA... :)

--Ray

saxophonist56

11-03-2009, 10:19 AM

Great subject. I'm running a 250W Alpine system in a fairly loud sports car, and at highway speeds the engine note steps all over the middle of the bass range. Been thinking about taking the speakers out of their panel-mounts and putting them in proper enclosures...but would a decent set of studio monitors be even better?

Besides, it would be great fun to tuck a DI rig into the car and run it through the power amp just like a small PA... :)

--Ray

you can also add enclosures to the panel mounts....having studio moniters in the car probably not the best solution.

jeez modesto is the car audio capitol apparently, checked out a pioneer the size of a cigar box that was brutally loud and retails at 850 dollars....

pumping over 110 db thru two 14" woofers....

also ARC audio headquarters are in town. i'm going to see what their amp can do in my Z28...the installer is willing to let me try one out.

i talked to bruce at ARC audio...i'd buy an arc audio amp on the strength of that conversation.....fantastic customer relations!

i think car audio stores are probably suffering in this economy.

saxophonist56

11-18-2009, 03:19 PM

ended up with a 300 watt rms pioneer. small D type. for 225 can't be beat.

Donnie B.

11-18-2009, 03:33 PM

I have a 200W 1980s ADS amp that could blow the doors off of a 1000W rated mosfet piece of crap like what is available today. :tapedshut

Cool! Which model? I worked for a/d/s/ from 1986 to 1997 and did most of the mechanical design work on those amps.

The Golden Boy

11-18-2009, 03:36 PM

So now is the time to put up that old Carver amp that I've had sitting at my parents' house for 20 years?

Josh O

11-18-2009, 05:36 PM

I'm running Diamond Audio amps, one is 75x4 for my full range speakers and the other is a 300Wx1 monoblock for a sub and let me tell you, they are PLENTY powerful and very clean. The gain settings for the front and rears on the 4 channel are barely at 50%.

mdog114

11-18-2009, 08:16 PM

I've been looking to invest a chunk in a company that deals with hearing loss. Maybe a cochlear implant company.

I've got a feeling that in about ten years this business is going to be booming!

TubeeTuberton

11-18-2009, 08:42 PM

I've always been an Arc Audio guy. JL is certainly good too. I just recommend strengthening all of your grounds for the vehicle(the big three) first. This ensures no noise loops and reduces the strain on a lot of engine components. 1/0 gauge wire would be best.