question for sound system experts

[grndlvl]

<blockquote>quote:</font><hr>Originally posted by naptown:
Okay, great amps-Alpine, JL, RF, Memphis, MMATS,
PPI, Crossfire, Jensen are good, JBL, Kicker, Kenwood ExCelon, Viper, Directed, Earthquake...Do not buy anything other than these amps, and you will be fine!<hr></blockquote>

all above are good but ya forgot one......Phoenix Gold.....pricey yes but will handle just about anything you can throw at it only amps I'll use anymore :D :D :D :D

[Christian]

<blockquote>quote:</font><hr>Originally posted by camaro_speedemon:
C. Palmer, I agree with you somewhat, but watts is important. It also depends a what he is looking for, loud or SQ. You need more watts to be louder, but it also depends on how clean the signal is, box design ect. I have had 2 different amps at the same power rating and one performs better than the other.

Also look at RMS watts, that's more of a true measurement on how the amp performs. The cheaper amps use MAX watts to fool the average consumer into thinking they are better, while good companies advertise RMS watts. Think of RMS watts as constant power while MAX watts is the little extra umph the amp might need for that one low note.

As for your question, American Legacy is alright, it's not the best out there, but it's not the worst either.<hr></blockquote>


I agree, I had my subs in a bandpass (what the hell for I have no idea) and they sounded okay at best. With the same amp, speakers, deck and wiring I got so much more productivity and sound from them by just switching to an open, more custom enclosure. Especially with the bastard of a trunk/hatchback we have, that is going to be crucial and one of your less expensive solutions when trying to "beat up the block"
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[speedy-v6-camaro]

Personally I have been happy with the 1000W and 1500W amp from Lanzar. I found both on ebay for a total of about $300. The 1000W is good to 2 ohms but I am using it as 125W RMS x 4ch @ 4 ohms. The 1500W is a monoblock good to 1500W Max at 1 ohm (Thats right....1 ohm.) The RMS is about 900W and if you want to wire to 2 or 4 ohms it goes to 700W RMS and then 400W RMS. I have the monoblock pushing 2 audiobahn 12s (700W RMS each) and haven't had a problem.

[naptown]

<blockquote>quote:</font><hr>Originally posted by grndlvl:


all above are good but ya forgot one......Phoenix Gold.....pricey yes but will handle just about anything you can throw at it only amps I'll use anymore :D :D :D :D <hr></blockquote>

True true true, I forgot. Although you want the tantrum series! Dont buy any of that crap from hhgreg

[C.Palmer]

<blockquote>quote:</font><hr>Originally posted by camaro_speedemon:
C. Palmer, I agree with you somewhat, but watts is important. It also depends a what he is looking for, loud or SQ. You need more watts to be louder, but it also depends on how clean the signal is, box design ect. I have had 2 different amps at the same power rating and one performs better than the other.

Also look at RMS watts, that's more of a true measurement on how the amp performs. The cheaper amps use MAX watts to fool the average consumer into thinking they are better, while good companies advertise RMS watts. Think of RMS watts as constant power while MAX watts is the little extra umph the amp might need for that one low note.

As for your question, American Legacy is alright, it's not the best out there, but it's not the worst either.<hr></blockquote>

you're right... watts is very important. i'm just emphisizing that people buy amps that say 1000 watts on the front and plug them in thinking they are actually getting 1K watts when in reality they're getting less then half of that most of the time.

sound quality is most important to me. in that respect, i use good quality amplifiers and head units for crystal clear sound and obviously you can't deliver without some quality speakers to back it up. A good pioneer head-unit with the mosfet power supply should be obtainable around $250 retail for something simple. I'd suggest a kick-pod set up for your front mids because the factory speaker mounts in the front are in a horrible position unless your feet have ears. Or you can take the route I did and get a component speaker set up and mount your tweeter a little higher to bring the highs closer to your ears. keep them away from the glass though... it is possible to get sound distortion if your highs are bouncing off the windows.

damn i could sit here and make suggestions all day because there are so many options... fbird what are you going to be using the amp for?

[grndlvl]

<blockquote>quote:</font><hr>Originally posted by naptown:


True true true, I forgot. Although you want the tantrum series! Dont buy any of that crap from hhgreg<hr></blockquote>

sorry but the zx series kick *ss,
[img]graemlins/rofl.gif[/img]

[C.Palmer]

I always liked the ratings on the ZX series phoneix gold amps but some people have had problems with sound interference because of the fans... rare but it happens depending on the setup. If they weren't so overpriced I'd buy one anyday and take my chances though :D

[grndlvl]

haven't had a problem with the fans in mine so must be rare if any body is looking for a ZX350 I now have one for sale $175.00 plus shipping switching mids and highs to my zx 200 this weekend