Hi guys, I was hoping you could help me out on suggestions of good amplifiers to buy. I have a 2003 Hyundai Tiburon Gt, with a stock Infinity system w/8" sub. I'm going to take everything out and redo it. I'm using Polk Audio/MOMO MMC5250 Component System for the front panels/tweeters and Polk Audio/MOMO MMC690 6x9's for the rear panels. The sub, which I have already bought also, is a Image Dynamics IDMAX 12V.3 D2, which pumps 1000 W RMS. I'm going to run 2 amps, a 4 channel for the front/rear speakers and a monoblock for the sub, but I'm having trouble picking out what amps are going to get me the best bang for my buck. I've been looking at amps by Audiobahn, Phoenix Gold Xenon series, JBL's GTO series, and Soundstream. I've also looked at Xtant's high end but I really dont want to spend 700 + on just one amp. I'm looking at spending 300-500 for the monoblock, and less than 300 for the multi-channel. I hope you guys can help me out. Thanks.
Replies (11)
uochronos on 10/10/2004 15:12:05
ok a few things first before i get into which amps are good choies here. you have a 1000watt rms sub and probaly around 400watts rms worth of mids and highs you want to amp. thats 1400watts rms. if you install that many amps in your car the ellectrical system well not handle it and it well fail... first light dimming that well get worse then your car well just sgtart dieing(not enough power to spark engine)
you well need to upgrade battery, power wires, and alternator to run this system. that well; cost you 400-800$ just to upgrade the power system enough to run this set up.
now for amps phoenic gold octane R xenon and tantrum serties are all wonderfull above avergae amps. JBL makes many fine amps. also JL, alpine, rockford fosgate, hifonix, kicker, ma audio, and on and on so many good amp companies.
another thing is your listing 300-500for a sub amp and less then 300 for a 4 channel. a good 4 channel amp\ is usualy equal or more then a good mono class d amp. simple because the 4 channel amp has more parts inside even if it puts out less power.
hoever a class D amp 800-1000watts can be had for around 300$ if shopped well. and a good 4 channel amp with a 75-100watt rms per channel can be had for 200-300.
again i suggest you think about how much it well cost to upgrade your power system in the car. no stock alternator and battery is going to take the abuse of 1200-1400watts rms being pulled from it. and a alternator well run from 200-400$+ for a car mattering what car. A good high CCA battery well run 100$ and then maybe 30$-40$ in wireing for the battery and aklternaor. this isnt something that is suggest your car just wont run without upgrade with this stereo. in my last car a 93 for probe i had major dimming problems with just a 500watt rms amp. and even had the car dje once at a stop light on me.
Chronos
jrine on 10/10/2004 17:21:22
If I decide to, which means that I probably will, upgrade my power system due to my stereo system, then is it just basically up to me to pick out what amps I want to use?
Is Audiobahn a good brand for amps? I've been looking at their amps a lot, but I'm not sure if they are as good as if I was going to get Phoenix Gold amps.
I was also wondering if you could make suggestions on good alternators. Would a custom install stereo place have these things available (to upgrade my power system) or do I need to find them myself??
swez on 10/10/2004 17:58:28
HO ALT's are available for many models from Stinger and Ohio Generator. There are other first rate makers besides the pair mentioned, but some research is needed. (Where's POwer Lifter on this one?) He's BTDT and has a very good handle on sources for HO electrical systems.
Amps:
Bahn makes some pretty good, but somewhat expensive amps. They are rugged, dependable and plenty of RMS power too. Kinda flashy, if you happen to like that kind of glitz. They make good 4/2 channel models as well as mono sub amps.
The Polks mentioned are an excellent choice. They need power to get the most from them. Would not go less than 75 WRMS/ch on them... they are rated at 100 WRMS. Am amp of that magnitude, will draw ~50A all by itself.
That is also a great sub. Here too, a Class D power amp in the 1000 WRMS range, will draw close to 100A at full power. So, we are looking at an ALT that will deliver a solid 200-250A to feed both amps and keep your car electricals up to snuff.
In short, if you really want to make this investment in high SQL sound, start looking for a HO ALT. Once you have that nailed down, the rest will be easier to narrow the field on amps to consider.
Swez
jrine on 10/10/2004 21:01:33
Thanks for the help. Much appreciated. I was wondering though, when I get the alternator, will I need to get a new high quality car battery? If so, what is a good battery to get?
I'm pretty sure I'm going to stick with Audiobahn for the amps. I was wondering, with regards to monoblock amps, which Audiobahn amp would be better: the Dub series DUB1800D, or the A18001DT amp?
With regards to multichannel: the A6004T amp or the A4601T amp?? I know both put out 75Wx4 at 4 ohms, but how can I determine which is better or at least which is better suited for my system?
Any suggestions, comments will help. thanks
P0werLifter on 10/10/2004 22:37:36
Yes,,,when you upgrade your electrical system that entails purchasing a high cold cranking amp battery. There are plenty of good batteries out there. I personally use Optima's. Stinger makes some good ones but are very $$$$$. Whatever battery you get make sure its over 850CCA's and you should be alright.
Make sure you upgrade all your wiring to run this type of setup...including the grounding strap from the engine to the frame.
jrine on 10/10/2004 23:26:39
Thanks for the info on the batteries.
Can anyone help me out with my amp comparison question or give me some suggestions for different amps?
uochronos on 10/11/2004 02:15:49
comparing amps isnt really easy all the ones i listed make good amps i wouldnt ahev listed them if they did not. and all the ones i listed make one that well fit your criterea. if you tell us a couple you like we can compare those. Phoenix gold(every series they make) are good and they have a 800-1200watt rms mono amp in all there series. also they make plenty of 4 channel amps.
then there is JL audio they make a great 1000/1 amp and a couple great 4 channel amps
and like i said all the other brands i listed make good amps. pick a few you are interested in and we can let you know which ones have what options and what options you need.
one thing is well this sub be in a ported or sealed box if you plan to ever use a ported box then get a amp for the sub that has a Sub sonic filter. if you dont plan to ever use ported then dont need to worry about that.
i could go to all these companies web sites and list every amp they make in your criterea but that would be a huge list and take hours for me to compare them all for you. so please narrow it down for us choose a few you want us to let you know about. it saves you and us time. if i start listing amps i dont know if you even like that one or not.
Chronos
jrine on 10/11/2004 15:58:40
I've been looking at Phoenix Gold, Audiobahn, and JBL Gto series.
Hopefully you can give me some idea which amp is better or which are very similar. All monoblocks I've been looking at: Phoenix Gold Xenon 1200.1 X, Audiobahn Dub series DUB1800D, Audiobahn A18001DT, and the JBL GTO1201.1
As for multichannel amps: Audiobahn A4601T, Audiobahn A6004T, Phoenix Gold Octane R 8.0.4,...haven't really found any JBL multi channel for cheap price.
I'm also trying to stick with the same brand for both amps. I didnt really want to go one brand on the monoblock and one brand on the multichannel. \
Hopefully you can help with the choices given or give me some more suggestions. Thanks.
uochronos on 10/12/2004 00:44:46
first unless you really really want it to all match in alot of cases mixing and matching brands well prove to get a better power/sound for your money then buying all the same brand just for the fact its the same brand.
the Phoenix gold xenon amp i would say is the best one you have listed in my opinion it has all great options and and phoenix gold quality to back it up i have a friend with a 5 year old PG amp and it is beat to hell looks like crap but it works like the day he got it.
also the JBL GTO series is a great amp good options and JBL amps also tend to be pretty bullet proof.
i have little to no experience with audio bahn so i well let them tell you about it.
as for 4 channel amps i would go with the PG amp here the Octane R amps not only look great but they perform very well. again i dont know much about audio bahn so i well let someone else tell you there opinions on them.
all the amps listed though are good quality unless one has a feature that you need the other doesnt i personlay would choose the best priced one none of these amps are a slouch,
Chronos
asplundher on 10/12/2004 06:50:51
One thing that I would like to know that may affect your choices. What HU will you be using? Does it have enough preouts to supply the amps? The reason I ask is because I prefer the JBL Power Valve series over the GTO's. The monoblocks are 1ohm stable which means the power supplies are probably better. You can still find the 1200.1 and all the others pretty cheap, much cheaper than the GTO's. Only one problem; none of the Power series have pass throughs to feed a extra amp so you will have to have a HU with Front, Rear, and Sub or a signal processor (EQ)with enough to feed.
jrine on 10/12/2004 16:03:05
Thanks for the help on amps, Chonos. Besides the amps I listed, I just recently took a look at Hifonics amps. I've been looking at the Brutus BX1500D... do u think u could tell me anytyhing about it...whether or not it is a good amp compared to the others.
To asplundher: I haven't fully decided on the HU I'm going to get. I've narrowed down the decisions though. It's between the Pioneer Premier DEH-P8MP, the Pioneer Premier DEH-P860MP, or the lower end Pioneer DEH-P8600MP.
I've thought about getting an Alpine HU cause they are very good, but I dont like the way they look, and style is somewhat important to me, along with the features.
Replies (11)
uochronos on 10/10/2004 15:12:05
ok a few things first before i get into which amps are good choies here. you have a 1000watt rms sub and probaly around 400watts rms worth of mids and highs you want to amp. thats 1400watts rms. if you install that many amps in your car the ellectrical system well not handle it and it well fail... first light dimming that well get worse then your car well just sgtart dieing(not enough power to spark engine)
you well need to upgrade battery, power wires, and alternator to run this system. that well; cost you 400-800$ just to upgrade the power system enough to run this set up.
now for amps phoenic gold octane R xenon and tantrum serties are all wonderfull above avergae amps. JBL makes many fine amps. also JL, alpine, rockford fosgate, hifonix, kicker, ma audio, and on and on so many good amp companies.
another thing is your listing 300-500for a sub amp and less then 300 for a 4 channel. a good 4 channel amp\ is usualy equal or more then a good mono class d amp. simple because the 4 channel amp has more parts inside even if it puts out less power.
hoever a class D amp 800-1000watts can be had for around 300$ if shopped well. and a good 4 channel amp with a 75-100watt rms per channel can be had for 200-300.
again i suggest you think about how much it well cost to upgrade your power system in the car. no stock alternator and battery is going to take the abuse of 1200-1400watts rms being pulled from it. and a alternator well run from 200-400$+ for a car mattering what car. A good high CCA battery well run 100$ and then maybe 30$-40$ in wireing for the battery and aklternaor. this isnt something that is suggest your car just wont run without upgrade with this stereo. in my last car a 93 for probe i had major dimming problems with just a 500watt rms amp. and even had the car dje once at a stop light on me.
Chronos
jrine on 10/10/2004 17:21:22
If I decide to, which means that I probably will, upgrade my power system due to my stereo system, then is it just basically up to me to pick out what amps I want to use?
Is Audiobahn a good brand for amps? I've been looking at their amps a lot, but I'm not sure if they are as good as if I was going to get Phoenix Gold amps.
I was also wondering if you could make suggestions on good alternators. Would a custom install stereo place have these things available (to upgrade my power system) or do I need to find them myself??
swez on 10/10/2004 17:58:28
HO ALT's are available for many models from Stinger and Ohio Generator. There are other first rate makers besides the pair mentioned, but some research is needed. (Where's POwer Lifter on this one?) He's BTDT and has a very good handle on sources for HO electrical systems.
Amps:
Bahn makes some pretty good, but somewhat expensive amps. They are rugged, dependable and plenty of RMS power too. Kinda flashy, if you happen to like that kind of glitz. They make good 4/2 channel models as well as mono sub amps.
The Polks mentioned are an excellent choice. They need power to get the most from them. Would not go less than 75 WRMS/ch on them... they are rated at 100 WRMS. Am amp of that magnitude, will draw ~50A all by itself.
That is also a great sub. Here too, a Class D power amp in the 1000 WRMS range, will draw close to 100A at full power. So, we are looking at an ALT that will deliver a solid 200-250A to feed both amps and keep your car electricals up to snuff.
In short, if you really want to make this investment in high SQL sound, start looking for a HO ALT. Once you have that nailed down, the rest will be easier to narrow the field on amps to consider.
Swez
jrine on 10/10/2004 21:01:33
Thanks for the help. Much appreciated. I was wondering though, when I get the alternator, will I need to get a new high quality car battery? If so, what is a good battery to get?
I'm pretty sure I'm going to stick with Audiobahn for the amps. I was wondering, with regards to monoblock amps, which Audiobahn amp would be better: the Dub series DUB1800D, or the A18001DT amp?
With regards to multichannel: the A6004T amp or the A4601T amp?? I know both put out 75Wx4 at 4 ohms, but how can I determine which is better or at least which is better suited for my system?
Any suggestions, comments will help. thanks
P0werLifter on 10/10/2004 22:37:36
Yes,,,when you upgrade your electrical system that entails purchasing a high cold cranking amp battery. There are plenty of good batteries out there. I personally use Optima's. Stinger makes some good ones but are very $$$$$. Whatever battery you get make sure its over 850CCA's and you should be alright.
Make sure you upgrade all your wiring to run this type of setup...including the grounding strap from the engine to the frame.
jrine on 10/10/2004 23:26:39
Thanks for the info on the batteries.
Can anyone help me out with my amp comparison question or give me some suggestions for different amps?
uochronos on 10/11/2004 02:15:49
comparing amps isnt really easy all the ones i listed make good amps i wouldnt ahev listed them if they did not. and all the ones i listed make one that well fit your criterea. if you tell us a couple you like we can compare those. Phoenix gold(every series they make) are good and they have a 800-1200watt rms mono amp in all there series. also they make plenty of 4 channel amps.
then there is JL audio they make a great 1000/1 amp and a couple great 4 channel amps
and like i said all the other brands i listed make good amps. pick a few you are interested in and we can let you know which ones have what options and what options you need.
one thing is well this sub be in a ported or sealed box if you plan to ever use a ported box then get a amp for the sub that has a Sub sonic filter. if you dont plan to ever use ported then dont need to worry about that.
i could go to all these companies web sites and list every amp they make in your criterea but that would be a huge list and take hours for me to compare them all for you. so please narrow it down for us choose a few you want us to let you know about. it saves you and us time. if i start listing amps i dont know if you even like that one or not.
Chronos
jrine on 10/11/2004 15:58:40
I've been looking at Phoenix Gold, Audiobahn, and JBL Gto series.
Hopefully you can give me some idea which amp is better or which are very similar. All monoblocks I've been looking at: Phoenix Gold Xenon 1200.1 X, Audiobahn Dub series DUB1800D, Audiobahn A18001DT, and the JBL GTO1201.1
As for multichannel amps: Audiobahn A4601T, Audiobahn A6004T, Phoenix Gold Octane R 8.0.4,...haven't really found any JBL multi channel for cheap price.
I'm also trying to stick with the same brand for both amps. I didnt really want to go one brand on the monoblock and one brand on the multichannel. \
Hopefully you can help with the choices given or give me some more suggestions. Thanks.
uochronos on 10/12/2004 00:44:46
first unless you really really want it to all match in alot of cases mixing and matching brands well prove to get a better power/sound for your money then buying all the same brand just for the fact its the same brand.
the Phoenix gold xenon amp i would say is the best one you have listed in my opinion it has all great options and and phoenix gold quality to back it up i have a friend with a 5 year old PG amp and it is beat to hell looks like crap but it works like the day he got it.
also the JBL GTO series is a great amp good options and JBL amps also tend to be pretty bullet proof.
i have little to no experience with audio bahn so i well let them tell you about it.
as for 4 channel amps i would go with the PG amp here the Octane R amps not only look great but they perform very well. again i dont know much about audio bahn so i well let someone else tell you there opinions on them.
all the amps listed though are good quality unless one has a feature that you need the other doesnt i personlay would choose the best priced one none of these amps are a slouch,
Chronos
asplundher on 10/12/2004 06:50:51
One thing that I would like to know that may affect your choices. What HU will you be using? Does it have enough preouts to supply the amps? The reason I ask is because I prefer the JBL Power Valve series over the GTO's. The monoblocks are 1ohm stable which means the power supplies are probably better. You can still find the 1200.1 and all the others pretty cheap, much cheaper than the GTO's. Only one problem; none of the Power series have pass throughs to feed a extra amp so you will have to have a HU with Front, Rear, and Sub or a signal processor (EQ)with enough to feed.
jrine on 10/12/2004 16:03:05
Thanks for the help on amps, Chonos. Besides the amps I listed, I just recently took a look at Hifonics amps. I've been looking at the Brutus BX1500D... do u think u could tell me anytyhing about it...whether or not it is a good amp compared to the others.
To asplundher: I haven't fully decided on the HU I'm going to get. I've narrowed down the decisions though. It's between the Pioneer Premier DEH-P8MP, the Pioneer Premier DEH-P860MP, or the lower end Pioneer DEH-P8600MP.
I've thought about getting an Alpine HU cause they are very good, but I dont like the way they look, and style is somewhat important to me, along with the features.
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