i figured i would just ask what everyones favorite brands are. i am looking for 2 new amps and a head unit.
the story
- i took my car (00 neon) into the shop last week to have my transmission rebuilt. the next morning i got a call from the shop manager saying my car was broken into. they got the 2 amps and head unit but couldnt get the box out of the trunk so i still have my subs.
good news
- they broke the amps when prying them out of the amp rack with a crow bar and we had the face to the radio so they didnt get anything out of it
- insurance is covering everything
(bad news)
- i havent even looked at audio equipment in 2yrs and have no clue whats out now
- the only shop in the state that i trusted has gone out of business so i have to find somewhere to buy my new stuff
so now for the fun part...
i need a good headunit with lots of tunability - my old one was a pioneer premier deh-p860mp which had eq and crossover settings along with time alighnment built in
my amps were jl audio 300/2 for fronts and 500/1 for subs.
the new amps have to power jl audio xr-650csi components in the front and 2-12" polk/momo subs (mm2124)(4 ohm-svc)
im not trying to rattle the neighborhood or anything i just want a really good sounding system in my car
if i left anything out just ask and ill let you know and any suggestions are really appreciated (and sorry for the long sentences and bad punctuation - i failed english class in school)
Replies (8)
swez on 03/24/2006 21:40:59
Well, you had a fine system there to begin with and depending on how well the insurance company kicks in, I would go with pretty much what you had in amps again. Both JL amps mentioned are still considered top flight gear.
As for a new HU, Pioneer Premier is still a good option, as would Alpine's upper lines or perhaps a nice Kenwood HU. Might want to plan ahead here a bit and get all the primary features you had before and perhaps an AUX input for an MP3 player.
FYI: If your car insurance company tries to stiff you on replacement costs, go after the tranny shop for the balance to complete your purchase with similar quality gear. Factor in an installers fee as well. If you do the work yourself, just pocket the extra for your trouble. (I would get a few installer estimates and charge accordingly.
Sorry to hear of your mis-fortune. You may want to invest in a good alarm system here.
Swez
lewis on 03/24/2006 21:55:37
well i have a very good alarm in it now ( dont remember make or model but it was the best they had) with a dual stage shock sensor, dual stage proximety (or however you spell it) sensor, glass breakage sensor, and hood and trunk pins
unfortunatley i forgot to leave the remote with them when i dropped it off (it was the only time since it was installed i havent had the alarm on over night)
swez on 03/24/2006 22:39:20
Your diction and spelling are good enough to convey the key details.
The fact you had an alarm and it was not activated at that point, may or may not, have any real bearing on the outcome noted. A skilled thief, that knows his business well, can defeat most alarm systems in a matter of seconds. These guys had to be rookies, or they would have made off with the goods, in working order.
Now, focus on your new system search and purchase when the check comes in.
Swez
lewis on 03/25/2006 00:48:31
any thoughts on clarion head units??
http://clarion.com/us/en/products/2005/audio/source_units/cd/DXZ955MC/us-en-product-pf_1133851137422.html
ive talked to people that really liked them before (a long time ago) and when i purchased my most recent one the salesman said they arent very good...just looking for a personal oppinion
this model looks really good as far as i can tell but im not sure if it will be as good as my old one was...
swez on 03/25/2006 11:03:36
This HU has some very nice features. The Recorder mode may be very useful if you can rip CD quality audio and store/select the cuts you desire to hold in memory. Nice feature.
The 3 band parametric specs are lacking here. I would expect menu driven Low, Mid, High centering frequency select options and variable "Q" bandwidth on each segment. Knowing more about that feature, would be the deal maker/breaker to consider.
The Spectrum analyzer may be more like "eye candy". Just a cute display feature. But, if one can use it like an RTA and calibrated mike, to dial in test tones (Pink noise generator) for a reasonably flat response curve, (incorporated with P-EQ functions) now that would be useful. The Pioneer Premier top flight HU's do have this feature. Very nice and highly useful feature too.
The motorized face panel is a potential weakness. Having complex moving parts and subject to vibration and temperature extremes, may give long term reliability concerns. The less moving/accuating parts, the better.
Comments?
Swez
swez on 03/25/2006 11:54:28
You may wish to review the following HU's and see if these appeal to your performance, price and feature needs:
1. http://www.crutchfield.com/S-c7lPUA8T0VU/cgi-bin/prodview.asp?g=300&I=133C8803
2. http://www.crutchfield.com/S-c7lPUA8T0VU/cgi-bin/ProdView.asp?g=300&id=detailed_info&i=099CD5000#Tab
3. http://www.crutchfield.com/S-c7lPUA8T0VU/cgi-bin/ProdView.asp?g=300&I=113KDCX990
4. http://www.crutchfield.com/S-c7lPUA8T0VU/cgi-bin/ProdView.asp?g=300&id=detailed_info&i=133C9901#Tab
5. http://www.crutchfield.com/S-c7lPUA8T0VU/cgi-bin/ProdView.asp?g=300&id=detailed_info&i=099CD7000#Tab
Some of the listed items have very useful EQ.DEQ and SRS/WOW features. Some have Nav and GPS features as well. Have a look and see if any appeal to your sense of value and performance enhancements.
Swez
lewis on 03/26/2006 19:01:06
any thoughts on alphasonic amps?? i found a couple of them that look nice but i have no clue about how they perform..
- http://www.sonicelectronix.com/item_2821.html#specs
this one is rated 150*4 @ 4ohms which would allow me to either put in some rear fill or add some midbass up front
-http://www.sonicelectronix.com/item_2796.html
this one is rated 500*2 @ 4ohms which would supply more power to my subs
im just wondering if they will actually put out that kind of power in real world usage and if you think the sound will be the same quality as with my old jl amps
it looks like im going with the same head unit because i cant find anything i like more with the options it has...
and thanks again for any help
swez on 03/26/2006 23:56:31
I cannot comment specifically on Alpahsonic amps. It may well be very under-rated per specs given. But, without having one on hand to bench test, I will not comment. Yes, the guy who posted his readings, makes this amp sound very good. But, is he a pleeb for Alpha or are his claims able to hold water. Hopefully, others have experience with this brand and can guide you. On paper it looks like a winner... but then again, bench testing, is believing.
As for HU brand and features, if you can find same and loved it... by all means, stick with what you know to be a solid performer.
Swez
the story
- i took my car (00 neon) into the shop last week to have my transmission rebuilt. the next morning i got a call from the shop manager saying my car was broken into. they got the 2 amps and head unit but couldnt get the box out of the trunk so i still have my subs.
good news
- they broke the amps when prying them out of the amp rack with a crow bar and we had the face to the radio so they didnt get anything out of it
- insurance is covering everything
(bad news)
- i havent even looked at audio equipment in 2yrs and have no clue whats out now
- the only shop in the state that i trusted has gone out of business so i have to find somewhere to buy my new stuff
so now for the fun part...
i need a good headunit with lots of tunability - my old one was a pioneer premier deh-p860mp which had eq and crossover settings along with time alighnment built in
my amps were jl audio 300/2 for fronts and 500/1 for subs.
the new amps have to power jl audio xr-650csi components in the front and 2-12" polk/momo subs (mm2124)(4 ohm-svc)
im not trying to rattle the neighborhood or anything i just want a really good sounding system in my car
if i left anything out just ask and ill let you know and any suggestions are really appreciated (and sorry for the long sentences and bad punctuation - i failed english class in school)
Replies (8)
swez on 03/24/2006 21:40:59
Well, you had a fine system there to begin with and depending on how well the insurance company kicks in, I would go with pretty much what you had in amps again. Both JL amps mentioned are still considered top flight gear.
As for a new HU, Pioneer Premier is still a good option, as would Alpine's upper lines or perhaps a nice Kenwood HU. Might want to plan ahead here a bit and get all the primary features you had before and perhaps an AUX input for an MP3 player.
FYI: If your car insurance company tries to stiff you on replacement costs, go after the tranny shop for the balance to complete your purchase with similar quality gear. Factor in an installers fee as well. If you do the work yourself, just pocket the extra for your trouble. (I would get a few installer estimates and charge accordingly.
Sorry to hear of your mis-fortune. You may want to invest in a good alarm system here.
Swez
lewis on 03/24/2006 21:55:37
well i have a very good alarm in it now ( dont remember make or model but it was the best they had) with a dual stage shock sensor, dual stage proximety (or however you spell it) sensor, glass breakage sensor, and hood and trunk pins
unfortunatley i forgot to leave the remote with them when i dropped it off (it was the only time since it was installed i havent had the alarm on over night)
swez on 03/24/2006 22:39:20
Your diction and spelling are good enough to convey the key details.
The fact you had an alarm and it was not activated at that point, may or may not, have any real bearing on the outcome noted. A skilled thief, that knows his business well, can defeat most alarm systems in a matter of seconds. These guys had to be rookies, or they would have made off with the goods, in working order.
Now, focus on your new system search and purchase when the check comes in.
Swez
lewis on 03/25/2006 00:48:31
any thoughts on clarion head units??
http://clarion.com/us/en/products/2005/audio/source_units/cd/DXZ955MC/us-en-product-pf_1133851137422.html
ive talked to people that really liked them before (a long time ago) and when i purchased my most recent one the salesman said they arent very good...just looking for a personal oppinion
this model looks really good as far as i can tell but im not sure if it will be as good as my old one was...
swez on 03/25/2006 11:03:36
This HU has some very nice features. The Recorder mode may be very useful if you can rip CD quality audio and store/select the cuts you desire to hold in memory. Nice feature.
The 3 band parametric specs are lacking here. I would expect menu driven Low, Mid, High centering frequency select options and variable "Q" bandwidth on each segment. Knowing more about that feature, would be the deal maker/breaker to consider.
The Spectrum analyzer may be more like "eye candy". Just a cute display feature. But, if one can use it like an RTA and calibrated mike, to dial in test tones (Pink noise generator) for a reasonably flat response curve, (incorporated with P-EQ functions) now that would be useful. The Pioneer Premier top flight HU's do have this feature. Very nice and highly useful feature too.
The motorized face panel is a potential weakness. Having complex moving parts and subject to vibration and temperature extremes, may give long term reliability concerns. The less moving/accuating parts, the better.
Comments?
Swez
swez on 03/25/2006 11:54:28
You may wish to review the following HU's and see if these appeal to your performance, price and feature needs:
1. http://www.crutchfield.com/S-c7lPUA8T0VU/cgi-bin/prodview.asp?g=300&I=133C8803
2. http://www.crutchfield.com/S-c7lPUA8T0VU/cgi-bin/ProdView.asp?g=300&id=detailed_info&i=099CD5000#Tab
3. http://www.crutchfield.com/S-c7lPUA8T0VU/cgi-bin/ProdView.asp?g=300&I=113KDCX990
4. http://www.crutchfield.com/S-c7lPUA8T0VU/cgi-bin/ProdView.asp?g=300&id=detailed_info&i=133C9901#Tab
5. http://www.crutchfield.com/S-c7lPUA8T0VU/cgi-bin/ProdView.asp?g=300&id=detailed_info&i=099CD7000#Tab
Some of the listed items have very useful EQ.DEQ and SRS/WOW features. Some have Nav and GPS features as well. Have a look and see if any appeal to your sense of value and performance enhancements.
Swez
lewis on 03/26/2006 19:01:06
any thoughts on alphasonic amps?? i found a couple of them that look nice but i have no clue about how they perform..
- http://www.sonicelectronix.com/item_2821.html#specs
this one is rated 150*4 @ 4ohms which would allow me to either put in some rear fill or add some midbass up front
-http://www.sonicelectronix.com/item_2796.html
this one is rated 500*2 @ 4ohms which would supply more power to my subs
im just wondering if they will actually put out that kind of power in real world usage and if you think the sound will be the same quality as with my old jl amps
it looks like im going with the same head unit because i cant find anything i like more with the options it has...
and thanks again for any help
swez on 03/26/2006 23:56:31
I cannot comment specifically on Alpahsonic amps. It may well be very under-rated per specs given. But, without having one on hand to bench test, I will not comment. Yes, the guy who posted his readings, makes this amp sound very good. But, is he a pleeb for Alpha or are his claims able to hold water. Hopefully, others have experience with this brand and can guide you. On paper it looks like a winner... but then again, bench testing, is believing.
As for HU brand and features, if you can find same and loved it... by all means, stick with what you know to be a solid performer.
Swez
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