Alpine M series good enough for Hertz speakers?

[JakeD 10+ year member]

I'm thinking about buying a set of Hertz HSK 165 speakers and a Hertz HX250D subwoofer from my local dealer. I am really sold on this gear.

Now I'm wondering what I should buy to power it. The owner of the shop suggested the Audison SRX5.1 (55W X 4 @ 4 ohms + 185W @ 4 ohms). I asked him if 185 watts RMS is enough power to run that Hertz sub and he insisted that it is. He said that Hertz speakers are so energy efficient it will sound equivalent to running two to three times the amount of power into a higher end Alpine. I asked if the sound quality of the sub would be good with so little power and he was like "I think it will shock you".

This is a really trusted local shop but I'm still inclined to ask questions before dropping a lot of cash. If anyone else told me the things he was telling me, I would probably walk.

I asked how well an M series amp would power this gear and he said the "entry level" Alpines amps will produce a lot more noise than the Audison and he doesn't recommend them for a really nice speaker like Hertz. Going with Alpine M series would double the amount of power I'm sending to the sub and save me approx. $300 compared to the Audison I mentioned above. Am I crazy for thinking about that?

Thanks in advance!

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[Ekimdude 10+ year member]

You are not crazy at all, the Audison is a nice amp but it is pricey. You wont be able to tell an audible difference between an Audison amp or an Alpine that puts out the same power.

 

[Brian_smith06 10+ year member]

nothing wrong with those m series amps. i had an mrp-f600 on a set the comps in my sig and it sounded great. no noise at all.

i actually heard that that comp set and the amp you speak of yesterday and it sounded pretty d@mn good

 

[JakeD 10+ year member]

I can't help but wonder if he's pushing the Hertz/Audison gear because it's more expensive with a much higher margin. Regardless, I like the Hertz speakers. The amp I'm not sure about.

I can get these amps for $300 less than the lower-powered Audison. Alpines are some of the most popular in the world, are they not? It's not like I'm flaking out and buying junk, right?

Alpine MRP-F300 (50 watts RMS x 4 @ 4 ohms or 150 watts RMS x 2 @ 4 ohms if I decide to use my deck for rear fill).

Alpine MRP-M500 (300 watts RMS x 1 @ 4 ohms)

 

[kubie 10+ year member]

I had the MRP-F300 power my HSK165 set before I traded it and it sounded ok but you need to really get 100 rms to the mids. I bridged the F300 and noticed alot more noise in the sound. Right now I have the mids off of a Phoenix Gold ZX400ti and the tweeters off of a Soundstream VGA800.5. This setup sounds alot better than the F300, plus now I have the option of getting the Hertz HL70 and run some mids.

Your best bet is to listen to both and determine yourself if it is worth it to buy the Audison.I would tell the shop to get a F300 and prove you wrong with the sound.

 

[JakeD 10+ year member]

I had the MRP-F300 power my HSK165 set before I traded it and it sounded ok but you need to really get 100 rms to the mids. I bridged the F300 and noticed alot more noise in the sound. Right now I have the mids off of a Phoenix Gold ZX400ti and the tweeters off of a Soundstream VGA800.5. This setup sounds alot better than the F300, plus now I have the option of getting the Hertz HL70 and run some mids.
Your best bet is to listen to both and determine yourself if it is worth it to buy the Audison.I would tell the shop to get a F300 and prove you wrong with the sound.

How 'bout:

Alpine PDX-4.100 (100W X 4 @ 4 ohms) ~ $450 (rated at 130 RMS according to some. Perfect power match for the HSK 165!)

Alipine PDX-1.600 (600W X 1 @ 4 ohms) ~ $450

Or

For Highs: Alpine MRP-F300 (50W RMS x 4 @ 4 ohms) ~ $200

For Mids: Alpine MRP-F600 (100W RMS X 4 @ 4 ohms) ~ $350

For Sub: Alpine MRP-M1000 (600W RMS X 1 @ 4 ohms) ~ $400

For some reason both of those look A LOT more appealing than the Audison's 55WX4 + 185W.

 

[kubie 10+ year member]

How 'bout:
Alpine PDX-4.100 (100W X 4 @ 4 ohms) ~ $450 (rated at 130 RMS according to some. Perfect power match for the HSK 165!)

Alipine PDX-1.600 (600W X 1 @ 4 ohms) ~ $450

Or

For Highs: Alpine MRP-F300 (50W RMS x 4 @ 4 ohms) ~ $200

For Mids: Alpine MRP-F600 (100W RMS X 4 @ 4 ohms) ~ $350

For Sub: Alpine MRP-M1000 (600W RMS X 1 @ 4 ohms) ~ $400

For some reason both of those look A LOT more appealing than the Audison's 55WX4 + 185W.

Are you going to run active? It would be better if you run active if your tweeters are mounted higher than the mids. The tweets in the HSK set are pretty bright for my tastes and running them passive didnt sound great to me.

I never heard the PDX amps and most ppl that have used them really liked them and they have the small footprint. How much are you looking to spend for amps? If I had $600 right now I would get the new Zed Audio Leviathan

150 watts per channel in 6 channels at 4ohms. You could run the HSk set and the sub. **** I hate not having cash.

http://www.zedaudiocorp.com/

 

[JakeD 10+ year member]

Whatever I buy, it will be at my local shop. I prefer to support independently owned local shops. They deal Hertz and Alpine mostly. I think they have some stuff from Eclipse and MTX, but those are not their true focus.

 

[bigaudiofanati2 10+ year member]

You are not crazy at all, the Audison is a nice amp but it is pricey. You wont be able to tell an audible difference between an Audison amp or an Alpine that puts out the same power.

I agree once I got my first audison amp I was hooked. They are great amps nothing but them I like now. //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/veryhappy.gif.fec4fed33b4a1279cf10bdd45a039dae.gif

 

[kubie 10+ year member]

Whatever I buy, it will be at my local shop. I prefer to support independently owned local shops. They deal Hertz and Alpine mostly. I think they have some stuff from Eclipse and MTX, but those are not their true focus.

Try to get them to demo the Alpines and the Audison for you. Its your choice and your money. Don't take their word for it till you heard it yourself, you will be happier in the long run. If you want to support a local shop then look at the JL HD 900/5. Expensive but its everything in one amp you need.

 

[JakeD 10+ year member]

I wish my local dealer sold JL. There was a time I was considering piecing together a nice JL system for the best price possible, but after all the time my local dealer has spent teaching me I have a connection.

I forget the difference between active and passive. Could you explain it to me? Thanks.

 

[JakeD 10+ year member]

So I went in and compared the Alpine amps to the Audison amps. All I can say is wow! On the Alpine speakers (Type R, Type X Pro and reference model) there was not a huge difference. They sounded cold and sharp on both, but the Type X Pro and reference model did sound a lot more clear. With the Hertz speakers the difference was night and day. Even 55W Audison running into the Hertz speaker was like being there in person, while the PDX was sharp and scratchy. I had no idea how much of a difference there would be! It was like the difference between listening to a musician play guitar in a wood recording room compared to them playing outside with a hair dryer next to the microphone. Maybe I'm exaggerating a little, but the difference was huge. There's SO much more detail on the Audison!

Wow!

 

[mdrums]

JakeD, I have the Hertz High Energy 2 way for my fronts and they do sound great...I listened to a few different brands and I was blown away with the real sound and smooth sound from Hertz. I did go with a JL sub though. I am powering this with a Focal 4.75 amp (75w per ch for the fronts and 200watts to the sub).

My Focal amp is over heating mostly due to the poor ventalation in the rear of my Mini Cooper. I am considering Alpine PDX or JL HD 4 ch amp.

So the PDX amps sounded brite to you? I am looking for a warmer sounding amp with punch that does not thin out at high volumes.

 

[lyttleviet 10+ year member]

That is definitely not enough power for the sub AND the components.

 

[mdrums]

That is definitely not enough power for the sub AND the components.

True...I am running 75 watts to my fronts and 200 to a 10" sub and could still use more power...and this is in a Mini Cooper too.