Best Sound Quality 4 CH amp aside from a JL 300/4

[Gary S 10+ year member]

Watt for watt, if all filters/ tone controls are set to flat, unclipped, you can't hear a difference in modern solid state amplifiers. As far as tube amps go... there is a processor to make solid state amps sound like a tube amp.

Clipped, some amplifiers can sound different... soundstream amps of old had a soft-clipping feature like hi end class A home amps i have heard.

Also, one amp which has more power will tend to sound better... this makes the case for getting as much power as you can afford or that your speakers will handle, within reason... please take care of your hearing.

For the most part, almost all car amps are tri-mode amps with added inverter parts in one channel... almost all amps are clones of Fosgate today and the same.

Many amplifier specifications list distortion figures, and they are low in comparison to speakers... usually .5% or much lower. Did you ever wonder what the distortion specs for speakers might be, did you ever think about that? Some of you might be shocked, and I hate to break this to you and change your world, but out of the best half-dozen or so car speakers I have heard, one listed a distortion figure of 3%.//content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/eek.gif.771b7a90cf45cabdc554ff1121c21c4a.gif

Even if there was a difference between watt for watt sound, the high distortion of the speakers would mask the sound so that it would be impossible to hear. Do you smell what I'm cooking?! //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/biggrin.gif.d71a5d36fcbab170f2364c9f2e3946cb.gif

What you are buying in an amp is features... x-overs, reliability, brand recognition, warranty, looks, and power... they are a commodity. By the way, you don't need a fan in an amplifier... cooling can be done with heat sinks. It's a marketing gimmick in most circumstances.

The biggest problem with car amps is that there are no laws to protect consumers from companies lying about how much power the thing really has. Compare not on specs, but look at the fuses in the amps; don't try to calculate watts per dollar... instead, calculate fuse amperage per dollar.

I worked for JL Audio at one time. I'm not trying to impress you, just impress upon you the fact that I know a few things.

 

[Hebrew Hammer 10+ year member]

why not do a dc zapco? power and processing...the best of both worlds

 

[helotaxi 5,000+ posts]

HELOTAXI:Let me correct myself.... when I describe "better SQ, what I mean is, the ability of the amp to have cleaner sound during high volume and or when musical notes hit their peaks.

That is really all a direct result of more available power before the onset of the distortion. Take a budget amp "rated" at 125Wx4 and a more expensive amp "rated" at 50Wx4. Which will sound better? If you set them up right, they will sound imperceptibly different. They will probably have about hte same amount of usable power, too. Less than the 125W of the less expensive amp and something more than the 50W of the big $ one. Since most any set of good speakers really only needs about 25w to get painfully loud, either will give you more than enough power and some headroom.

Why does RF **** now?

General lack of QC and poor materials in order to cut costs. Same reason most of the companies that used to make great stuff are nowhere near what they used to be. Orion, PPI and several others can be thrown in that mix, too. As long as you know that the amp will be unlistenable at full rated power, they still aren't that bad a deal. It's just that you now have to buy a much bigger amp than you really need in terms of rated output to get enough usable power from one of their products.

 

[Towncar 10+ year member]

Pg, exile, zapco... Just to name a few.

 

[Carnivore 10+ year member]

Watt for watt, if all filters/ tone controls are set to flat, unclipped, you can't hear a difference in modern solid state amplifiers.

So then which brands are the best bang for the buck? In other words - flat response, low noise, low THD, reputable manufacturer, good value but not low-end junk?

 

[explorer2 10+ year member]

Arc makes a few amps that would work, the xxk 4050, 4150 and some others.

 

[Igno 10+ year member]

Man I knew this was gonna happen.//content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/crap.gif.7f4dd41e3e9b23fbd170a1ee6f65cecc.gif . So many choices, so many brands I never even heard of. I can Almost blame some companies for their marketing stratergies. There amps for $200 that produce 75x4 and the're amps that cost $400 that produce 75x4 and I dont care what anyone says, There will be a difference in sound, cuz if it werent, then y would people buy the more costly one if they both do the same. I would like to stick to known brands just because I wouldnt really know about these amps I never heard before, there will always be someone out there saying the words "NO THIS AMP IS BETTER" not really knowing how much experience is behind their opinions. Thats why I'd rather go with a reputable brand. Sorry if Im being blunt about this, but some of you know what Im talking about.
Looka here!!! So many choices

http://ampguts.realmofexcursion.com/

I WILL MAKE MY BUDGET $400 for a 4ch amp. Im considering these brands:

Focal

Sound Stream

Rockford Fosgate

Eclipse

JL 300/4

Kenwwood and Alpine

I looking for a company that builts their amp with the sole purpose of High Fidelity and nothing else. REMEMBER GUYS, YOU GET WHAT YOU PAY FOR.

Thanks Guys for the additional Information

its called propaganda son, read some history people will believe anything if you feed them enough BS:fro:

 

[Russkels55 10+ year member]

us amps hybrid tube amps awesome they make almost anything sound good.

 

[donpisto 5,000+ posts]

Brax...last amp you'll ever need to buy.
These generalizations kinda worry me, it's reminding me of the "capacitors are useless" people; I get the feeling that newbies will read these threads and come off with the impression that all amps (are supposed to) sound the same, when in fact they don't. The trick is knowing when and how certain parts of an amplifier will effect its sonic character, such as the design of the output stage, solid state vs. tubes, etc...much more useful to say "all amps of an identical topology will sound the same" //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/smile.gif.1ebc41e1811405b213edfc4622c41e27.gif

I so wish I had the money for Brax amps. I'd like to add Helix and Genesis as well, but Brax would come out on top of them. ARC Audio has some great amps as well and I've heard Focal's do as well.

 

[donpisto 5,000+ posts]

Pg, exile, zapco... Just to name a few.

PG and Zapco?? I don't think you can put the two in the same category.

 

[boricua2480 10+ year member]

Zapco, TRU Technologies, Sinfoni, Focal, DLS, Treo, butler, all very high end amps

 

[SocMunky 10+ year member]

Wow, revive the dead why don't we? //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/smile.gif.1ebc41e1811405b213edfc4622c41e27.gif

 

[helotaxi 5,000+ posts]

Zapco, TRU Technologies, Sinfoni, Focal, DLS, Treo, butler, all very high end amps

Treo doesn't belong in that group, and Butler isn't around anymore.

 

[Pl8er 5,000+ posts]

Didn't really bother to read this whole thing, but if your budget it less than 300-400 you may want to look for a Tru 4.65 (I'm currently running one) sound quality is AMAZING. You can get them on ebay for a good price and you can send them in to Tru for Burr Brown upgrades and a few other goodies //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/smile.gif.1ebc41e1811405b213edfc4622c41e27.gif