comp/amp combo for a subless system?

[Trendkill 10+ year member]

A buddy of mine wants to upgrade the stock speakers in his wrx. He was hoping to spend around 300 on the upgrade, and may add subs in the future. He wants to use the stock tweeter and 5.25 woofer locations in his front doors. I'm lookng for some suggestions for him. Pheonix Gold RSD's seem pretty decent for the cost from what I've read.

Click to read more...

 

[mike11202 10+ year member]

Yeah I've heard those PG Z's R rated are really cheap and nice quality

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/PHOENIX-gold-zr-5-0-5-25-component-audio-speakers-new_W0QQitemZ170124705689QQcmdZViewItem

i bet that set will go for below $50

 

[DejaWiz 5,000+ posts]

Here would be a decent starter/budget system:

Comps: PG RSd65cs - $129 shipped

Sub: PG RSd12 - $129 shipped

Amp: Crunch PZi 175.4 - $109 shipped, a bit overrated, but should do nicely in the interim until a better amp can be had. (can anyone suggest a better budget amp in this price range?)

Total: $367... a little over budget, but will sound damn nice.

Use channels 1 and 2 for the comps, bridge 3 and 4 for the sub.

 

[tbasile1 10+ year member]

agreed with DejaWiz, that would be a nice setup and sound great!

 

[Trendkill 10+ year member]

Here would be a decent starter/budget system:
Comps: PG RSd65cs - $129 shipped

Sub: PG RSd12 - $129 shipped

Amp: Crunch PZi 175.4 - $109 shipped, a bit overrated, but should do nicely in the interim until a better amp can be had. (can anyone suggest a better budget amp in this price range?)

Total: $367... a little over budget, but will sound damn nice.

Use channels 1 and 2 for the comps, bridge 3 and 4 for the sub.

Thanks for the suggestions. Looks pretty good. However when he does get subs, he wants to get a little more serious. So he's just gonna go without a substage for now. Can anyone suggest a decent 2 channel amp to power the RSD's? They are rated for only 60w.

 

[DejaWiz 5,000+ posts]

Thanks for the suggestions. Looks pretty good. However when he does get subs, he wants to get a little more serious. So he's just gonna go without a substage for now. Can anyone suggest a decent 2 channel amp to power the RSD's? They are rated for only 60w.

That RSd sub may not look like it, but it is a serious sub. Those babies can take a clean 1000+ Wrms daily while staying surprisingly accurate and get loud.

As for the comps, a clean 150+ W rms can be run to them no problem at all.

It seems everything that carries the PG RSd name is a bit underrated and is currently some of the best values for car audio equipment out there right now, IMO.

For under $400, I don't really think a better starter setup could be had.

Oh, here's a vid of the 12" RSd sub in action.

 

[blimblam 10+ year member]

Here would be a decent starter/budget system:
Comps: PG RSd65cs - $129 shipped

Sub: PG RSd12 - $129 shipped

Amp: Crunch PZi 175.4 - $109 shipped, a bit overrated, but should do nicely in the interim until a better amp can be had. (can anyone suggest a better budget amp in this price range?)

Total: $367... a little over budget, but will sound damn nice.

Use channels 1 and 2 for the comps, bridge 3 and 4 for the sub.

got my PG RSD comps for 95 shipped on ebay //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/biggrin.gif.d71a5d36fcbab170f2364c9f2e3946cb.gif

 

[Trendkill 10+ year member]

That RSd sub may not look like it, but it is a serious sub. Those babies can take a clean 1000+ Wrms daily while staying surprisingly accurate and get loud.
As for the comps, a clean 150+ W rms can be run to them no problem at all.

It seems everything that carries the PG RSd name is a bit underrated and is currently some of the best values for car audio equipment out there right now, IMO.

For under $400, I don't really think a better starter setup could be had.

Oh, here's a vid of the 12" RSd sub in action.

Could the rsd subs compete with Fi Q's or JLW6's?

 

[DejaWiz 5,000+ posts]

Could the rsd subs compete with Fi Q's or JLW6's?

It's all in the install.

Equipment brand, model, and reputation will come crashing down and mean absolutely nothing if the install is done poorly.

It's all in the install.

So yes, a 12" RSd can be installed in a manner (box type, mounting orientation, mounting axis, etc etc etc) that will vastly outperform a Fi Q or Dub6 in a crappy install.

It's all in the install.

Now, given that the Fi Q, the Dub6, or the RSd is installed as effectively as possible, which sub sounds better is going to be grossly dependant on the individual physically listening to them all.

It's all in the install.

We can ask all day long if Brand A is better than Brand B and/or Brand C, but the determining factor lies with the ears of the beholder and what desires need to be fulfilled.

It's all in the install. (got it? //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/biggrin.gif.d71a5d36fcbab170f2364c9f2e3946cb.gif )

For the money, take that RSd sub and run with it. Break it in a bit. Test it with a variety of music genres. You're friend will likely be pleasantly surprised. And if the desire is there for more, add a second one or go with a different brand altogether.

 

[tbasile1 10+ year member]

Pg Rsd12 Ftw!!!!

 

[DejaWiz 5,000+ posts]

Pg Rsd12 Ftw!!!!

Word.

 

[Trendkill 10+ year member]

I realize that the install is very important, but generally when I am comparing items I assume that all other things are equal. For example I wouldn't put any less effort into installing a JL sub than a PG sub.

 

[Trendkill 10+ year member]

Now as far as giving the components more power than they are rated for... I should theoretically be able to power them with a 2 thousand watt amp as long as I set the gain low enough right? Essentially it doesn't matter how powerful the amp is, as long as I'm not getting audible distortion the speakers should never blow right?

 

[DejaWiz 5,000+ posts]

I realize that the install is very important, but generally when I am comparing items I assume that all other things are equal. For example I wouldn't put any less effort into installing a JL sub than a PG sub.

Excellent news! For such a low investment of

Further reading:

http://www.caraudio.com/forum/showthread.php?t=240811&highlight=rsd12

http://www.caraudio.com/forum/showthread.php?t=239869&highlight=rsd12

http://www.caraudio.com/forum/showthread.php?t=183185&highlight=rsd12

http://www.soundbuggy.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=3985

 

[DejaWiz 5,000+ posts]

Now as far as giving the components more power than they are rated for... I should theoretically be able to power them with a 2 thousand watt amp as long as I set the gain low enough right? Essentially it doesn't matter how powerful the amp is, as long as I'm not getting audible distortion the speakers should never blow right?

Distortion, clipping, and exceeding the mechanical and thermal thresholds are the biggest enemies of any driver. Yes, you can put a 2000w RMS per channel amp on the comps and keep set gains low enough so that the amp is only supplying 150w rms per channel to them.

Simple equation:

SQRT (Watts * Ohms) = Voltage

For example, you want to send 150w rms per channel to the comps, you'll need to measure the amp outputs without the speakers attached with a DMM.

SQRT (150 * 4) = 24.5V

Click the link in my sig for further details if this is still a bit fuzzy.