Crystal MobileSound SSCS6 Component system 6 1/2 = Soundstream 644s??

[Latina33 10+ year member]

I just recently decided to part with my JL 300/4, and switch to the 644s. I was contemplating buying the SSCS6 components, as I've read many good things on here about them. From the reviews that I've read, A/D/S and CDT seem to be people's secondary choices, and Crystal and Rainbow components seem to be the more popular picks for clarity and sound balance/quality.

The Soundstream is very underrated at 75X4 RMS @12V, so I know I would get at least 100X4 RMS from this amp once it was hooked up in my car.

Does this seem like a good match of amp and speaker for mostly rock music? Or maybe the Crystals need 150W RMS a side, which I could pick up a JL 450/4 for that.

Any suggestions?

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[computerparts 10+ year member]

The 644s is an excellent amp. You should be happy with that setup.

 

[95stroked1500 10+ year member]

the sscs are decently efficient so they will get loud and sound good with that power. they are just capable of taking more power and still sounding good.

 

[kicker06 10+ year member]

For that 4 channel, bridge the channels so you get 2 channels @ 4ohms. You want at least 150w, NO LESS. Listen now, they NEED more than 150w. They can handle it. I have 200+ a side crossed @ 125hz and they have amazing midbass without deadening and the highs are brilliant and soft.

You want at least 150w of real power.

 

[Notwerk 10+ year member]

For that 4 channel, bridge the channels so you get 2 channels @ 4ohms. You want at least 150w, NO LESS. Listen now, they NEED more than 150w. They can handle it. I have 200+ a side crossed @ 125hz and they have amazing midbass without deadening and the highs are brilliant and soft.
You want at least 150w of real power.

You could bridge a 250 watt per channel amp so you can get 500! Then turn the gains all they way down so you don't pop the speakers and waste a ton of power!

Um...Why?

That set has a sensitivity of 92db. Doesn't need 150w. It'll do fine with 10. I don't get the obsession with excess power. If you have to turn the gains all the way down in order to not blow the speaker, it doesn't matter how much power you have on tap. And not kidding, with 10 watts, those speakers could produce over 95db of sound at full tilt at one meter of distance. That's plenty loud for normal listening. A 75 watt per channel amp (especially that amp), set properly, will produce enough power for people that want to enjoy their music without inflicting it on everyone within a quarter-mile radius.

Really, you could bridge the rear channels on that amp for a sub and run a whole SQ system out of it. That's a really, really great amp.

It's about setting your gains properly, not bludgeoning the speaker with "headroom."

 

[dleccord 5,000+ posts]

^But that theoretically speaking though right?

 

[Notwerk 10+ year member]

Well, no, not exactly. They measure speaker efficiency (usually) with 1 watt at 1 meter. 92db efficiency means at 1 watt, from 1 meter, it produces 92db of sound.

Problem is that for every 3db of sound, you have to double the power going into the speaker. So, the difference in loudness between a 1 watt amp and a 2 watt amp is 3db. Once you get to 100 watts, you need a 200 watt amp to get the same effect. The difference between 100w and 150w is less than 3db: That's a barely audible difference. Between 1-50 watts, you see big leaps in the effect of the amplifier, but once you get to 100 watts, it's not really worth it to keep pumping power into the system (except for DB races and burp contests. But that's not really about music, is it?).

Diminishing returns, see?

In a real-world car setup, you'll lose a bit of volume to panel resonance, cancellation, etc. Cars are anything but ideal environments for audio. But still, the point is that the the effect of wattage decreases rapidly the higher up you get. In a near-field environment like a car, you really don't need 250 watts on your front stage. Could you? Yes. But are you getting your money's worth? Probably not. And if you set your gains wrong with that kind of power, you're definitely going to kill your speaker.