Flea Market Amp

[Do_ 10+ year member]

I was at a local flea market lately, which I've discovered is actually a pretty obscure place to find electronics. People get a hold of amps or subwoofers or things and they don't know what to do with them so they just put them out and guess at a price. Anyhow while I was there a guy had a Sound Storm Labs 700.2 amp for 40$. I didn't know if it was a good deal (not as far as the quality of the sub overall) but how much those go for. I came home to see on E-bay the same amp for 45$ and 17$ shipping with another day left on the auction and bids. I guess I kinda missed that one. Anyhow what I was wondering, is there anyway to test an amp? I bring a battery and I tap it to the leads on subwoofers and speakers to see if they work. An amp though seems like it would be nearly impossible to test on the spot. Anyone have any tricks? Even if it is a crappy amp I can't find much of anything in the way of amps for less than that, let alone a 1400w amp. Maybe if I can test if it works I can go back next week and he won't have sold it! lol

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[analogkid]

this is a disaster waiting to happen. if you have any real interest in car audio i wouldnt use flea market stuff. mostly they are off brands or named to sound like a better brand. YOU GET WHAT YOU PAY FOR! buying something used is a much better way to end up with an amp for a good price. do you really think you are gonna get 1400 watts for 40 bux?

 

[stones 10+ year member]

I dissagree, if you are really careful you can come across some really nice finds.

 

[stones 10+ year member]

For testing to see if it powers up, goto a local batterty shop and ask for a small rechargable 12volt battery, they make small 12volt batterys about half the size of a brick for alarm battery backups.

Solder 2 power leads to the positive terminal for power and remote on.

Solder a single lead to the negative.

Figure out a way to cap the wires so they don't short out in your pocket.

Bring a screwdriver with both allen head and phillips bits.

You can now check the amp to see if it powers up.

Two disposable 6v flashlight batterys wired in series will work as well, heavier and more cumbersome though.

 

[its_bacon12 10+ year member]

i agree with stones...

i found a us amps 2 channel amp (model stil unknown) and a us amps US-x3 3 way xover for about $50 for both

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[Do_ 10+ year member]

Wow I will try that with the batterys. That would be way useful. Also it wasn't a knock off but it was obviously used. It had some visual defects. Nothing I care about though lol. If it powered up and it worked I'd be happy. Also when you get that battery thing working, do you feel the amp for heat? Is that how you test if it powers up? I'm just wondering because I don't recall seeing an LED on it for power but I might have missed it.

 

[FOSGATE JOE 10+ year member]

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[zachzchw 5,000+ posts]

Wow I will try that with the batterys. That would be way useful. Also it wasn't a knock off but it was obviously used. It had some visual defects. Nothing I care about though lol. If it powered up and it worked I'd be happy. Also when you get that battery thing working, do you feel the amp for heat? Is that how you test if it powers up? I'm just wondering because I don't recall seeing an LED on it for power but I might have missed it.

It would be horrible if it was a knock off soundstorm......whose name is taken from soundstream.......

I remember when I was a noob, I bought one of their big ass amps- 900.2 or something- that sucker was huge. Sold it before I even bothered hooking it up, thank God.

 

[Do_ 10+ year member]

I meant that it was a sound storm. It wasn't like a fake sound storm. Sound storm may be a copy cat of sound stream like how they make all those cereals at the grocery store that have similar packaging as the good ones but are made of newspaper and soy. I thought you meant a knockoff as in when you pass the stand selling the Phat Farms with the P upside down. Or the Adidas where the I is capitalised. lol

 

[stones 10+ year member]

It would be horrible if it was a knock off soundstorm......whose name is taken from soundstream.......
I remember when I was a noob, I bought one of their big ass amps- 900.2 or something- that sucker was huge. Sold it before I even bothered hooking it up, thank God.

You should have tried it, if it works, it works, regardless of brand name.

Some of those cheapie amps are surprising.

 

[Do_ 10+ year member]

I'm gonna try to rig up the 12v battery like that person suggested and go back next week and see if its there. Also is it that the amp gets hot that proves it works? Should I go all the way and bring a mini-rca to rca and a mp3 player and a speaker with wires to test it out?