great sounding AMP

[analog414]

I want to know your opinions on a better sounding amplifier then the PDX-F6 series Alpine. I only care about the sound quality as a purist. I can't find any place around here to listen to these choices. Very frustration.

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[LosIsATool 5,000+ posts]

All amps sound the same. No amplifier should color anything. The only differences are clean power. You pay for build quality, proprietary designs, availability

 

[LosIsATool 5,000+ posts]

If you truly only care about sound quality than the amplifier should be the last of your worries.

The first worry should be install, second worry should be tuning, 3rd worry should be driver choice for your application, then you can add power

 

[The_Quiet_One 10+ year member]

x2 on above post. You have bigger fish to fry than just changing amps. I've ran a couple SQ amps and the Alpine PDX amps. To my ears if there was a difference it was negligible.

If you're dead set on amp choices check out Brax/Helix, Audison Thesis, Mcintosh, Sinfoni, Steg, Linear Power, Zapco, several early 90's amps, and many more.

 

[hispls 5,000+ posts]

Unless you really cheap out on an amp and aren't pushing things beyond their limits you should not hear any difference from one to the next.

 

[pw91686 10+ year member]

I'm selling an arc audio SE 4200 if you're interested!

 

[JohnKuthe]

x2 on above post. You have bigger fish to fry than just changing amps. I've ran a couple SQ amps and the Alpine PDX amps. To my ears if there was a difference it was negligible.

If you're dead set on amp choices check out Brax/Helix, Audison Thesis, Mcintosh, Sinfoni, Steg, Linear Power, Zapco, several early 90's amps, and many more.

Probably electrically correct, but once you get into true audiophile class equipment you can start spending 10 times as much (ish!) for the last n-th degree of quality. I recently ordered some PHD speakers, and PHD touts themselves as producing the "best in the world", Here's a link to PHD amplifiers:

PHD Audiophile Sound System -Amplifiers-

Notice how true audiophile equipment makers rarely list prices on their equipment. That's because their pricing philosophy is "If you have to ask you can't afford it anyway!" ;-)

John Kuthe...

 

[LosIsATool 5,000+ posts]

Lol I'm pretty sure PHD makes amps in China. ******* idiot

 

[Jeffdachef 5,000+ posts]

Probably electrically correct, but once you get into true audiophile class equipment you can start spending 10 times as much (ish!) for the last n-th degree of quality. I recently ordered some PHD speakers, and PHD touts themselves as producing the "best in the world", Here's a link to PHD amplifiers:
PHD Audiophile Sound System -Amplifiers-

Notice how true audiophile equipment makers rarely list prices on their equipment. That's because their pricing philosophy is "If you have to ask you can't afford it anyway!" ;-)

John Kuthe...

misinformation led by a blind sheep.

 

[JohnKuthe]

misinformation led by a blind sheep.

That's the way true audiophile class electronic equipment has always been. You have to pay astronomical prices for the N-th degree of "best"!

I am very sorry I made so much of an *** out of myself here in CarAudio.com, but I DO know a few things about electronics. I agree though that the best place to spend $$ on upgrading an audio system is in the speakers. I learned this lesson when I was a kid and wired my cheap clock radio to my father's Altec Lansing 15" studio monitor speaker, and WOW did it sound a lot better than playing through the cheap little speaker in the clock radio.

John Kuthe...

 

[Jeffdachef 5,000+ posts]

That's the way true audiophile class electronic equipment has always been. You have to pay astronomical prices for the N-th degree of "best"!
I am very sorry I made so much of an *** out of myself here in CarAudio.com, but I DO know a few things about electronics. I agree though that the best place to spend $$ on upgrading an audio system is in the speakers. I learned this lesson when I was a kid and wired my cheap clock radio to my father's Altec Lansing 15" studio monitor speaker, and WOW did it sound a lot better than playing through the cheap little speaker in the clock radio.

John Kuthe...

hmmmm.. did not expect that from you. i'll stop giving you sh*t for now bud. Sorry for roasting you at every opportunity.

 

[JohnKuthe]

hmmmm.. did not expect that from you. i'll stop giving you sh*t for now bud. Sorry for roasting you at every opportunity.

No worries. Yes I know I can be a real jerk at times, especially here on the Internet because it's so easy to be. Post and run kinda action, yano? I really and a quite smart, maybe not so experienced at everything and basically a good and compassionate person.

John Kuthe...

 

[LosIsATool 5,000+ posts]

That's the way true audiophile class electronic equipment has always been. You have to pay astronomical prices for the N-th degree of "best"!
I am very sorry I made so much of an *** out of myself here in CarAudio.com, but I DO know a few things about electronics. I agree though that the best place to spend $$ on upgrading an audio system is in the speakers. I learned this lesson when I was a kid and wired my cheap clock radio to my father's Altec Lansing 15" studio monitor speaker, and WOW did it sound a lot better than playing through the cheap little speaker in the clock radio.

John Kuthe...

I'll back off a bit also. But the speakers are important but not the most. As long as they play the bandwidth you need them to play at the output levels you want they will work. The absolute most important part is creating a livable envirement. A 2 channel stereo is supposed to create a phantom center image. That's hard to do when we have reflections, angles, absorbing and reflecting interiors, steering wheel and center consoles, plus we sit off the the side.

No headunit alone, speaker, or amplifier will help that.

And that's not the reason they don't list prices. They go through distributors that list prices

 

[The_Quiet_One 10+ year member]

Probably electrically correct, but once you get into true audiophile class equipment you can start spending 10 times as much (ish!) for the last n-th degree of quality. I recently ordered some PHD speakers, and PHD touts themselves as producing the "best in the world", Here's a link to PHD amplifiers:
PHD Audiophile Sound System -Amplifiers-

Notice how true audiophile equipment makers rarely list prices on their equipment. That's because their pricing philosophy is "If you have to ask you can't afford it anyway!" ;-)

John Kuthe...

I have played with audiophile class equipment (nothing italian yet). If there is a difference it's negligible. Your ears aren't perfect and psychoacoustics can play a large part in your listening experience. This is assuming the listening environment is perfect....which a vehicle is not. Don't get me wrong. I'm all for high quality amps. I think they are works of art, but they aren't a magic band-aid that makes music drip with honey. Can you show me any objective data to account for audible differences?

As far as you knowing about electronics I'm skeptical that you know more than a cursory knowledge of the basics, which is fine; that's where the forums, the internet, and textbooks are come into play. You claim to have some generic EE degreee, but you haven't broached advanced topics that I know many EEs would be eager to explore. I'm surrounded by EEs and AEs all day at the lab, and they love to dive into the painful details. It's very interesting to me that you haven't pushed the envelope considering your background. That's one reason why I'm skeptical. If you truly have knowledge in this subject your technical posts will speak for themselves more so than any claims of formal education. Sorry for the continuing rant, but my pet peeve is when someone uses some background/education as the main foundation for his or her claims in lieu of technical discussion.

Instead of asserting how much you know, take the opportunity to pick people's brains and real world experiences. You may find many posts you would initially dismiss are actually diamonds in the rough.

 

[JohnKuthe]

I have played with audiophile class equipment (nothing italian yet). If there is a difference it's negligible. Your ears aren't perfect and psychoacoustics can play a large part in your listening experience. This is assuming the listening environment is perfect....which a vehicle is not. Don't get me wrong. I'm all for high quality amps. I think they are works of art, but they aren't a magic band-aid that makes music drip with honey. Can you show me any objective data to account for audible differences?
As far as you knowing about electronics I'm skeptical that you know more than a cursory knowledge of the basics, which is fine; that's where the forums, the internet, and textbooks are come into play. You claim to have some generic EE degreee, but you haven't broached advanced topics that I know many EEs would be eager to explore. I'm surrounded by EEs and AEs all day at the lab, and they love to dive into the painful details. It's very interesting to me that you haven't pushed the envelope considering your background. That's one reason why I'm skeptical. If you truly have knowledge in this subject your technical posts will speak for themselves more so than any claims of formal education. Sorry for the continuing rant, but my pet peeve is when someone uses some background/education as the main foundation for his or her claims in lieu of technical discussion.

Instead of asserting how much you know, take the opportunity to pick people's brains and real world experiences. You may find many posts you would initially dismiss are actually diamonds in the rough.

Yep! I know a lot, but there's a LOT more I don't know. That's why I came to CarAudio.com, to pick the brains of those who know more about auto audio than I do. I shot myself in the foot being the jerk I was being, and I apologize.

John Kuthe...