internet brands - all they're hyped up to be?

[squeak9798 5,000+ posts]

Hell, Manville Smith of JL Audio is on a few forums and has answered emails/pms, and posts on the forums from time to time.

I believe there is someone from RF on carsound aswell. Hell, there's a guy from Mitek that is a member here, though he only has like 10 posts. Then obviously Tracy of Kicker.

 

[iceteebone 5,000+ posts]

i'm not saying mainstreem sucks. i really like the jl w6v2, but for about $200 less i can get a pair of rl-p's which give me the same performance if not better then the w6's.

 

[JLCivic 10+ year member]

they is their fault for not learning how to install properly and diving into a subwoofer. we still haven't heard from the original poster more details about his install. he is also dealing with the entry level products from these companies.

That's right, but my point was that whether a person runs "main stream" or net based stuff is no indication of their installation capabilities.

Saying that the net based companies really cater to the DIYers is pretty much laughable when you consider that many of the people on the forums are younger/first system owners etc who have ZERO installation experience. They buy the net based stuff because it is hyped all over the forums and is cheaper, not necessarily because they know how to do an install/build a box, etc.

 

[JLCivic 10+ year member]

i'm not saying mainstreem sucks. i really like the jl w6v2, but for about $200 less i can get a pair of rl-p's which give me the same performance if not better then the w6's.

and 2 subs can take up twice the room as well. Conservation of space does have value to some people(myself included). I don't know what an RL-P is. Also, there are deals to be had, authorized, on some of the mainstream stuff as well. Not everybody pays retail(although that fact rarely gets mentioned on the forums by those who rant about the huge costs of "mainstream" stuff). I pay nowhere near retail.

 

[iceteebone 5,000+ posts]

That's right, but my point was that whether a person runs "main stream" or net based stuff is no indication of their installation capabilities.
Saying that the net based companies really cater to the DIYers is pretty much laughable when you consider that many of the people on the forums are younger/first system owners etc who have ZERO installation experience. They buy the net based stuff because it is hyped all over the forums and is cheaper, not necessarily because they know how to do an install/build a box, etc.

that's their own fault. these are obvously do it yourself products since there is no shop around to install them.

 

[iceteebone 5,000+ posts]

and 2 subs can take up twice the room as well. Conservation of space does have value to some people(myself included). I don't know what an RL-P is. Also, there are deals to be had, authorized, on some of the mainstream stuff as well. Not everybody pays retail(although that fact rarely gets mentioned on the forums by those who rant about the huge costs of "mainstream" stuff).

i was saying 2 rl-p's cost less then 2 w6v2's //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/confused.gif.e820e0216602db4765798ac39d28caa9.gif ask soundsplinter who posted in this thread what rl-p's are //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/wink.gif.608e3ea05f1a9f98611af0861652f8fb.gif

 

[JLCivic 10+ year member]

that's their own fault. these are obvously do it yourself products since there is no shop around to install them.

So every person who orders a sub off the net has no shop around them? That is one helluva an assumption at best. People take their ED/RE/whatever subs into shops all the time for installs(or have boxes built, etc).

I am saying that just because they sell over the net doesn't mean they are just for the DIYer since so many very inexperienced car audio installers buy them(so they certainly are not DIYers).

 

[Ignatowski 5,000+ posts]

after reading all the posts,alot of good points made

and I think no matter where you buy your audio gear it boils down to the same 3 things quality , service and price

buying WEB products is a bit going underground,for more savvy shoppers....

and there are great web companys and crappy ones just the same for retail brands and stores -

But isnt it nice to be able to buy your subs from the owner sometimes ......... ?

you might even establish a relationship and when you need some extra service you might actually get it - You think the bigger brand names will provide and or possibly bend the rules to help a fellow consumer,not often.

 

[fancynapkin 10+ year member]

Thats another, whenever you hear someone saying something negative about an internet product, they get blasted with "your install sucks!"

And I really wonder about the rl-p v.s. jl comparision, Id like to see an actually test between the two.

As for my install, it works fine, its an ed nine.2 powering an atlas 15 in a 3.5 cube box (sealed) off of a pioneer premier HU, My kv2 is in a 1.5 sealed box.

As for trusting a shop owner, I live in a college town (ann arbor MI) where people are well educated, and know their stuff, because if they dont, they go out of buisness. I know there are alot of moronic shops out there, but we have some pretty nice ones around us.

Also, companys like memphis audio are mainstream, and they have killer subs for the money. Im not saying all online companies ****, because I dont know that, I do know that alot of the mainstream stuff is assumed to be crap, when its not.

 

[iceteebone 5,000+ posts]

So every person who orders a sub off the net has no shop around them? That is one helluva an assumption at best.

i don't. i live in the middle of nowhere and there is only one shop with 70 miles and i'm banned from his store. plus i wouldn't even trust him to install my stuff, since he told me a 200 amp fuse will work for my 4 gauge wire. how many shops will know the specs of the driver from an internet company and can make a box for that driver? also how many shops will install products they never heard of?

 

[iceteebone 5,000+ posts]

Thats another, whenever you hear someone saying something negative about an internet product, they get blasted with "your install sucks!"
And I really wonder about the rl-p v.s. jl comparision, Id like to see an actually test between the two.

As for my install, it works fine, its an ed nine.2 powering an atlas 15 in a 3.5 cube box (sealed) off of a pioneer premier HU, My kv2 is in a 1.5 sealed box.

As for trusting a shop owner, I live in a college town (ann arbor MI) where people are well educated, and know their stuff, because if they dont, they go out of buisness. I know there are alot of moronic shops out there, but we have some pretty nice ones around us.

Also, companys like memphis audio are mainstream, and they have killer subs for the money. Im not saying all online companies ****, because I dont know that, I do know that alot of the mainstream stuff is assumed to be crap, when its not.

well i got numbers to back up my rl-p's. 149.3 on the dash //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/smile.gif.1ebc41e1811405b213edfc4622c41e27.gif i'm just saying that you said internet brands, when really you have only used two internet brands, and that was there entry level subs.

 

[JLCivic 10+ year member]

after reading all the posts,alot of good points madeand I think no matter where you buy your audio gear it boils down to the same 3 things quality , service and price

buying WEB products is a bit going underground,for more savvy shoppers....

and there are great web companys and crappy ones just the same for retail brands and stores -

But isnt it nice to be able to buy your subs from the owner sometimes ......... ?

you might even establish a relationship and when you need some extra service you might actually get it - You think the bigger brand names will provide and or possibly bend the rules to help a fellow consumer,not often.

What kind of extra service should you need? If the stuff doesn't break, you shouldn't need any extra service.

I suppose it could be "cool" to buy the sub directly from the owner of the company, BUT that is not a determining factor when I buy equipment. My relationship is established with the local shop(who I am sure could get "extra" service for me if needed). I just don't worry about it. I have had quite a bit of different equipment in my cars over the years, and the stuff has very rarely had any reliability issues at all.

I am sure I am a nobody to JL Audio, but I don't need to be on a first name basis with them. I just need the stuff to perform as expected and not break.

All of these posts about mainstream/net based, etc might lead someone to believe that I don't like the web based companies or, as many idiots on the net like to call people "JL fanboy."

I am not arguing which sub is better. I do think that the REASONS why people choose one over the other just make little sense to me. I can't count how many times I have seen the "JL sucks" post on a forum by some dumb kid who has never even owned JL(or RF/Kicker/you name it). He just knows that if you don't order it over the net then it must be overpriced.

 

[squeak9798 5,000+ posts]

I do know that alot of the mainstream stuff is assumed to be crap,

Only by ignorant idiots.

But, likewise, a lot of people assume these "never heard of" internet brands are crap, when they're not.

//content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/smile.gif.1ebc41e1811405b213edfc4622c41e27.gif

 

[JLCivic 10+ year member]

i don't. i live in the middle of nowhere and there is only one shop with 70 miles and i'm banned from his store. plus i wouldn't even trust him to install my stuff, since he told me a 200 amp fuse will work for my 4 gauge wire. how many shops will know the specs of the driver from an internet company and can make a box for that driver? also how many shops will install products they never heard of?

You may not live near a shop, but you said that the stuff was "obviously" for DIYers since there are no shops around. There are plenty of people running smaller name subs who have shops around them, that's all.

 

[JLCivic 10+ year member]

Only by ignorant idiots.
But, likewise, a lot of people assume these "never heard of" internet brands are crap, when they're not.

//content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/smile.gif.1ebc41e1811405b213edfc4622c41e27.gif

and the net has more than its share of ignorant idiots.