mid level amps i.e. ppi, planet audio, ss tarantula etc etc

[jasoncl75]

ok, after a TON of searching, i havent really found solid answers. heres what i am after. a good, clean, decent power amp for fronts, rears, and maybe a sub. now, a little background. im not new to car audio. BUT i am a bit of a newb to todays equipment. i did many, many builds in the 90's, a few that made small mention in the old IASCA magazine in the 90's. i always tried to build using equipment that was "budget friendly". not swap meet special, but not top shelf. i did manage a few placings in local events in my class. for me, it was all about the install. the wiring, the power supply, setup, and tuning. i did in fact gain a rep for making swap meet specials sound near top shelf. never broke any db records, but the clarity was always a wow factor. but again, that was using older equipment, older technology. amps with built in, fixed crossovers. or at times, seperate crossover boxes. names like rf, ss, ppi, orion, were always at the top. as well as their price. seems times have changed, names have been bought and sold, and in some cases, quality sacrificed. which leads me to question...who still has decent equipment, at budget prices?

ive been looking at ppi sedona series, but with mixed reviews.....their black ice series seems better, but again, mixed. seems like alot of unsupported opinions out there.

im after real world, everyday use. not a weekend warrior, rattle your fillings from 2 counties away. my goal, good clarity at a moderate, sometimes higher, volume level. reliability. issues.

what im not looking for is "just go get an old rockford, or old rubicon and be done with it." im not trying to start no battle, or create animosity. just response from people who are or have used todays mid level amps and what they thought. as a father and provider, money for toys is not easy to come by like it used to be, so dropping a few dimes on high end stuff just isnt gonna happen. besides, im no longer into comp. just good, clean tunes for the commute.

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[Boominburban 10+ year member]

what IS your budget?? How many channels do you want to drive, and at what ohm load/s??

 

[adulbrich 5,000+ posts]

Lots of people run Black Ice. I have not, but they seem to be happy with output and reliability.

 

[jasoncl75]

Cheap, beater car, mid level pioneer speakers, so budget is simply mid level or less. Def not building a comp. 4 ohm load. 4 channels with a single sub possibility later on. The 5 channel seems right. But, im not into dropping money on garbage, so just looking for opinions on various options. Does seem like ppi might be the direction i go. Like i said tho, just dont want to waste money on something that isnt gonna be right. Thanks for input.

 

[LosIsATool 5,000+ posts]

Jbl

 

[hispls 5,000+ posts]

Pretty much everything you listed is low end Chinese junk these days. I'd at least stick with the name brands like Kicker, Rockford, JBL/Infinity, or Alpine for a bit better build quality and reliability. Brands that actually have their own R&D and designs, not just slap their logo on whatever they can get cheapest out of China.

 

[kingjd7 10+ year member]

So far i'm pretty happy with my American Bass PH-2500 MD. Low price also. If you search around you can get stuff for good prices from the vendors when a new product comes out. They sell old stock for cheap. I picked up my Skar subs at half price. (Hate on the owner all you want, but the product is decent). Also I see amps like the USA-100 for sale for around $50-60 from time to time. I'm like you, I was out of this for probably close to 15 years, then when I was searching for equipment I was reading that PPI, and SoundStream were junk. I was mildly shocked. But the prices have come way down for decent equipment thanks to the internet. Hope this helps.

 

[specialnupe]

The other posters have given you some good info. But If I understand you correctly when you say budget mid level build. I assume you mean getting a box,subs,amp, rear speakers, components upfront, headunit for say $1K correct?

Headunit: Kenwood

Amps: Skar Audio, Powerbass, PPI

Speakers: Polk Audio, JBL/Ifinity

Subs: Pioneer Champion Series, American Bass

Why these are my choices:

If someone came to me with an average car say your typical Honda Accord and said I have $1K to spend and wants something that is going to sound better than factory , and sound GOOD IN THE CAR and not from 2 blocks away.

For under a $150 you can get a Kenwood HU with 4volt preouts with USB and AUX inputs.

The speaker choices are decent quality for the money that are tried and true you can get a set of components and coaxs togther for $250

The amps listed make 5 channel amps .. ONE amp to run the entire system less money spent on multiple amps. All make solid 5 channel amps for under $220

The Subs I picked because they have HIGH DB sensitivities ...so that they can play loud with moderate power. Especially the moderate power that these 5 channel amps are going to deliver. you should be around a $100/ sub depending on size. I'm assuming a custom ported box for the sub for $150 - $200

Sure some folks in here will FLAME me for these choices... but this would be a system that would probably satisfy 95% of most folks listening habits and desires. .....with decent equipment that isn't gonna blow up on them.....thats what I think your goal is?

 

[Jeffdachef 5,000+ posts]

problem is, pioneer subs ****.

 

[adulbrich 5,000+ posts]

^Indeed they do