old school amps or new amps is there a big differance?

[veloglider 10+ year member]

ok guys i am in a delima here, installing new system here, Sony digital media head unit, RE xxx 6.5 seperates up front, re5fr coax's in rear doors, single RE SE 10d4 sub. Recently bought the old school Rockford 800a4 for the speakers and getting ready to buy the old school Rockford 1000a1 for the sub. After going to 2 different audio installation shops now i am wondering, as both places do not remommend older amps for newer products because of sound quality and noise. I realize they want to sell you their stuff but is there that much of a differance, honestly any opinions?

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[Kevinl 10+ year member]

I realize they want to sell you their stuff but is there that much of a differance, honestly any opinions?

That pretty much sums it up

the old school amps work fine on newer speakers. Those rockfords are better than any of the Chinese crap that is made today

 

[whitedragon551 5,000+ posts]

Problem with old school is that the caps go bad eventually and they will need replaced.

 

[audiobaun 5,000+ posts]

Ive bought,and have several old school amps/mainly Zeds, and have bought several new high end/high dollar amps, and seem to always go back to putting in the old school amps,..to me ..better SQ,along with rediculous true raw rms power/..pretty much breath taking in clarity,and just plain out perform..those guys are trying to make a buck/sale/commission.There are going to be some great sq/powerful new school amps out there, but be prepared to whip out your wallet, and be ready to beef up your electrical for that 14.4v that they are rated at for rms,in which old school, most were rated @ 11.6v,and were then under rated,and do not have a regulated supply/hence generating more power/wattage at the 13.6+ voltage that our newer vehicles need just to operate at..I run all old school amps, and have no issues with burnt caps ,even with an amp ive ran in numerious vehicles for over 15 yrs..still performs Flawlessly ,several I have ..Just depends on how you store them, and how well you take care of them mainly..nothing last forever, but ones I have since 1988/89,are still true USA Made work horses!!

 

[tc300 10+ year member]

Problem with old school is that the caps go bad eventually and they will need replaced.

How much life/use should u get out of a good quality amp.??

 

[whitedragon551 5,000+ posts]

Ive bought,and have several old school amps/mainly Zeds, and have bought several new high end/high dollar amps, and seem to always go back to putting in the old school amps,..to me ..better SQ,along with rediculous true raw rms power/..pretty much breath taking in clarity,and just plain out perform..those guys are trying to make a buck/sale/commission.There are going to be some great sq/powerful new school amps out there, but be prepared to whip out your wallet, and be ready to beef up your electrical for that 14.4v that they are rated at for rms,in which old school, most were rated @ 11.6v,and were then under rated,and do not have a regulated supply/hence generating more power/wattage at the 13.6+ voltage that our newer vehicles need just to operate at..I run all old school amps, and have no issues with burnt caps ,even with an amp ive ran in numerious vehicles for over 15 yrs..still performs Flawlessly ,several I have ..Just depends on how you store them, and how well you take care of them mainly..nothing last forever, but ones I have since 1988/89,are still true USA Made work horses!!

95% of todays great amps arent rated at 14.4v either. And the caps in old school amps dont burn. They leak and cause corrosion of internal parts. The longer the amp sits unused the worse it gets and they need replaced to avoid explosion and destruction.

How much life/use should u get out of a good quality amp.??

To many variables to tell.

 

[audiobaun 5,000+ posts]

95% of todays great amps arent rated at 14.4v either. And the caps in old school amps dont burn. They leak and cause corrosion of internal parts. The longer the amp sits unused the worse it gets and they need replaced to avoid explosion and destruction.


To many variables to tell.

True statement..ill agree..This is what ive been seeing quite a bit of as far as 14.4v/RATED

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Kicker-11DX2004-200-Watt-4-Channel-Car-Audio-Stereo-Amplifier-Amp-4x50-DX200-4-/300732755703?pt=Car_Amplifiers&hash=item460511aef7&vxp=mtr

 

[audiobaun 5,000+ posts]

I can see if leaving an amp in a hot warehouse for a period of time can ruin caps due to moisture issues, but??In a controlled dry in house storage area such as I store mine(In a house/dedicated room)Ive never had any issues with leaking caps/and even issues with an amp sitting for 10 plus years..I just hooked up an Autotek bts 7150, that I havent used in over 10yrs, and even had it checked out, and was stated looking like new,and tested out perfect,and had as much power as an MTX1500watt amp,and will actually be hooked up later in the day,so..Not sure about the age of the caps..it all amounts how you take care and store/run your equipment period.No different from storing a bicycle outside, and one indoors,ones giong to be in pretty bad shape the other???

 

[audiobaun 5,000+ posts]

ALPINE MRX-F30 AMP CAR 4 CHANNEL 300W AMPLIFIER NEW ALPINE MRXF30 4-CHANNEL | eBay

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Boston-Acoustics-GTA-704-500-Watts-4-Channel-Class-AB-Car-Audio-Amplifier-/180873818000?pt=Car_Audio_Video&hash=item2a1ceb6f90&vxp=mtr

http://www.ebay.com/itm/ROCKFORD-FOSGATE-REN550S-2-CHANNEL-550W-MAX-CLASS-AB-MOSFET-CAR-AUDIO-AMPLIFIER-/180915347557?pt=Car_Amplifiers&hash=item2a1f652065

 

[Ignatowski 5,000+ posts]

old school has its advantages but some of the new stuff is pretty trick

I just dont buy it cause my old amps work perfect - some kids need the latest and greatest

and some folks just like to use it till it dies,I am one of those

 

[whitedragon551 5,000+ posts]

I can see if leaving an amp in a hot warehouse for a period of time can ruin caps due to moisture issues, but??In a controlled dry in house storage area such as I store mine(In a house/dedicated room)Ive never had any issues with leaking caps/and even issues with an amp sitting for 10 plus years..I just hooked up an Autotek bts 7150, that I havent used in over 10yrs, and even had it checked out, and was stated looking like new,and tested out perfect,and had as much power as an MTX1500watt amp,and will actually be hooked up later in the day,so..Not sure about the age of the caps..it all amounts how you take care and store/run your equipment period.No different from storing a bicycle outside, and one indoors,ones giong to be in pretty bad shape the other???

Mint condition or new PG TI amps are just an example. They need their caps replaced even if they arent used. Overtime they just go bad.

ALPINE MRX-F30 AMP CAR 4 CHANNEL 300W AMPLIFIER NEW ALPINE MRXF30 4-CHANNEL | eBayBoston Acoustics GTA-704 500 Watts 4-Channel Class AB Car Audio Amplifier 0690283478797 | eBay

Sure that amp may be rated at 14.4v, but its also under rated and does more power than its tech specs say it should do at 14.4v.

 

[Dirtrider4eva 10+ year member]

Well call me crazy but i prefer my 99' zed us acoustics usx more than just about any newer amp ive heard.

Now thats biased, where arc and othe high end companies have incredible sound capabilitjes, but.for under $200, old school is the way to go.

 

[quackhead 10+ year member]

95% of todays great amps arent rated at 14.4v either. And the caps in old school amps dont burn. They leak and cause corrosion of internal parts. The longer the amp sits unused the worse it gets and they need replaced to avoid explosion and destruction.


To many variables to tell.

man, I agree with the leaky caps and variables involved to sit here and say a 20 yr old amp is far better or worse than this yrs model..But as far as the 14.4v ratings, My problem is finding a good amp that is NOT rated at 14.4volts today.

Show me some that are rated at 12.5 - 13.8..

 

[quackhead 10+ year member]

Well call me crazy but i prefer my 99' zed us acoustics usx more than just about any newer amp ive heard.Now thats biased, where arc and othe high end companies have incredible sound capabilitjes, but.for under $200, old school is the way to go.

don't we all feel that way about anything ZED has graced with their engineering touches? ^5

 

[trumpet 5,000+ posts]

I'm obviously not an electrical engineer, but while overall audio frequency amplifiers haven't changed much in decades, class D full range has made huge advances in the past decade. Alpine and JL Audio both have some of the finest class D amplifiers that are vastly different than the old top dog SQ amps from back in the day. What you gain in efficiency is massive over class A/B and they do what an amplifier should do, which is increase the amplitude of the incoming signal without altering the frequency response.

If you're all about the "signature sound" of your favorite old school amps then run them until they die.