Old School vs. New School

[RFCV 10+ year member]

New school subs, head unit and technologies better

Not necessarily.. especially old school Cerwin Vega subs & some high end old school head units

Miss those days of old school everything

I am 1 of the few & far between //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/wink.gif.608e3ea05f1a9f98611af0861652f8fb.gif

 

[cleansoundzz 10+ year member]

I would have known you would quote & reply to me Mike..especially when I said "clean sound" & your screenname is cleansoundz //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/thumbcool.gif.25d3f515a7f948dd6be51428263071ef.gif

What you have is special. Hey I am all about clean sound. If it isn't clean I don't want it. 2 punch 150 amps are and will always be clean.

 

[RFCV 10+ year member]

What you have is special.

//content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/thankyou.gif.5451126d09e870f796f50c3a4dd5acd7.gif

 

[rc10mike 10+ year member]

Would you rather have a 69 Camaro or a 2010 Camaro? As some have said earlier, cars make a great comparison.

Some like the old tech for overall quality, but others would rather have the new tech with better performance overall.

There's no need for further explanation, the debate ends with preference.

 

[JimJ 5,000+ posts]

If one wants to run the best technology that was available 15 to 20 years ago, I won't berate them for that.

What's changed significantly in the design of a Class A amp in that time? //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/smile.gif.1ebc41e1811405b213edfc4622c41e27.gif

 

[audioholic 5,000+ posts]

In the past 20 years h/u's have become all-in-one source units and pre-amp centers. Many decent decks today have more capability than a car 20 years ago filled with external EQ's, xover, power conditions, LOC's, etc. Better DAC setups have also improved sonic performance on the average deck.

In the past 20 years speakers have seen some significant design advancements. Thanks to cheaper amplifiers in recent years, the speaker industry (subwoofers) has been able to adapt designs that excel in smaller enclosures, a paradigm shift that fit well with the tight confines of a vehicle. Subs have also seen a significant increase in excursion capabilities while also adapting a few different new motor topologies that allow the use of that long throw while still remaining linear, producing virtually inaudible distortion levels. BL optimization is a relatively large step in technology in a system that had remained relatively unchanged for decades prior. Several major improvements in speaker design that are beneficial both for sonic performance, and for logistics.

In the past 20 years amplifier advancement has centered around affordability. Companies expanding production to other countries, and the advancement of automatic assembly of computer boards, has significantly reduced amplifier costs. Logistical improvements have mostly been in the form of built-in sound processors, something that is relatively useless in many systems, and flat-out unwanted by some people. Amplifier topology has evolved into utilizing class D architecture, but this has been for logistical reasons (cost, current consumption, heat generation).

Its easy to look past the benefits of modern amplifiers and fall back on personal reasons to go 'old school'. But its not so easy to use 20 year old speakers or h/u without significantly missing recent technological advancements.

 

[gunz4me2 10+ year member]

What's changed significantly in the design of a Class A amp in that time? //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/smile.gif.1ebc41e1811405b213edfc4622c41e27.gif

You mean a Class AB amplifier, don't you? A true 12v class A amp would only be good for horn tweeters and could double as a space heater/food warmer in a vehicle!

I'd still rather run something newer, that is pretty much guaranteed to work out of the box than take my chances with something 15 to 20 years old that either needs or will need some TLC to get it sounding/working right.

ETA: My biggest mistake with regards to old school gear was believing a certain repair tech who stated that he could "modify" my 1986 to 1991 amplifiers and bring them up to date to compete with currently produced amplifiers. His one fatal flaw was that he couldn't eliminate the noise issues related to those relics utilizing self-oscillating power supplies whereas my fatal flaw was relying on nostalgia. Penn and Teller did an episode on that and sadly, I found nostalgia to be bullshіt!

 

[cleansoundzz 10+ year member]

Old school is good to look at and keep in the garage. My punch 150 amps in the garage are classics and will never be sold. Aside from that I have no other use for any old school amplifiers, speakers or head-units. I am not underminding their value it's just that I have advanced past the level of having older outdated amplifiers in my vehicles.

 

[JimJ 5,000+ posts]

You mean a Class AB amplifier, don't you?

Nope, I wasn't limiting myself to 12V discussion.

I'd still rather run something newer, that is pretty much guaranteed to work out of the box than take my chances with something 15 to 20 years old that either needs or will need some TLC to get it sounding/working right.

That's true, I wouldn't approach this kind of stuff without at least basic test equipment and the expectation of replacing parts like electrolytic caps that simply go kaput after two decades.

 

[O.G. D-Wet 10+ year member]

Dont mean to toot my own horn but this thread kiks A$$