One last question. Hifonics/US Acoustics/ Xtant comparison? -Long post-

[Ne1 10+ year member]

Ok, In my search for a good sub amp, I have basically decided one of these 3 are gonna be it. The sub in question is an older Diamond Audio sub, 12" comparable to the tdx's if I recall correctly, 150w RMS in approx 1.75 or so cubic feet (sealed). First up to bat is the Us Acoustics USA 2100 amp. Here are the specs:

USA2100

OUTPUT POWER

Per channel @ 4 Ohms

@ 12.9v input 100Wx2CH

Per channel @ 2 Ohms

@ 12.9v input 150Wx2CH

Bridged Mono @ 4 Ohms

@ 12.9v input 300Wx1CH

TOTAL HARMONIC DISTORTION Less Then 0.01%

NOISE below rated output 104 dB

SLEW RATE 20 volts/microsecond

PHASE RESPONSE Lagging 12 Degrees at 20 kHz

INPUT SENSITIVITY 100 mV-2.2 Volt

INPUT IMPEDANCE 56 Kilo Ohm

DAMPING FACTOR Greater than 100

PROTECTION

Reverse Polarity Yes

Thermal Yes

Short Circuit Yes

D.C. Yes

IDLE CURRENT 0.6A

FUSE RATING 35A

SIZE inches (mm) Length 11.4 (290)

Width 6.3 (160)

Height 1.9 (47.3)

WEIGHT lbs. (kg) 9.02 (4.1)

Cost is $130 plus tax, locally.

Next up is the Hifonics Nemisis. Specs:

General Specifications

* RMS Power Range : 150-300 Watts

RMS: Root Mean Square is a formula that provides a reasonably accurate means of measuring and comparing continuous AC power. The use of this measure is preferred when matching system components, like amplifiers and receivers.

* Number Of Channels: 2

Number Of Channels: Common name for a complete amplifying stage in any audio amplifier. Most amplifiers are denominated as 1, 2, 4, 5, or 6 channel units. Each of these is a discrete audio amp on its own, capable of taking a small line signal input and amplifying it sufficiently to be heard on an appropriate speaker. Some amplifiers are capable of bridging two channels together, to form one channel of double the power of each separately. The manufacturer's instructions differ widely on how to accomplish this, and each must be followed exactly.

* Maximum Power: 600 Watts

Maximum Power: The amount of power a speaker is estimated to handle during a brief high-intensity musical burst. Since this can vary with both frequency and amplitude, it is a much less accurate way to judge speaker durability and performance than RMS.

* Built In Crossovers: Yes

Crossover: A device or passive circuit used in systems with separate tweeter and/or midrange Drivers. It Rolls Off frequencies above and below certain points in the range, to allow the sound to be tailored for the specific driver to which it is sent. Most speakers have crossovers that consist of passive elements such as capacitors, coils, and resistors to separate the various frequencies. In a bi-amped or multi-amped system, the crossover is an active device that feeds the various frequency bands to the inputs of the amplifiers that operate the individual drivers.

* Channel Separation: Yes

Features

* 150W x2 @4 Ohms

* 300W x2 @2 Ohms

* 600W x 1 @4 Ohms

* Hofonics Twentieth Anniversary Heat Sink Design

* Ultra - Fi Mosfets

* SPC - Simpatico Coil Design

* HSMD - Hifonics Surface Mount Design

* Fully Adjustable Accu - Cross - Crossovers

* PWM Mosfet Power Supply

* Line Output for Amplifier Daisy Chaining

* Variable Bass Equalization

* Sub - Sonic Filter

* 4 Gauge Power Connectors

* Additional High Speed Mosfet Output Devices

* Maxi - Fuse

* Dimensions: 14.9" L x 10.4" W x 2.4" H

Price is $150 Locally, plus tax.And last but not least is the Xtant class D mono amp. Specs:

Specifications

Number of Channels 1

Watts per Channel 4 Ohm 150

Watts per Channel 2 Ohm 300

Bridged Mono @ 4 Ohm n/a

Features

# Regulated Transitional Class D Technology

# Fully Regulated PWM Power Supply

# N-Channel MOSFET Design

# Defeatable Balanced Input

# Continuously Variable 24dB/Oct Low Pass Crossover 40-120Hz

# Continuously Variable 24dB/Oct Subsonic Filter

20-80Hz

# Variable Bass Boost at 45 Hz 0-12dB

# RLC Connector

# 2 Full Range RCA Outputs

This one goes for $99 shipped off of ebay.

Also keep in mind that Another factor that will play into this decision is future expansion of my system. In other words, I''ll be upgrading the mids and highs one deay, and will want another amp from the same company to run them preferable. For the Xtant there is the 2002, and for the us acoustics I could always just get an identical 2100 for the mids and highs. Not sure on the hifonics, but I'm sure they have something comparable.

So thoughts? Recommendations? Suggestions. Rants/raves/slaps upside the head? Thanks so much for any advice!

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[supa_c 5,000+ posts]

Rants/raves/slaps upside the head? Thanks so much for any advice!

You are an idiot //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/moon.gif.9d317aec3339ffe7fde0638df52c628a.gif//content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/spank.gif.0d78e34d42ea8780359e903aeb6697d6.gif

 

[Ne1 10+ year member]

Yeah, but I knew that much already //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/crazy.gif.c13912c32de98515d3142759a824dae7.gif

 

[Ne1 10+ year member]

Anyone else have any experience with any of these amps?

 

[squeak9798 5,000+ posts]

* Channel Separation: Yes

I'm sorry.......but that's funny. "Yes, our amp does have channel separation, but we're not going to tell you how good it is." Oh well, I guess it's better that they said yes instead of no //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/hilarious.gif.02a037aad04aa96f19982b298a3d70a8.gif

Anyways, my buddy has a USA amp. Good amp, great for the price. Does what it's supposed to do and doesn't sound half bad. Played with Xtant before, great products

Personally, I'd go with either the USA or the Xtant....and probably the Xtant before the USA.

 

[req 5,000+ posts]

well. you said its 175w rms?

i think sealed that will at least double. so 300w?

why are you set on these three amps? im sure there are much more amps that will do 300~500w easy and can cost equal to or less than that.

from those, i would do the same as squeak, 130 is a good price, 99 is a great price, but 150 is a little bit more..

whats your budget? and are you interested in warranties? im sure somone around here on this forum has an amp that would bump hard for your setup.

http://www.thezeb.com is a good site to surf through. i just wish their search button had a "watts per channel" filter similar to ebay. would make it alot eaiser to find what you are looking for eh?

//edit

this would suit you, has a warranty, and is within your pricerang.. and is 300w rms.

http://www.thezeb.com/detail.aspx?ID=6501

hifonics is not the best by all means, but it would do what you want it to for sure.

 

[n2audio 5,000+ posts]

Not impressed with my US Acoustics 4085. After about '01 they changed designs and they haven't been the same ever since. IMO the Xtant and the HF are a notch or two (or three in the case of the xtant) better than US Ac.

 

[Ne1 10+ year member]

"I'm sorry.......but that's funny. "Yes, our amp does have channel separation, but we're not going to tell you how good it is." Oh well, I guess it's better that they said yes instead of no "

Heh, I totally missed that portion of the specs. I guess you gotta put in whatever good stuff you can about the amp to try and sell it! //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/veryhappy.gif.fec4fed33b4a1279cf10bdd45a039dae.gif

Thanks all, thats exactly the info I was looking for, I will also take a closer look at that hifonics, thats right around the specs I am looking for as well, with a good price. I'll see what else the zeb has to offer while I am at it.

The budgets at about 120 with shipping, so I have some room to work with. I'm not exactly set on any particular amp, but for the money, the xtant was edging toward the top in my book anyways. Basically this was just what was readily available for a good deal. Thanks again for all the input!

 

[dr.beats 10+ year member]

you could pawn off some of that gold and buy a nice amp

 

[Ne1 10+ year member]

nope, gotta keep it real ya know? //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/biggrin.gif.d71a5d36fcbab170f2364c9f2e3946cb.gif