Phoenix Gold RSd vs. Zapco DC Reference Amps

[jagblazer01 10+ year member]

If you are not going to use the DC portion of the Zapco's to their fullest, get the PG's.

x2 on that one....im running zapcos on my stuff and am still learning about them to this day. They are amazing amps.....oh and u said your going to run the symbalink system if you use zapcos....you would have to no matter what if you ran them, they dont have RCA jacks

 

[Towncar 10+ year member]

PG has really lost the compitative edge on car audio in the past few years. The quality of the products they make are really dissapointing to say the least. PG was solid quality back in the days of the TI and ZX series. The RSD amps are no way even close to the SQ of the Zapco DC line. The Zapco amps will not only give you much more control on sound, they will in fact sound better and are much more durable. Another good amp i can suggest are the ARC Audio.

I would wager to say you have never even heard an rsd amp. If you had, you wouldn't have made that statement. All pg amps that use triple darlington circuittry sound the exact same. I have owned almost every line, and they all sound the same.. No different with the rsd line. I also hear a lot of talk with the xenon line because of the bad batch they had, but. In all honesty, the xenons are pgs most overbuilt amps to date! That is a fact. So this quility has fallen comment is simply far from the truth. Pg has not made a highend line since the xenons, which has a lot of people complaining, but as I have been told, that will all change for next year.

 

[teamquakecelica 10+ year member]

Loved my Zapcos... had a studio 204 and a studio 500..

BUT

MY Xenon 100.4 and 1000.1 sounded NO different in any way shape or form... only ALOT cheaper

Go PG... Zapco is great but wayyyy to many $$$$

 

[gentlejax 10+ year member]

there you go...like I said....no need to spend the money....you can have 2 Xenon 200.2 amps for price on one Zapco and have tons of power....buy mine...

 

[Horsemanwill 10+ year member]

he asked would it make an 800 dollar audible difference.the answer is nope

the sound difference would come from the sound processor built into the Zapco amps.

To be honest, it would be a waste using those amps for what you are using them for. If you were going to run a high end active setup, I would say sure get the zapco amps, but this is not the case here, and more than likely it would be very hard to tell the difference between the amps. So I say save your money, and get the pgs, it would be a complete waste using the zapcos for what you are trying to accomplish. Use the left over money for deadning, and ect..

maybe he plans on changing speakers at a later date? we all change our systems sooner or later. if he buys the Zapco amps now there will be no reason to change later. wereas if he buys the PG just to go with what he has then he'll have to change it all.

now that being said IF you go the Zapco route make sure it is an authorized dealer so that you'll have all the software requried to use the DC part of those amps. if you really want to know about those Zapco amps rollsdownwindowsmanually ask IDZ24 in the ID board that's the amps he runs.

JBL has always been a dependable brand to go with. I've never really heard anything bad about them. And the things they are doing with home subs they need to hurry up and bring to car audio. I've seen one of the 15" that handle 2500 watts rms and it weighed like nothing.

 

[LoneStarWings 10+ year member]

Well I went with plan C and ordered the JBL's.

They were about the same price as the PG's but the dealer was more enthusasitc about them. I didn't object because I was getting more CEMA rated power (1500 jbl vs. 1100 zap vs. 1000 pg and 100x4 jbl vs. 85x4 pg vs. 50x4 zap).

So I'm going with the JBL GTO14001 and GTO1004 for amplification and the pioneer DEH-P800PRS for the HU/processing. Thanks for the help everyone!

 

[Towncar 10+ year member]

Well I went with plan C and ordered the JBL's.
They were about the same price as the PG's but the dealer was more enthusasitc about them. I didn't object because I was getting more CEMA rated power (1500 jbl vs. 1100 zap vs. 1000 pg and 100x4 jbl vs. 85x4 pg vs. 50x4 zap).

So I'm going with the JBL GTO14001 and GTO1004 for amplification and the pioneer DEH-P800PRS for the HU/processing. Thanks for the help everyone!

The jbls are decent. I would have grabbed some xenons off the web though, as they can be had for a great price. If you only knew what I got my 200.4, and 1200.1 for from the pg f&f sale:crazy:

 

[squeak9798 5,000+ posts]

Not sure how much changed between last year's GTO and this years....I would assume they changed fully designs and not just cosmetics as the power of the various amps are different.....but I had some 75.4II's and had zero complaints. Good power output at affordable prices in a quality design. Great bang for the buck.

 

[LoneStarWings 10+ year member]

My dealer said the design of the GTO's are more are less the same as the old "power" series they've been making for about 10 years now, just a few tweaks for more power and reliability. Don't know if he's actually opened them up or is just BSing me, I guess he probably knows.

He says they're his favorite bang for the buck line, and in all the years they've been installing them they've only had one crap out and that was from water damage.

 

[gentlejax 10+ year member]

well it was all up to you....but did you even research the Xenons...? How much did you pay for the JBL's ?

I am not knocking them and its your choice...but I have had them before ...and they arent as good as a Xenon....

just trying to help you ...but its all good.

 

[denim 5,000+ posts]

The jbls are decent. I would have grabbed some xenons off the web though, as they can be had for a great price. If you only knew what I got my 200.4, and 1200.1 for from the pg f&f sale:crazy:

I do. //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/wink.gif.608e3ea05f1a9f98611af0861652f8fb.gif

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Because I bought the same models from the F&F sale too. //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/tongue.gif.6130eb82179565f6db8d26d6001dcd24.gif

 

[Towncar 10+ year member]

//content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/toast.gif.bc0657bf54b9ee653b6438524461341e.gif

 

[Slimer 10+ year member]

Anyone know where the zapco dc reference amps are manufactured? China? Korea? Taiwan?

Zapco amps are made in Modesto,CA.

I got the reference 750 and 360. I was using them with rca's till I got a zapco eg and used the symbilink cables. Let me tell you it was a world of differents. Like night and day. Did you look into ARC Audio? Made from one of the guys from Zapco. If I didnt get the Zapco's I would of got the ARC's. Just my 2 cents.

 

[LoneStarWings 10+ year member]

Zapco amps are made in Modesto,CA. I got the reference 750 and 360. I was using them with rca's till I got a zapco eg and used the symbilink cables. Let me tell you it was a world of differents. Like night and day. Did you look into ARC Audio? Made from one of the guys from Zapco. If I didnt get the Zapco's I would of got the ARC's. Just my 2 cents.

Even the DC reference? Why would they go out of their way to say "Designed and Manufactured in the USA" for the competition line vs. "Designed and Engineered in the USA" for the other lines. The competition line manuals also have a paragraph about how they are made in the USA while the other amps lack thier manuals.

Not saying your wrong, just wondering why they'd wouldn't highlight the fact that their lower lines are american made too.

 

[gentlejax 10+ year member]

Even the DC reference? Why would they go out of their way to say "Designed and Manufactured in the USA" for the competition line vs. "Designed and Engineered in the USA" for the other lines. The competition line manuals also have a paragraph about how they are made in the USA while the other amps lack thier manuals.
Not saying your wrong, just wondering why they'd wouldn't highlight the fact that their lower lines are american made too.

cause they are not... the older models used to say "made in USA" on them ..now they dont...why? cause they arent....now not to say none of them are...but they are not all made in USA...

not that it matters...as almost nothing is made in USA.....

he already bought amps so its moot now...

good luck with your choice...I am sure they will be fine.