Should I upgrade amps? Does the brand make an SQ difference?

[hari-bhari 10+ year member]

i was thinking a 4 channel d5 600.4 and a d3 600.1. i think its tough and more expensive to get a good 5 channel. what do you think?

 

[teamquakecelica 10+ year member]

What you are honestly looking for is probably more "headroom".. having excess power is a GREAT thing... I PERSONALLY BELIEVE(not a fact but my opinion) that if you have a Cadence xta12004( 300RMSx4@ 2ohm or 600RMSx2 @ 4ohm bridge)(can find them in the $100 range) and you only use it at 50% of its capacity I don't believe that anyone here(or anywhere) could tell a bit of difference between that and an ARC or TRU or mcintosh or audison or______(insert name of expensive amp).. I alway buy moderatley priced EXCESS power.. but thats just me...

 

[pro-rabbit 5,000+ posts]

I could sell you my sapphire 1.5 but ge_off_me would get mad //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/biggrin.gif.d71a5d36fcbab170f2364c9f2e3946cb.gif

 

[hari-bhari 10+ year member]

What you are honestly looking for is probably more "headroom".. having excess power is a GREAT thing... I PERSONALLY BELIEVE(not a fact but my opinion) that if you have a Cadence xta12004( 300RMSx4@ 2ohm or 600RMSx2 @ 4ohm bridge)(can find them in the $100 range) and you only use it at 50% of its capacity I don't believe that anyone here(or anywhere) could tell a bit of difference between that and an ARC or TRU or mcintosh or audison or______(insert name of expensive amp).. I alway buy moderatley priced EXCESS power.. but thats just me...

well i would agree with that statement but the thing is my system gets louder (without distortion) than i can handle. seriously. maybe i need a dynamic EQ to boost the bass notes at lower volumes and then bring them down when the volume turns up. cuz when the system is playing at 50% volume, man it punches so hard, im in ecstasy. but at normal every day volumes that my passengers can tolerate (and that i can drive around town with, without seeming like a douche), that punch is just missing...

 

[Brian_smith06 10+ year member]

headroom imo is king. For example, my upcoming install I'll have 650 watts on tap per mid. Will they ever see that? NO WAY! do you need that much headroom? Nope, im just a firm believer in overkill //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/wink.gif.608e3ea05f1a9f98611af0861652f8fb.gif see my sig for details lol

 

[bugflipper 10+ year member]

No offense but he's not going to get much of a tube amp for $350 needing 4 channels. Actually wouldn't get much of one for 2 channels, but anyways.

KAR 400.4 ARC AUDIO AMP 4 CH. 400 W. SPEAKER AMPLIFIER - eBay (item 130418385774 end time Mar-04-11 13:02:59 PST)

Arc Audio XXD4080 - eBay (item 250768321052 end time Mar-05-11 13:40:38 PST)

Phoenix Gold Xenon-100.4 Car Amplifier - eBay (item 220740411334 end time Feb-20-11 16:19:27 PST)

Soundstream SA120 Pair~Cool~Old School USA~Sound Great! - eBay (item 200568174215 end time Feb-21-11 12:27:53 PST)

SOUNDSTREAM OS RUBICON 604 600wrms 4ch SQ amp!!! - eBay (item 120674390747 end time Feb-19-11 16:01:06 PST)

AUDISON SRX4 NEW Amplifier 680Watt max 4Channel SQ Amp - eBay (item 110576199455 end time Mar-18-11 18:10:41 PDT)

RAINBOW 4CHANNEL SQ AMP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1 - eBay (item 160508730294 end time Mar-19-11 13:06:21 PDT)

http://www.caraudio.com/forums/amplifier-classifieds/503360-diamond-audio-d9-800-4-a.html

http://cgi.ebay.com/Diamond-Audio-D6-700-4-700-watt-amplifier-/350275814189?pt=Car_Amplifiers&hash=item518e10c32d

http://cgi.ebay.com/DIAMOND-AUDIO-D6700-4-4CH-CAR-AMPLIFIER-STEREO-AMP-NEW-/130478401867?pt=Car_Amplifiers&hash=item1e611e694b

http://cgi.ebay.com/DIAMOND-AUDIO-HEX-HA700-4-700W-Car-Audio-Amplifier-/230529684337?pt=Car_Amplifiers&hash=item35aca3d371

 

[hari-bhari 10+ year member]

maybe someone can explain to me what the benefit is of having all that extra power going to speakers that can't really handle it. does it mean theyll punch more at a lower volume? i've all but eliminated using my rear speakers (unless i can get an enclosure for them), so i could use a 4 channel to go active and get a mono for the sub, or stay passive and bridge for the sub

 

[mclerico83 5,000+ posts]

the higher u have to put up the gains to supply more power, the more distortion is present

Massive Audio HD800.4b 100w x 4 rms 200w x 4 peak - eBay (item 130475188742 end time Mar-14-11 20:24:38 PDT)

amazing deal

if i was you id go with

http://infiniteelectronix.com/mbquartdsc4125discus4x1254ohms4x2502ohms2x5004ohms.aspx

this mb quart is an amazing amp anyone on ehre will vouch, plenty of clean power

http://www.powermaxelectronics.com/products/pc/viewPrd.asp?idproduct=225&IDCategory=10

i also have a nice cadence amp laying around would do 100 shipped.

http://cgi.ebay.com/Cadence-A5-HC-600-Watt-Competition-Class-D-Mono-Block-/260738664706?pt=Car_Amplifiers&hash=item3cb53c4902#ht_5804wt_905

then put this bad boy in, made and built right here in the us, designed by mantz at zed audio.

Minimum THD:

see the clean power. mmmmmmm

 

[Trancer 10+ year member]

I honestly think, in your scenario, going from Kicker to another brand of the same specs is going to matter. What they are saying above is right, as if they needed validation, that giving yourself headroom is what makes up most of your "SQ." If you have a pair of component speakers that are rated at 85 watts rms at 4 ohm, get an amplifier that will do around 120-150 watts rms at 4 ohm. Several reasons. You aren't maxing out your Kicker amp, leaving less strain and distortion. Most speakers can take more than what they are rated, if installed correctly, giving you room to push them to their full potential.

There is a big factor that hasnt been taken into factor. Since you are comparing your stereo to your friends stereo.... Cars act differently than other cars acoustically. Several reasons for this and several ways to correct it. You also said that you control your stereo from a CarPC. What program are you using? How is this setup? Basically what I am asking is what is your source? I think this is playing a big factor into how your amplifier is receiving the signal. I am personally not a fan of controlling my car audio from a computer than from a Digital Sound Processor or a Head Unit.

 

[teamquakecelica 10+ year member]

maybe someone can explain to me what the benefit is of having all that extra power going to speakers that can't really handle it. does it mean theyll punch more at a lower volume? i've all but eliminated using my rear speakers (unless i can get an enclosure for them), so i could use a 4 channel to go active and get a mono for the sub, or stay passive and bridge for the sub

Having additional power creates a more transparent sound that has better transients at low and high volume... in laymans terms.. it allows the amplifier to operate under OPTIMAL conditions with no stress at all... giving it a fuller sounds, better dynamics and faster transients..... its a sound from the gods... //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/smile.gif.1ebc41e1811405b213edfc4622c41e27.gif

 

[hari-bhari 10+ year member]

I am supplying audio with a SB Audigy 2 ZS using kxproject drivers, allowing me to control EQ, crossover, and time delays for each channel. I am also working on getting output through ASIO, which should be functional shortly. I figured I had enough headroom because even with the gain on the amp at 25%, the speakers are still louder than I can handle and there is no distortion. I just felt as though the low end punch of the mid-bass was lacking at lower volumes.

With that being said, I'll take a look at some of the other amps and give them a shot. I found a used Memphis Belle 6 channel that I was considering giving a shot. Any thoughts?

O/S Fultron/memphis Belle 6 channel amp! - Car Audio Classifieds

 

[gunz4me2 10+ year member]

I'm afraid you are looking into replacing the wrong component, your amplifier. If you are lacking midbass, I'd highly suggest fixing the problem at the source and considering a different midbass driver. Also, if you are lacking low end punch, again you need to address the problem at the source, your subwoofer. What sealed enclosure is it in? Is it optimally placed for the best possible sound? What are your thoughts on porting your subwoofer or building a different sealed enclosure based on modeling software?

Believe it or not, I am just trying to save you from some aggravation that I went through myself. I once thought different amplifiers would be some sort of miracle cure and was sadly disappointed. Changing out one similarly powered amplifier for another with nearly the same power didn't really make the big difference that I thought it would. It wasn't until I went back to my pro audio philosophy that I realized that I was throwing money away unless I was doubling my RMS power.

 

[Mitch86 5,000+ posts]

Sounds to me you need new mids, not a new amp.

 

[hari-bhari 10+ year member]

i hear what you are saying. but at the same time they punch really well when the volume is up slightly. so it's not that the mids are not capable of delivering the mid bass i want, its just that i feel that the amp is not driving them adequately at lower volumes. another reason i think it's the amp is that when i program the crossover on the carpc for 12db highpass at 60hz (and amp at full range), the results sound different than when i set the amp crossover to 60hz (and carpc to full range). using the amp crossover produces more midbass, which i don't really understand (and ive checked the settings on the carpc and amp a hundred times). finally, if drive the speakers full range at lower volumes (just for testing), the results are very pleasing. so that's why it really makes me think its the amp and not the speakers themselves (the dls ms6a's are no slouches). finally, in regards to bass output, the idq is hitting very well lowpassed at 80hz with a 24db slope, but i think it could definitely benefit from some extra power. maybe ill buy a new amp from an online retailer with a good return policy and just try it out.