upgrade from jl to rainbow?

[drwang 10+ year member]

Alright, been doing a lot of research lately and this is what I'm aiming to get. I'm looking around for an old school Arc Audio CXL-4150. I couldn't find any pictures but a friend of mine told me that they are white with gold arc label. Does anyone know when these were manufactured? And how much are these amps worth today? I figure I'd go with an amp made in my state of California(Modesto),.. represent! haha

I came across Audison amps in my search and this one guy was selling his VRX 300 for $600. Definitely out of my budget.

 

[6spdcoupe 5,000+ posts]

The White CXLs ...a guesstimate would be 2002 era. They then went to dark Blue and then Gunmetal. Until finally changing the heatsink completely and calling it a 4150 XXK. All in all theyre the same board. The XXKs would be the easiest to find since they were current until last year and have a better cooling heatsink design.

 

[drwang 10+ year member]

The White CXLs ...a guesstimate would be 2002 era. They then went to dark Blue and then Gunmetal. Until finally changing the heatsink completely and calling it a 4150 XXK. All in all theyre the same board. The XXKs would be the easiest to find since they were current until last year and have a better cooling heatsink design.

Hey 6spdcoupe,

I just realized your audio system is insane to say the least. I'm scared to even ask how much you $$ you have invested. Every piece of equipment you own is legendary, or so it seems when I've been browsing car audio forums. I'd love to see your setup and I bet one day it might end up in a museum of some sort haha.

Anyways, I was lucky enough to find someone with the Arc CXL 4150 with rating of 8/10 cosmetics. The seller upgraded to the newer XXK model which is his reason for selling. He was asking $260 for the Arc CXL 4150. It's over my budget but I figure I can afford to spend a little more if it's a good deal. Think I should pull the trigger or wait for something else? I mean, it is 5 years old but I'm sure it's a solid amp given it's reputation.

 

[drwang 10+ year member]

I just read an interesting interview with the leaders of car audio. here's a link for anyone interested.

http://www.caraudiomag.com/specialfeatures/0309cae_car_audio_industry_legends/

 

[drwang 10+ year member]

The White CXLs ...a guesstimate would be 2002 era. They then went to dark Blue and then Gunmetal. Until finally changing the heatsink completely and calling it a 4150 XXK. All in all theyre the same board. The XXKs would be the easiest to find since they were current until last year and have a better cooling heatsink design.

OK here are my 2 options:

1) get the Arc CXL4150 (6 year old) for $260 (classic old school performance)

2) get the Arc KAR600.4 (brand new) for $350 (entry level)

 

[6spdcoupe 5,000+ posts]

Hey 6spdcoupe,I just realized your audio system is insane to say the least. I'm scared to even ask how much you $$ you have invested. Every piece of equipment you own is legendary, or so it seems when I've been browsing car audio forums. I'd love to see your setup and I bet one day it might end up in a museum of some sort haha.

Anyways, I was lucky enough to find someone with the Arc CXL 4150 with rating of 8/10 cosmetics. The seller upgraded to the newer XXK model which is his reason for selling. He was asking $260 for the Arc CXL 4150. It's over my budget but I figure I can afford to spend a little more if it's a good deal. Think I should pull the trigger or wait for something else? I mean, it is 5 years old but I'm sure it's a solid amp given it's reputation.

Thanks for the kind words, but there are many people with much nicer toys than I have out there. I just go with the flow and accept what the manufacturers give me. //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/smile.gif.1ebc41e1811405b213edfc4622c41e27.gif

The 4150 is a proven solid performer and that is a good price for a truly classic piece.

 

[6spdcoupe 5,000+ posts]

OK here are my 2 options:
1) get the Arc CXL4150 (6 year old) for $260 (classic old school performance)

2) get the Arc KAR600.4 (brand new) for $350 (entry level)

If the 600.4 is new from a dealer, then go for it. Although at that price Im doubting that it is. Go with the 4150 for a solid Arc classic, go with the 600.4 to have a bit more headroom.

 

[drwang 10+ year member]

Thanks for the kind words, but there are many people with much nicer toys than I have out there. I just go with the flow and accept what the manufacturers give me. //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/smile.gif.1ebc41e1811405b213edfc4622c41e27.gif
The 4150 is a proven solid performer and that is a good price for a truly classic piece.

You make me want to buy them both haha. Anywho, the reason for the real low price for the Kar600.4 is because the dealer(or ex-dealer) used to sell Arc audio but wasn't doing well with sales so they replaced Arc with JL & TMA(Total Mobile Audio-which was purchased by JL) stuff. The Kar600.4 is his last piece of Arc equipment. And he claims it's new.

Either way, like you said, I'll get a really nice deal but I'm having a real difficult time deciding which path to take. If price and quality are factored, which would you(or any one else reading this) choose?

I posted the poll at http://www.caraudio.com/forum/showthread.php?t=233132

Please vote =)

 

[drwang 10+ year member]

A friend of mine is parting out his old system. He has the arc 2050cxl amp. It will only provide 50rms per channel at 4ohm. He's selling it for $100 and the cosmetics are very poor. Scratches and scuff marks. I'm thinking that won't be enough power for the rainbows right?