What's better than a Alpine MRP-M500 SQ wise?

[shilent 10+ year member]

As far as sound quality, what's better than an Alpine MRP-M500 around $150? I need one with an SSF of 25hz or lower/variable. If there's one with a noticeable difference in SQ at $200, I'm willing to pay extra.

Edit: 400-500W RMS

Click to read more...

 

[mclerico83 5,000+ posts]

id go class a/b

REFURBISHED CADENCE Z5000 1500 WATT CLASS AB MONO BLOCK AMPLIFIER CAR AMP | eBay

much lower distortion rates look at the specs

alpine has a thd of 1 percent where the cadence is a class a/b sq amp with under a .05

http://www.caraudio.com/forums/amplifier-classifieds/531039-focal-solid-1-mono-subwoofer-amps-new-black-red.html

if u go class d id get the focal amp before the alpine easily 165 plus shipping

 

[zako 10+ year member]

id go class a/b
REFURBISHED CADENCE Z5000 1500 WATT CLASS AB MONO BLOCK AMPLIFIER CAR AMP | eBay

much lower distortion rates look at the specs

alpine has a thd of 1 percent where the cadence is a class a/b sq amp with under a .05

Where do you get those THD numbers? Those quotes are almost certainly wrong. First is the THD number at which the RMS wattage is measured. In this test, THD is always kept fixed at 1% with wattage allowed to vary. Almost all amplifiers you know, almost certainly had their RMS wattage measured at this THD. Second, there is a THD test that's measured at _fixed_ wattage. Usually, it's 1watt at some fixed frequency. Anyways... whenever I hear people claiming that one amplifier has 0.05% THD while the other one has 1% it is usually the case that you or some marketing genius mixed up the THD figured of the two tests.

1% THD is ridiculously high THD figure for the THD test, but the standard for measuring the wattage.

The bottom line is that you should not read too much into THD specs because more often than not the marketing geniouses mess up the concepts of THD at which RMS wattage is measured and the THD at 1watt of power. In addition, you have no way of confirming their claims without taking your own measurements. I only believe in THD numbers posted by third party reviewers.

In any case, Class D amplifiers are fine for bass amplifiers. In fact, companies like Alpine and JL Audio have so much faith in Class D amplifications that their full range amplifiers are now ALL Class D, and those are some of the best amplifiers available.. In my view, regardless of whether you buy a Class A/B or Class D amplifier, it still holds true that you get what you pay for.

 

[Bettr n' Revrse 5,000+ posts]

Honestly OP unless you are willing to drop some cash you probably wont notice any difference...

 

[zako 10+ year member]

As far as sound quality, what's better than an Alpine MRP-M500 around $150? I need one with an SSF of 25hz or lower/variable. If there's one with a noticeable difference in SQ at $200, I'm willing to pay extra.
Edit: 400-500W RMS

IMHO.. just get the Alpine or something comparable. JL Audio, Boston Acoustics, Kicker, etc. Right now this Alpine is priced at $200 online, which seems like a great price for a quality amplifier and brand. Once you go below this price, there are plenty of shady products out there. For subwoofers, the available amount of RMS wattage is probably the best determinant of SQ on the amplifier side. If you want to spend more to get a little more wattage consider Precision Power P1000.1 (580watts RMS into 4ohm) or Boston Acoustics GTA (600watts into 4ohms). Both are just a little more expensive but provide a lot more wattage. The Boston Acoustics GTA-500m provides the same power as the aline and costs about the same. The cool thing about Boston GTA amplifiers is that they have 'Q-tune' feature which acts like a parametric bass boost at the high pass frequency. This is a cool feature for sealed box subwoofer users who may prefer to have a little low end boost.

 

[shilent 10+ year member]

I was about to pull the trigger on those Focal amps yesterday, but the subsonic filter is fixed at 35hz, I need 25hz or below/variable.

That Cadence amp you link is covered in rust, and I can't seem to find that model anywhere else. Is there another you can recommend?

 

[shilent 10+ year member]

CADENCE TX-A1000D any good?

Built In Crossover LP

CEA Compliant No

Channels Mono (1 channel)

Class Class D

Condition BRAND NEW IN ORIGINAL PACKAGING

Fan Cooled No

Fuse Rating 80A x 1

Manufacturer CADENCE

Max Input Gauge Size 4

Minimum Impedence 1 ohm

MPN

Peak Power Output N/A

Preamp Outputs Yes

Remote Bass Knob Yes

RMS Power at 1 Ohm 1000 watts x 1 channel

RMS Power at 2 Ohms 650 watts x 1 channel

RMS Power at 4 Ohms N/A

THD at Rated RMS

Total PEAK Power Output (Watts) N/A

Total RMS Power Output (Watts) 1000

 

[Bettr n' Revrse 5,000+ posts]

CADENCE TX-A1000D any good?
Built In Crossover LP

CEA Compliant No

Channels Mono (1 channel)

Class Class D

Condition BRAND NEW IN ORIGINAL PACKAGING

Fan Cooled No

Fuse Rating 80A x 1

Manufacturer CADENCE

Max Input Gauge Size 4

Minimum Impedence 1 ohm

MPN

Peak Power Output N/A

Preamp Outputs Yes

Remote Bass Knob Yes

RMS Power at 1 Ohm 1000 watts x 1 channel

RMS Power at 2 Ohms 650 watts x 1 channel

RMS Power at 4 Ohms N/A

THD at Rated RMS

Total PEAK Power Output (Watts) N/A

Total RMS Power Output (Watts) 1000

Not gunna be much better as I said...

 

[Fi_ 10+ year member]

I think $200 for a 500RMS amplifier is bawls period... Seriously you're going to spend that much on an amplifier that does 500rms not even @ 1 or .5 ohms. Just get an MB Quart DSC1500.1D for $170 and call it a day. Or spend another $100 and get a Sundown SAE1200.1D for $250-300.

 

[globalminds_ent 10+ year member]

I think $200 for a 500RMS amplifier is bawls period... Seriously you're going to spend that much on an amplifier that does 500rms not even @ 1 or .5 ohms. Just get an MB Quart DSC1500.1D for $170 and call it a day. Or spend another $100 and get a Sundown SAE1200.1D for $250-300.

its quality over quantity of watts if u want true sq if u want a lot of sq watts your gonna have spend crazy amounts for very little wattage

 

[Bettr n' Revrse 5,000+ posts]

its quality over quantity of watts if u want true sq if u want a lot of sq watts your gonna have spend crazy amounts for very little wattage

Yes but an MRP amp is neither lol

 

[GVP 10+ year member]

I'll sell u a Boston gt28 for $200..Local northern cali

 

[TheUnderFighter 10+ year member]

Yes but an MRP amp is neither lol

This. First off, you're not gonna notice a ton of difference in SQ for a subwoofer amp, ESPECIALL when you're talking about a $50 price point, and a $150 budget. Any SQ is gonna be negligible.

 

[shilent 10+ year member]

Thanks for all the replies.

So from what I gather, when it comes to mono amps under $200, just buy any quality brand. If this is the case, then I'll just get the Cadence TXA-1000D, cause it looks nice lol. Is there any reason I should NOT get the TXA-1000D?

 

[trumpet 5,000+ posts]

Just get the TXA-1000D. Cadence is a solid mid-level brand.