Why Companies Going To Old School Approach

[dave_damage 10+ year member]

the only thing the New Soundstream Reference amps have in common with the old ones are cosmetic.

 

[jmanpc 5,000+ posts]

They want to bring car audio back into its 'glory days'. The 90s was when audio equipment was built to last. It may not have been the most powerful or beautiful equipment ever made, but dammit it was unbreakable. So looking at what Phoenix Gold is doing, you can see that they want to overbuild their equipment to where it can be just like the good old days.

 

[cleansoundzz 10+ year member]

There is so much quality 9/10 condition old school equipment that is sold through the forums or EBAY that is much cheaper than the stuff they sell today. I don't believe it is better functionwise but it will last longer. This is the good ole, made in USA quality stuff. Some stuff you have to look through but some stuff like the LP stuff as proven by gunz4me I wouldn't pay two cents for. And if I did, I would ask for change back.

 

[cleansoundzz 10+ year member]

They don't want to spend the money anymore to build the same quality stuff is my guess also.

 

[audioholic 5,000+ posts]

There is so much quality 9/10 condition old school equipment that is sold through the forums or EBAY that is much cheaper than the stuff they sell today. I don't believe it is better functionwise but it will last longer. This is the good ole, made in USA quality stuff. Some stuff you have to look through but some stuff like the LP stuff as proven by gunz4me I wouldn't pay two cents for. And if I did, I would ask for change back.

You dont like Linear Power amps, but do like BestBuy era RF amps?

 

[cleansoundzz 10+ year member]

Power series wasn't sold at Best Buy. I like Linear Power but look at Gunz4Me's thread where he talks about them. I know guys who have bought brand new Power BD1000a1 & Power 400a4 (not sold in Best Buy) that ran them for 9 years and still run them with not one problem. Now the punch 500a2 and 200a4 (Best Buy) are still made with the same durability as the 1996-1997 but do not have the 12db crossovers or 4 ga power and ground wire inputs as the power series.

 

[cleansoundzz 10+ year member]

You dont like Linear Power amps, but do like BestBuy era RF amps?

Let's not start flamin here. Everyone is entitled to what equipment they would like to use.

 

[whatsinaname 10+ year member]

the only thing the New Soundstream Reference amps have in common with the old ones are cosmetic.

Care to explain.......

 

[KingDiamond 10+ year member]

I work at as an apprentice at a music studio and most engineers consider the recording gear of the 60's, 70's, and 80's to be "classic" and the best quality and sound. The gear was built meticulously by hand (in England, Germany, or the USA). I think in car audio, the audio gear of the 90's is going to be the long standing example of the best quality and sound. It was when the manufacturers stood by their product and were proud of it. Just like in studio gear, the car audio gear is in the same state right now... the gear is built in China with much higher failure rates and sub-par parts. The older studio gear is now rising in value and some microphone preamps and effects processors are worth a small fortune and I wouldn't be surprised if the same happens with mobile audio gear.

 

[audioholic 5,000+ posts]

Let's not start flamin here. Everyone is entitled to what equipment they would like to use.

My comment wasnt meant as a flame, but more a statement of confusion on my part.

No the power series wasnt sold at BB, but it did usher in a different era for RF. Did you know they sold both a 'II' and '2' series at the same time? As in, 800a2 and 800aII? One being the lower quality units sold at BB, the other being a higher quality unit sold at their dealer locations. Confusing, right? very confusing, considering they did not advertise this (unless you got a *wink wink nudge nudge* from a dealer trying to hold on to his market share). This was definitely a sign of a paradigm shift in RF's mentality as to how they relate to the quality of their products. To me, it was the first substantial sign to enthusiasts that RF had sold out quality and consumer trust for the sake of profit. So I personally have negative feelings about any amplifier they sold from that era. *shrug*

If you read the thread, Im sure you can tell us why LP sucks.

 

[cleansoundzz 10+ year member]

My comment wasnt meant as a flame, but more a statement of confusion on my part.
No the power series wasnt sold at BB, but it did usher in a different era for RF. Did you know they sold both a 'II' and '2' series at the same time? As in, 800a2 and 800aII? One being the lower quality units sold at BB, the other being a higher quality unit sold at their dealer locations. Confusing, right? very confusing, considering they did not advertise this (unless you got a *wink wink nudge nudge* from a dealer trying to hold on to his market share). This was definitely a sign of a paradigm shift in RF's mentality as to how they relate to the quality of their products. To me, it was the first substantial sign to enthusiasts that RF had sold out quality and consumer trust for the sake of profit. So I personally have negative feelings about any amplifier they sold from that era. *shrug*

If you read the thread, Im sure you can tell us why LP sucks.

Informational. I have several of the .2 and .4 series amps as well. But RF didn't start making BD amps until 2000. Otherwise I would use their punch 250.1 power from the 1997-1998 but that amp gets so hot I can fry eggs on it.

I am not saying LP sucks but gunz4me stated that all of the hype that those amps were getting is not worth it. It has nothing to do if whether they are high quality amps or not because I believe they are but I respect gunz4me's opinion quite a bit.

BTW, was the a2 series of higher quality? I remember hearing about that but it has been a long time. Thanks for bringing that up.

 

[gunz4me2 10+ year member]

You dont like Linear Power amps, but do like BestBuy era RF amps?

The only Linear Power amplifiers that I liked were the LP, DPS, HV and HVS series. Unfortunately, they are NOT worth the price they command on the used market. For example, I watched a DPSQ50, which is rated for 50x4 @ 4 ohms with 25 amps of fusing sell for $700. Are you going to tell me that the Ell Pee is worth $475 more than the $225 I paid for my Lunar Amplifiers L450 used? FWIW, the Lunar is rated for 50x4 and uses a 70 amp fuse.

On the other hand, nearly EVERY IQ or older Linear Power amplifier that I owned had some sort of noise issue or another, and MOST did NOT make rated power.

Of course, there was a major failure in my nostalgia.... The Ell Pee relics were designed in an era when power was hard to come by and speakers were highly efficient. Coupling those amplifiers with modern day, highly inefficient drivers, was a MAJOR mistake! Thinking TIPS (aka RIPS) modifications would bring those relics up to modern date, was another pipe dream. Basically, the modifications take those overbuilt amplifiers and run them closer to the edge, only to cause them to need repair again.

Regardless, I am pretty much over that brand. If one wants a 500 watt RMS amplifier that takes nearly 80 amps of current draw at 14.4 volts to make said 500 watts, stick with Ell Pee. There are better old school amplifiers out there for less money.

On a positive note, I only lost $26 over the 14 Linear Power amplifiers that I sold.//content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/greedy.gif.5a53e6246569d7ab79867170f3b06629.gif//content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/biggrin.gif.d71a5d36fcbab170f2364c9f2e3946cb.gif

 

[PioneerSPL1990 10+ year member]

im only 3 years into car audio but i have learned alot about OS rockford i own about 10 black and grinds and 3-4 of the series in cleansoundz avitar. there beasts and u can beat the piss out of them have condensation running on them and they dont give out. and there simple to repair and understand inside i have fixed a couple.

 

[DS Autosports 10+ year member]

If we are lucky, someone will bring the best of the old (durability and reliability) and the best of the new (power and technology) together and make an awesome amp. I have a friend that is an electrical engineer and he is going to attempt this task. Looking at testing the first prototype next spring early fall.

 

[ngsm13 5,000+ posts]

That's back when they actually made profits, and were growing.

nG