Zapco worth the moo-laa?

[j3bus2k3 5,000+ posts]

Simple question....I know Zapco amps are supposed to be the epitome of an amplifier, but are they really worth it? Is their C2K series worth the $600 for a 4-chn and $1800 for a 2000x1 @ 2ohm Monoblock? Anyone have any experience with these? Or are the Hifonics, Directed Audio, Orion, JL Audio and all the other great amp builders just as good or does Zapco have the edge in some way? Any opinons or work related experiences would help.

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[JoseMCeee 10+ year member]

zapco is way up there man. I dont think you can compare them to directed, orion and especially not hifonics. Check out US Amps also if your looking into Zapco

 

[JimJ 5,000+ posts]

2x on the US Amps suggestion...also Brax, Helix, Tru...

Hifonics doesn't belong in the same sentence //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/smile.gif.1ebc41e1811405b213edfc4622c41e27.gif

 

[audiolife 5,000+ posts]

they arent bad imho depends what is surrounding it to weather or not its worth it. if you have outboard processing and so forth

 

[3.5Max6spd 10+ year member]

if you got the moo-la to buy into them, I dont see why you would want to buy any other brand of amplifier- exellent power , design, and track record

 

[adam71 5,000+ posts]

I would definitely recommend them. I have no first hand experience but I do have an acquaintance that does. Judging by your choice of mids and highs and head unit it would be worth putting your JBLs on the shelf.

 

[bonesninja 5,000+ posts]

theres no way for me to justify that much money if its just a daily driver. if i had the money it would be a pure sq comp car.

 

[j3bus2k3 5,000+ posts]

All in all, dump the JBL, buy Zapco? What about MMats, the south florida delight? Are they any good? So who are unquestionably the formost amplifier manufacturers in addition to Zapco?

And speaking of mids and highs, anyone heard/seen the new MB Q-line and Reference Amps?? I read a review in Car stereo and Electronics and they seemed to say they aint worth the money.

 

[JimJ 5,000+ posts]

MMATS stuff is good as well...

Take those manufacturers we recommended, and flip a coin - or several //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/smile.gif.1ebc41e1811405b213edfc4622c41e27.gif They're a toss up.

 

[DBfan187 5,000+ posts]

Hmm, dump your BPx2200.1 for a Zapco?

I'd keep the JBL. That's a nice Crown amp

 

[denim 5,000+ posts]

all the zapcos I have used or been around have been very solid, not the most powerful or the prettiest, but a great amp for sure

 

[DARKHART 10+ year member]

I read a review in Car stereo and Electronics and they seemed to say they aint worth the money.

You might want to reread that review because that's not the understanding that I got from it unless I over looked something.....heck I'm gonna go reread it myself just to make sure heheheheheh....... //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/biggrin.gif.d71a5d36fcbab170f2364c9f2e3946cb.gif//content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/biggrin.gif.d71a5d36fcbab170f2364c9f2e3946cb.gif//content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/biggrin.gif.d71a5d36fcbab170f2364c9f2e3946cb.gif

 

[goodrich 10+ year member]

McIntosh is another super high-end amp worth looking at if you can spare the cabbage. 5-channel (4x50+200) is about $2200.

 

[paikiah 5,000+ posts]

IN terms of cost, zapco is NOT the top. There are others.

fans will die out one day. The C2K's biggest problem here in Korea are fans dying out and the fan itself not having enough CFM to pump the heat out quick enough, no external heatsink to cool it off. It was a good try by zapco to have a true surface mountable amp design, but the darn fans...

 

[profilepower]

just my opinion...pg/carver is a ''great'' amp...

if pg made a line called it carver to sell.they couldnt make them fast enough.

i'M SURE PG MORE expensive amps are a good as any made.

VERY lttle difference between zapco/kicker/pg/ads/orion/jl amps.

carver was #1 for a few years.around years 88-93......