4CH AMP for MM6 and MMC460

MrDHEJ
MrDHEJ Posts: 137
edited November 2003 in Car Audio & Electronics
I'm shopping around for a 4 channel amp to power my new MM6 6.5" and MMC 4x6 polk speakers that i'm putting in a 1999 Chevy Silverado Extended cab. My first question is how good is the polk 400.4 amp? If it has excellent sound quality then i won't look any further. But just for fits and giggles, what amps are better then polk. Remember, this will be for sound quaility.
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  • MTXMAN
    MTXMAN Posts: 682
    edited November 2003
    US Amps.
    Hifonics
    Soundstream

    etc...
    etc...
    Hemi: (HEM -e) adj. Mopar in type, V8, hot tempered, native to the United States, carnivorous, eats primarily Mustangs, Camaros, and Corvettes. Also enjoys smoking a good import now and then to relax.
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  • MTXMAN
    MTXMAN Posts: 682
    edited November 2003
    US Amps.
    Hifonics
    Soundstream

    etc...
    etc...
    Hemi: (HEM -e) adj. Mopar in type, V8, hot tempered, native to the United States, carnivorous, eats primarily Mustangs, Camaros, and Corvettes. Also enjoys smoking a good import now and then to relax.
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  • MrDHEJ
    MrDHEJ Posts: 137
    edited November 2003
    Is that list in order of best SQ? Do you have web sites for those? Where would the Polk amps fit in there. Are the Polk amps bad enough not to recomend?
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  • Jstas
    Jstas Posts: 14,820
    edited November 2003
    Whoa, whoa, whoa! Slow down skippy! No need to freak out.

    Number one, you asked for recommendations, not a list sorted by sound quality or any other constraint. All the amp companies mention are very nice amps with excellent properties that produce oddles of clean, clear power for a good price. Out of the 3 mentioned, any one of them will have specs that would be appealing to you and at one time someone here has had experience with one or more of those companies. Those companies were offered as a suggestion because of that experience and the confidence in the suggestor that you will have little problem and be very pleased with one of those pieces of equipment.

    Number two, if you want websites, you can look them up yourself like we do. Just goto http://www.yahoo.com or http://www.google.com and type in the amp company names. The sites you are looking for will pop up in the results list.

    As far as where to get them, there are many sites. Infact, if you search on the names, some of those sites will pop up. Some sites some of us have used are:

    http://www.soundomain.com
    http://www.carmedia1.com
    http://www.onlinecarstereo.com
    http://www.carstereotime.com
    http://www.acaraudio.com

    There are many many more.


    As far as where the Polk Audio amps rate, they are smack in the middle of the amp companies that were posted as suggestions already. Judging by the numbers they put up, they would compete directly with Hifonics and the middle line of Soundstream and would be slightly lower on the amp scale than USAmps. If you want the Polk Audio C400.4, I do not see that as a bad choice at all.

    If you would like other suggestions, there are offerings from companies like Kenwood, Alpine, A/D/S, Phoenix Gold, PPI and a few others. The list can go on. But all of those companies offer very nice products right in like with the Polk Audio amplifier line's price point. It would be hard to go wrong with a choice from any one of those companies plus the 3 that are already mentioned. It's up to you to decide which one you like best and which one fits your budget. If you have specific questions about amplifier specs, feel free to ask. No one here can tell you what you like though, that is for you to decide.
    Expert Moron Extraordinaire

    You're just jealous 'cause the voices don't talk to you!
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  • MrDHEJ
    MrDHEJ Posts: 137
    edited November 2003
    Thanks for the reply Jstas, theres just to many dam amps out there. But the biggest problem is finding a 4 channel amp that won't underpower the MM6's and won't overpower the MMC460's. What i need is a 4 channel amp that puts 150watts thru 2 channels, and 75watts thru the other 2 channels. So basiclly i'm left with getting 2 differant amps, and i'd like to stick with one company for amps.

    Price isn't to big of a deal, but i want something that produces excellent SQ for the interior speakers. And if Polks amps are as crisp and beautiful as there speakers i'd love them.

    One idea i had was to run the front MM6's off the Polk 300.2 to give me 150x2 watts, which is still underpowered considering the specs say 150 cont, 250max.

    Then, run the MMC460's off the deck "DEH-P77DH" which is 45x4, though they are rated at 50 count, and 100 max.

    Then have the Polk 500.1 run the sub in the stealthbox.
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  • Jstas
    Jstas Posts: 14,820
    edited November 2003
    Well, you don't have to run your full-range speakers at the maximum rated wattages. If you went with a 4 channel amp that was 75W x 4 RMS, your MM6's would have enough juice to work well.

    If you are concerned about that though, I'll have to recommend multiple amps. You can get stereo amp from Hifonics that will have power ratings for your front and rear speakers and you can get mono-block amplifiers that wil power your sub well. They will do it without breaking your bank too. I have some work I have to go take care of but I have a couple of Hifonics amps in mind. I'll get back to you later with the model numbers.
    Expert Moron Extraordinaire

    You're just jealous 'cause the voices don't talk to you!
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  • Jstas
    Jstas Posts: 14,820
    edited November 2003
    OK, the amps I am thinking of from Hifonics are:

    For the sub:

    Hifonics Brutus BX1500D has 450 watts RMS x 1 channel at 4 ohms. That should be plenty of power to run a MOMO 2124 in that Stealthbox.

    For the fronts:

    Hifonics Zeus ZX6000 has 150 watts x 2 RMS at 4 ohms and shoulc run those MM6's perfectly.

    For the rears:

    Hifonics XI-ISIS has 50W x 2 at 4 ohms. That shoudl be plenty of juice for those 4x6's in the rear. You can't expect to much from them to begin with because they are really quite small.

    If none of that floats your boat, there is always the option of a 5 channel amp. Like this Hifonics Zeus ZX8000 with 4 x 50 watts per channel and 1 x 200 watts per channel.

    Or, probably the best option is a Polk Audio C400.4 and a C500.1 which will still be under-powered by it's clean, solid power and should provide you with enough juice for the MM6's without taking up as much space and cubic dollars as 3 amps.
    Expert Moron Extraordinaire

    You're just jealous 'cause the voices don't talk to you!
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  • MrDHEJ
    MrDHEJ Posts: 137
    edited November 2003
    Well, the hifonics defintly have the power to drive the speakers. But what about SQ vs the polk amps? I keep leaning towards the polk amps because there smaller and would be easier to fit in the truck. And i really like how they look. I've always gone extreme with anything i've done, maybe for once i should just sit back and get the polks knowing they will do the job perfectly.

    Have you seen anyone ever mount amps inside a rear seat like the trucks have? Would be kinda cool if it's possible. Seat down and can't tell anything is there, pop them up and have these big chunks of alumnium staring at you. :) If that is possible it would leave the option open for 3 amps.
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  • MTXMAN
    MTXMAN Posts: 682
    edited November 2003
    If you have a little over $500 to put into power for the MM6's alone you can go with the amp i'm getting. US Amps TU-600 which can be seen at www.usamps.com and bought at www.speedsound.com this site has the amp for a little under 500 + shipping and it's a $740 amp. It's a tube amp too so that definately earns it some serious respect. AWESOME sq from that amp. They also have the TU-4360 which i believe is 75x4 of tube power.
    Hemi: (HEM -e) adj. Mopar in type, V8, hot tempered, native to the United States, carnivorous, eats primarily Mustangs, Camaros, and Corvettes. Also enjoys smoking a good import now and then to relax.
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  • MrDHEJ
    MrDHEJ Posts: 137
    edited November 2003
    Do tube amps produce better SQ?

    Lets say in a fight, tu-600 against the polk c300.2 in what round would who knock who out. :)
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  • MTXMAN
    MTXMAN Posts: 682
    edited November 2003
    IMHO 1st round KO of the c300.2 by the TU-600

    Here's the comparison

    Polk c300.2
    150x2 @ 4ohms
    220x2 @ 2ohms
    THD = 0.1% @4 ohms
    Signal to noise ratio 105dBA
    Frequency response 15hz-45khz

    US Amps TU-600
    150x2 @ 4ohms
    300x2 @ 2ohms
    THD = 0.05% @4ohms
    Signal to noise ration 100dBA
    Frequency response 15hz-50khz

    while the polk may be slightly louder it's costing you headroom if run at 2ohms and it's costing you clarity. you will notice a difference between a THD of .1 and .05
    Hemi: (HEM -e) adj. Mopar in type, V8, hot tempered, native to the United States, carnivorous, eats primarily Mustangs, Camaros, and Corvettes. Also enjoys smoking a good import now and then to relax.
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  • MrDHEJ
    MrDHEJ Posts: 137
    edited November 2003
    Thanks MTXMAN, you can disreguard my other post saying i'm going to get the polk amps.

    If theres that much differance in SQ then i'll spend the extra cash on the usa amps.
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