Polk & Alpine Amps

temptatino · November 2003

Has anyone had much experience with a Polk C500.1 amplifier and/or an Alpine MRD-M500? I'm about to install two Polk subs in my Mazda, and I need a solid amp to power them. Polk is newer to the car amp market than Alpine, but I am a big fan of Polk speakers and subs. If it sways your opinion at all, I am using an Alpine head unit.

Jstas · November 2003

I haven't heard one but the Polk amp puts up better numbers than the Alpine. If you can get them for roughly the same price, I think I'd go with the Polk Amp. Unless there was a feature with teh Alpine amp that you wanted and it could only be used with the Alpine head unit. Then I'd have to reconsider and maybe go with the Alpine amp.

As far as sound quality, I think the Polk amp will have a slight edge. IMO, the newer Alpine stuff has a slightly mechanical sound to it. Not necessarily harsh but now smooth either. Lots of good power in the Alpines though. Going on how smooth and clear the Polk speakers are and how flat the higher end lines from Polk are, I'm going to have to venture a guess and say that the amps are probably just as smooth, clean and have just as flat a response.

I'd go with the Polk amp. The only things that would sway me are price and budget concerns or optional Alpine features that might be useful. Beyond that, I'd go with the Polk.

PoweredByDodge · November 2003

regarding the mechanical sound of alpine -- the reason may be this...

they are being billed as "digital" amps, but they're not - we had that digital discussion 500 times on here, but point being made --- what they DO do is take the analog input, convert it to digital, then run it through a digital crossover and boost circuitry and some digital noise filtering, and then convert it back to analog for speaker output.

so if you do THAT much crap to a signal, something is going to get flattened out or otherwise "lost" along the way -- so that's why i'd say u get that mechanical sound.

Systems · November 2003

I just keep thinking of that saying....."Jack of all trades and master of none". Now Polk is a top notch speaker maker and that is their specialty. I always get leary of a manufactuer "branching out" beyond their primary talent. Take MTX. In my opinion they make some awesome subs but then they branched out to amps, and make some of the dirtiest around. Its like they figure they can make a little more cash if they throw together some amps and cash in on their well known name which is known for great subs. For speakers I like to stick to specialists, (MB Quart, Focal, Polk, Morel....) Same with amps (Precision Power, Phoenix Gold, Xtant et al).

Im not saying theyre all crap, just that I think youd be better served sticking to a company that has specialized in making amps for years. But hey! What do I know?!

sntnsupermen131 · November 2003

i dont think polk making amps is a bad idea
i mean, theyre trying to make money, just like you, me, and everyone else is
true they have been out only a year, and i probably wouldnt buy one of their amps on the first go round, i have no problem with them expanding
i mean, rockford fosgate makes head units, wiring, wiring accessories, caps, amps, speakers, even car batteries, and their stuff isnt bad, not the greatest, but not the worst by far
granted i havent heard their amps, or their new speakers for that matter
-Cody

PoweredByDodge · November 2003

BAH! -- e gads!!!!

mtx makes some poopy subs -- they're run of the mill dude... the polk DB / DX and prolly the new MM2*** are better than the 6000's / 4500's ... and the momo's beat the piss outa the 8000's.

hell the only good use i got for a 6000 is as my new home theatre sub -- ya baby bring 280 watts and a 12" sub into your home and watch the friggin world shake around you.

Systems · December 2003

Never said Polk should not make amps just that whenever speaker makers decide to start making amps or amp makers start making speakers you should just be a little more cautious. Take Precision Power. Some of the best amps ever made. They recently started making speakers. Eh....not so great. Sometimes it works tho. JL Audio makes some of the best subs ever and their amps are very higly regarded as well.

MTX subs good

MTX amps not good
PPI amps awesome

PPI speakers fair
Phoenix Gold amps awesome

Phoenix Gold speakers suck
Coustic amps good

Coustic speaker suck

MTX makes poopy subs? LOL Well I grant ya theyre not the top of the line but they have an **** load of awards, world records and trophies. Most of those are SPL awards tho so youre right as far as them not being SQ worthy but I bought a Thunder6000 for $70 and it puts out all the volume I need. I guess I got a sweet spot for MTX cause my very first stereo was a Pioneer 100x2 amp and 2 MTX Road Thunder 8" boxes with the horn tweeter on top sitting behind my truck bench. Sounded like hammered crap but it was loud as hell and thats all I thought a stereo should be back in 1988. Ahhhh, those were the days! LOL

MTXMAN · December 2003

There are a few companies that master all...
Diamond audio for instance has the TDX subs (best i've ever heard), the HEX component's, and the D7 line of amps bost some pretty nice specs. albiet all of it is a little on the salty side but it's worth it... Is there better stuff... Yes, but they do a damn good job in all 3 markets...

Systems · December 2003

Couldnt agree with ya more. Diamond Audio is some pretty sweet stuff. They would be an example of how to do it right. Kicker is another example. Their speakers are very good and their amps aer clean and powerful. Eclipse is also known for pretty good stuff as well. This proves it can be done. If Precision Power or Phoenix Gold spent as much time developing their speakers as they do their amps.......whoooo mama!

Systems · December 2003

well i went to circuit city today and they had the new momo subs and a amp and i turned the amp on and listend to the new momo and last yeas model and the gnx124 and lemme tell ya it sounded better than the kenwood.they dident have alpine amps though so im goin to 1 that does next week to listin to the alpine amps but like i said the polk amps looks cool and sounds preatty nice

MTXMAN · December 2003

Mac,
I'd disagree with you on the eclipse and kicker issues, while the solobarek squares have a lot of push they're not all that clean sounding and i'm no fan of SPL subs, subs should be clean and tight as well as loud. i don't believe their coax and component speakers are all that great either, not horrible but not even high, mid range. While eclipse makes some damn good subs, namely the titanium series, their amps are lacking and their components while decent are harsher than their worth from my experience.

So far the only brand that i know of that i'd be willing to run all around is Diamond Audio, that's if i could afford the D7 amps, they're expensive ****. Of course since they don't make HU's i'd have to go with an Eclipse HU (they make damn good sq hu's)

sntnsupermen131 · December 2003

in defense of kicker, their square subs have one job, to be loud, and they do it damn well
i wouldnt buy one b/c i want to have some sort of sound quality, but those subs arent made for sound quality(theyre square for crying out loud...lol)
but if i was into spl, i could fit a bunch of kickers in a small spot due to being square, and they push a lot more air than a round sub can
they hexagonal speakers that sony makes, however, are absolutely useless
-Cody

Systems · December 2003

I really like the Resolution series components from Kicker. Theyre not MB Quart quality but are very good. Ive not paid attention to their cheaper speakers so you are probably right in that they kind of suck. As fas as subs go, Ive always thought they were good. They are in a lot of competition cars and Gary Biggs (winningest SQ competitor in like a million years or so) wins all his honors with Kicker amps, Kicker subs, and JBL (yeah! JBL) speakers.

Yeah youre probably right on Eclipse. I still consider them to be good stuff. Not audiophile grade but still good. I think their amps are clean but youre right in they do lack in power. Their head units are very good but gawd awful ugly.

I wonder if anybody will ever master all areas of car audio. JL Audio is awful close. Their subs rule and their amps are one of my favorites. But their speakers are not as good as you would think given who makes them.

sntnsupermen131 · December 2003

JL is the car audio equivalent of bose
their stuff is decent, but over priced, and over hyped
their amps are nice, but to expensive, and i dont think the foam surrounds on their subs would last in my climate
foam is ok for home, not car
-Cody

MacLeod · December 2003

Im with you on the foam surrounds but I dont know if Id consider them the same as Bose. I think they are some pretty good stuff and as far as amps go I love their's. The Slash series is a little pricey but not out of sync with some hi end offereings from Kicker, PPI or Phoenix Gold. The E series is downright bargain priced. $300 for a 4 channel and $400 for a 6 channel aint too bad. Ive heard these things and think they are awesome. Id rather have an Xtant but at $550 for their entry level 4 channel, theyre a bit steep.

PoweredByDodge · December 2003

you'd think "hey why dont they just go with a rubber surround and call it a day"...

but its a little more tricky than that... even if you made a rubber surround with the exact dimensions and exact excursion as the foam one... its still going to have a different stiffness... and you'd have to adjust the mechanics of the sub as a whole.. most likely you'd have to give it a larger magnet, voice coisl that could handle more power, and a spider to match, thus increasing product costs... and its already ridiculously overpriced (the w7).

i dunno... there are far worse things in this world than JL, but they have gotten a certain "stigma" with a lot of people. I understand why... i agree with most of it actually... but as with all things, they can change... they can upgrade... they can win back everyone they've alienated quite easily... and maybe they will... who the hell knows.

MacLeod · December 2003

Ive got a single 8" MTX T6000 in a homemade box in my truck and an old JL Micro Sub (two 8 ohm 8" subs) lying around and one day just for **** and grins I hooked them up to see the difference. There wasnt much of one. The MTX was a little louder and the JL was a little tighter. Now to be fair, this is JL's lowest sub (8W0) and MTX's higher end sub, but my MTX is in a box thats a bit too small which messes up the SQ so I wouldve thought the JL would outperform the MTX but I didnt think it did.

Disclaimer:
Now before I get gang raped by the JL supporters, let me say that this wasnt a scientific test under equal conditions, just me trying something on a whim. And I am, by no stretch of the imagination, an expert and have never played on on TV either.

PoweredByDodge · December 2003

mtx is kinda "ehh"... built like a rock but it's not winning any damn competitions. (well actually its won a lot of spl stuff... but since i'm about as into spl as i am into a size 3 women's dress... u get the point).

goingganzo · December 2003

i would say get a alpine mrv 1000 or mrv 1500 they are a loder amb but have tons of power and can be had at a good price. i have the mrv 1000 driveing a stryke av 15 with 23 mm of x max it hits harder and lower than 2 kicker xpl 12 this thing looks freakey when it starts to move.

MacLeod · December 2003

Originally posted by PoweredByDodge
mtx is kinda "ehh"... built like a rock but it's not winning any damn competitions. (well actually its won a lot of spl stuff... but since i'm about as into spl as i am into a size 3 women's dress... u get the point).

I hear ya. I would never think of using an MTX for a comp. But I dont ever plan on competing. I picked MTX for a couple reasons.

1- Due to budget and space constraints, I was going to be using a smallish amp to push my sub so I wanted one that leaned more to sheer volume rather than SQ.

2- Again cause of those damn budget and space constraints, I was only going to run a single 8 and so more volume and blah blah blah.

3- and really the main reason...again with the budget/space thing, I needed a sub that could work in a .3 cubic ft sealed enclosure, handle 150-200 rms and still cost under $100. That narrowed me down to pretty much 3 choices; JL, RF and MTX.

All in all Im happy with my choice. I think the small box is kind of **** up the sound some so Im gonna try to reconfigure a way to get up to maybe a .38 which is what MTX recommends anyway and Ill see what that sounds like and then go from there.

PoweredByDodge · December 2003

.... hey u can run an idq 8 off that ... hehehe....

hey dont worry -- i got this new project goin on soon -- see my new thread about it....

but 4 polk momo 8" new style subs... gonna FKIN RAWK BEOTCH!!!!!!!!!!!!!

polk polk polk polk polk polk polk polk polk in the truck that made me love polk to begin with!

MTXMAN · December 2003

Originally posted by PoweredByDodge
i'm about as into spl as i am into a size 3 women's dress... u get the point). [/QUOTE

I don't think i'll be able to sleep very well tonight....

Systems · December 2003

i think jl would be wise to incorporate rubber surrounds instead of their foam. they have some sweet subs. but i do think they are slightly over priced and have alot of hype put out about them. look at image dynamic's IDMAX. that's a sub that will rival the W7 spl wise but kick it's butt in the sq department. if you've ever seen id's surround on that sub it's a really good design. it's a really high roll rubber surround that sticks out really far giving it a great xmax but still maintaining cone area.

Thom · December 2003

Originally posted by MacLeod
As fas as subs go, Ive always thought they were good. They are in a lot of competition cars and Gary Biggs (winningest SQ competitor in like a million years or so) wins all his honors with Kicker amps, Kicker subs, and JBL (yeah! JBL) speakers.

Biggs (supposedly) has all JBL in the car now, and did for everybody's finals over the past couple months. The amps and subs are visible but the kicks remained covered as always. He's one of the few guys who can win with just about anything. It just goes to show that the install is at least as important as the product.

MacLeod · December 2003

That is true but I just dont think I could ever use JBL speakers with a straight face....... let alone a JBL amp!!!!!

sntnsupermen131 · December 2003

JBL isnt that bad
i like their GT series
theyre good subs for ppl just starting out in car audio
-Cody

Polk & Alpine Amps

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