Amp for my MM6's

AustinKP

Ok, I think I'm finally ready to get my amp for my momos. I think I'm down to just a couple amps. The PG Tantrum 400.4 bridged to 200x2 @ 4 ohms, or this Monitor 1. It's made by Zapco, and I can get it shipped for like $185. What do you guys think? Is there something better out there for less or the same price? I don't necessarily need 200W per channel. I think 150 would be fine, but 200 seems to be the number that keeps popping up for a 4 ch bridged to 2... Opinions? Suggestions?
Thanks,
Austin

MacLeod

I would recommend bi-amping rather than bridging the 4 channels. Bi-amping will give you more flexibility in tuning the tweeter output and it will be cleaners. Bridging an amp makes more power but it makes all the power the amp has to offer and it usually doubles the distortion. I would say a better idea would be to get the Tantrum 600.4. Its 75x4 which would be 75 to each tweet and 75 to each mid which is exactly what the MM6 is rated for, 150 rms. It would only be putting out half its rated power so it wouldnt be working near as hard and sound a lot better. Plus you wont have to rely on the crossover to control tweeter output.

I would stay away from the Monitor. I dont know this for sure but it just really looks like it belongs on the end of an anchor chain. To the best of my knowledge, Zapco manufactuers its own amps so that claim doesnt make sense to me. Like I said, I dont know for a fact and Im just going with my gut but Id stick with the name I trust. Phoenix Gold is a high quality amp maker and has been for about 15 years now. Do the Tantrum 600.4, youll be happier.

AustinKP

Has anyone ever heard of MA audio? Here. My friend got some of these on sale and I was wondering how good they are and how much power they need to sound good. Will 22 watts from a pioneer HU make them sound good or will he need an amp?

As far as bi-amping, why would I want to do that? I would assume that the woofers would want a lot more power than my tweets. It just seems like a waste to me to put 75 watts just to some tweeters. Maybe they take more power than I thought, but it wouldn't seem to me that the power is divided evenly between the woofer/tweeter in the crossover.
Anyone else have an opinion on the Monitor 1?

-Austin

MacLeod

MA Audio makes some pretty decent amps however their speakers are not all that special. They dont suck but Polk blows them away.

My general rule of thumb is that deck power is only ok to use while youre saving up the money to buy an amp. That 22 watts is more like 10 or 12 rms and its not that clean. I mean, how good can an amp be thats as small as a head unit. I would HIGHLY recommend getting an amp for all speakers.

If you feed 100 watts to a set of components, 50 goes to the mid and 50 goes to the tweeter, the amp doesnt know the difference. Most crossovers have a tweeter protection so the tweets dont fry but they dont divert power. So a 50x4 bi-amped would be the same thing as 100x2 running straight.

You are right that tweeters dont need as much power as mids and thats why bi-amping is a cool way to go. Most crossover have attenuators for tweeter output but its very limited and is usually availably in only 3 stages, -3 db, 0 db or +3 db. With bi-amping you can adust the gain with more flexibility til it sounds just right.

Dont get me wrong, you dont have to bi-amp. Most people dont and a 2 channel will work just fine. The only benefit is the added tuning flexibility. Cost isnt much of an issue either as most 100x2 amps cost about the same as a 50x4.

AustinKP

Has anyone else heard of Monitor 1? On caraudioforum.com, it's been very highly recommended. Since I've never heard a system with the MM6's amped, I've been wondering: Do I really need 200 watts per channel? I mean, would this amp do the trick for me instead? It's 120x2 @ 4 ohms not bridged, so the quality would be better AND $50 cheaper. Will the sound be so loud at 120W that I wouldn't ever want to go 200W anyway? Unlike Vince, perhaps, I would like to retain my hearing at least until I'm 50. I like my music loud, but don't want my ears to be ringing for an hour after I get out of the car. None of the stores around have MM6's w/ more than like 45W per channel, so I have no idea how loud these things can really get.

exalted512

120 will be good:D
-Cody

neomagus00

agreed. 200 watts will be louder. i actually wish they could handle more, but that may be due to my setup - i have them xovered to about 70 Hz, and the volume is limited by distortion, which would presumably be decreased at a higher xover. when i get subs. so maybe 120's enough, maybe 200 is... i dunno yet.

exalted512

what kind of amp do you have neo?
-Cody

neomagus00

i've got the 300.2, but its birthsheet rates almost 200 watts per channel. the volume limits i mentioned take into consideration the fact that i drive a convertible, which is an inherently noisy vehicle. I could (almost ) never stand the volume being all the way up if the top and windows were both sealed. i only turn it up that far on the highway with the top down, but i would like it to be capable of driving me out of the vehicle. thus the subs .

exalted512

the polk 300.2?
wow, and it distorts?
1 up for RF:D
-Cody

LittleCar_w/12s

Yes, RF! I run an old RF 9200 H/u excellent sq!
-Jerry

AustinKP

Jerry,
Where did you just come from? I've never seen you before, but you already have a ton of posts. Did you just get back from a long vacation?
-Austin

exalted512

he visited here a few months ago but forgot to pay the internet bill...
i hate when that happens
thats why you get AOL
well...the free CDs that is...
-Cody

neomagus00

Originally posted by exalted512
the polk 300.2?
wow, and it distorts?
1 up for RF:D
-Cody

nope, the amp is awesome. the mm6s distort, cause i have a fair amount of bass coming out of them.

exalted512

still weird, mine are crossed over at 55Hz with over 200 watts going to them and i play rap sometimes
the tweeter distorts before the mid does
-Cody

LittleCar_w/12s

Austin:
I have been on the boards a while, just have had quite a few times without internet. I was here last year or earlier, then i moved from MD back to TX last summer, didn't post for a while, got internet again after another move, then couldn't afford it and cancelled. So... here I am again
Neo: Sounds like it's a signal problem.
here's what I do: turn the bass setting on your deck to flat.. i.e. NO bass+ or even less than flat. Many decks will distort bass earlier than the other freq's because of internal signal coupling (I wont go into detail).
Then: turn your sub or sum out vol settign in the deck to about 95% if you have it
Next to do is turn your unit to about 90% or to 100% and no (loud) or (bump) or (punch (for RF)) if you have any of those. THEN.. adjust your amp until you just start to hear distortion, then turn it slightly back.

These steps ensure that you arent clipping anywhere in the signal line. Then you can rest assured that 1: your SQ is good, and 2: the subs dont receive a squared-off signal, which will EAT your voicecoil.
After you're done, adjust your sub/sum (or just use the bass control, try not to go over flat) out to a good listening level, but dont ever touch the amp again.

Hope that helps
-Jerry

LittleCar_w/12s

oh, i forgot to mention...
when you have ti set to 100% vol, have your other speakers disconnected if possible, you dont want to hurt them OR your ears, especially since you will be LISTENING to the subs right at the sub (trunk open, etc). Remember high freq's destroy hearing quicker.
-Jerry

neomagus00

Originally posted by exalted512
still weird, mine are crossed over at 55Hz with over 200 watts going to them and i play rap sometimes
the tweeter distorts before the mid does
-Cody

do you have the mids in enclosures?

jerry - i don't have subs, it's just the mm6s.

exalted512

nope...theyre just sittin there in my door...well...ones sitting in my room broke right now...
-Cody