Amp for MM6....

denis87

I'm wondering what you guys think i should do. I'm waiting for my mm6's but i think i don't have enough amp power for these bad boys. currently i'm running a kicker impulse 404 40w x 4. looking at the mm6 specs that barely gives it sufficent juice. so if i upgrade to a better amp what do you guys suggest? 2 ch or 4ch? ..... i also have 2 jl 12w0's running from a RF 200w mono amp, you think i should upgrade that as well? I guess i should mention i'm looking for the best bang for your buck..... although i do know you get what you pay for.

MTXMAN

if you realy want the best bang for your buck, myself and one other in the forum are running the US Amps TU-600 which is 150x2 and a tube amp, it gives incredible sq and you can find it for around 500 bucks at www.speedsound.com and they are an authorized dealer, i've already checked with US... you can find the specs at www.usamps.com go to the 2ch amp section and it's under vaccum tube...

MacLeod

Myself, I like MTX amps. They offer bullet proof build quality, very low noise and distortion and tons of power. I would say get the Thunder502 for $300 at SoundDomain.com. It is rated at 125x2 but MTX are severely underrated so Id bet its putting out closer to 140+ which would be just fine.

exalted512

HiFonics
www.acaraudio.com
-Cody

denis87

yeah i was thinking between the mtx or the hifonics what do you think would be a better sq amp?

exalted512

HiFonics is out of MTX's league...
HiFonics hands down
-Cody

denis87

that's what i like about internet sales they're about the same price. it's really what is "mainstream" and what is not. mtx is sold at futureshop here in canada. kinda like why people buy sony "well i thought sony was good". yeah just because you like your ps2 doesn't mean there car audio is awesome (not talking about their es series).

MacLeod

Originally posted by exalted512
HiFonics is out of MTX's league...
HiFonics hands down
-Cody

Oh goodie! A pissing contest!!

MTX is every bit in Hifonics league! Spec wise MTX spanks Hifonics quite handily! With THD of .02-.04% and SNRs of 110+ db, MTX can easily hold its own.

As far as sound quality I cant fairly compare as Ive never heard a Hifonics but Im sure they are both quite good.

However, MTX Thunder amps are competition level amps and MTX competes with them all the time. They win more DB competitons than you can shake a stick at not to mention a passle (I think thats a word) of Auto Sound Grand Prix awards.

Ive never seen the layout of a Hifonics but its gonna have to pretty spiffy to outdo MTX's tank like design. These things are waaaay overbuilt and can take a lot of punishment.

Now Hifonics are some damn fine amps from all Ive read and heard, but MTX are some of the best amps on the planet. They may not have the prestige of Xtant or PPI but they make up for it by making tons of clean power, being built like Ft Knox and winning competitons.

denis87

i sense a battle brewing. it's good to see both you guys know your stuff. basically to me right now i'm going to see which one i can get for cheaper.

MacLeod

Yeah, we're tired of fighting over JL Audio, so I figure we'll move on to MTX vs. Hifonics!!

denis87

haha at least it's a good argument not like sony speakers vs. stock speakers lol.

exalted512

ask any forum...theyll all tell you...HiFonics IS better than MTX
they have better crossover networks, bigger power supplies, run cooler, and are built better
and JL still sucks:)
-Cody

denis87

does jl suck because they over price everything?

audiobliss

I was wonderin' about JL Audio amps, too. I really like the way they look, and I think I like their specs. If I got some components for the front of my Jeep, do ya think the JL Audio 300/2 would power them sufficiently?

Also, what do y'all think about Alpine amps/speakers? I have an audiophile friend whose opinions I respect, and he is running Alpine amps and speakers in his Subaru WRX STI. He says that he hasn't heard enough of a difference in sound quality between Alpine and the others to warrant the price difference. What do you guys think?

By the way, his Subaru is for sale just in case anybody's interested. Sliver, gorgeous, low miles, I'm sure; great car!!

Thanks.

exalted512

jl makes good stuff
i dont like em because of the price and all the ungrounded hype that surrounds it
alpine makes good amps and HUs(i dont like em...but im outnumber liked 50k to one on that)
i wouldnt run their speakers though
-Cody

audiobliss

and all the 'undergrounded hype'; what's that mean?

AustinKP

Not undergrounded, UNgrounded, as in Kids who think JL is the baddest thing ever and no other speakers can even compare just because JL is the best. Even Cody will admit that JL makes great products. Heck their W7 subwoofer is arguably one of the best there is. However, it's $700 or so, when Adire's Brahma is only $380. Their amps also produce good power and are reliable. I just think that you can get better for the price than JL.

audiobliss

Oh; ok. Sorry; the sad thing is that I read that post several times, thinking that's what he meant. For some reason, I just couldn't read that word right.:rolleyes:

That makes more sense.

MacLeod

I do have to admit to be getting a little tired of seeing JL Audio equipment everywhere. In CA&E issues where they cover car shows or something like it, virtually every system is JL. Its getting as bad as MB Quarts being in everything a few years back. However I dont think its fair to blame JL Audio for everybody all of a sudden jumping on the JL bandwagon.

As far as Hifonics, I cant really speak with any authority. I have never heard one or even seen one. However there are a few things that turn me off to them.

I have never seen one in a competiton car, never. Not saying they dont exist, just that Ive never seen one.

Their website is simply worthless. Its probably the most un-professional website Ive seen. To me, any company that isnt going to take even a little pride in their website makes me wonder how much pride they put into their products.

Ive tried to get hold of them for more than 8 months now to find a nearest dealer. Their website dealer locator has been "coming soon" for about a year now and Ive written countless emails to them and all have gone unanswered.

Now these things dont mean they make crappy stuff, its just a list of things that have made me sour towards the company.

MacLeod

oh yeah,

the 300/2 will work perfectly on the MM6.

Alpine makes very good amps. The V12 series is awesome. Not very powerful though so they wont be great with Momo speakers.

Their speakers are a little on the bright side for me. The X Series is pretty good and severly detailed. Its the best of the bunch but Id take the MM6 over it anyday.

exalted512

im not sure of the reason why you dont see them in a lot of competitions but it could be that they simply dont sponsor people
and if you go by the looks of the website...then USAmps must REALLY suck because their PRODUCTS look like ****, but has a nice website
-Cody

MacLeod

I didnt mean to imply that Hifonics amps suck because their website sucks. Simply that it is one of the things that turns me off to that company. I just think, and Polk Audio is a perfect example, that if a company has a professional, well laid out and informative website then it usually is a sign they take their trade very seriously and make a fine product.

But then it could also mean they spend all their money on IT and skimp on amp production!

Plus, if I cant get a response as to where their nearest dealer is in order to buy one of their amps then how well can I expect their customer service to be if I bought one and needed help with it?

So just for the record: Im not saying Hifonics suck. I am however saying I have some gripes against the way their company is ran.

exalted512

yeah i know what you meant
it is pretty **** that theyre not responding back to you
i bet sony has an AWESOME website
lol
-Cody

denis87

hey cody i've seen mixed reviews about hifonics amps. their durablility seems to be an issue and since i plan to buy online i want something durable.

exalted512

durability issues with a HiFonics amp?
sounds like issues with the installer and not the amp...
-Cody

denis87

although i think they were talking about there lower end series amps.

denis87

What about this amp The MTX 404. 4ch which i can bi amp if i want. http://www.mtxaudio.com/caraudio/products/amplifiers/thunder404.cfm
here's the specs.

denis87

actually do you guys think that would be to much power at 200x2? that's mtx's dynamic power rating.

MacLeod

BI-amping would be using the front channels on the tweeters and the rear channels on the mids. The 200x2 comes from bridging which is running the front channels at mono and the rear at mono. I dont like doing this because it increases the distortion and makes the amp run at 100% power. and yes, 200 rms would be too much power. It would increase the output of the speaker marginally while drastically shortening its lifespan. Stick to Polks rating of 150. This will give you the best combination of sound quality and wear and tear on the speaker. The best range would be in the 125-150 ballpark.

This amp is rated at 50x4 but its probably more like 65x4. So if you were to bi-amp the Momos it would work just fine. It would put the total watts per channel at 130+ which is about right. This would also give you a lot more flexibility in tuning your tweeters output.

denis87

so if i was to bi amp than that would be fine to get that amp, right? Is bi amping a lot better for SQ? Does that also eliminate the use of the crossover that comes with it? maybe idf i do that i won't need a new amp because the amp i'm running right now is a kicker impulse 404. that's rated at 40x4 so bi amping i'm getting a minimun of at least 80 watts per channel. although i don't how if kicker underrates their amps like mtx does.

exalted512

they can handle 200 watts fine
-Cody