C400.4/Crutchfield/Install

Systems

http://www.crutchfield.com/S-BSttZnHmOWo/cgi-bin/ProdView.asp?g=120&I=107C4004

I drive a 4-door sedan with Polk aftermarket speaker (DB6500 front, DB6575? rear) and I'm looking to upgrade with an amp. Is the crutchfield deal worth the cash?

My question is that is it possible to power just the front components and the sub with the amp (is it even worth it?) and just have the rears unpowered.

How much does it usually costs to install 4 channel amp in the LA area?

I don't know, drop some advice on me.

neomagus00

that is a great amp, but it will underpower your components by a little bit and the free sub you get by a lot. you may wish to consider getting that amp, biamping your fronts (or simply amping front and rear), getting the free 10 (or paying $20 to step up to the 12), and finding an amp for that.

in any case, if you don't have your fronts amped now, you don't know what you're missing.

oh, and install. it's possible to do it yourself, though for this complex an operation i suggest you do go with an installer... for price, i dunno, call around once you've decided what you'll get, tell em what you want, and pick a place that looks good (not just to your wallet, but is clean and respectable and so on).

dolfan87

If you aren't concerend about warrenty, you can save a bunch of money on one of those amps by checking into E bay.

Here is one for $275.00

Just do a search for Polk C400.4

Also not to argue with Neo, but my C400.4 actually puts out 94W per channel, almost a perfect match to the DB6500's 100 watts continuous.

If you decide to go with a subwoofer in the future, you could bridge the rear two channels of the C400.4 and run 200 watts to say a single ten. Dump the rear speakers, or just power them off your deck.

Yeah as Neo stated it would be underpowered, but it would still sound decent until you could afford a 300.2 or similar amp.

Or if you don't want the sub, just power what you have now with the 400.4 and be happy.

Install prices are going to vary from shop to shop. As Neo said, don't just go with the cheapest place...you get what you pay for. Or do it yourself, it's not exactly rocket science.

87

neomagus00

Originally posted by dolfan87
Also not to argue with Neo

what is this bull?!?! argue with me all you damn well please, how do you think any progress is made in the world?!

and other than that, i forgot that polk's amps are rather heavily underrated, so they would indeed be a good match for the components. and yeah, all the other stuff is good too

dolfan87

what is this bull?!?! argue with me all you damn well please, how do you think any progress is made in the world?!

LMAO...ok, I WAS arguing with you...how do you like that Neo?

It's so refreshing to come across a poster who doesn't have a stick shoved up his...err, well you know.

87

exalted512

you guys need to take your kinky stuff somewhere else...

-Cody

dolfan87

Ummm, errrr...that's all I have to say about that.

MacLeod

Originally posted by dolfan87
If you aren't concerend about warrenty, you can save a bunch of money on one of those amps by checking into E bay.

Also not to argue with Neo, but my C400.4 actually puts out 94W per channel, almost a perfect match to the DB6500's 100 watts continuous.

I highly recommend AGAINST buying from Ebay. There is not telling what youll get. You may wind up with a Kraco amp with 'Kraco' marked out and 'Polk' written in with a sharpie.

Buying from Crutchfield or Sounddomain may cost a little more but they are much more trustworthy and you know youre getting brand new gear straight from the manufacturer with the manufacturers blessing.

Dolfan is right that the 400.4 puts out nearly 100 watt per channel. Its a ballsy amp indeed and would be a prefect match for your speakers. I would say however to get a sub but get a dedicated amp for it. Youll be much happier.

dolfan87

Originally posted by MacLeod
I highly recommend AGAINST buying from Ebay. There is not telling what youll get. You may wind up with a Kraco amp with 'Kraco' marked out and 'Polk' written in with a sharpie.

Buying from Crutchfield or Sounddomain may cost a little more but they are much more trustworthy and you know youre getting brand new gear straight from the manufacturer with the manufacturers blessing.

Dolfan is right that the 400.4 puts out nearly 100 watt per channel. Its a ballsy amp indeed and would be a prefect match for your speakers. I would say however to get a sub but get a dedicated amp for it. Youll be much happier.

Yes, there is a risk with E bay. I have had very good luck because I almost always pay with Pay Pal, and the protection that they provide.

Feedback is usually the key. Sellers with perfect, or near perfect feedback, don't want to gain negative remarks.

I bought my Polk 400.4 from an e bay seller, and had it arrive very quickly and paid $324.00 for it.

It really depends on how badly you want to save $65.00 or so on your amp.

87

MacLeod

You also have to consider how much having Polk's service and warranty is worth.

Buy it off Sounddomain or Crutchfield and you get the warranty and Polk's best-in-the-business customer service. Thats worth some extra bones to me.

dolfan87

Originally posted by MacLeod
You also have to consider how much having Polk's service and warranty is worth.

Buy it off Sounddomain or Crutchfield and you get the warranty and Polk's best-in-the-business customer service. Thats worth some extra bones to me.

Yup...that's true.

Systems

Also, I get that free sub, I mean, Ebay is cheaper (we all know that) but I get that free 10 inch AND quality customer service (if I ever need it) from either Crutchfield or Polk Audio.

Anyway, I'll probably just power the compnents and bridge rears for the sub until I scrap some cash together for a 2 channel amp (I figure a monoblock would be overkill for a SINGLE sub)

neomagus00

not necessarily - monoblock simply refers to a one-channel amplifier. in the car audio world, this generally means a sub-specific amp (read: class D), and that provides power in a small, efficient package. efficiency is good, because you get less dimming and deepcycling problems. monoblocks can come in very small ratings, so they are absolutely worth a look.

fun fact: an exception to the monoblock=sub rule is McIntosh, possibly the best audio equipment in the world (at 18 grand per speaker tower and 5 grand per channel of amplification, it damn well better be!)