Help me buy these parts...

Pantocrator

I am purchasing a new sound system within the next couple days I hope.

Speakers- One (1) pair of Polk Audio SR6500 comp. speakers. I have found them at Blue Lagoon USA (yahoo dealer) for less than 480 dollars, they are list at $900.

Subs- One (1) Polk Audio SR124-DVC (DVC is important, does not affect cost though)12" subwoofer.

Amplifier- One (1) Memphis Belle 16MCH1300 5 channel 1300 watts total power amp. Only found by me online at woofersetc and one greymarket esque place...

Head Unit- One (1) Pioneer Premier DEH-P880PRS cd/mp3 player.

I am looking for the lowest price possible. Online seems to be the best way to go for this, and I have very few in store local options... They also seem to like to stiff me, overpricing and changing their prices on me. I would like to have full manufacturer's warranty where possible, but they must be NEW PRODUCTS that are unopened. The blue lagoon place seems unbelievably good, but they only sell the speakers... Any and all help, as per usual, is greatly appreciated. Soon, I will come back for install help (hopefully I can order these parts soon). See you then.

P.S. By the way, I do not care about shipping times... I am out of town at the moment anyway.

MacLeod

http://www.cardomain.com/shop

Pantocrator

cardomain is expensive, however... does anybody have good experiences with these more shady looking companies? I know it's a risk.

MacLeod

Cardomain is expensive because youre getting brand spanking new gear straight from the manufactuer with full warranty.

These other retailers are not authorized and you run a high risk of getting used, repaired, remanufactured or out right knock offs. The forums are filled with posts from people that buy things from these dealers or off Ebay and then have it crap out on them in a few months.

Cardomain is more expensive, but youre getting something for that money. Youre getting the best warranty in the business thru Polk which youre probably not going to need because youre getting first off gear.

Pantocrator

Fair enough. But that only cuts it for the polk and pioneer. Memphis does not allow you to buy products online, but the only store in a 75 mile radius is run by a crook and I WILL NOT give that **** my business. Can I trust woofersetc.com for the amp and the HU, even though memphis says its a no-no?

audiobliss

Haha. Memphis says it's a no-no. Then no!

Drive 130 miles or however far.

MacLeod

If its not an authorized dealer, I would be leary.

You may get a good piece thatll last a while - or you may get a crap POS thatll give out in a couple months.

Look over Cardomain. They have a ton of stuff on sale all the time. You may not be able to get Memphis, but you can get comparable gear for pretty cheap.

exalted512

www.onlinecarstereo.com

Theyre not authorized, but I've bought from them before, and even had a blown speaker and never had a problem with their customer service.

Authorized dealer does NOT mean they are a good dealer. cardomain.com, yes, they are good, but not every authorized dealer is. www.thezeb.com for example, fortunately, they are now out of business, unfortunately, they scammed A LOT of people.
-Cody

Pantocrator

onlinecarstereo- I actually thought about buying a lot of my parts from them, but is it worth, in your opinion, to not have the warranty? You're sure that they are not a scam site?

Pantocrator

Another forum caraudioforum.com, is trying to get me to buy Focals or a/d/s or some other stuff, and that I should not buy polk subs either. Can you guys make comparisons and defend polk products for me? I want to buy the best I can afford, and I really wanted to buy this stuff soon. Please help.

audiobliss

Focal makes good products, but the SR6500 are right there with them.

The SR series Polk subs have the same story.

You want the best, you're going to have to pay well over a grand, but for a budget of about a grand, go SR series.

exalted512

Pantocrator wrote: »

onlinecarstereo- I actually thought about buying a lot of my parts from them, but is it worth, in your opinion, to not have the warranty? You're sure that they are not a scam site?

They come with a 1 year warranty. I had a speaker blow and they didnt have any more in stock so they gave me the full value of what I paid for em. I ended up getting a Pioneer 770 for like $20 extra.

I know many people that have bought from them and have had nothing but good things to say about them, and its usually the bad things that youll see pop up on the internet, but i havent heard one complaint. And like i said before, ive been screwed by an authorized dealer more than i have a non authorized dealer...
-Cody

Toxis

anything online (other than a few large sites) is going to be a risk. If you're hard up for money and are on a strict budget, I doubt you can afford to throw away hundreds of dollars on a gamble with equipment. Say you get screwed... then what? You will have to rebuy them and will end up with more money spent than MSRP and still only have one authentic set.

Plus, I wouldn't put Memphis on SR's but that's just me.

Pantocrator

Toxis wrote: »

Plus, I wouldn't put Memphis on SR's but that's just me.

It's not just you, but can everyone stop making broad statements like this without giving a reason- experience or literature to support your statement?

MacLeod

Memphis will work just fine with the SR's.

They are very well built amps that make their rated power cleanly and are free of noise (at least the ones Ive seen used). Thats really all you need from an amp.

black magic

I just placed an order with cardomain for a few things. They do have some pretty good deals from time to time. Plus they have great customer service. and 30-day money back guarantee.

audiobliss

If you list all the car audio speaker manufacturers in order of quality, and then list all the car audio amplifier manufacturers in order of quality, the SR series speakers will be higher up than Memphis' MClass series of amplifiers.

That being said, however, Memphis' amps are a solid choice, just like Mac said, and I've had no quibles with the performance from mine.

Toxis

The ones I've listened too had no headroom or dynamics. Very bland and weak. Sure it had rated power but without some headroom, it seemed to die off early. Not to mention, I've heard subs sound more responsive on Pyramid amps... but this was a few years back and I still have a bad taste in my mouth over them. I rate them with AudioBahn personally.

Greg Peters

Pantocrator wrote: »

Another forum caraudioforum.com, is trying to get me to buy Focals or a/d/s or some other stuff, and that I should not buy polk subs either. Can you guys make comparisons and defend polk products for me? I want to buy the best I can afford, and I really wanted to buy this stuff soon. Please help.

I've been following the saga on CAF, and wasn't too surprised when the Polk-bashing started in earnest. A few of the regular contributing members on CAF don't think much of anything Polk produces, which is sad, because closed minds are preventing them from trying out some very nice product. I doubt many have bothered auditioning Polk SR speakers or subs in spite of claiming they know what they're talking about. I have the SR5250s, and thanks to a responder on this thread here (Toxis) I'm currently breaking in an SR124 DVC.

My thoughts on the SR components- a clean, detailed, well balanced (and breathtaking) component set that was well worth the asking price. The mids do their job without drama, with surprisingly good midbass response from a 5 1/4" driver. The tweeters are some of the best I've heard, with amazing detail, clarity, and very good imaging and response off-axis. Both components blend very well using the supplied passive crossovers.

I was seriously considering the SRs as well as Focal, Boston Acoustics, MB Quart QSC/QSD 216s. I looked at and auditioned product from Hertz and JL as well, the goal being the best sounding speakers I could find below $1100. I think all those manufacturers are doing something right with their offerings (with their own weak and strong points), and it really comes down to which brand and model has the sound you prefer that suits your installation best. Focal and a/d/s make some nice speakers, but I haven't heard anything from a/d/s in person in over 15 years. My last experience with them left me with the impression that they were very neutral sounding components, but I haven't had a local dealer carrying them since about '92. Quality of a/d/s was an unknown after the takeover by DEI, but is supposedly on the rebound with the latest 246/346 component sets. I honestly preferred the SR components over more expensive sets and others in the same price range, and have been very happy with my choice. Should I come into some extra money, I'd be buying some SR6500s for use in my next car's front stage, then buying a vehicle they'll fit into with good placement options accordingly.

As for the SR 124 DVC, so far (with minimal playing time on it) it compares favourably in the SQ category with the JL 10W6v2 I've been running for several years, and I was very surprised at the additional output I've gotten from the SR at this point...all other variables in the system being equal- same HU, amps, settings etc. with exception of the gain on my mono amp (gave the SR sub one additional step on the gain control over what I had used with the W6v2). The W6 was rated for 400 watts RMS and was being supplied approx. 640 after my last amp upgrade- small sealed enclosure with no complaints from the sub. The SR is rated at 700 watts RMS, and I'm considering ordering the 1000 watt version of my current sub amp for use with the SR when it's fully broken in...with conservative gain settings, of course .

MacLeod

Toxis wrote: »

The ones I've listened too had no headroom or dynamics. Very bland and weak. Sure it had rated power but without some headroom, it seemed to die off early. Not to mention, I've heard subs sound more responsive on Pyramid amps... but this was a few years back and I still have a bad taste in my mouth over them. I rate them with AudioBahn personally.

Thats an issue with gain settings my brother. If an amp makes 100 watts, then it makes it. All you can ask from an amp is that it be built well, be free of noise and make its rated power cleanly. Memphis does that.

I agree with you that theyre not the best on the planet, and they wouldnt be my first pick, but for this application, they make a powerhouse 5 channel that will fit the bill nicely.