Question about an Amplifier

Kinetic

Guys like a month ago i ask you about a subwoofer for my car, so i decided to go for the Polk SR 124 DVC (700 RMS) , as eloplayspolo, McLeod, and others recomend me, instead of the DBs.

but now i need to decide on the AMP, becouse im going to buy it next week...

1.- Would I buy the PDX-1.600 (600 RMS) or the PDX-1.1000 (1000 RMS)?
Somo guys in other forum told me that the 1.1000 becouse of the headroom, but i trust more on you guys.

2.- Why is it that anyone here buys at ebay?, i have bought several things on ebay for my car, and no problem at all, Actually my PDX-4.100 i buy it on ebay, and i was planing on buy the PDX-1.1000 with the same seller.

Thanks a lot for your patience...

eloplayspolo

they dont buy stuff on ebay because it isnt as reliable and u cant trust random people as well as u can trust a company that is a, for example, certified retailer of alpine. When u buy stuff from ebay, odds are that the item will not be covered in waranty. Also, u really dont know if the item was refurbished (which isnt allways a bad thing), but u just cant be sure about stuff on ebay.

Yes the 1.1000 is a better choice, its not just for headroom, but u are going to be easier on your amp, your going to be able to power it properly and also ive heard of several people powering those with 1000 watt amps simply because the SRs are high quality and can take that much power.

killerb

i would go with the 1.1000 also. i love ebay! i have saved so much money and have had zero issues. you just buy from sellers with great feedback and history. most will offer at least a one year warranty. also if you buy high quality gear its going to last. i got my sr6500 set for $400 from ebay, thats a smoking deal!

exalted512

+1 for the 1000. And ebay is the shiznit. If the guy has an ebay store and good feedback, then id go ahead and buy from him, if its just joe blow selling it, id be weary, even with perfect feedback.
-Cody

1996blackmax

I actually look for the guys selling their own personal gear.....

Bubba -NJ

I just bought an amp off ebay from Hifi Sound Connection , nice amp , great price , BUT , the vendor has no idea how to pack something carefully to ship across the country . I've shipped plenty of delicate items that I sold on Ebay and never had a problem , I probably over protect the item but I've never had a problem yet . They put the amp in the factory box , placed that box inside a bigger box and just through in some other big pieces of card board folded up on top of the amp box . Shipped from California to New Jersey via UPS ground , so I know it was handled quite alot . When I opened the shipping box and removed the folded cardboard , the factory amp box was all busted apart . Luckily the amp was bagged and had soft foam end covers holding it in place and no visible damage .

DemonAstroth

Well... I bought my old Eclipse amp from a dubious (meaning no company but an individual) seller on Ebay, and I was very happy about it. I got it for dirt cheap, it works great, and he even gave me a free capacitor (that I don't know what to do with it, still it was a nice thing)

I'm sure that there are bad deals on ebay, I've had 2 so far. But I've been able to get my money back through Paypal and I have like 200 good transactions, so the bad is not even 1 percent.

The one thing I would be more concerned about is the warranties of the product, for if it's new and the seller is an unauthorized retailer, you are at their mercy.

Demon

1996blackmax

Ebay is also good for hard to find items. Back when I had my Alpine CDA-7949 I could not get the matching processor here in the states (PXA-H600), this was from both dealers and private parties. I was able to pick one up from a guy in Australia.

MacLeod

A friend of mine has a good motto for buying amps. "Get as much power as you can afford."

If the 1000 watt amp fits your budget then get it. Itll be a much better match with an SR12 than a 600 watt amp.

I tend to stay away from Ebay. Generally, after you pay shipping youre really not saving that much money if youd just bought it from an authorized retailer. And when you buy from an authorized dealer the manufacturer makes money as well and gives you their full blessing and warranty coverage. Thats worth the extra to me.

exalted512

1996blackmax wrote: »

I actually look for the guys selling their own personal gear.....

I do that as well, but on audio forums, never ever on ebay.
-Cody

exalted512

MacLeod wrote: »

Generally, after you pay shipping youre really not saving that much money if youd just bought it from an authorized retailer. And when you buy from an authorized dealer the manufacturer makes money as well and gives you their full blessing and warranty coverage. Thats worth the extra to me

Where are you shopping at? I need to go there. I still buy equipment off ebay b/c i can get it cheaper than i can getting it for cost + tax at my shop...
-Cody

killerb

exalted512 wrote: »

Where are you shopping at? I need to go there. I still buy equipment off ebay b/c i can get it cheaper than i can getting it for cost + tax at my shop...
-Cody

yeah let me know too. i would love to shop there also.

MacLeod

It takes some shopping around but it can be done.

Here is some recent examples from my own experience -

I got my Crossfire VR302 for $200 out the door. It was on clearance at my local shop. I went in and told them what I was looking for and what I had to spend and got it. Here is the same amp on Ebay for $201 shipped.

I paid $1 less, didnt have to wait for it to be shipped and bought it fully authorized.

I couldnt find the Polk MM6 on Ebay but I bought my set off Cardomain for $165 shipped! I got them on sale, brand spankin' new and fully authorized.

Here is another. I bought my MM2104 brand new from Tweeter on sale for $105 out the door. Here it is on Ebay for $95. Again, not having to wait for shipping and fully authorized. Here

My Alpine 9855 I got for $350 from Tweeter on clearance. I dont know what it was running for on Ebay but now, nearly 3 years later its going for $225 + $25 shipping.

You can get the Alpine H701 for $500 shipped and fully authorized from Crutchfield. Its around $375 shipped on Ebay. Id rather pay the $125 extra and get the full warranty.

You get my point.

Im not saying that Ebay isnt any cheaper - quite the contrary. There are a lot of good prices on there and its a lot easier to find good deals. What Im saying is that if you do some digging, you can come up with prices that arent that much higher than Ebay prices and when you factor in the full factory blessing and fully authorized dealer, the extra cash is well spent in my opinion.

DemonAstroth

I got my Eclipse CD7100 for just over 530 shipped from Circuit City.
On ebay I could have had it for 495 shipped. So yes the 35 dollars is worth the warranty of circuit city. Plus it's so cold in Chicago right now that it was nice having them install it for free.

However, who can find some SR6500 for less than 500 at a retailer? Maybe that's when ebay makes sense.

Demon

1996blackmax

exalted512 wrote: »

I do that as well, but on audio forums, never ever on ebay.
-Cody

I've had pretty good luck on both.

Kinetic

well the dynamat on amazon is just 2 dollars away form ebay, so i would buy it on amazon, its easier for me.

but i buy my PDX-4.100 on ebay, and the seller send it to mexico, for 70 DLS shipping, thats a fair shipping price (the shipping crossborders is expensive)

and now i want to buy another amp with him and I think its an exelent price

http://cgi.ebay.com/ALPINE-PDX-1-1000-MONOBLOCK-1000W-RMS-AMP-PDX1-1000-NEW_W0QQitemZ150189911906QQihZ005QQcategoryZ64570QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

and its an expensive amp, but i want to have a nice sound on my accord no matter how much time it takes

eloplayspolo

must be nice to have that much power in such a small amp

cam5860

I'm on the ebay bandwagon these days. I save a **** of money on there. You just have to be picky who you buy from. I only buy from power sellers with at least 98% feedback. and no negative feedback in the last 20 transactions. Not everything is a deal on ebay though. Although I bought a set of spankin new JBL power series components from a power seller for 95 bucks. You can't beat that when they go for 250 a set at crutchfield. Some brands are steals others are not. Like kenwood excelon stuff is cheap as hell on ebay. You basically got to know what you looking for on there thats for sure.

black magic

I'll resort to ebay for some things, usually when I cannot find it anywhere else. There are some good deals to be found, but I also like peace of mind knowing that I have products backed by good warranty.

cam5860

Why worry about a warranty when you are getting the product at half price. You can buy two sets for what you pay for the warranty. Really it just goes to show you how much of a mark up there is on retail.

black magic

I hear what you're saying, I got my 6.5" momo unauthorized and saved a lot. Most of the time, though, I like to buy authorized. I think it really comes down to personal preference. Plus when you get it on sale, there really isn't such a big price difference. When I got my 2 SR woofers, I paid almost exactly what I would have paid after shipping if I had bought them off of ebay (actually, it would have probably cost me more off ebay b/c of duties), plus I develop a relationship with good installers and people that know their stuff who often give me good tips... plus I get the warranty. You can't beat that! I remember fry's once had c500.1's selling for $200... but I don't know if they're authorized, though.

Both options definitely have their pros and their cons, and depending on the situation, I think people's position will change.

cam5860

Yeah if you can catch it on sale it's worth buying authorized. But most of the time when you want something it's not on sale. It just goes to show you if they can still make money when they put products on sale. How much money places like crutchfield is making at full retail prices. Thats why they are so proud to offer jl audio over there because there's a huge mark up on jl audio stuff. They are making fortune on there stuff.

black magic

I can't argue with you because you have a point, generally markup on retail is pretty big. But as someone studying economics and finance, let me remind you that retail stores generally have higher operating and overhead costs, granted they won't be as large as the markup -usually not even close to it, which leads to my next point- the greed factor .... which goes back to the basics of supply and demand. They'll try to sell at the maximum price that you are willing to pay, this is most evident when there is a monopoly and no competition. Wholesalers usually sell refurbished stuff and will buy directly from large manufacturers, with no middleman... Thats why their prices are so low.

Kinetic

guys another question..

now i will have the PDX-1.1000 and the PDX-4.100 together..
do i need a capacitor, or a new battery?

and also i was looking for a amp wiring kit in stinger, and i look at the SWCKH41 and SWCKH42, what do you think?

eloplayspolo

if its an accord u wont NEED either, my stuff seems to be running better since i removed my cap actualy.... Upgrading a battery cant be a bad thing....

Im not impressed by either of those kits... RCAs seem pretty skimpy

Cody swears by http://www.knukonceptz.com/ wiring

I have all Monster stuff in my car because i had employee discount, but i have to say, it is def good stuff...