hunting for sleek amps.

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I could use some suggestions if any of u have them...

A) good 2 channel amp that'll do around 160+ x 2 ... under .1% thd.

good 2 channel amp that'll do like 50 x 2 under .1% thd

and I want them in the same line, same series, same color... so they match identically (Except for size obviously). thinking of something sleek, good looking, stylish... powder blue / silver / soft white or black would be the preferred colors. I'm diggin the look of the alpine amps... but I didn't see anything big enough to do the 160 x 2 minimum i want for the fronts. budget is a factor -- retail of no more than 500 for the big one / 200 for the little -- internet / ebay prices of around 350 total for both. I'm wanting to upgrade but i'm still not made of money (even though i wish i was... I'd have two Sledge Hammers and a C7 if that was the case).

wanting to get something better than the JBL's i've got now running bridged

any suggestions greatly appreciated.

thanx
-vinnie.

Systems

I hate to think that I have any useful suggestions for the expert tech on polk's forum, but epions.com reviews products of all sorts and I like the MTX 8302 & MTX 4202 - these are last years models so they should be available for good price and both use dynamic power.

sntnsupermen131

how about clairon?
i was looking at their new amps yesterday
i looked them up again a second ago since you asked and here are some specs
Clairon DPX1001.2
150 x 2 @ 4 ohms w/ .05 THD
retail $600 i think
its a class t
i know its a little less power and a little more money but it has .05 thd and its class t
Clairon APX201.2
50 x 2 @ 4 ohms w/ .05 THD
retail $250
heres a link:
http://www.clarion.com/amps/ampsfm.htm
maybe that will work for you
theyre like a gunmetal gray...nice looking amps
-Cody

jamas33

I use a pair of Kenwood Excelon KAC-X301 to power my fronts and rear Polk EX3650. And you should hear these bad boys.
If you are interested let me know. I can get a great price on these from my friend at Kenwood.

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Cody --- those clarion amps are absolutely sweet! I hadn't seen the newer models, the last clarions i looked at were black sides, very "squareish" case with a white polished top with about 10 screws bolting it to the two black straight sides. looked kinda dookey but they did like 1300 x 1 or something. 600 msrp is not bad -- that means I can find it online for like 200 probably I'm seriously considered these. gonna find a store to demo them if somebody carries clarion around here.

Jerubaal --- lol.... yes u do have useful suggestions... i had thought about the mtx models, as like u said, they're last years model on closeout for like half price and stuff. since i've already got two mtx 81000d's, the 8302 / 4202 would match perfectly, but the 8302 tops out at 120 watts per channel (maybe 130 if i get an exceptionally good one), and thats too far short of the 160+ i'm looking for.

jamas33 -- same goes for the excelon 301, 100 x 2 isn't enough, but i've heard those amps are about as clean as clean and precise can get.


I had thought about RF... the distortion is like .05% and the Punch 700S does 175 x 2 ... only one problem ... if i put RF amps in with MTX amps, I'm gonna look like a guy who kisses his cousin.

Jstas

Um, the KAC-X301 isn't available anymore except through refurbs and old stock, if you are lucky.

The closest thing to a replacement is this:



The KAC-X520 which is 125x2 RMS.

Another option is a pair of these:



The KAC-X810D is a 400 x 1 RMS D-class mono-block amp. Not good for full range but the only other option is the KAC-X650D which is a 5 channel amp that has an AB 4 channel amp and a D mono amp.

Other than that, there isn't much selection from the eXcelon series. The old models from 2000-2001 were not necessarily sleek but very utilitarian looking. The new ones have a more industrial look to them but, they are very clean and post very good numbers, all except for price.

If you want sleek though, I think you should look elsewhere as these are not very sleek. I have the KAC-X650D so i can vouch for the non-sleekness of the unit.

jamas33

Yeah the KAC-X301 can only be found on some site.. like onlinecarstereo.com and if you are interested, a good friend of mine manages a Kenwood Outlet stores and they sell these as refurbished. I dont mind rb products as a matter of fact all three of my amps are refurb never had problems with them and these bad boys are bad mothers... If you are interested I can get you the rb very cheap

PoweredByDodge

jstas --- those kenwoods that you posted actually are "sleek" in the sense that they look stylish and good and all that jazz... that was mainly what i meant by "sleek" -- i know u could also construe it as "low profile and thin" but i was leaning more toward the "look at me i'm a pretty amp" kind of thing.

i really do need at least the 160 + though... i was driving around today with tehwindows down (first day in oh i'd say 6 months that I could actually do that as it was about 65 today) and i could use a little more power up front (not necessarily wattage as i've got 180 x 2 at my disposal, but more like CLEAN power, as they start to break up just a tiny bit when i get to the point that I can say i'm very happy with the loudness). The JBL's are up in the .5% distortion range bridged. its much much less in stereo, but stupid me never took into account that I'd be bridging them when I had bought them. I'm curious as to what the propogation of distortion rate is... like some amps... if they're rated 100 watts with 0.05% thd will be like 0.075 at 110 watts... maybe 0.1 at 115... where as others might be more like 100 @ 0.05 and then 0.1 at 110 ... and 0.5 at 115...

PoweredByDodge

any opinions on these? Hifonics Zeus line for 2003...

--->ZX6000
(>150) x 2 at 4 ohms and with (< 0.03%) thd



--->ZX4000
(>100 ) x 2 at 4 ohms with (<0.03%) thd

i was hopin they had a ZX3000 or 2000 or something in the 50 - 75 wrms range... but i cant get my browser to pull up the hifonics site right now...

Jstas

Originally posted by PoweredByDodge
any opinions on these? Hifonics Zeus line for 2003...

--->ZX6000
(>150) x 2 at 4 ohms and with (< 0.03%) thd



--->ZX4000
(>100 ) x 2 at 4 ohms with (<0.03%) thd

i was hopin they had a ZX3000 or 2000 or something in the 50 - 75 wrms range... but i cant get my browser to pull up the hifonics site right now...

Damn man! you read my mind! I was just thinking about finding info on those for you! I have a Hifonic Zeus Z700 5 channel in my girl's car and it's very clean! The Clarion's up front are over-powered with it and they will let you know that you are pushing them. The Pioneers in the back deck sing with that amp though. Lotsa clean power with beefy power supplies. The amp is about 25 pounds and I took it apart when I got it to see what made it so heavy and the power supplies are huge! I'm betting that they are underated.

They are expensive though so you might want to go through one of the discount sites that people have listed so many times. The only issue I have had is that the sub in my girl's car is not working right now. I really doubt it is the amp because the other speakers are working fine and all the lights are green. I have to pull the sub apart because I think it broke itself. It's a DX and it is out of warranty too so this could be an expensive repair.

Anyway, Hifonics has been putting out quality amps for a long time and I don't ever recall seeing a crappy product from them. They went through a gaudy stage in the late 90's but now they have the brushed and anodized aluminum finishes that are flashy but they look like they were chisled out of solid gold, bronze, silver or platinum. They are so stable and powerful that they might as well be chisled from solid metal!

I can't say enough about them and if you want the sleek and snazzy, it doesn't get much better than that IMO. The Kenwoods are nice and clean but they have a textured surface that is rough and seeing them in person, they really look like they are down-grade models. Perfect for a stealth install because they look almost exactly like the REAL down-grade Kenwoods. But if you want pretty, snazzy and sleek, the Hifonics stuff is a better way to go. I'm sure you will be pleased. The line up is equivalent to that of RF, MTX and the other big power names but they are as clean as the Kenwoods, Zapcos and what have you. Defintly an underated company. Probably because marketing is weak. I haven't been dissappoint with thier products yet.

sntnsupermen131

yeah i was looking at the hifonics but didnt see a THD rating for them
but all i saw was their older models
but when i saw the clairons i was like dammmmmmmnnnnnn those look nice
and you can tell all your audio friends youre on the cutting edge of technology with the class t amp
lol
-Cody

sntnsupermen131

someone was asking me about db's the other day and i was wondering
i have two mm124s
with 1 pair of mm6s
i have about 150 w going to each crossover on the components and 550-600 going to each sub
how many db's do you think this system would max out at?
-Cody

CPHILHOWER

If these were a good brand. Then the Profile Clarius amps have a nice chrome case. Just a thought.
Oh, by the way. My "Gremlin" hasnt returned yet. I do however notice that on some of my cd's, The speakers tend to distort. I origionally had the crossover set at 75hz 24db hp. Now its set about 80-85hz 24db hp. Still have the distortion. I am thinking when I can, Go with set of Kenwood KFC6889ie 6*8 3 way in place of my Blaupunkt PCXI573 5*7 3 way. To better match my Kenwood KFCT204 tweeters. What do you think?
Chris

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chris -- glad the gremlin's gone -- far as door speakers... i have found that if i cross them over any lower than 100 hertz, then speakers sitting in the door "free air" will break up on rap or some heavy metal or like sarah mclaughlan stuff with bass. thats why my rears are in sealed enclosures so as that i can run them down to 70 hertz and "mask" the lacking of the lowered front stage. changeing speakers wont help -- pionner 6x9's, polk 6x9s both ex ii and dx, kenwood excelon 6x9's and polk 6.5 component woofers all did the same damnthing to me... i tried to find a speaker that would take it...i couldn't... if by chance u do -- let me know

Jstas -- i'm glad u approve -- my only quest now is to find the chepest price... an dmaybe find like a "3000" (something 50-75 x 2 instead of 100x2).... thanks for the response.

cody -- thd of 0.003 or less is like SICK low -- but the main thing that's got me likin the HIF over the clarion is the fact that the clarion is built for subs -- even tho it is a true full range amp, its still BIG ..i mean that thing is bigger than an 81000d and its got as much power no less at 1 ohm... with its new tech it prolly costs a small fortune.

Jstas

Originally posted by PoweredByDodge

Jstas -- i'm glad u approve -- my only quest now is to find the chepest price... an dmaybe find like a "3000" (something 50-75 x 2 instead of 100x2).... thanks for the response.

Here are a few. This is the ISIS IX from the THOR line which uses the same power as the ZEUS line. Most of the ZEUS amps are multi-channel instead of stereo. But that ISIS is only 50 watts x 2 into 4 ohms, 100 x 2 into 2 Ohms. Probably just what you are looking for. It's normally about $399-449 but carstereotime.com has them for $259.00

http://www.carstereotime.com/hifonics/isis.html


You might like this OLYMPUS better though. 125 watts x 4 into 4 ohms and 200 x 4 into 2 ohms. Very powerful amp, very clean. It's part of the THOR series also.

http://www.carstereotime.com/hifonics/olympus.html


I do believe that most of those models are 2003 models. Some may be out of date but if they don't have them, they have an equivalent amp. The THOR line of stereo models are going to be what you are looking for. The stereo ZEUS models are kinda weak. The 4 and 5 channel ZEUS models are beefy though and are a good solution when you only want to run 1 amp.

You could always check out the COLOSSUS with an under-rated 1200 watts x 2 at 1 ohm. It'll do 1800 watts x 1 at 4 ohms and 2400 watts by 1 into 2 ohms. That right there is crazy power and puts even the mighty and venerable MTX 81000D to shame!

Here is the Hifonics website:

Hifonics
They are owned by Maxxsonic which does alot of work for other audio companies and they also have teh lower CRUNCH line of audio gear. Hifonics is the high end stuff and Hifonics was bought by Maxxsonic. It used to be a seperate company if I remember correctly. But they ain't kidding when the call it "The Power of the gods."

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cody - regarding db's -- offhand guess, 135 -140 if you're really slamming. pickups are nice and tight and having hte subs in the cabin is a big plus.

jstas -- i'd do the big 4 channel but i really have no intention whatsoever of putting over 60 at most to the rears... whereas a healthy 150 is my aim for fronts...

whats with the thor line though? i thought zeus was the "big magilla" of hifonics? i really liked those over polished cases with blue lettering, but they're underpowered u say?

and to boot i can't quite afford 250 for a 50 x 2 and probably what 600? for the bigger one?

the zeus 150 x 2 and 100 x 2 together would have only cost me like 500 even at sounddomain (they must be on sale or somethin cuz u click "add to cart" and they take 250 bucks off the order for "domain dollars").

and as far as the colossus -- i thought about it when i was looking at them on sounddomain -- i was like "i could just go all Hifonics" -- then i looked at the price tags and rememberd the exact reason why I bought the 81000d's to begin with -- 300 bucks for almost 1500 watts dynamic power. ( 20 cents a watt... if only all power was that cheap).

keeping on the money note-- whatta u think I cna get for the two JBL GTS 180.1's (60 x2 / 180x1)? a busted JBL GTQ 190.2 (30 x4 / 95 x 2) ? i gotta unload these things -- then imma be stuck with no highs for like a week while i order the hifonics gear.

*looks around* amps anyone? ....lol.

sntnsupermen131

you really think 130?
i was hoping a 100
hmmm
last years record was only around 171
171.9 i think by that norris guy in a minivan
is it that hard to get from 130 to 170?
-Cody

Jstas

Originally posted by PoweredByDodge
cody - regarding db's -- offhand guess, 135 -140 if you're really slamming. pickups are nice and tight and having hte subs in the cabin is a big plus.

jstas -- i'd do the big 4 channel but i really have no intention whatsoever of putting over 60 at most to the rears... whereas a healthy 150 is my aim for fronts...

whats with the thor line though? i thought zeus was the "big magilla" of hifonics? i really liked those over polished cases with blue lettering, but they're underpowered u say?

and to boot i can't quite afford 250 for a 50 x 2 and probably what 600? for the bigger one?

the zeus 150 x 2 and 100 x 2 together would have only cost me like 500 even at sounddomain (they must be on sale or somethin cuz u click "add to cart" and they take 250 bucks off the order for "domain dollars").

and as far as the colossus -- i thought about it when i was looking at them on sounddomain -- i was like "i could just go all Hifonics" -- then i looked at the price tags and rememberd the exact reason why I bought the 81000d's to begin with -- 300 bucks for almost 1500 watts dynamic power. ( 20 cents a watt... if only all power was that cheap).

keeping on the money note-- whatta u think I cna get for the two JBL GTS 180.1's (60 x2 / 180x1)? a busted JBL GTQ 190.2 (30 x4 / 95 x 2) ? i gotta unload these things -- then imma be stuck with no highs for like a week while i order the hifonics gear.

*looks around* amps anyone? ....lol.

The ZEUS amps are clean. I just feel that the stereo amps are weak, unless they updated the line. The multi-channel (4 and 5 channels) amps have a good amount of juice. The Zeus line will be plenty of power for what you want. If you like the Zeus amps go with them.

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cody -- the jump from 135 to 170 is HUUUUUUGGGGE... u can do 130 with a single 12 and 750 watts ... 170 is like... 4 MTX RFL 15's and two 81000d's strapped to each coil = 4 per sub = 16 1500 watt amps... say oh about a battery per amp... thats 16 batts... maybe 5 400 amp alternators, a sick amount of concrete / dynamat / foam / silicone etc etc etc...

rough cost if you are semi-sponsored --- 10 - 15 grand but i could be wrong on the cost. its a LOT of man hours though.