12 replies to this topic

[golf_bht]

What is the best amp for driving a pair of split. I am thinking about an amp to built the system

[Maz]

TheCoustic 4x60wrms amp would be perfect for the basis of a budget sound quality system. The amps high quality, puts outs sufficient power and has excellent crossovers.

The front two channels can run a nice set of splits and the 18db high pass on the amp allows the fronts to play deep but still take heaps of power. ( if you get what i mean)

The rears bridge to 240wrms which is sufficient for a single 10 or 12inch sub and will balance with the fronts nicely.

Dont forget it's all in the installation. Having the splits woofers and tweeters angeled will provide the best sound quality. And having the sub in the correct box can make it sound very good.

There are also other amps such as thos emade by audison, their amps dont scale as good so u'd need a slightly bigger amp to give enough power to the subs.

Heres a brief budget:

Headunit: $500
Amp: $400
Splits: $200
Sub: $200
Install: $200

If you have close to $2000 to spend i would seriously look into goign with two amps.

Again the small coustic monoblock and a 2x60wrms coustic amp will give you plenty of power. If you need any more power for yoru fronts you could even go with the 2x100wrms model.

As you can tell im a great fan of coustic, for budget sound quality systems you cant go past them. Even for slightly more expensive systems the larger monoblock and a bigger 2 channel would be great for pretty much any sub and front stage

[shiny_car]

so what is the budget?

and to drive what splits?

[RM Audio]

Quote

There are also other amps such as thos emade by audison, their amps dont scale as good so u'd need a slightly bigger amp to give enough power to the subs.

A statement I found rather broardly sweeping and lacking in any real truth!

However I will allow you to explain this one........ then I'll brand you a fool!

BTW the Coustic (A Division of Rockford )are not bad value for money or a bad amp at all for that, BUT they are a totally different product to an Audison.

In answering the original question I would suggest: Audison (obviously) P/Gold, Orion, Soundstream as all good SQ amps, but bare in mind each will have its own distinct sound so in a comparison make sure you use the speakers you have if possible.

Phil.

[ January 12, 2003, 12:27: Message edited by: RM Audio ]

[jambo]

I'd agree with RM Audio on the brands mentioned, that is of course if you have the budget for them. One amp that is often overlooked is the older Clarion series with Powerguard. Powerguard was developed by McIntosh and basically makes it impossible for the amp to clip. God knows why not all amps come with this technology considering it was developed in the mid 70s. They never seem to break a sweat either, heat sink is always around room temperature. This series of amps is renouned by many in the industry as one of the only true audiophile amps. I don't think Clarion have this feature in their newer products but I could notice a huge difference in SQ and dynamic range when I switched to my Powerguard amp.

[golf_bht]

Well it is a home made sort of component actually. the combination of morel mdt 12 with fiberglass horn lens (home made) and Focal Utopia 6 1/2" midrange. and home made passive crossover. My system is going to be very small as I don't listen very loud as a lot of people do. So a pair of split and a good subwofer will complete my quest for SQ. Now I am looking for Alpine 7909 an amp for the split and a sub+amp No budget limit have been set.

[Mr_Bob]

no budget?
easy choice, HR100, "the amplifier"
from memory they retail between $10K and 15K, email phil kent, he'll tell you where your nearest dealer is.

otherwise, something like this: http://www.theautophile.com/products/X2000.html

[shiny_car]

there's lots to choose from. i would love some brax amps too, just for something different and superb quality.

with a big budget and no probs with a couple 'g' on an amp, then consider the likes of:
*audison VRx series: pretty impressive if i may say so myself
*brax, mcintosh
*dls ultimate series
*tube driver
*u dimension
*PPI powerclass, phoenix gold titanium
*soundstream

what sort of power do you think you'd need? 4ohm or 8ohm front stage?

[golf_bht]

Opps, I mean at the moment. (doesn't mean no limit at all). I am trying to save up abit of $$$ to buy an amp and I pronbabry won't spend something more than 1.5K to drive that home mede split. I am just trying to make a budget audiophile system, my budget is 4.5K (excluding installation as it is DIY job) what U R expecting to drive a $600 split.

by the way, Is a set of homegrown split acceptable? I just want to match the best of both world into my car. Focal Make the best mid driver while Morel tweeter sound best in my opinion.

[shiny_car]

for up to $1500, i'd suggest looking at stuff like:

*audison LRx2.500: 2x200WRMS into 4ohm; available from online store
*dls ultimate A2 twin mono: 2x100WRMS; very nice
*phoenix gold titanium series, u-dimension, possibly an audison VRx2.150 (not sure on price)

home drivers can be good. but most home audio speakers are 8ohm rather than 4ohm, so you would not be getting good power from the amp. i'm not sure on speaker enclosure requirements, but ensure they suit the confines of a door for example, and are somewhat weather-proof.

good luck

[mjjensen]

Just a correction...A2 is 2x50
DLS A3 twin mono 2x100 (2x150 typical at 13.8V). Retails about $1500 I think

And the VRx150 goes for around the $1800 with a crossover module installed - check RM Audio for prices.

[ January 17, 2003, 09:50: Message edited by: mjjensen ]

[shiny_car]

Quote

Originally posted by mjjensen:
Just a correction...A2 is 2x50
DLS A3 twin mono 2x100 (2x150 typical at 13.8V). Retails about $1500 I think        

doh! my bad! hee,hee i specifically looked at the dls website to check...so "A3" passed through my eyes, into the brain, got jumbled somewhere, and ended up with "A2" at the finger tips!

very nice amps though. the twin mono configuration whould be ideal for bridging and a gutsy single channel for a sub. but that would be my only criticism and advantage for the audison range: a monobloc for subs (LRx1.400).

but for me, VRx all the way baby!

[ January 17, 2003, 17:24: Message edited by: shiny_car ]

[RM Audio]

Quote

audison LRx2.500: 2x200WRMS into 4ohm; available from online store

Good suggestion, in fact it would be around $500 under your stated budget.

THD 0.009 Bandwidth 4-85k Dampening 240
It has all the goodies and as mentioned is available through http://www.webaudiodirect.com

Cheers

Phil K