21 replies to this topic

[beeza]

Hi guys

Part time reader and first time poster so go easy on me.
I have a few interesting questions, that hopefully some of you more experienced fellas, maybe can help me out with. Warning:: Some of you may get a little nostalgic as the gear in question is a decade+ old
My main question is: Can older amps like the Signat RAM1 and PPi5440 be comparable in performance to modern counterparts, or are they just completely outdated for performance?
The reason i ask is because i have both of these amps lying around and am contemplating on using one or the other for a subtle yet quality sounding system.
I plan to use a set Morel Integra XO6 speakers and one Morel Ultimo SC124 along with one of these amps. My preference is the RAM1 as i've used it in the past with great results running a pair of Boston Pro60's and a very old school Orion XTRPro sub in a sealed (fibreglassed inside) 1.8cuft box. It really did sound quite nice, i even had a few compliments from a few mates that have spent 6k+ on quality modern gear.
My aim is SQ but don't expect to enter, let alone win any SQ comps.
Any comments (good or bad)/recommendations is welcome.
Cheers,,

[Gobbledok]

beeza, on Mar 2 2010, 09:54 PM, said:

Hi guys

Part time reader and first time poster so go easy on me.
I have a few interesting questions, that hopefully some of you more experienced fellas, maybe can help me out with. Warning:: Some of you may get a little nostalgic as the gear in question is a decade+ old
My main question is: Can older amps like the Signat RAM1 and PPi5440 be comparable in performance to modern counterparts, or are they just completely outdated for performance?
The reason i ask is because i have both of these amps lying around and am contemplating on using one or the other for a subtle yet quality sounding system.
I plan to use a set Morel Integra XO6 speakers and one Morel Ultimo SC124 along with one of these amps. My preference is the RAM1 as i've used it in the past with great results running a pair of Boston Pro60's and a very old school Orion XTRPro sub in a sealed (fibreglassed inside) 1.8cuft box. It really did sound quite nice, i even had a few compliments from a few mates that have spent 6k+ on quality modern gear.
My aim is SQ but don't expect to enter, let alone win any SQ comps.
Any comments (good or bad)/recommendations is welcome.
Cheers,,

nup. both those amps are crap. send them to me at once for safe disposal. hehe just kidding.

old amps like that are ideal to keep. of course new amps can also be of high quality but you already have gems in your possession. unless they are brand spanking and growing in value, use them.

[Tiger]

THAT is going to be a killer setup!
Welcome to the forums, dude

[beeza]

thanks for the positive responses.
do many people use vintage amps such as these for SQ? Or are the big players sponsored and have to use all modern gear?

[BIGW]

Nothing wrong with old gear, The gear going into my car barr the speakers will be around 10+ years old now. Always good to check if the caps havent started to leak etc.

[Damo95]

providing the old school amps are in good condition, no harm in using them...

I'm going to be using some older Phoenix Gold tantrum amps in my new car...

[syd-monster]

All I have is so called Ol' School amps in my setup and they sound absolutely fine to me. Their all from early to mid 90's which is weird because I never considered that ol school anyway... but hey that's what all kids call em' these days.

[jambo]

Beautiful gear my amps are 15 years old mate and to my ears sound better than the majority of new stuff I've been hearing lately with the added bonus of possibly still being alive and functioning when all that new stuff is thrown in a skip. Only issue I've seen is a bit more gain noise in some older amps but keep them on zero and honestly I'm yet to be shown a good enough alternative worth upgrading to

look forward to your install

[peaandham]

I would LOVE to have a SQ setup with some Ghetto as Old School amps.

[Big_Valven]

Amplifier technology and distortion figures have come a LONG way since your typical old school amp... but it proves how little difference it really makes because many of the old school amps can make very nice systems. Many of them have aesthetic styling which far surpasses modern amps too

I have some old Soundstream USA series amps I want to use in an install one day. They do however have higher distortion than, say, my JL slash amps, and it shows. They're less pleasant to listen to in the same car, but with the right install they'll sound fine.

Edited by Big_Valven, 28 March 2010 - 02:40 PM.

[peaandham]

I would also like to see that used in an install BV !

[Winno]

You wont get me changing out my three Phoenix Gold Titanium amps easily.
Love 'em!

[beeza]

Ok fellas, just a little update.


I did end up putting a little system together. The car is '98 Subaru Liberty.
It's fr from an award winning SQ system, but it really has impressed me to a certain extent.
I installed the Signat RAM 1 after all. It's a 6ch with 4x40 and 2x80. Front speakers are running bridged (roughly 110WRMS i'd say) and sub gets about 200WRMS.
HU is a s%#ty old Eclipse CD4000, which is hardly ideal as there is basically no tuning functions.
Speakers are Hertz HSK-165. A bit bright even with att selected at -2db. I got it from a friend that never got to install them. You can't blame me, i picked them up for $300 and were brand new. Some Dynamat used around the speakers.
Sub is a 12" Orion XTR (yes, the old school US made one) none of this Chinese made rubbish.
The sub box is 1.8cuft and its fully fibreglassed on the inside.
I wont win any SPL comp but the sub bass is quite mellow and very musical instead of the ususal thump thump.

Overall, there is some midbass lacking and tweets are a bit bright.
I may come along to an SQ comp just to get some feedback but ultimately, for me, its definitely a nice enough sounding system to just leave it as is.

Thanks for the replies guys., it really amped me up to get it all up and running.

[jambo]

Nice one mate those old XTRs are solid, within my close circle of friends we had about ten of them between us and I don't remember one ever dying. Can be very musical in the right box

Edited by jambo, 03 April 2010 - 07:27 PM.

[Cyberpunky]

Old skool amps were often built with the very high quality components, and so are often still running strong many years latter, as the bean counters didn't contribute to the design. This is sadly not the case with many of todays amps, that are built to a price point and have an accountants input. If anyone is interested, I have a couple of old skool amps looking for the right home.

peace
Cyberpunky