16 replies to this topic

[Falc]

~thematt~, on Jan 6 2007, 10:51 PM, said:

Thats a fair pursuit. Also the main reason I intend to enter. Progression and continuously improving.

Crossfire amps arent bad, they certainly do produce some decent power, but I havent heard any myself to determine whether or not I could consider them sufficient SQ material for my tastes.

I have an amp with approx the same specs, and Ive bridged it to my midbass. Personally (just my opinion), but if you were to get an amp such as that one, it would be best NOT bridging the channels and just running all 4. If its anything similar to my SRx4, the bridged channels actually muddy up the midbass quite a lot. Not favourable for accuracy.

thanks, thats more the info I was after, what specifically is it that caused the muddyness?

[~thematt~]

It has a damping factor of 90, which Id like to say has a lot to do with it (when brdiged it becomes 45) but Ive compared it to the Butler TDB, which has a lower damping factor and also sounds heaps clearer.

Also, the SRx4 gave off a power output of around 170W RMS, but the TDB gave off only 150W RMS. So power wasnt the issue either. In fact, the Audison sounded like it struggled to give off its power, whilst the Butler did it so easy. The SRx4 has better THD, and better seperation specs, better S/N values and draws only a fraction of the power of the TDB, but the TDB sounds HEAPS better.

The tests we did we back to back, switch outs and listening to each. Nothing else changed but the amps.

Ill say (unless someone else can state otherwise) it has to do with the quality of build. Im comparing a $500 amp with a $2k amp here, and let me tell you the build quality is worlds apart. Audison really should be flogged for constructing amps like they have, for that price, but thats another story.

It stems down to build quality. You spend $400 on an amp, dont expect it to light up the screen like a similar amp that costs $1000. In the end though, it all comes down to your own preferences, and what you are willing to accept at what price. Maybe $1k is too much to spend, maybe you cannot justify it, thats all fair enough. Maybe you cant even hear the drop in quality from the speakers (in which case, kudos to you, cause its too expensive the other way!! )

Like I have said, Ive never heard the Crossfire, so cannot tell you what its like. And the specs in reality mean 3/5ths of f*ck all. Worse specs dont mean worse performance. Anyone who tells you otherwise doesnt understand what those specs really are. In the end though, if you like your Alpine enough, why not stick to it??

Edited by ~thematt~, 07 January 2007 - 10:04 AM.