AT the moment i have an ADS P850 amp, but i worked out today it will simply be to big for the install im prepared to take up in my boot.

I need a 4 channel amp, or it can be more channels to run dynaudio 240GTs, and a 10" sub, something like an RE SE, JL W6v2, Xtant X104.

Later on down the track i would like to upgrade the 240GT's to the 340 set, so im guessing i will need around 150wrms for the fronts, and say 300-400wrms for the sub. I dont need pounding bass, ive found 150wrms on a 10" Xtant to be more than enough to make my ears ring.

SQ is obvioulsy the goal and i am willing to save so price isnt so much a condition but under $2000 would be great. New or second hand.

just one note, it it were two small 2 channels that would suit better i would be fine with that too

two small two channels may suit you better. If you want to save space, put one under the front passenger seat. I'm awaiting delivery of a Vibe Blackbox II from FHRX. This is rated at 2x100 and 1x300. Has a footprint of only 224x222mm and 50mm high:) I think retail is around $684 but you may be able to get cheaper:) Just a suggestion.

What sort of car is it?

unfortunately there is no room under the seats, i already tried with the ADS. to many electric motors and air-con ducts

oh well In any case, two small amps may be easier to postion around the boot then one bigger one

ive found out that an ADS P640 is often used in the USA as a direct replacement for the stock amplifier as it fits behind the trim. So an amp with the size of 250mm x 300mm x 50mm can be hidden away

and btw and its an E46 BMW

I don't know if you will find a decent 4 channel that small with your power requirements, as amps have to be built with heat dissipation in mind. Naturally a higher powered amp produces more heat. 300mm is quite short for a good 4 channel, and you may find most will be at least 330+mm (are you restricted to 300mm max?).

Also, if your hiding it behind the trim, cooling might be an issue, depending on how much space you have exactly. As for a suggestion, I dont know how it performs, but the Vibe Blackbox III (4 channel) is 222x50x335 and is rated at 100x4 or 300x2

ok thanks

i do have room in the boot area as well, so it doesnt have to be a 4 channel behind there.

I was thinking maybe have 1 2channel there running the front, and the sub amp out in the open.

Maybe a question i should ask as well is, how much power do i REALLY need?

honestly i hear everyone saying 300-400wrms is the minimum you really should have for a sub, but as i said i had an Xtant 10 running off 150wrms, and also 200wrms and to me it went extremely loud, much louder than i personally can bear for extended periods of time

will I really need 400wrms? will it sound better having that much power at normal to high usual listening volumes? How much do 3 way dyns need? Cos there is no point having a huge amp with all this power if i would be satisfied with a sub running 150wrms and sounding exactly the same

you dont need a lot of power to listen to good clean loud music. I don't know what the dyns are rated at, but most speakers will go quite loud and sound very good with only 50wrms behind them. And as for the sub, what will you be running? Just matching the rms rating will make it loud. People talk about headroom and all that, but i'm no audiophile so i personally don't need a lot of power.

Hey i'm exactly like you, I have ~250wrms going into my sub and it goes looouuuddd!! I cant understand how people can listen with more power, it just gives me a headache after a short while...
I'd say anywhere around 200wrms is fine, but having the extra power is like a buffer, if u want to go louder you can. Also means that you're not straining the amp to get it as easy as you want.

Perhaps look at a 2ch + monoblock?
Monoblocks generally have smaller footprints and are quite efficient. There are many small monoblocks that put out ~200wrms at 4ohm, and ~400wrms at 2ohm, which would clearly be enough for you.

Good luck!

check out the audison SRx series of amps. they have some of the smallest footprints i've seen and used for the power they produce. they've got a wide selection of amps, so should suit your needs.

Our C4 makes 2x70Wrms and 2x140Wrms.

You could use it as 1sx250Wrms and 2x140Wrms or 2x70Wrms and 1x450Wrms depending how much bass you want.

It's quite small (220x380mm) given it's output power.

Phil

The a/d/s/ is a very low profile amp, I guess you mean in terms of length and breadth its too big, not height?

a/d/s is 50mm high.
Which is still to much for a seat that is electronicaly ajusteded, normally there is about 20mm clearance when lowered between motor and floor

I think if he's planning on hiding one amp where the original was, and mounting another on a wall in the boot, not under the front seat:)

The latest K class Soundstream Michelangelo amplifiers are very very tiny but make huge power for their size.

The SMA4.680 does 4x85rms at 4 ohms, 4x170rms at 2 ohms and 2x340rms bridged at 4 ohms.

The footprint is 220x320x50 which is close to what u require and on top of that they sound awesome. I currently have the 4 channel installed in my car and it makes my dynaudios sing like they never sung before.


George

Hehe, K class. I just drank some P class tea, but it was a J class mission because i had to go to the N class letterbox and pick up some S class milk that i'd been too lazy to pick up on the way in... it was either that or use some L class soy milk.

There are 3 main audio amp classes. A, A/B, and D. Thats it. You can come up with any 'class' your marketing department feels like and its still going to be one of the above with minor additions. Its like the 'famous' Class T Rockford amps... just because you add a Tripath chip to a class D amp doesnt make it a whole new class, Mr Rockford Corp :hehe:

Anyway, in answer to your original question, how handy are you with a soldering iron and basic electronics? Because if you're REALLY tight for space and you know some electronics, i'd pick up some UCD FlexAmps. I dont think you're going to get more power output per size than 400wRMS into 4 ohm in a package thats only 90mm x 80mm x 30mm Oh, and the frequency response is 0 Hz to 50 kHz, +0/-3 dB, with THD+N and S/N of <0.1% and >110dB respectively

thats exactly right. The ADS is perfect, but its to wide. I was going to mount it on the back of the back seats in the boot, and have my sub firing through the ski port, but due to the width of the amp it takes up half the width of the boot and wont allow my sub to be positioned firing through there.

Im goin to see drew at Northfield in a few days, ill ask him my options as to mounting places. I love the amp, just putting it somewhere is the hard part