Front sealed and deadened doors
Speakers Focal Utopia 165W 2 way 6 1/2 Mid TN 51 Tweeter
Amp Eclipse DA 6213
Rear
SUBS 2X alpine type R 12 inch SWR 1221D 300 Rms Old type 2+2 ohm Dvc
Amp JBL GTO 600.1
Sealed to 1 cu ft per Sub and firing up into the rear shelf

Vehicle Ford AU sedan

Need a good SQ amp for my Utopias as i will be using the Eclipse DA6213 to run a Focal 33KX 13 inch Sub (yet to purchase) had a listen today very clean. sell the type R's and JBL amp
Budget $1700 for amp to rup the fronts
I am Very interrested in SQ and i like it loud
I am open to all suggestions where i could improve this setup if needed and a amp to run these Utopias.
Does this system have any potential for me to compete in a amateur comp
Thanks

focal may sound abit bright to for SQ purposes. so IMHO, you either modify the crossover or u partner it with a warmer amp.

since u're buying a new amp, i'd suggest that you go for a warmer one.
an audiosystem f4-600 or the older sibling f4-560 would be a good choice. i've heard quite a no. of cars partnering focals and audiosystem.
Note that audiosystem is not the cleanest amp around, but i love its warm characteristics. you can go for steg too if you like, but i hate its pin-like cross-over.


As i'm from malaysia, i'm not too familiar with prices of most amps downunder so my suggestions may not be in line with ur budget.

I used a Zapco amp with my old Utopias this year, and it was good enough to win an SQ comp+judges choice award.. I eventually changed the tweeter to Morel Supremo because i upgraded my home theatre and also wanted Silk dome in my car

phass hp100 premium RRP$1799 if i'm not mistake, i use two of those, and never look back. btw what is your HU? cos this is one of the most important part in SQ

Head unit is a Eclipse CD5435 how does this make a difference i looked around and found this good value for money $400 from northfield with a $99 installation on top Maybe i was wrong how does the Tru Tec T2.200v2 compare for SQ and value $1400 Northfield Moorooka recommended.

CD, CD-R/RW, WMA and MP3
compatibility
E-iSERV connectivity
Area Shot (arrow and text)
1-bit DAC
3-band Graphic EQ
Crossover
5V preamp output with low 55 ohm impedance
Bright and clear LCD display
5-pattern illumination
HD Radio-ready
SIRIUS Satellite Radio-ready
FM/AM tuner
MOSFET power amplification
ESN security
3 prs. pre outputs
Aux input
Remote control

Audison may be a nice choice, they are quite smooth, warm sounding amps.

Likewise vibes blackbox range, which are quite soft and smooth also.

with that hu it's not worthed to have 1500 amp, unlest u planning to upgrade it, cost the hu give the color of the sound. the effect will be bigger when u changing the hu compare when u changing the amp.

btw that tru tech 1400 is the rrp right? cos i think early this year when i'm looking amp, some shop offer me for just around 1000. btw that phass that i tell u before is 1 level above the that tru tech, the same level with that trutech will be phass AP series

Unfortunately i was not planning on upgrading HU as i thought a nice EQ would do fine. Could you please suggest a HU that i wont have to upgrade for Quite a while
If a HU is a Key Point and makes a considerable difference I might as well start back here.
Thanx

the eclipse 8 series is good, my friend use it, quite nice actualy,he use 8454, or since u good 1700 to spend on amp, why not buy clarion hx-d2 (around 2g i think), got time alignment n eq, and u don't need to change this kind of hu for the next 5 years

The cheepest i can find that HU for is $1799 it looks a bit boring to my lady. she likes the colours and i get to buy it could you recommend a HU that's a bit brighter
She likes I get to Buy no hassels fine by me Thats the only part she has a say in the rest of the system up to me.
I will put HU on Credit to get it over and done with and still buy a nice Amp with my $1700 Just want to finish it and enjoy

another hu i would recomend is my own hu, alpine 7998 the rrp is 1699, very strong and reliable hu, i've never had any problem with it

i would second the alpine CDA-7998 as an excellent SQ HU. it doesn't offer quite the raw SQ of a high-end eclipse, but the tuning features narrow that gap considerable. but you don't need the 7998; simply choose a cheaper alpine HU with 'bass engine pro' tuning features which are better value. the only thing lacking, is that the 7998 has digital output: this would be the primary reason to buy a 7998, but few people need this feature (ie: only those using an add-on digital processor). consider too that the 7998 is actually an old HU that was released back in '02; arguably it was ahead of its time but its technology has no doubt been refined and made better value and packaged in the cheaper HUs.

i would suggest something like the:
*alpine CDA-9853 RRP$899: top value high-end alpine HU with 'bass engine pro' (time correction, parametric EQ, full xovers)

for utopia's, plenty of top quality amps:
*boston acoustics 2-channel dual-mono
*phoenix gold xenon series
*audison VRx series
*tru tech

i think the boston's should make an excellent match for utopia's. great range of amps, and you could use one for the sub. being dual-mono (the more powerful 2-channel ones are) they are extremely grunty, and the equal of monoblocs, and 1ohm stable (2ohm bridged mono stable) if that's required.

How would the clarion 856/956 series of HU compare to the alpine in terms of SQ?

I am going to get the Alpine CDA-9855R as this looks like a good choice buy what yous are telling me. Let me if i am wrong
The amp i thought the Audison VRX 2.400.2 was a good choice again tell me if i am wrong.
If this is a good Choice let me know and i will get them this week
Thanx



Alpine CDA-9855R Specs

50W x 4 High Power Amplifier
Max Tune SQ Tuner
MP3/WMA Playback (ID3 Tag)
i-Personalize
Bass Engine Pro
6 Position Digital Crossover
6-ch Adjustable Digital Time Correction
5-Band Digital Parametric Equalizer
3 4Volt PreOuts
BioLite Display
'05 Amplifier Link Compatible
Multicolor Illumination
Ready for iPod
Vehicle Display Interface Ready
Anti Theft Detachable Face
Remote Control

sheez, if you have the coin to drop on those 2 products, don't let me stop you!

being so much $$, ensure you've researched thoroughly to ensure it's what you want and need.

the 9855 is an excellent HU, chockers with useful tuning features, high build quality and excellent SQ. it adds some bling-bling on top of the 9853, but no added SQ.

but i'd suggest going out and sampling the competition, including eclipse and clarion, and also blaupunkt ('bremen' model i think).

i run audison VRx amps and find them superb for SQ. nice build quality, good features, most of which are optional but not essential. large footprint is a downer, so ensure it fits into where you want. not super efficient, so ensure the car's power supply (battery, alternator, wiring) are up to scratch. but it's a genuine high-end car amp and very worthy of driving utopia's.

again, compare the competition: tru tech, phoenix gold titanium, zapco, mb quart, etc.

anyway, if you settle for the alpine and audison combo, i think you'll be extremely impressed.