1990's Amps vs Todays

90 ST

Yeah, the PC and on was the start of the end, Art and ProMos were the last of their kind from PPI

2fast4thelaw

I feel the old-school amps are superior in dynamics and clarity than most of the new stuff but the old school amps are really hard on your electrical system. They were not designed with efficency in mind so the power supplies being high current have efficiencies of 50% or less where now power supplies are 80% or better but at a sacrafice of dynamics.

Unless a class D amp has a massive power supply, it isnt going compete with the old-school amps. Technology advances have reduced the size of amps which opens a whole new world of installation possibilities so there are other advantages. Also crossover and equalization has come along way improving and shaping sound easier and more convieniently.

Pretty much once amps started getting made over seas, quality went down hill in favor of mass production. Many of the great companies have been bought out and prostituted to the main stream market mainly to stay alive in this economy. I also feel surface mount technology has reduced relaibility in circuit boards so audio equipment just isnt as bullet proof as it use to be.

Good amps still can be had, but you have to pay big money to get them.

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speedfreak28

Great post! amplifier technology has come a long way and to the average listener the new amps are tough to beat but for clean undistorted power you just cant beat the old school AB power. Todays high end SQ amps still use AB power supplies but as 2fast said The sound processing has come a long way.

optiontrader

McIntosh amps would be outstanding, if impractical in a car.

Remember when Adcom made a couple of nice car amps back when?

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Unclemeaty

While I'm still trying to fix a Soundstream MC140x (4 x 35w) I needed to put something back into my car for listening pleasure. I pulled the Precision Power PC275 out for a moment and tried a Rockford Fosgate Punch 60x2 DSM series (Its 30w x 2). DSM was the last great series from rockford. I've gotta say they had it going on back then. The Punch 60 is better than the PPI PC275 (Which is 75w x 2 rms) and almost as good as the SS MC140.

I really hope in getting this MC140 amp working. Its of Class B design and/but it sounds so freaking awsome. I hear these little amps were about $500 back in the day.

I would love to poke a few sticks at some Phoenix Gold products. They just havnt come to my possesion yet.


If you have an old/broken amp, I'll buy and or fix it for you!