Hiding a large amp
 

Hi-
I just completed upgrading my front stage from JL CS-650s to Dynaudio Esotec 242s. What a HUGE difference!!

Now its time to upgrade the amp which is a Rockford T600-4 (from their Power line.) Not a bad amp and considerably better than their Prime and Punch lines.

All of the amps I'm looking at are quite large. Think Audison or ARC SE4200 size. (20 inches long by 9 inches wide by 2.5 inches high or thereabouts). I haven't ruled out ZED or Zapco

Anybody have any neat places to hide such an animal? I'm not in favor of under seat installs but will if it fits and there is no other alternative.

Thanks in advance--

Bill.

how much power do you need require? and what level of SQ are you looking for?

High level of sq, spl is not important.

The fronts are passive, currently get 123w per side. The sub is a Alpine SWR-10T in a MDF ring spare tire install. It is currently being fed by 383watts (bridged). Alpine recommends 300-600 watts.

This is a classic case of quantity versus quality. I'm willing to live with about the same power to the fronts and rears, if I can get more w/o compromising quality, this would be a good thing. Ideally, I would like to provide 200-300 watts to the front and 500 to the rear w/o quality compromise.

Look at the Alpine PDX-V9 Bridged you'll get 200watts RMS to the fronts and and the sub channel puts out 500rms 2-4ohms i'm using it with a Morel Elate 3 way system and its pretty solid (SQ is very nice) and clean (i have a DEX-P99RS head unit for clean power) with a very small footprint.

I already looked at the Alpine and its closest competitor the JL 900/5. These are my fallbacks. I think that both amps, while very good and the Alpine is a particularly a good value, may not completely satisfy me long term from a sq perspective. I only want to upgrade my amp once.

Thanks,
Bill

i tested both the JL and Alpine but preferred the alpine for you i would suggest Audison's thesis Quattro 155x2 (4ohm) +1x540w (4ohm) bridged for the sub should be pretty much perfect SQ wise. your system is 242GT or 242? 100RMS continuous? over powering too much could be a detriment?

Also for placement i would suggest behind the passenger seat it should fit might be a little tight

242GT. The differences between the two may be measurable and or discernable in an anechoic chamber, but it is very doubtful that you could hear any differences in a moving car, particularly ours, due to ambient noise. From a mechanical perspective, there just is not that much difference between a well-stamped basket (appropriate thickness/rigidity) and one that is cast. Truthfully, when I bought them I was concerned about the fit of the 242s and just decided to play it safe.
Bill

Young Z-

Yes, the Quattro is the one I would buy, if Audison. I also like the ARC SE4200. I don't know much about ZED (the Dreadnought) or Zapco's ST series (ST-5D possibly) which is supposedly on the cusp of shipping.
Bill

im not much for ZED though they make very nice pieces and i have zero info on the Zapco. i would rate the Audison slightly higher (but pricier?) than the ARC but that comes down to preference as performance should be very close i would think.

Still looking for a place for the new amp.

The location may influence amp selection. (I considered a Zuki but thought a sidecar (to accomodate the Zuki's length) would destroy the lines of the car...;))

Thanks, Young Z, anybody else have any ideas?

How about under the piece of foam (where the Bose amp is stored) below the carpets in the trunk? I'm planning on fitting an Audison LRx 5.1k in there.

X2 on the alpine, and with a really small footprint you can place it anywhere.

If your trying to go SQ you need to look higher than RF, audison, image dynamics, even alpine are better, focal, sound stream and so on. These would be much better suited for a SQ setup.

Matt-
It should have been clear from the thread that I want to move away from RF.

Which amp I choose is going to be largely determined by specs and size. It makes no sense to select an amp which will not fit.

You probably know as much as anyone as to installations in the Z. Where/how can I fit an amp larger than the Alpine or the JL for a stealthy install?

Alpine, JL, and audison, and focal "FPS" fit just fine behind the seats under the foam piece.

Sorry I quickly read through the thread. Must of read over that part. :icon14:

http://i483.photobucket.com/albums/r...t/photo5-9.jpg