amp hook-up
- Thread starter samm5149
- Start date
The DLS Classic CA51 is a good buy also. DLS also makes a Reference and Ultimate 5-ch amp but they are pricey.
need to make sure it has all the crossovers that you would need for that setup. it would probably be just as economical to get two amps. and if you are just getting an 8" sub you might want to get a bazooka tube. they respond a lot more to less power and have a full range, they are tough speakers and the enclosure is built for the speaker. boxes from the store aren't always that way.
There are very few amps on the market these days that don't have sufficient on-board crossovers so he shouldn't have to worry about that. For your average system, two amps will almost always cost more than a single multi-channel amp configuration.
Another option, if you can't find a 5-channel amp that you like, is to only power the front speakers and the subwoofer with an external amp. With this configuration you can get by with a 3-channel or 4-channel amp (with 4ch you bridge the rears). A 4x50w amp with the rear channels bridged would give you 2x50 for your front speakers and 1x200 for an 8" subwoofer.
Another option, if you can't find a 5-channel amp that you like, is to only power the front speakers and the subwoofer with an external amp. With this configuration you can get by with a 3-channel or 4-channel amp (with 4ch you bridge the rears). A 4x50w amp with the rear channels bridged would give you 2x50 for your front speakers and 1x200 for an 8" subwoofer.
chuyler1 said:
Depends on which market you use. People are selling 2 and 4 channel amps, good ones too, on ebay, here in the forum, for a lot less than retail. 5 and 6 channel amps and are rare so you have to pay rapetail.
If you split the amps up there is no guarantee that they will have the crossover setup you need. worth checking. The other option is that you can
From Crutchfield.com
2 Choices for 5 channel amps
Alpine MRA-F350 5x50 - $550
Alpine MRA-D550 5x60 - $900
OR.....
Alpine MRP-250 40x4 - $200
MTX (good for subs) Thunder 282 70x2 bridgable - $100
That is even retail so I still think you are better off splitting them up.
2 Choices for 5 channel amps
Alpine MRA-F350 5x50 - $550
Alpine MRA-D550 5x60 - $900
OR.....
Alpine MRP-250 40x4 - $200
MTX (good for subs) Thunder 282 70x2 bridgable - $100
That is even retail so I still think you are better off splitting them up.
Anything sold on eBay that is classified as NEW which is being sold for significantly under retail is either B-stock, refurbished s***-stock, stolen, or worse. You won't get a manufacturers warranty either. Any item classified as used being sold by a turbo-seller is most likely refurbished...meaning the amp was broken once and it will probably break again.
The only sellers I trust are individuals selling high-end gear in order to fund their next audio purchase. High-end gear comes from high-end installs where the product was most likely installed properly and taken well care of. If you buy used mid-grade equipment you are taking chances with whether it will work when you receive it, the condition it is in, and how long it will last you. It's hit or miss. You can find good stuff, but you have to know what to look for and what to watch out for.
Most people new to car audio don't know what to look for and they are better off going to a shop or ordering from www.crutchfield.com where they will receive top notch customer support and a full manufacturer's warranty.
The only sellers I trust are individuals selling high-end gear in order to fund their next audio purchase. High-end gear comes from high-end installs where the product was most likely installed properly and taken well care of. If you buy used mid-grade equipment you are taking chances with whether it will work when you receive it, the condition it is in, and how long it will last you. It's hit or miss. You can find good stuff, but you have to know what to look for and what to watch out for.
Most people new to car audio don't know what to look for and they are better off going to a shop or ordering from www.crutchfield.com where they will receive top notch customer support and a full manufacturer's warranty.
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Saving a couple of bucks upfront is NEVER worth it when you've got to pull your car apart and be without music for a month here and there while you HOPE your "warrentied by us" deal holdsup, (it's pretty uncommon that they do, generally they'll sit on it for a month or so, and then offer you part credit towards something else when you pressure them hard) retail=peace of mind and good solid components that you cna trust. anything else is a gamble. As chuyler said, generally highend installs that were done right and are being pieced out are a safe source.
I know it's difficult to understand that paying nearly twice as much for what appears to be the same thing is at all a good idea, but trust me, it is. I've been on the other side of it, and have coached countless others through it. it's really not a pleasant place to be.
I know it's difficult to understand that paying nearly twice as much for what appears to be the same thing is at all a good idea, but trust me, it is. I've been on the other side of it, and have coached countless others through it. it's really not a pleasant place to be.
I'm an Xtant fan, and they offer something that is a little different
Xtant 3 Channel amp for $125 bid
Granted, i don't know the power requirements for your Bostons, so my suggestion might not fit your needs. That being said, you could look into something like this, either use Channel 1 & 2 to power your front speakers, your headunit to power the rears and channel 3 to power the sub and not lose balance or fader controls.... or you can wire your front speakers to channel 1 and rears to channel 2 and channel 3 to the sub and lose balance controls...
I'm sure we can find a sub that matches this amp if you think it'll work for you. If you want more power look for Xtant x603 (it's got up to300 watts for the sub channel) (thumb) --i saw one for $250 buy it now
Xtant 3 Channel amp for $125 bid
Granted, i don't know the power requirements for your Bostons, so my suggestion might not fit your needs. That being said, you could look into something like this, either use Channel 1 & 2 to power your front speakers, your headunit to power the rears and channel 3 to power the sub and not lose balance or fader controls.... or you can wire your front speakers to channel 1 and rears to channel 2 and channel 3 to the sub and lose balance controls...
I'm sure we can find a sub that matches this amp if you think it'll work for you. If you want more power look for Xtant x603 (it's got up to300 watts for the sub channel) (thumb) --i saw one for $250 buy it now
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Both 5-ch amps you posted are not designed for a 4.1 configuration. They are designed for a 5.0 configuration (or 5.1 with an additional sub amp). That is why all 5 channels output the same wattage.
The DLS CL-51 I posted above is designed for 4.1 and will sound much better than the 2-channel setup you suggested and it could be used in the future for an active 3-way (tweeter/mid/sub) setup because it allows you to bandpass the front channels for mids, high-pass the rear channels at 3-5KHz for tweeters, and lowpass the subwoofer channel. It costs more than your setup but you will save a little money by only requiring one set of RCAs (unless you want front/rear fader) and a wiring kit for a single amplifier (no distribution block required).
Here are some more 5-6 channel amps...
Infinity Reference 5761a $399
Phoenix Gold Octane-R 9.0:5 $369.95
The DLS CL-51 I posted above is designed for 4.1 and will sound much better than the 2-channel setup you suggested and it could be used in the future for an active 3-way (tweeter/mid/sub) setup because it allows you to bandpass the front channels for mids, high-pass the rear channels at 3-5KHz for tweeters, and lowpass the subwoofer channel. It costs more than your setup but you will save a little money by only requiring one set of RCAs (unless you want front/rear fader) and a wiring kit for a single amplifier (no distribution block required).
Here are some more 5-6 channel amps...
Infinity Reference 5761a $399
Phoenix Gold Octane-R 9.0:5 $369.95
1 vs 2
One thing y'all forgot to argrue about....
1 amp takes up less space than 2, also less weight. (first)
The original poster wanted a SMALL sub.. 8" if i'm not mistaken. (thumb)
Price may be important, but I haven't seen a huge price difference in everyones examples... 2 amps might be cheaper, but if samm5149 is worried about how much space he has, then 1 amp wins hands down, even if it costs 50 bucks less.... (deadhorse
Also when is the last time you priced a distroblock? Last I checked it was $25 to $40... now we are back to even-steven. (poke)
One thing y'all forgot to argrue about....
1 amp takes up less space than 2, also less weight. (first)
The original poster wanted a SMALL sub.. 8" if i'm not mistaken. (thumb)
Price may be important, but I haven't seen a huge price difference in everyones examples... 2 amps might be cheaper, but if samm5149 is worried about how much space he has, then 1 amp wins hands down, even if it costs 50 bucks less.... (deadhorse
Also when is the last time you priced a distroblock? Last I checked it was $25 to $40... now we are back to even-steven. (poke)
FYI: Crutchfield has the Infinity 6-ch for $399. But anyway, to sum things up... KISS. keep it simple stupid. With a 5 or 6 channel amp you have one thing to install and one set of wires to worry about. There are no fuse blocks, extra patch cables, or multiple failure points. One amp plain and simple.
If we are talking about retail prices of current products at a comparable quality level (not last years model on sale like the MTX amp you suggested) then one amp is also going to be cheaper than two even if it is a hard to find 5-channel. You can always find things on sale or on eBay but those kinds of deals are hit or miss and usually require patience.
The 3 amps I would recommend from this entire thread are...
The JL amp 1st suggested if there is a JL dealer near you
The DLS amp I suggested if there is a DLS dealer near you
or the Infinity amp if you plan on ordering stuff online.
All three are in the same price range with comparable features. JL gives you more power to your front and rear speakers while the DLS amp has a more robust crossover for running 3-way active and includes a phase control circuit for the sub. The infinity gives you more power for your sub than the others but might not have the same sound quality characteristics.
A comparable 2-ch setup from Alpine would be the MRP-F450 (70x4) and the MRP-M450 (220x1) which would cost $100 more not including wiring accessories. You'd get extra power for your subs with this setup.
If we are talking about retail prices of current products at a comparable quality level (not last years model on sale like the MTX amp you suggested) then one amp is also going to be cheaper than two even if it is a hard to find 5-channel. You can always find things on sale or on eBay but those kinds of deals are hit or miss and usually require patience.
The 3 amps I would recommend from this entire thread are...
The JL amp 1st suggested if there is a JL dealer near you
The DLS amp I suggested if there is a DLS dealer near you
or the Infinity amp if you plan on ordering stuff online.
All three are in the same price range with comparable features. JL gives you more power to your front and rear speakers while the DLS amp has a more robust crossover for running 3-way active and includes a phase control circuit for the sub. The infinity gives you more power for your sub than the others but might not have the same sound quality characteristics.
A comparable 2-ch setup from Alpine would be the MRP-F450 (70x4) and the MRP-M450 (220x1) which would cost $100 more not including wiring accessories. You'd get extra power for your subs with this setup.
chuyler1 said:
I'll agree with this much. can ya feel the love. as for the rest I feel slighted but we will just have to agree to disagree.
BUT, if you were to suggest a base speaker setup that would require a multiple amp setup or a 5+ channel amp and we agree on quality/spec restrictions we see who could come in the cheapest. No installation labor costs, just material costs to upgrade a stock system.
Last years model vs this years is negligable. New vs used or refurbised I would definately say makes a bid difference but new this year vs last year isn't that bad. It's something cause you always want the latest, but not much.
Aberration
Member
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- 2001 ES Proteg
Alright so not touching this exchange back to the idea of using a six channel Infinity bridged for fronts and a sub from Chuyler would the speakers getting 148 watts overpower the sub only getting 287?
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Breeegz said:
Umm, this also effectively nulls the STEREO part of music. left channel information goes to front and right channel goes to rear meaning that left/right imaging now becomes front/rear. If fidelity means anything, don't do this.
THe suggestion of amping just front and running rears off the deck is the best solution offered. Definately hands down the best option for setup.
Aberration said:
I wouldn't recommend that configuration because you really don't need 148 watts for front speakers unless you were talking about a pair of dedicated midbass woofers to compliment a set of components.
Any of these amps (Infinity/JL/DLS) would be great for a 3-way active setup where you could power your tweeters, woofers, and sub off separate channels and not use the passive crossovers supplied with the component set. However, only the DLS has an active crossover capable of doing this. With the Infinity and JL, you would have to purchase a separate active crossover or a head unit capable of such a configuration. That is the only 2.1 setup I recommend a 5 or 6 channel amp for.
If you still intend to power the front and rear speakers in a 4.1 setup then any of the three are great.
If you decide you just want to power the front speakers and sub with an amp then I suggest looking into 4ch amps instead. The Infinity Reference 7541a is $100 cheaper than the 5761a and will give your fronts 111w and your sub 278w. You'd be crazy not to buy it instead.
