MTX, Rockford Fosgate?

[glemay]

I know very little on car audio. What are good brands for amps. speakers and subwoofers? Is MTX or Rockford Fosgate any good? I like MTX because they have the pre-manufactured box that fit in specific vehicles, who else does this?

Any suggestions?

Thanks

Gerald

[MacLeod]

These are my favorite amps

Budget level ($125-250):
Alpine V Power series
Coustic
Profile
Sony

Mid Level ($200-600):
JL Audio E series
Alpine V12 series
Rockford Fosgate Punch series
Kicker
Crossfire

Competition level ($450-1000):
Xtant (rules!)
Precision Power
JL Audio Slash series
Phoenix Gold
Rockford Fosgate Power series (can be had for mid level prices!)

Im all about sound quality and not much into super loud ghetto blasters so most of my picks lean to the SQ side. I am currently running Alpine V Power amps. They dont have much power but are clean as a whistle and have great prices. 40x4 $200 and 140x1 $110! I am eventually going to upgrade but keep changing my mind on which to go with. Xtant is the best SQ amp in my and most peoples opinion with JL Audio and Precision Power just a tic or two behind.

[sntnsupermen131]

JL also makes custom boxes
they are the best custom boxes ive seen from a mass producer, but they are quite pricey, and they put theyre crappy subs in them...
mtx makes solid amps, but i run rockford fosgate, they sound better(opinion) and have less distortion(fact)
-Cody

[LittleCar_w/12s]

JL: yeah good boxes...but I think they pour molasses in the voice coil...

My friend runs a Comp. audio install store.. and though I am a great Rockford fan.. even HE stopped stocking their amps.. They are great for power but they run very hot and not the best sq due to that. Their H/U's are excellent Sq though.

[glemay]

what is H/U's? So what are some more good reasonably priced amplifiers? What about speakers and subwoofer? Are MTX encloseurs any good? (The plastic ones that fit specific vehicles)

[LittleCar_w/12s]

h/u is the abbreviation for head unit .. or your in-dash unit or deck or whatever you want to call it

[glemay]

thanks

[glemay]

Out of Sony, Kenwood, MTX and Rockford Fosgate, who's amplifiers do you prefer? Who should I stay away from?

[MacLeod]

I would say go with Rockford Fosgate. The Power series is their best and although you hear a lot of trash talking about them, they are in the top 5 of SQ and SPL competitions on a regular basis so they must do something right.

Im not real big on MTX. They are solid, powerful amps but just arent that clean and Im a SQ nut so I cant get into them.

A lot of people badmouth Sony but I still like em. They used to be real good stuff but have gotten lazy in years passed and are slipping. Their stuff is still pretty good for the price but you wont see any of them in the winners circle at competitions.

Kenwood is about as good as Sony in my opinion. Pretty good but not great.

If youre in this price range Id refer you to my earlier post. The Alpine V Power series and Coustic are really good amps and very good prices. Alpine is more SQ and not as powerful where the Coustic is pretty stout but not quite as clean and accurate as the Alpine.

[glemay]

Out of these 4 which would you get:

Kenwood

MTX

Rockford Fosgate

Sony

The Sony is the most expensive, the Kenwood is the cheapest, and the MTX and Rockford Fosgate are the same.

Which one?

[MacLeod]

Definitely stay away from that particular MTX amp. Ive heard those things before and they are pretty crappy. The sales people at Circuit City will even try to talk you out of buying those!

Of those choices Id go with the Rockford Fosgate. Its the best of the bunch. While not as good as RF's Power series amps its still a stout little dude.

The Kenwood and Sony will be average performers at best.

If youre wanting to spend $200 on a 2 channel then may I HIGHLY recommend the JL Audio E2150. Its 45 x 2 and while not as powerful as the Punch amp, it will be better sounding, at least in my opinion.

[sntnsupermen131]

road thunders are crap
sony is worse though
never, dont even think about buying sony car audio
ever
id go with the fosgate
JL is overrated and overpriced
kenwood should not be compared with sony, none of those brands should
sony is in the ranks along with pyle and pyramid and legacy
kenwood exceleron series are very good
but thats not an exceleron, so i dunno
go with fosgate, you wont go wrong
mtx plastic boxes arent wonderful either
any plastic box isnt going to sound well
plastic is not a very "acoustic" material to build boxes out of
its very reflective, it flexes...egh...not good
-Cody

[glemay]

Thanks, I will probably go with the RF.

[pjdami]

Glemay,

Another vote for Rockford Fosgate. They've been around forever and are proven performers for the price. My first fosgate amp was a Punch 45 way back in 1988. Depending on your needs though, the MTX may just do you fine too. I have a MTX amp bridged running a fosgate 8 inch woofer in my Mustang and its all the bass I need. Of course, I'm older now and way more into home audio plus the stang only sees occasional weekend duty.

Paul

[PolkThug]

I have recently retired a Punch 60ix from the old school days of Rockford Fosgate (when their amps were very underated for watts). In bridged mode, it runs two 12's nicely (two Rockford Fosgate Punch Audiophiles 8ohm, in parallel config). The actual bridged real output on the amp was 157 watts, but I don't have the printout anymore.

I replaced it with a Kenwood 7201, which is doing a great job with some Infinity 12's.

Actually, I'd sell you the RF if you're interested. It was $350 new. I'd part with it for $100, shipping included (CONUS). Probably work a deal on the subs too.

Regards,
PolkThug

[PolkThug]

Your local audio stores will probably make you a good custom solid box for $100. That's all I've ever paid.

[glemay]

PolkThug, thanks for the offer but I think I`m going to hold of on the Car audio for a while. Spent too much already.

[Jstas]

I am so suprised and dissappointed in all of you! Have I not learned you anything? The man is looking for good, clean, solid power for a good price and not a single one of you recommended Hifonics! FOR SHAME! ;)

I'd like to ask, what are you goals for this stereo? Beyond that, I'll go with what has already been discussed.

Anyway, if you are still looking for alternatives, seriously, Hifonics stuff can be found at a very good price and they are alot of bang for the buck, more so than current RF and MTX offerings. They are alot cleaned that the RF and MTX offerings too. I also cannot ever recall having a problem with any Hifonics amp except one and that problem was my own boneheaded fault.

As far as the selections you posted, stay away from the Sony, it is decent but that is about it and it is totally not worth what you will pay for it. That Kenwood is a solid performer but a tad weak compared to the MTX and RF units you posted which I can say with confidence that they are probably under-rated so they will run stronger than that Kenwood. However, that Kenwood is most likely cleaner than the other two. It is thier bargain line of amps though and you may find it lacking in performance for volume but for SQ, it's probably the best performer of the bunch you post. The RF and MTX offer a good balance of power and sound quality so I'm gonna jump on the band wagon here and recommend the RF or MTX amp. Aside from a comparable Hifonics amp.

As far as speakers and subwoofers, I'll recommend Polk Audio. They are priced nicely and offer a good deal of performance for the money. Some may disagree but nuts to them! I can't make much more of recommendation without knowing your goals, what kind of car you are installing this in and what level of fabrication you are willing to go to.

[MacLeod]

Personally Ive never heard a Hifonics amp. Apparantly they are too good to have a dealer here in the south. Dunno why though.

I have read a ton of reviews on Hifonics in various publications and the reviews are always glowing so Im pretty sure they are dandys.

I hate brand name pissing contests but Im gonna have to stand up for JL, or at least the amps anyway.

Over priced? Well when you look at comparable competition level amps, $450 for a 75x4 is pretty much ballpark and these things are racking up SQ victories like there is no tomorrow. The E series is downright bargain priced and sound terrific also. Find yourself a dealer and give these things a listen. Ive been to Tweeter about 6 times in the last month just to stand there and listen to my favorite CD (Dream Theater "Train of Thought") thru the 300/4 running thru MB Quart Qs. I just stand there and drool.....and occasionally touch myself... :p

Now their subs are a smidge on the high side so Im with ya on those. But the speakers are reasonably priced for hi-end comps ($400 for 6.5).

[glemay]

I want something to stick in my Lund 1650 Sendero Fish and Ski boat. All I am looking for is some good sounding music for little money, I can pick up a Clarion APX-201.2 for about $188 CDN.

Not sure if I am going to be doing anything at all soon, maybe during the summer. Just looking for options if I wanted to.

[Jstas]

AH! It's for a BOAT!

Well, that will change things just a bit! Depending on where these speakers are mounted, you may want to go with marine audio equipment. Water gets everywhere on a boat as I am sure you know. Sensitive elctronics don't play well in the environment. What I would suggest for speakers is to stay away from treated paper pulp and other such cones because they can and will get destroyed by water. Also, no metal tweeters if you can help it, they will corrode, except for the likes of titanium. If you can, go with polymer or polymer/composite woofer cones, butyl rubber surrounds and silk tweeters. They are much less likely to be damaged by water. The marine speakers will have many of the same characteristics but they will be sheilded in some cases too so as not to interfere with radios and such.

Also, if you are going to go this rout, make sure you mount your amplifier and head unit in a place where they will NOT get wet AT ALL. Undeneath a seat or the con are not the best places because they see the most wet asses and the most weather in most cases. A bilge is not the place to mount this stuff either. Where a good place on your boat is, I do not know but please use your head and protect your invenstment.

[LittleCar_w/12s]

Well for low power like you are looking, and in the case you are going to wet it down a bit... look for some used equipment. (you won't feel so bad messing it up.)

I would recommend RF amps or Kenwood in general. The RF amps have a bad tendency to get hot, but seems like it will be in a pretty open environment The kenwoods will also put out a load of power while keeping good quality.

Use you imagination. It's going to be hard keeping it dry, so at least make sure the water can't get UP into the electronics. hmm... There is a moldable sealant tape at radioshack that will work well. My father uses an industrial version to seal telephone work at the TelCo. This will mold around any connectors and such that may be facing upward on the amp. It is heat/cold/water resistant, will be a black roll of taffy-looking stuff. See if you can get it from any bud's that work in telephone or cable first.

[PoweredByDodge]

with the rocking and socking of a boat, i'd suggest a newer mtx amp.

teh fact that the parts are not soldered through the board, but isntead mounted TO the board solid results in a "shaker proof" amp. you can rattle the hell out of them without causing any solder joints to break or anything to come loose.

i'm not saying they sound the best or thwatever... but they are reliable, durable, and for this boat application i think something with a surface mount circuit board is helpful as well.

thunder 6304 can be had on ebay for like 175 -- gets hot as hell though.... try to find like two 8302's or somethign -- those are GREAT amps.