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Im currently looking for an amp for my speakers. This is my 2nd time im changing the audio setup in my car, that is why i will need some suggestion/advise/opinion on this amps im looking at. I know that speakers plays a big part, that i have already found a brand that will suit my taste, now its just the amp part.

1) Im looking for an amp that gives clarity, not so much on bass. Which brand do you reckon will give me gd clarity (Alpine, Phoenix Gold, JL Audio, Rockford, MB Quart)?? Other brands are also welcome.

2) Which do you think will create better sound, using 2 2channel amps, or using one 4channel amp??

Im currently running 2 2channel JBL amps for the mids & tweeters, and i find that the amps and speakers (i had the speakers in my 1st setup) dont give really clear sound..they prob give more dirty sound. So any of you have any experience with the amps above, it appreciated if you could give some feedback to me. Thx..

Ps: Ive been told to get class A amps if i want clarity, though im not too sure which amp is considered class A . Is this true??

 
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class A amps dont exist for car audio, only class A/B, on top of that, 99.9% of 2 channel or 4 channel amps are a/b.

amp choice has NOTHING to do with bass output. also, the install you do and the speakers you choose do WORLDS more than the amp choice.

absolutely no difference. a 4 channel amp is 2 2 channel amps strapped together in a single case

 
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Ic...so there is no class A amps in car audio...only A/B. But ive seen advert where the manufacturer says the amp are of class D. Not to sure if the class means anything, but i would assume A-B are for midrange, where else the class D are for bass. My assumption anyway..i maybe wrong.

I do agree with you that the speakers plays a big part, but i think the amps does have its function. Thats my question, i have found the right speakers, but i have yet to find an amp to pair it with. So my question is which amps are better (in terms of built quality, reliability and sound quality..im sure certain amps give slightly better sound in certain areas). And what i meant with 'not so much bass' is that the amp will not be use to power up my subs, its purely for midrange, so if assuming, the particular amp produces weaker bass lines, its not a problem to me.

 
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Class Ds run cooler and more efficiently, but you need to drop the impedence on them to get the full benefit. . . like 2 or 1 ohm, if it's stable down there. That's not something you'd typically do with a set of 4 ohm mids and tweets. Besides. . . lower frequencies take a LOT MORE power to be effectively reproduced when compared to higher frequencies. . . which is why almost all class D amps are monoblock. . . which is the simplest way to wire up a subwoofer.

 
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Rite...now i know that my monoblock amp for my subs are class D . Just to add, ive gone to an audio shop to see what he can do to improve the sound quality of my current setup. His recommendation was to change my speakers and change the amps (midrange..not the monoblock amp) as well, as the current amp is not too gd to give clean sound/not to gd to give clarity. I dont want to get rip, and do as he says...not to say the person is lying, but i just want to be sure that my hard earn money is going to gd use.

So if his advise is correct, he told me i should swap my jbl amps for either Alpine/Phoenix Gold/MB Quart amp..and i want to know which amp will be gd for my investment.

 
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Better speakers = better sound. . . 99% of the time. AND, having adequate power to run those better speakers is also a must. (Some nicer speakers just happen to be power-hungry). He's not trying to rip you off. . . He may be trying to get you to spend more money, but in most cases that's not really a bad thing. So long as the bulk of your expenses are going to improve sound, you'll be glad you did it when you reap the benefits of your investment for years to come.

The amp you select should be of good quality, but more importantly it should be closely matched to the power requirements of your better speakers. Phoenix Gold and Alipne are good names. . . a Kenwood amp would also probably do the trick. Just all really depends on what they carry and how much you're willing to spend.

 
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amps DONT produce weaker or stronger basslines, thats all in how you set your eq. all an amplifier does is takes teh signal from your radio and amplifies it. it boosts NOHTING, it cuts NOTHING it does NOTHING but makes the signal stronger.

what speakers are you running? i can tell you what amp i would run under different budgets.

 
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Well, his advice isnt correct about one thing....MB Quart doesnt make amps....maybe you should check out a different shop.

 
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Oh, my bad...i think ive mix up the brands he was introducing, coz he was tellin me amps and speakers, so ive mix up and thought that MB Quart makes amps too.

To yukonart...thx for your imput. I know that investing in a better speakers/amp/subs will give me better sound, thats why i have no problem to change the item, if it helps improve the sound quality. What worries me, is that what if i do change the amps..fr my current JBL, to lets say Phoenix Gold..and the sound remains the same. So the question is whether i should keep my current amp, or change it. I know ludlam suggestion would be to keep the amps, and just change the speakers.

Now as for what speakers i be interested in, i probably will be getting either Boston/Focals. Oh, and just want to know, will a 2 2channel amps suck more power from the battery then a single 4 channel..or both are the same?? Or do i look at the power handling of the amp to determine that?

Thx for all your input anyway

 
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Ludlam/yukonart,

I just thought of something, lets just say..after getting the speakers and amp, but im still not happy with the sound quality...would you think it be gd if i get a pre-amp from brands like audio-control?? Will it help improve the sound??

This maybe my 2nd setup of ICE in my car (not including the speakers and amp i be purchasing soon), but i dont really know what to add to improve the sound....and my biggest problem...i want very clear sound when listening to slow songs, and i want to hear really heart thumping bass when listening to trance/dance/rock. I cant seem to get that kind of sound...am not happy with the bass nor the midrange of my current setup.

So far ive tested speakers from focal and boston, they sound clear too me. Thats why im changing the components to either brand, and the amps are the problem. As for amps, i know nuts about them...usually will buy whatever the audio shop fella recommends.

So if you all can give me any suggestion on what amps i should be looking for the speakers, it'll be gd. As for budget...well anything that goes well to power the speakers (6 1/2 inch 2-way speakers) will be fine with me.

 
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Start with the speakers. Upgrade them first and you'll notice the biggest improvement in sound quality there.

THEN, worry about the amp(s) if things aren't quite right.

BTW, Boston and Focal are EXCELLENT choices in mid to high-end components. . . . and don't forget my brand when choosing. . . Diamond Audio.

 
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stick with jl everything
speakers, subs and AMPS, their amps are great

 
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ummm. goto ebay and look for some old A/D/S powerplate amps. i bought one on ebay thats about 7 yrs old for 60 bucks. its only 40 watts/ch and doesnt look too fancy. but atleast it sounds FANTASTIC and does its job. i even have "power hungry" mb quart components, it plays fine, and for the price you cant beat it. also the "dirty" sound might be distortion so maybe get a HP crossover on those beasts. fukk all that new BS like JL... its all weak, but i do agree with that yukon dude. better speakers may also help and yeah, focal boston and diamond are pretty rad speakers.

 
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You never mentioned what HEADUNIT you have. Headunits have ALOT to do with SQ. Do you know how many volts your Headunit is putting out? Also, how many RCA's does the back of your headunit have? Something to keep in mind.

 
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Im using clarion dx825 hu. Ive been given the specs before buying that, but ive forgotten it now . Im not sure how the hu ranks in a gd hu list..but i think it should be sufficient rite??

Fashonsucker, well..i dont quite want to get too low end products, as ive been getting those for my 1st setup, & the sound was not to my taste. Then i bought mid-range price equipment for my 2nd setup (mostly starting range of some mid-range brand), and it sounds better...but im still not satisfied. So i figure, it'll be more feasible if i just pay for something more expensive, then to keep changing & changing..if i took the money i spend on the 1st & 2nd setup, i could have fix a better setup on my car by now with the money. I do know that not everything is better if they are expensive..thats why im getting some opinion on what brands i should get, and which i should stay away from. Purchasing from ebay is not an option for me, as im not anywhere near the states..it'll cost a bomb for the shipment. And frankly, i have friends that have done mail order fr the states, & 80% the time...the parcel goes missing along the way.

As for JL audio, it is in my list of brands i may look into for amps & later on my subs (concentrating on speakers & etc to improve clarity..once i get the sound i want, then i will proceed with the bass part), but for now, i think i will settle with boston/focal for the speakers. Will try to find a dealer that carries diamond audio to try out their speakers too...if i can find one that sells it over this side of the world.