Scope

iTrader: (5)

I just installed my Pyramid PB440X 2 channel 240-watt amp today. The speakers they are hooked up to are OZ Extreme 6.5 400-watt speakers. Basically for every channel the speakers are getting 120 watts max and they can handle 200-watts. Enough with this crap.

The amp was surprisingly good. I was just looking for a quick fix until the summer but this amp is here to stay. I used an 8 gauge wire kit which can handle up to 900 watts. Plenty of space for upgrading here. The amp got distorted at about 85% of turning my max volume up BUT I haven't even changed my gain control so this can be easily fixed in about 3 minutes. The bass is perfect, deep, and loud. My tweeters and midrange (my speaker is a tri-axle) hits on every mid and high frequency. Out of 5 I would give this amp a perfect score. .

BTW this amp was purchased off of eBay and it was a refurb. Hey $35 for a perfect amp is a great save. For those who are looking for a quick fix here it is until of course you need more power. Then I'll go to a name brand ffor better quality.

Tony Fernandes

If you rated the amp 5 out of 5, then what exactly would you be looking for in a name brand for "better quality". It sounds like you couldn't be happier, right?

Quite commonly people can get amazing results with cheaper products. It's when they see the name on the product that they start to doubt it. It's called psychoacoustics.

Tony

kgb006

if you ever hear a JL amp in action, you will change your mind.

Im glad you like that amp though.

nismos14

iTrader: (56)

i dont know why everyone raves about j/l amps, i dont think they are that impressive

nghtfthlngknvs

well JL amps are not your usual amps. they use a technology called R.I.P.S.(regulated intelligent power supply) which allows them to operate at their max power for any impedance in tehir range(1-4ohm i think) and any battery voltage(11-14.4vdc). my description isnt the best so check out jl's site for all the info. believe me, those are some nice amps.

Scope

iTrader: (5)

I should have stated that better. I mean if I had to get a more powerful amp the the quality might not be that good as it is now. But for anything below 500 watts I will probably get another Pyramid. Besides my front speaker are being powered by my HU since they have low power ratings.

nismos14 - Everytime I see your sig it reminds me of an Altima. I first thought it was until I gave it a good look.

NT2SHBBY

Turdlett--when you are ready for better, give Pearl96Max (Don) a holla...he has a nice brand called Arc Audio that makes some very very affordable high end quality amps and components

He is in middle/north Jersey so the trip for you is quite local.

tell him nt2shbby sent ya

SonicDust187

iTrader: (11)

What would you say is better, a JL 1000/1 amp to RF 1001BD amp?

Pearl96Max

iTrader: (151)

IF those are the ONLY choices...Id say the JL.

--Don

SonicDust187

iTrader: (11)

Don to the rescue.

friendhasmax

screw JL and their RIPS technology...if im paying good money for an amp, id like to get more power at lower impedences...besides...RIPS puts more strain on a factory charging system....id rather have a Soundstream Rubicon amp over any JL amp...much better technologies present there

MannyNJ2k2max

iTrader: (3)

i wouldn't rave about pyramid amps....specially a refurb off of ebay....for $20 more you could've gotten a new one.....but a 5 out 5 rating? you need to get out more and hear some other systems....

but if you are content with it its all that matters.....for the $$ its a quick solution to powering a system....

nismos14

iTrader: (56)

lol interesting, glad you finally gave it a look

as far as choosing between j/l and rf, i'd just not get an amp lol i dont like either company. i would however, give j/l a slight advantage over the RF if i was absolutely forced to pick an amp. as far as the cheaper brands, pyramid/pyle/mobile authority... if someone likes them for whatever reason or uses them and is happy with the performance, great! congrats! but to some of more audio savy and looking for REAL performance obviously those brands won't cut the mustard, but if turdlett is happy with it then thats great. just my .02

Scope

iTrader: (5)

I have heard a few systems in my day. My friend has a 96 Accord and his amp costed him $200. To tell you the truth my $35 amp was alot better because it can hit a deeper bass and it is louder. I forgot the name of his amp but it was powering all four of his speakers and can spit out about 600 watts.

I also wrote this because some people rave about getting this "high quality" $150 amp that can produce the same amount of power and are having problems with it. Besides I'm a high school senior and a dollar saved will get me a strut and sway bar

MannyNJ2k2max

iTrader: (3)

Good for you! Enjoy

Tony Fernandes

Truth be told, most people cannot hear the difference between two amps if they are set up similarly, even if one is a "cheap" amp and the other a ultra-high-end one. The sonic differences become present when the amps are pushed into clipping. A watt is a watt.

People should base their amp decision on features rather than SQ reputation. In the realm of car audio, amplifiers are the least responsible piece of equipment for SQ.

Tony

mdmartin92

You are 100% correct Tony, I have a "cheap ($90 of ebay) Sony EXplode" 4 channel amp and people are amazed how nice it sounds pushing infinity kappas in the cabin and a 10" reference sub in the trunk using the stock headunit.

Whitemax

I'll stick with my Tube Drivers. I'll agree that there are other parts to a system that affect the SQ more, but I wouldnt say that the amp is the least responsible. There are too many amps that have a completely different sound from one another to say that. They may all sound good, but to different ears. Some may like a more laid back sound, others a more up-front, brighter sound. Some may liek the sound of tubes, others of solid state, and even others who like the combined sound of both.
Nelson Pass of Pass Labs ( www.passlabs.com and www.passdiy.com ) wrote an article once talking about The First Watt. That that is the most important factor of the sound of an amp than the other 1000 it may have after it.
If the Pyramid amp he's using to drive his subs sounds good, then sweet! I'm glad to see someone thats happy about his system.
As far as alot of the brands out there that have all the bells and whistles go, I'd rather take a simpler one over them anyday. Less to affect the sound, or to go bad.

skeelo34

iTrader: (4)

Currently I have a Brax and Tube Driver Blue 475 in mine. I had a pyramid 800 watt amp in my old car (purple model?). It was stolen. The amp sounded great. It certainly wasn't the best, but it pushed my 2 12's pretty hard. And if you compare that 100 dollar amp to the 1000's brax and tbd cost...its a bargain.....

Tony Fernandes

From my understanding, tube amps are a completely different animal. I've never heard one, but from what I can gather, they deliver an entirely different sound altogether. Most people that have them sware by them.


Tony

slickrick

iTrader: (12)

see cheap amps are good because they are cheap. usually, usually they will break and thus you should have bought a nice one the 1st time. i learned this after i bought a ****ty crunch amp in hs. i went and got an mtx amp which was rated at half the power of the crunch amp yet played just as loud but alot cleaner. its not that it had better sq, just that it sent a cleaner signal and wouldnt clip. so thus it had better "sq"

Tony Fernandes

This probably had more to do with the fact that manufacturers do not have any sort of "standard" for reporting power output. The Crunch probably did not put out as much power as it stated...at least undistorted power. And the MTX may have actually put out more power than it claimed.

All amps will clip. But you are right, once the Crunch amp went into clipping, it sounded worse than the MTX, which I'm guessing was NOT clipping. However, both amps at the same level (neither clipping) probably sounded very similar, if not identical.

Tony

Whitemax

No, thats very true. The harmonics of a tube are much smoother and pleasing to the ear than a SS amp. The Tube drivers are actually a hybrid with a solid state amp, and a tube buffer, kinda giving you the best of both worlds. The dynamics and punch of SS and the warmth of Tubes

friendhasmax

this is interesting:

http://www.butleraudio.com/main.html

Whitemax

Ya, I would kill for his home stuff. I want his 5 channel HT amp so bad I pee myself everytime I look at it. I'd love to hear that Class A , since its his first true all tube amp. And it's running off a 300B. Yummy. (and it'll heat your house)

slickrick

iTrader: (12)

you hit the nail on the head.

skeelo34

iTrader: (4)

When I ran my components on my brax, the tweeters were very harsh, I almost contemplated getting a new set. Once I put them on the tube driver blue, it sounds absolutely perfect. I love the way tubes sound, I cant describe it, but I won't go back to solid state......