Ok.. Im finally looking at fixing up the speakers in my car. Ive been suggested to buy a couple of good quality amps and Rockford Fosgate came up a fair bit. Now, I need to know if this is a good idea or not. Im looking at amps I can keep if I choose to upgrade the speakers at a later stage. Im not sure if these are powerful enough for the money Id be paying for them, but Im not fussed about price at the moment..

What I need to know is does this setup seem any good? Is there a better way I can go about it? Does anyone else recommend any models (amps mainly) that would be better without selling myself to get the cash..

Ultimately Im looking for 2 amps (mono + 4 ch), 2 subs and a set of splits and my budget is max 3k.. Preferably around the 2k mark.

So far I have been looking at:
RF P8004 - 4 Channel Amp - 100W x 4 @ 4 Ohms RMS

RF P6001bd - Mono Amp - 300W x1 @ 4 Ohms RMS

RF P162S - 60W RMS, 120W Peak
or
RF T162S - 100W RMS, 200W Peak

RF P212S4 - 200W RMS, 300W Peak
or
RF P112S4 - 150W RMS, 300W Peak


Also does anyone know if there is a difference between the US models and the imported ones when it comes to speakers and amps.. I know HU can be different but is there any difference in speakers n amps?

ohhh, nice, 3K is a VERY nice budget

as for rockford fosgate.....................well, they're good, but i reckon u can go better.

esp since you're in sydney, u can go see marty! (fhrx)

u can go read the previous threads on splits...rainbow, morel, focal, phoenix gold so on and so on.

as for amps. well, i like phass, tru tech, zapco, audioson....uno what....go for a drive down to fhrx studios!!

oh, and don't forget cabling and sound deadening etc

Well, you don't have to run 2 amps you know, you could get away with an Earthquake 5Channel 1800W amplifier, chuck on two 12" subwoofers and run a set of nice splits off it.

Amp: $700
Splits: $350 for something decent
Subs: Dependant (could get 2 Concept subs)

3k pfft, u must be wanting to get ripped, how about ill do the shopping and keep the left overs, i got full dvd set up plus sub amp, plus 8 speakers all up all cadence set up exept or pioneer 6x9 all cost me 1.6k


do it all at one place and pay cash, JB Hifi

Yeah? and I bet it sounds like absolute **** too.

Ok, so a few of you dont think RF are the best brands for amps.. Can you suggest some other comparible models so that I can go get some prices and compare please?

As for the pricing you can leave that to me. I want a decent system and Im not looking for HU or anything atm. Just the amps really.. and some nicish speakers to go with them which I can upgrade later without worrying if my amps can power better speakers.

Get two Audison amplifiers, you can't break em.

Get two Audison amplifiers, you can't break em.

audison, clif designs, a/d/s, tru tech, phoenix gold...you can't go wrong with any of these.

3K?! wanna get ripped...no way dude....you only begin to get somewhere with $3K!

3K is a nice budget.

Remember to budget about $500 for power cable, RCAs, speaker cables, deadening, lugs, mdf baffles and sub box, fuse holder, distro block, carpet and anything else Ive forgotten. These can be very easily over looked.
Ive already spent round $200 just on power cable, RCAs and speaker cable. Then about $100 on fuse holder, fuses, distro block, lugs, mdf baffles (not including mdf for sub box or carpet).
Gets quite expensive when you add it all up!!!

But you seem to have the right idea! With that budget talk to Marty from fhrx and invest in some good quality splits and amps. You can get the subs later if needed.

Cheers
Pete

3k pfft, u must be wanting to get ripped, how about ill do the shopping and keep the left overs, i got full dvd set up plus sub amp, plus 8 speakers all up all cadence set up exept or pioneer 6x9 all cost me 1.6k


do it all at one place and pay cash, JB Hifi

haha, yeh but its cadence lol

Misty has a high budget cos she is obviously after QUALITY.

And i was going to recommend Audison amps as well misty :)

Remember to budget about $500 for power cable, RCAs, speaker cables, deadening, lugs, mdf baffles and sub box, fuse holder, distro block, carpet and anything else Ive forgotten.
Pete

Yeah, it's good that you mentioned that, more often than ever those things are overlooked, and they're probably the most important in a quality (not SQ necessarily, just better than your average JB Hifi system). A subwoofer is useless without a box to accompany it, the box is probably just as important as the subwoofer(s) itself/themselves, and how the box is designed. I'd never overlook Sound-Deadening material either, I had my system without it for quite some time and the improvement it makes it just unbelievable.

Anyways, that's just me having a quick ramble on about nothing (nothing on tv atm ;-))

for your amps. go kicker,.
get a 650.4, 155RMS x 4 @ 2 ohms. can't go wrong.

3K is a nice budget.

Remember to budget about $500 for power cable, RCAs, speaker cables, deadening, lugs, mdf baffles and sub box, fuse holder, distro block, carpet and anything else Ive forgotten. These can be very easily over looked.
Ive already spent round $200 just on power cable, RCAs and speaker cable. Then about $100 on fuse holder, fuses, distro block, lugs, mdf baffles (not including mdf for sub box or carpet).
Gets quite expensive when you add it all up!!!

But you seem to have the right idea! With that budget talk to Marty from fhrx and invest in some good quality splits and amps. You can get the subs later if needed.

Cheers
Pete

I already have some decent cabling and sub box, as well as rcas and distribution blocks etc.. This is an upgrade from my older system but Im sick of upgrading amps. Hence why I want the amps to last with my system as it improves.

Then as I said before, Audison would be the route I'd go.

OK, you have 2 options as I see it..

With 3 K...
1. Have a Ok System with Awesome Gear
2. Have a Way cool Mega Install with some lesser know Brands...

OK, you have 2 options as I see it..

With 3 K...
1. Have a Ok System with Awesome Gear
2. Have a Way cool Mega Install with some lesser know Brands...

way cool maga install can wait.

want awesome amps.

i thought i made that clear already?

First things First

1. What Music do you want to pump through it ??

2. Do you want a system you can show off with ??

3. Do you prefer an all -One Brand system or the Best of all you can get??

4. You stated you want Amps that can Pump?? Why, what ones do you have now?? Your current system may not be Tuned properly resulting in poor Volume??

5.Are you going to install it yourself at Home ??

6. What speakers do you intend on running ???

First things First

1. What Music do you want to pump through it ??

2. Do you want a system you can show off with ??

3. Do you prefer an all -One Brand system or the Best of all you can get??

4. You stated you want Amps that can Pump?? Why, what ones do you have now?? Your current system may not be Tuned properly resulting in poor Volume??

5.Are you going to install it yourself at Home ??

6. What speakers do you intend on running ???

1. Music shouldnt matter.. It should be able to play all genres well..

2. Its not for showing off.. thought about going for SQ.. will see what happens.. it needs to be loud and not distort.

3. Im not fussed about brands.. I really just wanted to know some good amps (make and models).. one monoblock to power 2 x 12" subs.. and a 4ch to power splits and rear fill..

4. I have had problems with the current amp I have in that ive had my subs clipping. After speaking to quite a few professionals, it seems that the amp signal wasnt right for the subs.. and did quite a bit of damage to one of them. Hence why I want something powerful and good.. with little impedence.. My current system has been retuned quite a few times. My current amp is a Alpine Monoblock MRP-M350. I have used response amps in the front before but ive never actually installed splits, and I no longer have the response amp.

5. Install will be done by myself and a few others. Why does this matter?

6. I have stated which speakers I intend on running. 2 x P1 or P2 12" rockford subs.. Ive had rockford subs before and been very happy with them. I recently heard a few sets of rockford p1 splits, and was very happy with them too.. Prefer splits that arent too sharp or piercing.. As for rear fill.. i will invest in a set of 6x9s to create this but im not worried about rear fill..

1. Music shouldnt matter.. It should be able to play all genres well..

2. Its not for showing off.. thought about going for SQ.. will see what happens.. it needs to be loud and not distort.

3. Im not fussed about brands.. I really just wanted to know some good amps (make and models).. one monoblock to power 2 x 12" subs.. and a 4ch to power splits and rear fill..

4. I have had problems with the current amp I have in that ive had my subs clipping. After speaking to quite a few professionals, it seems that the amp signal wasnt right for the subs.. and did quite a bit of damage to one of them. Hence why I want something powerful and good.. with little impedence.. My current system has been retuned quite a few times. My current amp is a Alpine Monoblock MRP-M350. I have used response amps in the front before but ive never actually installed splits, and I no longer have the response amp.

5. Install will be done by myself and a few others. Why does this matter?

6. I have stated which speakers I intend on running. 2 x P1 or P2 12" rockford subs.. Ive had rockford subs before and been very happy with them. I recently heard a few sets of rockford p1 splits, and was very happy with them too.. Prefer splits that arent too sharp or piercing.. As for rear fill.. i will invest in a set of 6x9s to create this but im not worried about rear fill..
I have had my kicker 600.4 for about 6 months now. been very happy with the performance. No clipping and minimal distortion at very high volumes. the next model the 650.4 is much better than the 600.4, as it has better quallity cooling fans. The power it puts out is very respectable also 150+RMS per channel.
My sugestion is go to a big audio store. choose a pair of speakers you like, then play them with every amp in the store. In most cases you wont tell the difference between a $200 amp and a $1000 amp. In the mono block type of amp you will tell the difference. Just try everything, you will find one that is asthetically appealling as well as good functions.

My 2 cents

Mysti, amps are a secondary factor in an audio system, speakers and headunits being primary. It will not change your sound as much as your speaker selection providing you buy something reasonable.

Nevertheless, the main factor for amps should be power. Power = headroom, which gives you the ability to crank without distortion. You never want to be running ur amps to distortion. You want an amp that will exceed your speaker RMS rating.
Obviously for full range splits, you need Class AB. Try and find an amp with low total harmonic distortion and all the normal HP LP features. Saying that, steer clear of anything cheap, with ur budget dont look at Pioneer, boss, kenwood, sony, etc etc....

What splits are you running atm?

Rockford amps arent a bad choice at all. I would recommend Audison, SoundStream, Phass etc over them, but in all honesty you could still win comps with RF amps.

You want as much headroom as possible. with a 3k budget you should be looking for around 150 w rms per side to keep up with two 12" subs. The more the merrier, you can just set the gains properly and u will never damage ur speakers.

Factor in $$ for door preparation... A high powered system will sound crap with door rattling. It will sound rock solid with good door prep and boot deadening.

Peace

Tim

The Man has spoken.. Speakers first, Subs Second and Power 3rd.. Wiring if the Amps are not getting enough Current..

Mysti, amps are a secondary factor in an audio system, speakers and headunits being primary. It will not change your sound as much as your speaker selection providing you buy something reasonable.

Nevertheless, the main factor for amps should be power. Power = headroom, which gives you the ability to crank without distortion. You never want to be running ur amps to distortion. You want an amp that will exceed your speaker RMS rating.
Obviously for full range splits, you need Class AB. Try and find an amp with low total harmonic distortion and all the normal HP LP features. Saying that, steer clear of anything cheap, with ur budget dont look at Pioneer, boss, kenwood, sony, etc etc....

What splits are you running atm?

Rockford amps arent a bad choice at all. I would recommend Audison, SoundStream, Phass etc over them, but in all honesty you could still win comps with RF amps.

You want as much headroom as possible. with a 3k budget you should be looking for around 150 w rms per side to keep up with two 12" subs. The more the merrier, you can just set the gains properly and u will never damage ur speakers.

Factor in $$ for door preparation... A high powered system will sound crap with door rattling. It will sound rock solid with good door prep and boot deadening.

Peace

Tim


hey timmy,
is less 1% THD good or should i looking for even less than this, this is in the new pioneer range by the way with my limited budget. What would you recommend going if im looking at pioneer and jaycar, both similar prices although tht e jaycar amps have a higher RMS rating
cheers
jaz

I believe you should add up all the THD together to work out if 1% is good.. apparently ~5% is audible... but thats on a total of the whole system THD... correct me if im wrong here though..

Anyway, back to my dilemma.. Ive just received my quote.. and it comes to a grand total of about $2200. Do I buy?

Heres what was in the order:

P6001bd - Rockford Fosgate P6001bd 1 Channel (Mono) 600 Watt Amplifier
P8004 - Rockford Fosgate P8004 4/2 Channel 800 Watt Amplifier
P162S - Rockford Fosgate P162S 6.5" 2-Way Component Speaker Set
P212S4 x 2 - 2 x Rockford Fosgate P212S4 12" 400 Watt Subwoofers (Sold Single)


S-tim-ulate? whats your opinion..

I believe you should add up all the THD together to work out if 1% is good.. apparently ~5% is audible... but thats on a total of the whole system THD... correct me if im wrong here though..

Anyway, back to my dilemma.. Ive just received my quote.. and it comes to a grand total of about $2200. Do I buy?

Heres what was in the order:

P6001bd - Rockford Fosgate P6001bd 1 Channel (Mono) 600 Watt Amplifier
P8004 - Rockford Fosgate P8004 4/2 Channel 800 Watt Amplifier
P162S - Rockford Fosgate P162S 6.5" 2-Way Component Speaker Set
P212S4 x 2 - 2 x Rockford Fosgate P212S4 12" 400 Watt Subwoofers (Sold Single)


S-tim-ulate? whats your opinion..


hehehe, well, personally I reckon 1% THD is fine....some cloth-ear alien audiophile freaks think they can hear the difference though. Mysti that's about right...some ppl can hear it at 5%...some others are completely deaf.

So you've made up your mind to buy all RF stuff? had a listen? like 'em all? Can't go wrong with the amps. Oh, and the sub/speakers are very aethsetically pleasing :D

I've never heard RF splits..i dunno what they sound like..perhaps listen to a few more then decide? :P

2.2K sounds....well, less then retail! lol

hey timmy,
is less 1% THD good or should i looking for even less than this, this is in the new pioneer range by the way with my limited budget. What would you recommend going if im looking at pioneer and jaycar, both similar prices although tht e jaycar amps have a higher RMS rating
cheers
jaz
On my Soundstreams I have less than 0.02% THD, but anything below 1% is fine, and through cheaper splits you will not notice 0.01% thd vs 1% thd. In a car environment it's not as imoprtant. Start a new thread mate, with the specs of the pioneer vs the jaycar, and what you are running.


I believe you should add up all the THD together to work out if 1% is good.. apparently ~5% is audible... but thats on a total of the whole system THD... correct me if im wrong here though..

Anyway, back to my dilemma.. Ive just received my quote.. and it comes to a grand total of about $2200. Do I buy?

Heres what was in the order:

$1200 - P6001bd - Rockford Fosgate P6001bd 1 Channel (Mono) 600 Watt Amplifier
$1499 - P8004 - Rockford Fosgate P8004 4/2 Channel 800 Watt Amplifier
$469 - P162S - Rockford Fosgate P162S 6.5" 2-Way Component Speaker Set
$700 - P212S4 x 2 - 2 x Rockford Fosgate P212S4 12" 400 Watt Subwoofers (Sold Single)


S-tim-ulate? whats your opinion..
I think those splits only handle 60 w rms. Which is not that high at all with 2 12" subs running. You should be looking for splits that handle around 100 w rms. Does it have to be a full RF system?

You could end up with a much nicer sounding system if you mixed n matched.

Price seems good. rrp figures I've put in above ($700 is for 2 subs) so that price is ~1.5k off retail... If it all comes with warranty then it looks good.

Suggestions: I'd look for some better splits, if you want to go with the full rf system have a look at their T162s splits rrp ~$800
Otherwise check out some different brands. (Focal, Dynaudio, Diamond, Morel, Boston etc)

I think both RF amps there will go very nicely and give you a fair bit of headroom They look pretty cool too, they have flashing lights :) Will you be bridging the amps to run the splits or also running the rears off them? I think you have enough power to do either.

But that's a good budget so far, leaves you with a lot of money for door prep, cabling and installation.

Just to keep it in mind, chances are your subs will only play 2 octaves of music. It is a lot of money to spend on bass esp if you're not putting that much into splits.

Peace

Tim

I think those splits only handle 60 w rms. Which is not that high at all with 2 12" subs running. You should be looking for splits that handle around 100 w rms. Does it have to be a full RF system?

You could end up with a much nicer sounding system if you mixed n matched.

Price seems good. rrp figures I've put in above ($700 is for 2 subs) so that price is ~1.5k off retail... If it all comes with warranty then it looks good.

Suggestions: I'd look for some better splits, if you want to go with the full rf system have a look at their T162s splits rrp ~$800
Otherwise check out some different brands. (Focal, Dynaudio, Diamond, Morel, Boston etc)

I think both RF amps there will go very nicely and give you a fair bit of headroom They look pretty cool too, they have flashing lights :) Will you be bridging the amps to run the splits or also running the rears off them? I think you have enough power to do either.

But that's a good budget so far, leaves you with a lot of money for door prep, cabling and installation.

Just to keep it in mind, chances are your subs will only play 2 octaves of music. It is a lot of money to spend on bass esp if you're not putting that much into splits.

Peace

Tim

Thanks :D

I was looking at the T162S splits also.. I didnt notice so much difference between them tho when listening thats why i priced the P1's.. The T1's are about $130 more expensive.. worth it?

The 4 channel amp I was planning on running 6x9s through as well although im not that fussed if the rear isnt amped..

I know its a good price, and im taking a little risk with it (actually buying from the US).. but for almost half the retail price in australia I think its worth it..

ah ok then, have you factored in import tax etc? Over $500 it kicks in and can be a bit nasty.

How much for the x162s splits just out of curiosity. That is their top line...

$130 isn't too bad. I'd go for them if you want to stick with the full RF system.

Have you listened to any other High end brands? though.

When listening to splits, best bet is to bring some cd's u are familiar with. female vocals and/or instrumental pieces are good. Just listen to how real it sounds. Make sure they are through the same amp/headunit with the settings the same.

Be wary of over pronounced midbass and bright treble. Salesmen can pitch this as being a fuller sound with detailed highs. But when listening for a long time it will result in listener fatigue.

Really is a personal preference though

Peace

Tim

I was talking to some friends.. still gotta check out the whole import thing.. Im still getting opinions.. but apparently with all this free trade agreement stuff theres no import tax as such.. just have to pay gst through customs.. afaik anyway (correct me if im wrong)..

Ive listened to others and I have liked a few others but price is a factor.. these seemed to be really good.. and cheaper than retail of some other well known brands.. there are a few bostons ive liked..

Im heading out shopping on monday to listen to a few more at a different store.. n to compare brands.. il let you know what happens after that. I wanna get this all finalised by the end of next week though.. otherwise il chicken out and keep all my money im about to spend hehe..

The X162s are about $550.. shipping for the whole lot is gonna be about $300 alone.. but I factored all that in to the $2200 total i wrote before.. So it still seems to be pretty good..

Mysti.. I like the Rockford gear you have chosen and at that price it looks reasonable and is bound to go loud and proud.....
And will play all your Music and will sound cool....
With the Left over money, Get some engine Mods done ( if you have not already done so)

I was talking to some friends.. still gotta check out the whole import thing.. Im still getting opinions.. but apparently with all this free trade agreement stuff theres no import tax as such.. just have to pay gst through customs.. afaik anyway (correct me if im wrong)..

Ive listened to others and I have liked a few others but price is a factor.. these seemed to be really good.. and cheaper than retail of some other well known brands.. there are a few bostons ive liked..

Im heading out shopping on monday to listen to a few more at a different store.. n to compare brands.. il let you know what happens after that. I wanna get this all finalised by the end of next week though.. otherwise il chicken out and keep all my money im about to spend hehe..

The X162s are about $550.. shipping for the whole lot is gonna be about $300 alone.. but I factored all that in to the $2200 total i wrote before.. So it still seems to be pretty good..
Hey mysti, about the import thing. I have imported car audio gear into australia before. There is no way to get around the import tax. the only way you can reduce the cost of import tax, is to ask the company to send the items one by one, that way they will fall below the 500 threshhold. Mite cost a bit more in posting but could save you money. Look into how much duty they will charge you either way.

Also you can ask the company to show the costs of the products to be less on the invoice, that way customs people will charge less (cos what the hell do they know about car sterio stuff)

Also what site/company are you buying the stuff from. I used acaraudio.com so i know they work. have a look at the site anyway. if it saves you a few bucks, all the better/


Best of luck

So after all that you going to come down or what champ? :D

So after all that you going to come down or what champ? :D

If your in Sydney Go See Mr FHRX, Buying Car Audio from overseas kills it for Aussie business's.

See Mr FHRX and Im sure he will look after and give you a good package under $3k

If your in Brisbane come see me hehe :cool:

My 2 cents