It will power a pair of component front speakers (100w rms), and one sub (350w max rms) and will have to somehow fit into the back of my cramped little Nissan extended cab. Music: rock, jazz, classical---loud but not earth-shaking volume, SQ is key, sub mainly for fill-in bass not thump-o-rama.
you have those in the right order already. eclipse, then ppi, then soundstream.
edster922
Unregistered guest
Posted on
GW,
I'm curious: what criteria are most important for you when you say that?
Performance? Reliability? Looks? Ease of setup/adjustment? Flexibility?
Probably reliability, then performance, would be tops for me personally.
Do you see any SIGNIFICANT/CONCRETE differences in reliability and performance among those 3, beyond personal preferences?
Just curious, because on another car audio forum someone said that once you get beyond the bottom-of-the-barrel mass-market stuff like Sony and Kenwood, and excluding the top of the line stuff like Zapco, quality amps are all about the same in most major respects.
I have zero experience with ANY car amplifiers, so I'd love to hear your opinion on that one.
the design of Eclipse amps is superior. I never cared much about looks. Eclipse uses mil-spec components, and dual toroidal transformers in the power supplies. Things like that. Makes for a better amplifier.
no i am talking bout..profile amps..how are they..are they good??..reliable??..quality??..sound??
edster922
Unregistered guest
Posted on
GW,
I was wondering, since Eclipse is often listed with "Fujitsu Ten" in parenthesis, is it a Japanese brand? If so, is it only designed in Japan and then built somewhere cheaper in Asia, or is it both designed and built in Japan? Their website doesn't contain any company history/info.
Not to be unpatriotic or anything, but I've always had very good experience with Japanese-made goods when it comes to home audio/video, laptops, and cars.
Fujitsu Ten is the parent company of Eclipse. Same way DMC, Inc. owns Denon, Marantz, and McIntosh Labs.
I believe they are indeed made in Japan, but I'd have to check their home site (which is mostly in Japanese)
Japan sources very good had units (eclipse, clarion, alpine) but american amplifiers are still better in my personal opinion.
edster922
Unregistered guest
Posted on
> american amplifiers are still better in my personal opinion.
do you mean in performance/features, or reliability too? I think I'd be willing to sacrifice a little p/f for maximum reliability...kind of like buying a Honda motorcycle over a Harley.
All of the above. American amplifiers at the top end are hand assembled and tuned, using mil-spec components, and they will last you for years. My amps were made in the late 80s in Arizona, and they're still better amps than 98% of what you can buy in stores today.
the motorcycle comparison isn't close, or accurate. The Honda would be both faster and more reliable than a Harley. The Harley however, will maintain a much higher resale value, and carries with it much more prestige and history.
edster922
Unregistered guest
Posted on
Oh OK, if you're talking about *top* end, I can see that. The amps I'm looking at though are very mid- to low-end, which has me leaning towards a Japanese make.
You're probably right about the motorcycles too, I don't know much about them either except that the Hondas supposedly require nothing but gas and oil for years and years. I guess "prestige and history" aren't that high on my priority list...reliability is, mainly because I'm mechanically clueless and don't want to spend $$$ on repair bills.