Right now I have a pair of Kappa 605.cs comps and a pair of Kappa 693.5i 6x9's powered by a US Acoustics USX-4065 amp (65w x 4ch).
After I get my new head unit, i am thinking about buying an upgrade amplifier for my mid/hi's.
My amps are mounted on the back of my rear seat so i don't have much room to work with. The left and middle of the seat are full of a JBL bp600.1 and a capacitor/distribution block, etc.
My US Acoustics amp has dimensions of 9 5/8" x 13 3/8" x 2 5/8". I need an amp that fits that size pretty closely. I am thinking nothing longer than 14" will fit. Height is flexible, i have a foot or so to work with up and down.
I originally considered a JL 300/4. However, I can't find it any cheaper than $379. I have seen the Eclipse PA5422 amp online for as low as $239. This amp puts out 85w x 4ch @ 4ohm and 13.8V.
I have no experience with Eclipse amps and need the opinion of some people who have dealt with them before. I can't find too many opinions on the internet about them. Are they reliable? Clean?
Should the Eclipse amp make my system sound much better than my current amp? Or sould I just go with the JL eventually?
And, any other suggestions on smallish, high-power(around 85-100w), reliable, moderately priced(under $300 or so)4ch amps would be great.
Thanks
Anonymous
Posted on
Finding amps based on size is hard since amps around that high in power are at least 18" wide.
Anonymous
Posted on
I should know. My sub amps are about 16" wide but they fit under my front seats but my 24" wide 4ch amp had to be in my trunk. I like having the sub amps under my seats because I can keep them cooler and I'm not worried about the 4ch amp ever overheating since it's only pumping 80hz and above to my components.
Power rating should not be your main concern in this case. The difference between 65 WRMS and 75 WRMS will be undetecable in this case. You should concentrate more on SQ and hit various audion shops and listen to like quality components on various amplifiers, and maybe think about spending the money on another midbass up front, which will help your soundstage, and can be wire in parallel with the front channels.
John Hall
Unregistered guest
Posted on
bump
any more opinions?
Anonymous
Posted on
Pyramid, Power Acoustik, Audiobahn, Lightning Audio, MTX, Phoenix Gold, Rockford Fosgate, Sony, and US Acoustics all have 4ch amps that are less than 14" in length but the widths of the Rockfords would be a real problem.
At pricegrabber.com I have found very powerful amps in those brands and more that are under $120 and includes features like high/lowpass filters. I even found one that was suppossed to be 250w X 4ch.
Eclipse makes excellent products. You can't go wrong with one of their amps. If it fits your needs and is in your price range - by all means, go for it.
it seemed to me he had already determined the eclipse was small enough - just wanted to know about overall performance.
If we're talking JL/Eclipse (even US acoustics) sound quality won't be the issue. With JL you're paying for the name - the variable slope crossovers, balanced inputs (if your HU is capable).
Compared to the JL - the eclipse and US are pretty basic, but both good quality amps.
Anonymous
Posted on
It's not that the Eclipse isn't what he wants but it sounds to me like he wants more opinions on what he could fit in there and whether or not it's as good or better than the Eclipse.
John Hall
Unregistered guest
Posted on
Yeah, i'm just trying to see if there are any amps in the size and price range i specified that outperform my current amp, the US Acoustics USX-4065.
I don't have experience with the two I listed so i wanted opinions on those.