Good Quality Amp for under 12k

[palonmar]

I will be installing installing speakers for my friends Honda Civic . We have just bought Morel Tempo 6 Seperates (120W RMS) and Morel Maximo 69C (140W RMS). Since he's on a tight budget, which brand/model of 4 channel amplifier is best for this kind of setup? Under 12k is the only budget. Please help....

[jhnkvn]

What does your installer recommend? I would suggest you go consult him first since he'll be the one installing your gears. Unless you're DIY.

There's a very small Rockford Fosgate amplifier that arrived in the Philippines recently. 80Wx4 and it's damn small.. It's possibly only half the size of the case cover of a PS3 game. Got no idea how much the price is though.

[palonmar]

What does your installer recommend? I would suggest you go consult him first since he'll be the one installing your gears. Unless you're DIY.

There's a very small Rockford Fosgate amplifier that arrived in the Philippines recently. 80Wx4 and it's damn small.. It's possibly only half the size of the case cover of a PS3 game. Got no idea how much the price is though.

Rockford Fosgate is a very reputable brand and maybe expensive...somewhat I think more than 12k. We will do the project by ourselves only just like what he wanted. Is it ok to use 80Wx4 RMS since my speakers are rated above the amplifiers RMS? Will there be an issue of overheating if use for long playing of music? Thanks! :-)

[userfriendly]

Having more power than your speakers are rated for is perfectly fine. This is a common practice. Just make sure you set your crossovers correctly.

[jhnkvn]

The amp I was saying is this one: Rockford Fosgate. Very tiny amplifier in case you're concerned with space. SRP is 10.9k though..

As for your choices, madami ka naman choices. Remember that lower power ratings doesn't necessarily mean inferior. It simply depends on your type of "wants". If you're the person who loves to play it loud -- ESQL, SPL, LnC (ex. get out of the vehicle and listen) then look for an amplifier with good power ratings. However, if you're the type who is into SQ (sound quality), 85W is more than enough.

For what it's worth, I'm only running my system on 85W amplifiers

As for suggestions:

DC Audio 120.4. Shares many internals with those of Sundown amplifiers. People who're going to venture into LnC and SPL would surely like the 120W power rating.

Powerbass ASA600.4. Pretty standard amplifier recommendation at this price point. Dual power supplies if you open it up -- testament to what it can do.

JBL 1004. If you're into well-known brand names, JBL's 4 channel amplifier would set you 10k.

But again, go ask your installer first for what he recommends.

[palonmar]

The amp I was saying is this one: Rockford Fosgate. Very tiny amplifier in case you're concerned with space. SRP is 10.9k though..

As for your choices, madami ka naman choices. Remember that lower power ratings doesn't necessarily mean inferior. It simply depends on your type of "wants". If you're the person who loves to play it loud -- ESQL, SPL, LnC (ex. get out of the vehicle and listen) then look for an amplifier with good power ratings. However, if you're the type who is into SQ (sound quality), 85W is more than enough.

For what it's worth, I'm only running my system on 85W amplifiers

As for suggestions:

DC Audio 120.4. Shares many internals with those of Sundown amplifiers. People who're going to venture into LnC and SPL would surely like the 120W power rating.

Powerbass ASA600.4. Pretty standard amplifier recommendation at this price point. Dual power supplies if you open it up -- testament to what it can do.

JBL 1004. If you're into well-known brand names, JBL's 4 channel amplifier would set you 10k.

But again, go ask your installer first for what he recommends.

Thanks for the info mga sir! that really clears my doubt about which amplifiers to choose regarding the power I needed for the set- up. I will choose the one with 120W - 150W per channel instead of lower power rating, it can do both SQ and LnC if needed and maybe less prone to premature overheating of amplifiers components since it is powerful than 80W or 85W per channel hence, less effort for the amp as I concluded.

As for your the amplifiers you mentioned, I've heard of them and gaining popularity (DC Audio and Powerbass) I will give a try, who knows maybe it's also good quality and less price compared to well-known brands. If Powerbass 600.4 (maybe 150W x 4 *4ohms) is less than 12k, I'll go for it. DC Audio, do you have any comment?

[jhnkvn]

I would go for the DC Audio. They have more gravitas when it comes brand recognition. Plus they're easier to pair with due to their numerous mono amps if you're going for the LnC/SPL touch.

Either way, you won't go wrong with them.

[palonmar]

Well then I'll follow your advice! Do you know of any shops that sells DC Audio amplifiers? Any idea how much they are selling it?

[ARB]

try mo Lightning Audio 4200 Srp 9k 100x4 rms * 4 ohms

[madjhal]

SOUND SETUP PACKAGE - TSIKOT CAR ACCESSORIES

Unit 2, Eastpoint Business Center, East Service Road, Western Bicutan Taguig City
(between TESDA Taguig and Fort Bonifacio)

For more inquiries, please CALL: 0905-3338777 / 0922-8335588 / 348-1728

[jhnkvn]

The DC Audio 120.4 would set you back around 11.9k SRP.

Where's your location? I could recommend you to a nearby shop that sells them.

[palonmar]

Wow thats borderline! well if it is worth buying just like you said, that can be worked out.. I'm from Manila area also so there's no problem looking where to go. Place like Banawe maybe a good place to go, but which one? Atleast now I know the price of that amplifier and thanks for the info. It is always happens that when you want to buy something and you got no idea, they will overprice the item...

[jhnkvn]

Dawg Audio, Maspro, Ginza, and Candyshop in Banawe sells them if memory serves right.

While you're at there, it might also be beneficial to ask for their opinions on amplifier choices at your budget range. You can also go to Perfect Circle since they're the authorized distributor of JBL car audio products in the country.

If you're looking at a more SQ-worthy amplifier, ask Candyshop's Nogz to check the Domination Atoms. You can buy two of these in your budget and run your setup full-active or a you can bridge it to form 150W. Of course, the setback with two amplifiers is that you need twice the needed wires ;)

If you go check amplifiers from the likes of DLS, you'd notice that their power ratings are significantly less than those of, let's say Sundown Audio. This is because these amplifiers stress the need for clean power hence we often coin them as "SQ amplifier". They're characterized by having better signal to noise ratios and some other mumbo-jumbo specifications that say that they output power free from distortion in a nutshell.

[palonmar]

Thanks again for the nice advice! I've checked the location of the shops last night through the internet, I'll go to Banawe's Candyshop, Ginza etc., since it's the nearest one from my location. Now I got the good idea about the SQ amps and the LnC amps which before I used to think why the amplifiers of lesser power of a branded one cost more than most of the time than those with higher power ratings. I'll check the shops by next month.