[nickpapa]

so i have a set of 6.5 rainbow germaniums and 1 id8v3 in a sealed box. i had an old 4 channel soundstream 644s (75x4 @ 4 ohm) amp running them and it sounded great (sub was bridged).

unfortunately one of the channels does not work anymore and I'm getting extreme engine noise when running the second set of rca's to run the sub (tested with another amp and have no engine noise at all).

so now i am in the market for a new amp. I would like something equal to or better than the soundstream.

the ones that caught my eye were the:

Arc Audio KS300.4 (whoever has it for sale in the classifieds, i PM'd you)
Sundown 100.4
Cadence ZRS-1004
Hifonics ZXi 8408 (the power to price ratio is eye catching)


any feedback is much appreciated

 

[falkenbd]

there must be a thousand of these threads on this site. use the search function...

 

[nickpapa]

there must be a thousand of these threads on this site. use the search function...

if you noticed ive been a member for over a year and only have 12 posts. it's because all i do is use the search function. and usually it answers any questions.

but for this im getting more of an opinion. i can search a million threads saying the arc audio amp is great, but there aren't any threads comparing all of the amps ive listed or maybe even 2 of them. thats why i posted a question. [

 

[falkenbd]

well, start with - what are the ratings of each amp...

and what is the voice coil config of your sub?

 

[nickpapa]

good idea. ok here it goes:


Arc Audio KS300.4: 90x4 @ 4 ohms, 175x4 @ 2ohms, 350x2 @ 4ohms briged

Sundown 100.4: 100x4 @ 4ohms, 160x2 @ 2ohms, 320x2 @ 4ohms Bridged

Cadence ZRS-1004: 100x4 @ 4ohms, 200x4 @ 2 Ohms, 400x2 @ 4 Ohms Bridged

Hifonics ZXi 8408: 110Wx4 @ 4ohms, 220Wx4 @ 2 ohms, 440Wx2 @ 4 ohms Bridged


The sub (ID8V3) is a Dual 2 ohm

the price for the hifonics is much lower brand new than some of the others used. and provides the most power output. are the others worth the extra $?

 

[falkenbd]

I'd say the POWER difference in those amps is pretty much negligible.

The reliability I'm unsure about, all are probably about the same there too.

Do you have the space for all of these amps? Maybe that'll help you narrow it down some more.

 

[nickpapa]

yes i have space for all of them. i have about 19-20" in length max. anything above that will not fit and to make it fit id lose trunk space which i am trying to conserve (it's a 2 seater).

i have the opportunity to buy the arc audio amp for $300 used. would it make sense to spend the extra $80 for a used arc audio or should i just get the hifonics which is $220 brand new. will i lose some sq with the hifonics?

 

[syk69]

i would go with the arc audio. very high quality amp. only have heard positive things about them from owners. and i just recently bought one too the 300.2 version

 

[jowens500]

I would spend the extra cash and get the Arc over the others you listed. Even with the Arc being used and the others being new.

 

[nickpapa]

I would spend the extra cash and get the Arc over the others you listed. Even with the Arc being used and the others being new.

is there a reason you think this? will the arc have better sq than the others?

 

[sqshoestring]

It is more about reliability, any of those amps are more capable than your ears. I think I would also see about repairing the 644 if you were happy with it.

 

[straightpiez]

Help me out, buy the Arc so I can't.

 

[jowens500]

I would have to agree with shoestring. It's more of a reliability thing than an SQ thing. But, with that being said, better reliability usually means better components on the inside which means better SQ, usually.

 

[nickpapa]

ok i see. thanks for your help guys! i have a close buddy who has the hifonics so i might ask him if hes willing to sell. if not, i may just get the arc and get it over with

 

[benny]

BTW, Oct 2008-Apr 2009 is not more than one year.

 

[nickpapa]

BTW, Oct 2008-Apr 2009 is not more than one year.

good catch lol. either way, 6 months of browsing and only 12 posts shows you that the search function is awesome

 

[Mless5]

Do you really need to run second pair of RCAs for the sub? Isn't there an Input Selection switch? My point is, can you use/fix original amp?

 

[nickpapa]

the soundstream did have the option to run the sub and components off of one set of RCAs. but this would then disable the option of controlling the sub level from the headunit which is sometimes convenient when listening to mp3 files.

fixing the original amp is an option that i have not looked into (and dont know where to look). what would i be looking at as far as costs? would it make sense to dish the money out for that instead of buying a new amp?