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Nuclear Nuclear is offline
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Default question regarding amps with decent sound quality


After researching and listening to a lot of amps out on the market
today I feel kind of let down on most of the offerings. Last year i
picked up an a/d/s PQ20 that i was quite pleased with and set aside
for when i bought a new car. Well....that time has come.

I guess what i'm asking is.....what are some of the better amps with
good sound quality? New or old school, but i'm sure there will be more
from the old school era, and that is just fine with me.

Cheers, -Steve-
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Tony F Tony F is offline
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Default question regarding amps with decent sound quality

"I guess what i'm asking is.....what are some of the better amps with good
sound quality?"

That PQ20 is one hell of an amplifier...definitely old school at its best.

Having said that, and to answer your question, I would base your amp
decision on power needs, xovers, bass boost, remote bass control, size,
cost, warranty & customer support, cooling fans, etc. The SQ you will get
from most amplifiers will be nearly the same in their rated power
ranges....at least in as much as our ears can hear. Thus, getting an amp
that does what you need it to do is far more important than trying to find a
brand that makes one think "ooooh...SQ" like the industry falsely
perpetuates. I don't mean to say buy the cheapest you can find, even though
many do and swear by it, because a cheapo brand may sound the same as a more
expensive one, but it may not last as long and may not have the features you
want.

Tony


--
2001 Nissan Maxima SE Anniversary Edition
Clarion DRZ9255 Head Unit, Phoenix Gold ZX475ti, ZX450 and Xenon X1200.1
Amplifiers, Dynaudio System 360 Tri-Amped In Front and Focal 130HCs For Rear
Fill, Image Dynamics IDMAX10 D4 v.3 Sub

2001 Chevy S10 ZR2
Pioneer DEH-P9600MP Head Unit, Phoenix Gold Ti500.4 Amp, Focal 165HC
Speakers & Image Dynamics ID8 D4 v.3 Sub

2006 Mustang GT Coupe
Alpine IVA-D310 DVD Head Unit, Alpine MRA-550 Digital 5.1 Amp, Boston
Acoustics Z-Series Speakers, Alpine SBS-05DC Center Channel Speaker,
Amplified MTX Thunderform Sub


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MOSFET MOSFET is offline
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Default question regarding amps with decent sound quality

Not everyone in this group agrees with me on this, but IMHO, all amplifiers
sound basically the same when operating within a given power range that
obviously depends on the amp.

I DO believe that VERY, VERY subtle differences in SQ DO exist, but that in
a car environment (with engine, road and wind noise) a human cannot detect
these differences. In a home environment, however, where all extraneous
noise can be eliminated, I believe if you are using a good enough source,
speakers, interconnects, speaker cable, etc., that subtle differences can be
heard between amplifiers. But EVEN then, these differences are very, very
subtle.

So I tend to believe that what differentiates car amplifiers is not SQ, but
build quality both internal (using high quality 105 degree capacitors for
instance), and external. This will determine how long an amplifier will
last and what kind of abuse it can take. Clearly, the better amps will last
longer and can handle lower impedance loads.

ADS is obviously a superior amplifier manufacturer. Many of the amps they
made 15 (or more!) years ago are still going strong.

But there are many good amplifier manufactures today. Phoenix Gold, Xtant,
MTX, JL Audio, Alpine, MMATS, Zapco and others I can't think of off the top
of my head make GREAT amps today. Certainly, just as good, if not better
due to technology, as their older counterparts.

I don't know where you live, but here in the States, what I see is an
increase in Box-Stores (like Best Buy and Circuit City) that carry only
brands like Sony, Kenwood, Pioneer, Rockford Fosgate, and other brands I
would consider mid to low on the quality spectrum.

What I see LESS of is the specialty car audio retailer that will carry the
higher end brands. So it may SEEM to people that the overall quality of
amps is going down. But this is not the case. It's just that the mid to
low end brands have become MUCH more ubiquitous (I mean, they sell Sony at
Wal-Mart, for Pete's sake).

The good quality amps are out there still. You just have to look a little
harder than you used to.

MOSFET


"Nuclear" wrote in message
news

After researching and listening to a lot of amps out on the market
today I feel kind of let down on most of the offerings. Last year i
picked up an a/d/s PQ20 that i was quite pleased with and set aside
for when i bought a new car. Well....that time has come.

I guess what i'm asking is.....what are some of the better amps with
good sound quality? New or old school, but i'm sure there will be more
from the old school era, and that is just fine with me.

Cheers, -Steve-



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Alan Alan is offline
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Default question regarding amps with decent sound quality

MOSFET wrote:

Not everyone in this group agrees with me on this, but IMHO, all
amplifiers sound basically the same when operating within a
given power range that obviously depends on the amp.


Ahh, but what about tube amps? Many die-hards swear they sound far
'warmer' than the average transistor amp. Personally, I notice a huge
difference as well.

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keith keith is offline
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Default question regarding amps with decent sound quality



Jackson wrote:
Keep your focus mainly on the install of your
speakers, crossover and eq adjustments. IMO it's better to have *ok*
equipment in an *great* install than an *ok* install with *great*
equipment.


Ditto for me...

As far as equipment goes, I think you'll notice a bigger difference
among speakers and headunits than the amps. That said, I use some OLD
SCHOOL stuff that's been installed and running great for years. Point in
case, my a/d/s/ PH15 (the original 6 channel beast). I'm probably
biased, but that amp, pushing a set of Morel 6.2's (components) is an
incredibly sweet, warm, articulate, and dynamic set-up - IMO...

Basis of comparison? various other installs, but I can tell you that I
can definitely notice the difference between that set-up and lower end
stuff. Point in case, I helped a friend install a set of a/d/s/
components, an Eclipse Head unit and changer, a HSU Research sub, and a
Mobile authority 4 channel amp. It was a solid install; we used high
quality wiring, and set the gains and crossovers correctly. In this
scenario, the amp was where he skimped. We just didn't like the sound.
It was tinny and harsh, even though we used silk dome tweeters, and
mounted them off axis. After two weeks of messing with settings,
crossover points, and tweeter placement he was still getting listener
fatigue. So we decided to try a different amp. John at MMxpress was
running a special on Aura amps, so we went for that. HUGE difference -
immediately. It was warmer, the sound stage seemed more defined, and
the higher clarity was noticeable.

Why? I can't say for sure. the Mobile Authority probably had overstated
RMS wattage, but it was stated at 75 WRMS per channel, and the Aura at
50 WRMS per channel, so it should have been darn close. To look at the
internals, the Mobile Authority had a big power rail, big torrids, and a
clean, well laid out board that was anything but sparse - same with the
Aura. I really didn't expect the difference to be that big, but there
it was, in a side by side comparison.

Bottom line, no sense in spending $200+ on an amp if you're running it
off a Kraco deck into stock speakers, or even high quality gear
installed and set-up poorly.

As with many things in audio, your mileage may vary - greatly...

KeithS



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Mister.Lull Mister.Lull is offline
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Default question regarding amps with decent sound quality

My favorite brand of amp, in my limited first-hand experience, is JBL.

In the past I've played with Jensen (before they were bought by
Audiovox), JL, MTX, and Boss. So, like I said, I'm not versed in
everything - but I'd like to think I've moved past the beginner phase
(I'd also like to say that none of these amps gave me a lot of grief,
either).

I currently have a JBL 150.1 Class D subwoofer amp running my 10" sub,
and I just bought (and tested out briefly) a JBL CS60.2 two channel
class A. Nothing earth-shatteringly loud, but DAMN fine amplifiers.
So that's my brand recommendation.

~Mister.Lull
Nuclear wrote:
After researching and listening to a lot of amps out on the market
today I feel kind of let down on most of the offerings. Last year i
picked up an a/d/s PQ20 that i was quite pleased with and set aside
for when i bought a new car. Well....that time has come.

I guess what i'm asking is.....what are some of the better amps with
good sound quality? New or old school, but i'm sure there will be more
from the old school era, and that is just fine with me.

Cheers, -Steve-


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mfreak mfreak is offline
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Default question regarding amps with decent sound quality

I agree with what you and Tony said, but I'd like to add that a higher
end amp is gonna last a lot longer than some cheapo POS. I haven't had
to buy amps for 8 or 10 years now, cuz I threw down little extra up
front when I was setting my system up the first time. And I really
beat the **** out of em, I pound on the freeway for about 2 hours per
day.

That being said, please add Kicker to your 'good amp' list!

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MOSFET MOSFET is offline
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Ahh, but what about tube amps? Many die-hards swear they sound far
'warmer' than the average transistor amp. Personally, I notice a huge
difference as well.


Ah yes, the old tube-amp amp debate.

Let me tell you a little story: When I was just a kid (about 15 years old),
around 1982, before subwoofers became commonplace, I got my hands on a
MONSTER Ampeg bass Guitar amplifier. It was one of those with the tube-amp
head sitting on top a pair of 15" woofers. It was INCREDIBLY powerful. Of
course, being the bass freak I have ALWAYS been, I connected it to my stereo
in my bedroom as a subwoofer (and also I wasn't a bass player). It was
AMAZINGLY LOUD for the time (hell, it would be loud today). My stereo could
be heard 4 blocks away, which I thought was very cool (I admit, I was much
less considerate when I was 15). When I had it really cranking, my WHOLE
house shook, and I mean LITERALLY SHOOK (pictures fell from the walls
DOWNSTAIRS).

Anyway, there was this Kraftwerk song, "The Robots", I LOVED to play REALLY
loud. There was this part of the song that sent EVERYTHING in a 5 block
radius rattling with this WONDERFUL sound I loved.

Years later, as my tastes (and systems) became more refined, I would play
that song and noticed that the part of the song I liked so much sounded
COMPLETELY different. It suddenly dawned on me one day (as I learned more
about tube amps), that what I loved was the DISTORTION the Ampeg tube amp
was making. It was the DISTORTION THAT SOUNDED GOOD!!!! That's the nature
of tube amps. When they begin to clip or distort, because the inside of the
tube resonates harmonically with the music, even the distortion sounds good
(I'm sure Matt will correct me if I have this explanation incorrect).

This is why they can seem to have very low power specifications and poor THD
specs, yet still sound great and loud. This quality, I BELIEVE, is what is
often confused for "warmness", the attribute commonly bestowed upon
tube-amps.

But is this really ACCURATE sound reproduction? In my book....no.

But hey, music in general is VERY subjective. I LIKED the sound of my
distortion I got from my tube amp (and I am CERTAINLY not implying that all
tube amps heavily distort, BUT THD numbers are NEVER as good as solid state
amplifiers). If YOU like the sound of tube amps, then more power to you.

IN THE END, THAT'S ALL THAT MATTERS, WHAT YOU LIKE.

MOSFET


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Default question regarding amps with decent sound quality


"keith" wrote in message
...


Jackson wrote:
Keep your focus mainly on the install of your
speakers, crossover and eq adjustments. IMO it's better to have *ok*
equipment in an *great* install than an *ok* install with *great*
equipment.


Ditto for me...

And me as well. A quality installation is key to a long-term, reliable,
good sounding system.

MOSFET


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That being said, please add Kicker to your 'good amp' list!

YES, of course, Kicker makes a GREAT amp.
MOSFET




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RG RG is offline
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Default question regarding amps with decent sound quality

Personally, I don't subscribe to the simplistic motion that all amps
basically sound the same. I've done too many "hot swaps" on my systems to
know better. Some amps sound close in their sound characteristics but others
are way different. I am kind of partial to the old school US made Blaupunkt
Velocity series of amps (V2100, V450, V7000 etc. made in the mid '90's).
These are one of the best I've ever heard and they are bullet proof. I think
I have about 6 of the darn things, all from Ebay. They were about $500 to
$600 amps and if you are on the ball you can get them close to mint for
anywhere between $30 and $50 on Ebay. Mostly because they have no "bling"
and the kids today know nothing about them. They were so good that they beat
out the top of the line A/D/S amp in blind listening tests. And they made
their specs at 12 volts, not 14.4

- RG

"Nuclear" wrote in message
news

After researching and listening to a lot of amps out on the market
today I feel kind of let down on most of the offerings. Last year i
picked up an a/d/s PQ20 that i was quite pleased with and set aside
for when i bought a new car. Well....that time has come.

I guess what i'm asking is.....what are some of the better amps with
good sound quality? New or old school, but i'm sure there will be more
from the old school era, and that is just fine with me.

Cheers, -Steve-



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Captain Howdy Captain Howdy is offline
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Default question regarding amps with decent sound quality

Oh **** don't tell some of these clowns that. They will go on forever trying
to tell you it's just in your head or that the difference you're hearing is
because the amp isn't working right. Where is Mark Z when you need a ****stick
to bash, I had him and Les, I think Tony Fernandes got in on the action too
lol, doing that song and dance about all amps sounding the same for the better
part of a month in here then Eddie Runner came in and made then look dumb too.
You might be able to google the threads. It's funny as hell if you have an
hour to read the crap as some of Mark's and Eddie's posts can be kind of
endless.

Ahh, but what about tube amps? Many die-hards swear they sound far
'warmer' than the average transistor amp. Personally, I notice a huge
difference as well.

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Captain Howdy Captain Howdy is offline
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They do?

In article , "MOSFET"
wrote:

That being said, please add Kicker to your 'good amp' list!

YES, of course, Kicker makes a GREAT amp.
MOSFET


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Captain Howdy Captain Howdy is offline
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Default question regarding amps with decent sound quality

Alright, it looks like another war of "do all amplifers sound the same" is on
again. Let the long ass threads rip. As for me, my 2004 options still stands
for those of you there were here for that.


In article , "RG"
wrote:
Personally, I don't subscribe to the simplistic motion that all amps
basically sound the same. I've done too many "hot swaps" on my systems to
know better. Some amps sound close in their sound characteristics but others
are way different. I am kind of partial to the old school US made Blaupunkt
Velocity series of amps (V2100, V450, V7000 etc. made in the mid '90's).
These are one of the best I've ever heard and they are bullet proof. I think
I have about 6 of the darn things, all from Ebay. They were about $500 to
$600 amps and if you are on the ball you can get them close to mint for
anywhere between $30 and $50 on Ebay. Mostly because they have no "bling"
and the kids today know nothing about them. They were so good that they beat
out the top of the line A/D/S amp in blind listening tests. And they made
their specs at 12 volts, not 14.4

- RG

"Nuclear" wrote in message
news

After researching and listening to a lot of amps out on the market
today I feel kind of let down on most of the offerings. Last year i
picked up an a/d/s PQ20 that i was quite pleased with and set aside
for when i bought a new car. Well....that time has come.

I guess what i'm asking is.....what are some of the better amps with
good sound quality? New or old school, but i'm sure there will be more
from the old school era, and that is just fine with me.

Cheers, -Steve-



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MOSFET MOSFET is offline
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Default question regarding amps with decent sound quality

They do?

Yes, they do. Case closed. Debate over.

MOSFET





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MOSFET MOSFET is offline
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Default question regarding amps with decent sound quality

Alright, it looks like another war of "do all amplifers sound the same" is
on
again.


Well, if it is, you can count me OUT!

If you hear a difference, Howdy, then there's a difference.

I don't. Maybe my hearing's shot, I don't know. But I'm certainly no
engineer so I'm not going to try to get into the technical aspects of this
kind of debate (I'll leave that for people like Matt).

I would, however, just like to point out that MANY audiophiles claim putting
$300 Shakti stones (which are essentially rocks, BTW) on top of their audio
gear improves their imaging. I say, whatever floats your boat. If YOU hear
a difference, I'm not going to tell you your wrong.

This reminds me of the three rules of debate: never discuss politics,
religion, or sex. I think we can add a fourth.

MOSFET

MOSFET


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Captain Howdy Captain Howdy is offline
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The two that I have owned both sucked balls. Bad luck or just **** amps, who
knows.


In article , "MOSFET"
wrote:
They do?

Yes, they do. Case closed. Debate over.

MOSFET



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Captain Howdy Captain Howdy is offline
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Default question regarding amps with decent sound quality

So does the use of mirrors.


I would, however, just like to point out that MANY audiophiles claim putting
$300 Shakti stones (which are essentially rocks, BTW) on top of their audio
gear improves their imaging. I say, whatever floats your boat. If YOU hear
a difference, I'm not going to tell you your wrong.

This reminds me of the three rules of debate: never discuss politics,
religion, or sex. I think we can add a fourth.

MOSFET

MOSFET


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MOSFET MOSFET is offline
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The two that I have owned both sucked balls. Bad luck or just **** amps,
who
knows.

Actually, I've never owned a Kicker amp so maybe they do suck.

Kicker's been around a LONG time and they tend to be higher priced than
other amps so I assumed they were good.

MOSFET


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mfreak mfreak is offline
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The two that I have owned both sucked balls. Bad luck or just **** amps,
who knows.


Actually, I've never owned a Kicker amp so maybe they do suck.

Kicker's been around a LONG time and they tend to be higher priced than
other amps so I assumed they were good.


I guess truth be told, I have nothing else 'high end' to compare then
tm. I still have my receipt, and I bought em in 1999, so they're just
over 7 years old, not '8-10'. But 7 years is still about 5-6 years
longer than any other amp I ever owned lasted, including RF, MTX,
Pioneer, Sony, Kenwood, Jenson, and a bunch of other even cheaper crap
I owned in my high school / college days.

Actually, I did own a PPI amp once, but it was very small, I think
25x2, so I didn't use it long, never got a chance to beat on it for
years.. I think that amp woulda held up.

Anyway, my Kickers lasted 4x longer but only costs twice as much, so
I'm better off with them than anything else, plus I don't ever go thru
the work of swapping out different amps. It IS a little extra work
when I have to un-install em every time I get a new car though...



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Matt Ion Matt Ion is offline
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Default question regarding amps with decent sound quality

MOSFET wrote:

Years later, as my tastes (and systems) became more refined, I would play
that song and noticed that the part of the song I liked so much sounded
COMPLETELY different. It suddenly dawned on me one day (as I learned more
about tube amps), that what I loved was the DISTORTION the Ampeg tube amp
was making. It was the DISTORTION THAT SOUNDED GOOD!!!! That's the nature
of tube amps. When they begin to clip or distort, because the inside of the
tube resonates harmonically with the music, even the distortion sounds good
(I'm sure Matt will correct me if I have this explanation incorrect).


Actually, AFAIK it's nothing to do with the tube itself resonating... I've never
looked into exactly WHY there's a difference between tubes and semiconductors,
but the real difference is that tubes create distortion on the even harmonics -
a clipped 440Hz sine wave, for example, would have its strongest harmonics at
880Hz (second harmonic), 1760Hz (fourth harmonic), etc. - while semiconductors
generate odd-harmonic distortion - 1320Hz (third harmonic), 2200Hz (fifth
harmonic), etc. Even harmonics are generally considered to sound "more
musical", while odd harmonics tend to "grate" against the fundamental frequency
(first harmonic - 440Hz in this case).

This is why they can seem to have very low power specifications and poor THD
specs, yet still sound great and loud. This quality, I BELIEVE, is what is
often confused for "warmness", the attribute commonly bestowed upon
tube-amps.


Tubes also tend not the clip as abruptly, so when you do start getting
distortion, it's not as severe at lowere levels.

But hey, music in general is VERY subjective. I LIKED the sound of my
distortion I got from my tube amp (and I am CERTAINLY not implying that all
tube amps heavily distort, BUT THD numbers are NEVER as good as solid state
amplifiers). If YOU like the sound of tube amps, then more power to you.


Actually, most "stereo" tube amps would distort a lot less than that Ampeg head
- guitar and bass amps are designed to distort at lower levels specifically for
the sound and the compression it creates.
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Actually, most "stereo" tube amps would distort a lot less than that Ampeg
head
- guitar and bass amps are designed to distort at lower levels

specifically for
the sound and the compression it creates.


Yes, I know. And I tried to say that in my post. OBVIOUSLY, a Conrad
Johnson or Sonic Frontiers tube amp will distort FAR less than my old Ampeg
bass guitar amp. BUT, as I said, THD numbers are NEVER as good as a solid
state amp.

But, as I told Howdy, I don't want to get pulled into one of those "tube
amps sound better" debates. I was just relaying an experience I had. True,
my old Ampeg amp is VERY different than a refined stereo amp. But I always
found it interesting that the distortion sounded good.

MOSFET

MOSFET


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RG RG is offline
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As I understand it, tube amps also roll off the high end at a quicker rate,
thereby giving the listener the illusion of "warmness", when in fact they
are attenuating the upper frequencies.

- RG

"Matt Ion" wrote in message
news:cHeOg.553932$IK3.489958@pd7tw1no...
MOSFET wrote:

Years later, as my tastes (and systems) became more refined, I would play
that song and noticed that the part of the song I liked so much sounded
COMPLETELY different. It suddenly dawned on me one day (as I learned
more
about tube amps), that what I loved was the DISTORTION the Ampeg tube amp
was making. It was the DISTORTION THAT SOUNDED GOOD!!!! That's the
nature
of tube amps. When they begin to clip or distort, because the inside of
the
tube resonates harmonically with the music, even the distortion sounds
good
(I'm sure Matt will correct me if I have this explanation incorrect).


Actually, AFAIK it's nothing to do with the tube itself resonating... I've
never looked into exactly WHY there's a difference between tubes and
semiconductors, but the real difference is that tubes create distortion on
the even harmonics - a clipped 440Hz sine wave, for example, would have
its strongest harmonics at 880Hz (second harmonic), 1760Hz (fourth
harmonic), etc. - while semiconductors generate odd-harmonic distortion -
1320Hz (third harmonic), 2200Hz (fifth harmonic), etc. Even harmonics are
generally considered to sound "more musical", while odd harmonics tend to
"grate" against the fundamental frequency (first harmonic - 440Hz in this
case).

This is why they can seem to have very low power specifications and poor
THD
specs, yet still sound great and loud. This quality, I BELIEVE, is what
is
often confused for "warmness", the attribute commonly bestowed upon
tube-amps.


Tubes also tend not the clip as abruptly, so when you do start getting
distortion, it's not as severe at lowere levels.

But hey, music in general is VERY subjective. I LIKED the sound of my
distortion I got from my tube amp (and I am CERTAINLY not implying that
all
tube amps heavily distort, BUT THD numbers are NEVER as good as solid
state
amplifiers). If YOU like the sound of tube amps, then more power to you.


Actually, most "stereo" tube amps would distort a lot less than that Ampeg
head - guitar and bass amps are designed to distort at lower levels
specifically for the sound and the compression it creates.



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Eddie Runner Eddie Runner is offline
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Im just here to help, I don't try to make folks look dumb.. HA HA
Eddie

Captain Howdy wrote:
part of a month in here then Eddie Runner came in and made then look dumb too.
You might be able to google the threads. It's funny as hell if you have an
hour to read the crap as some of Mark's and Eddie's posts can be kind of
endless.

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bob wald bob wald is offline
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jvc/ss/boss are great amp makers..the best.
as for headunits.....alpine/blaupunkt is some of the best.
as speakers..JVC/earth quake....



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Default question regarding amps with decent sound quality

oh Sherwood make some a+ amps....
and subs pioneer/hifonics are really good.

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Matt Ion Matt Ion is offline
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Default question regarding amps with decent sound quality

Yeah, that too.

Simple fact is, tubes and transistors OPERATE very differently, and thus they
SOUND different. Which sounds better to you is subjective, of course, but tube
sound is widely considered to be "better", "smoother", "more musical", etc.

Speaking of tubes resonating though, they do sometimes display an intersting
characteristic known as "microphoning" or "being microphonic", where a tube will
pick up outside sounds and "add" them to the sound passing through. It's not
usually noticeable unlesss the ambient sound is VERY loud, at which point it
will usually mask the effect, but it does exist, especially with cheaper tubes
whose internal components aren't well-suspended.


RG wrote:
As I understand it, tube amps also roll off the high end at a quicker rate,
thereby giving the listener the illusion of "warmness", when in fact they
are attenuating the upper frequencies.

- RG

"Matt Ion" wrote in message
news:cHeOg.553932$IK3.489958@pd7tw1no...

MOSFET wrote:


Years later, as my tastes (and systems) became more refined, I would play
that song and noticed that the part of the song I liked so much sounded
COMPLETELY different. It suddenly dawned on me one day (as I learned
more
about tube amps), that what I loved was the DISTORTION the Ampeg tube amp
was making. It was the DISTORTION THAT SOUNDED GOOD!!!! That's the
nature
of tube amps. When they begin to clip or distort, because the inside of
the
tube resonates harmonically with the music, even the distortion sounds
good
(I'm sure Matt will correct me if I have this explanation incorrect).


Actually, AFAIK it's nothing to do with the tube itself resonating... I've
never looked into exactly WHY there's a difference between tubes and
semiconductors, but the real difference is that tubes create distortion on
the even harmonics - a clipped 440Hz sine wave, for example, would have
its strongest harmonics at 880Hz (second harmonic), 1760Hz (fourth
harmonic), etc. - while semiconductors generate odd-harmonic distortion -
1320Hz (third harmonic), 2200Hz (fifth harmonic), etc. Even harmonics are
generally considered to sound "more musical", while odd harmonics tend to
"grate" against the fundamental frequency (first harmonic - 440Hz in this
case).


This is why they can seem to have very low power specifications and poor
THD
specs, yet still sound great and loud. This quality, I BELIEVE, is what
is
often confused for "warmness", the attribute commonly bestowed upon
tube-amps.


Tubes also tend not the clip as abruptly, so when you do start getting
distortion, it's not as severe at lowere levels.


But hey, music in general is VERY subjective. I LIKED the sound of my
distortion I got from my tube amp (and I am CERTAINLY not implying that
all
tube amps heavily distort, BUT THD numbers are NEVER as good as solid
state
amplifiers). If YOU like the sound of tube amps, then more power to you.


Actually, most "stereo" tube amps would distort a lot less than that Ampeg
head - guitar and bass amps are designed to distort at lower levels
specifically for the sound and the compression it creates.




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Captain Howdy Captain Howdy is offline
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Default question regarding amps with decent sound quality

Sure you are LOL. Nice to see that you are still alive..

In article , Eddie Runner
wrote:
Im just here to help, I don't try to make folks look dumb.. HA HA
Eddie

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Captain Howdy Captain Howdy is offline
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Default question regarding amps with decent sound quality

You're a such a freak LOL.

In article ,
(bob wald) wrote:
jvc/ss/boss are great amp makers..the best.
as for headunits.....alpine/blaupunkt is some of the best.
as speakers..JVC/earth quake....

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bob wald bob wald is offline
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Posts: 384
Default question regarding amps with decent sound quality

i'm not going to listen to a ''captain howdy'' lol..whos more than
likely gay.



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Eddie Runner Eddie Runner is offline
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Default question regarding amps with decent sound quality

Captain Howdy wrote:
Sure you are LOL. Nice to see that you are still alive..

In article , Eddie Runner
wrote:
Im just here to help, I don't try to make folks look dumb.. HA HA
Eddie

I may be OLD, but Im not dead yet!
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