Help me choose an amp

My old Rockford Fosgate R1200-R something or other has bit the dust. I got it used when I bought the JL Audio Stealthbox some years ago. As much as this pending purchase drives my wife nuts, it's happening.

RF won't repair this cheapo amp. It was discontinued a few years ago and I've not found any NOS and if I did, the price starts getting into the territory of a nicer used amp or even something new on sale. Besides, there is an entire world of amplifiers that I don't know squat about. Better sound equals a happy driver.

The lone car audio place in town that I trust recommends the Alpine R2 A75 and claims that it's a beast. Their other suggestion is a JL Audio RD1000/1. Maybe it was a step down from the RD line, I forget. They both have plenty of snort for the Stealthbox which is rated at 700 watts RMS if I'm remembering correctly.

The Alpine is just within my price range. I'd rather spend a bit less so I'm considering used. I've found a few JL Audio RD1000/1 that appear to be in very good cosmetic condition but haven't been fast enough or lucky enough yet to grab one.

The JL is attractive because my 4 channel is an RD something or other and I've had JL before. I had an Alpine 5 channel ages ago that I liked as well. Before that was a Soundstream and we're going back decades. That was my first car stereo purchase that involved anything beyond a new cheap deck.

So, this has me thinking about what else is out there and how other amps may sound. What else should I be looking at? Are there specific concerns about buying used aside from a use/neglect and buying something stolen on accident?

If it matters, I listen to damn near everything except most classical, most jazz and anything country. If the mood strikes, I'll listen to damn near anything else and it has to sound good with the somewhat infrequent make my hair shake and ears bleed volume level.

Let's see what you guys have to recommend. C'mon, spend my money and spend it well.

Thanks.

 

I've bought used JL amps before, no issues. Just don't buy obviously abused stuff. It's best if they can let you test it before purchase.
I like to watch Williston Audio Lab videos, testing some good old school stuff as well as bargain new day amps. I think he likes Down 4 Sound. Another option is Crutchfield Outlet, some good deals with great return period if you don't like it.
https://www.youtube.com/@wal
https://www.down4soundshop.com/brands/down4sound/amplifiers/?sort=priceasc&limit=100&mode=4
https://www.crutchfield.com/outlet_category_3/Car-Audio-Video-Outlet-Products.html

 

I've been running a 5 channel Alpine PDX V9 for several years.
No issues to speak of.
If I had it to do over again, I would have bought JL Audio HD900/5.
Not that there is anything wrong with the Alpine, I just would have liked the JL.

I've got the twin 10" Stealthbox in my double cab.
The Alpine spec sheet reads 545 RMS watts for the sub channel, but that may not be enough for your ear-bleeding desires.

At 62 I've got high-end hearing loss and 24/7 tinnitus, you want to factor that into your decision, or not..

Hey @Tundra234 what amp are you running with your Stealthbox?

 

I'm running a Rockford 1200 watt sub amp. I'll have to look but I beleive it's the R2-1200X1.

 

I’m happy with my Kicker CXA amps. I use a 360.4 and a 800.1. They have a 1200.1 if you need more.

Originally used a 660.5, but needed more on the sub. It’s effectively a 360.4 with a 400.1 combined in a single chassis with a shared power supply.

 

What nominal load (impedance/ohms) does your stealth box present to the amplifier? 4 ohm? 2 ohm? 1 ohm? That would help in making an appropriate recommendation.

A Pioneer GMD-X971 produces nearly identical output as your RF amp with 1200 watts RMS @ 1 ohm. It can usually be had for $200-250 but seems to be stuck at retail pricing lately. The smaller brother Pioneer GMDX871 can be for $150 on sale to get 800RMS @ 1 ohm.

But there are lots of good options in the Class D mono amp space.

 

I have a 500w rms Alpine amp paired with my 500w single 12 kicker comp R sub. It has been a FANTASTIC combo for the last 2 years. It bangs hard, never a shutoff. I love the alpine amp, highly recommend.

 

Thanks everyone for your help and feedback.its a bit challenging to make a sound decision (get it? Haha) when I just don't know enough. I depend on this forum a bunch for quite a bit of Tundra stuff and someone has always come through.

I'm going to look at a RD1000/1 tomorrow and expect to be blown away. Of course, I'll update this when I have my filthy hands on the amp.

I just looked up the specs on the Stealthbox for my truck (2018 double cab) and they say 800 RMS. I think this amp will be a good match.

I'm involved in a number of things that can cause hearing damage. My parents, at 84, couldn't hear a cement mixer crashing through the house at 50mph with every CHP right behind with sirens blaring. I don't want to ever being.that position so I wear custom ear plugs and try to be careful. But, if the old man and I are going fishing and Stevie Ray Vaughan or Little Richard come on, I have to show off the stereo a bit. I get a kick out of him enjoying it so much.

Apparently, I've digressed a bit. The stereo will be back at full capacity again soon. My wife is going to hate it.

Thanks again everyone.

 

For what it's worth, I've been running a JL Audio RD900/5 for the last few years and it's been a great amp. On the sub channel it does 500w RMS @ 2 ohms, and I have it powering a JL 8w7 that also does 500w @ 2 ohms. The RD amps are their mid tier (same as the XDM amps those are just marine intended), above the JD line and below the HD and VX lines.

Like I said can't go wrong with JL imo. I also have a little JD 250 amp that I've used with a JL 6w3 and it's actually a surprising amount of bass for such a small pairing. Scanning Crutchfield quick and there were another couple amps I saw priced below the RD1000 that caught my eye, main one being the Audison. Audison is part of the Italian company Elettromedia. You may have heard/seen their other brand Hertz. Hertz is kind of their pay the bills line, while Audison is their high end stuff. Idk if it's still true but all Audison stuff used to be made in Italy. Anyways, here's the three amps that caught my eye.



The Audison has great specs, and would pair perfectly with the JL stealthbox which is wired to 2 ohms and 800w RMS. The Audison also has the best signal to noise ratio. The Infinity Reference is on sale right now and it's nearly half the cost of the RD1000 with the same specs but a better signal to noise ratio. If it were my dollars being spent, I'd probably go for the Audison being that it's the newest of the bunch and comes from a high end brand.

 

hmm no one mentionef @tech12volts

 

I have been very happy with the Sony XM GS line of amplifiers

I have used Linear Power back in the day, Alpine, Pioneer, the current versions of Us Acoustics, Ct Sounds.
I like the Sony so far above the others on the list. I get no noise; the speakers are dead quiet. No turn on turn off bump issues.
The Sony xm-gs100 is rated at 600 watts X1 at 2 ohms. Mine will do a little over 800 watts at 2 ohms at 40hz with no distortion on an O-Scope. Crutchfield has them on sale for $198. The Sony has a 3yr Warranty.

I am also running the XM GS4 on the mids and highs.

The US Acoustics Mike is a great amplifier. The Specs are impressive for an amplifier that cost $329. IF I go back to a system that I need 1500 watts at 1 ohm I will go back to it.

 

Well, I bought the used RD. I probably should have passed on it but I was impatient and really wanted to wrap this up. Why pass? It's a bit rough cosmetically. Yeah, that's it. It bugs me. Oh, and he didn't have the bass knob. I hooked it up and it works. I'll give it a proper tune and hope to not look at it again.

I still have my old Rockford Fosgate bass knob and it doesn't look complicated at all. Can I screw something up if I use it instead of buying an overpriced JL knob?

 

Just a heads up if anyone wants to order something from JRT. He was hit really hard with the storm last week. He lost power and has no idea when they will have it back on. He posted an update on Facebook and his son has some updates. Be patient if you reach out to him and don't get an quick response. I am sure he'll be back in the full swing of things as soon as he gets things under control.

 

Using a non-JL bass knob could damage something but it's hard to say. Bass knobs turn the gain up and down on the amp. Different brands might have different internals that could cause issue but again hard to say. I personally would air on the side of caution and use a JL one, but if your Rockford one uses the same phone-jack style plug you could test it with the gain on the amp set super low as the bass knob shouldn't ever overcome whatever the amp is set to if that makes sense.

 

Just found the CT Sounds website, then came here to do a search and here i'am.

What are your impressions of CT Sounds gear?

I was looking at their speakers for my Tundra and they seem to be of good quality but i cant really tell.
Not wanting to spend a ton of $$ on speakers and thought these might be a good alternative.

 

Imo, can't go wrong with JL.

JL also has a nice repair program, you ship them the amp and they will repair/replace it for a fixed price. I did this a few years ago with a hd900/5 and ended up with a brand new one.
This was in the early covid time so ymmv

 

What is your budget and what are you wanting to upgrade?


In my sons Camaro we are using a CT 80.4 to run a set of components in the front doors. The first one went bad within a week, They sent me a new one no questions asked. The second one has been working fine.
On the subs we are running a CT-1500.1d on a pair of ct sounds Ozone-12's walled off facing forward behind the rear seats. With the rear seats folded it will hammer down.
The 1500.1d has held up well. The bass knob is a little on the cheap side. I had to replace one of them.

If you can catch a sale the CT amps are good to go.

On the CT speakers I can not give an opinion, I have not heard them personally. But the MESO series 6.5 three way seem to get good reviews.


Here is my experience in the Tundra. The Tundra is not a speaker issue of getting good sound. The truck itself sucks trying to get good sound.

Here is my setup
JVC z1000w Head unit
Amp 1 Sony xmgs4
Amp 2 Sony xmgs4
Amp 3 Sony xmgs100
Stereo Integrity M25 tweeters
Stereo integrity M3 carbon 3.5 mids
Stereo Integrity tm65 6.5 inch in the doors
2 Rockford Fosgate 8 inch subs.
zapco DSP Z8 dsp


Even with good gear if it is not set up correct and with some tuning with the DSP the tundra is had to work with. Time alignment is a must in the Tundra. Independent speaker control is a must.
The passenger side speakers is just to far away from the driver side speakers in location to the driver position. If I move my head 2 inches it changes the way the system sounds.


Don't get me wrong, Most any upgrade will sound better than the factory speakers in the Tundra. But you can take a mid priced speaker set up correct and tuned sound way better than expensive gear that is not installed and tuned correct.

If I were going to put together a 2 way sound good speaker system.
I would use SB acoustics SB17nrx2c35-4 6 this is a good 6 inch woofer can get them on madisound speaker store for $71.30 each
the massive audio CT2 28mm silk dome tweeter is a good tweeter. $79.99 for the pair
stereo integrity 2- way passive crossover $75 for the pair
this puts you at $297.59 for a good 2 way setup

Stay away from the lower line cost Focal , alpine, Hertz, Morel , really any big name brand speakers on the low cost line, From my experience they are a waste of money. If you get into the upper cost line speaker from them then it is a different ball game.

I did install a set of Hertz DSK 163.3 series that sounded ok. Crutchfield runs them on sale sometimes for around $200

General rule on car audio speakers.

A $100 set of speakers should sound better than factory.
A $200 set of speakers will sound way better than a $100 set
A $300 set will sound better that a $200 set
A $500 set will sound better than a $300 set
Once you get above $500-$700 then you start to get into Diminishing returns real quick.

I bought my stereo integrity when they ran a sale. Was able to get three 3-way set for less than $600

 

Interesting setup, dual 4 channel because you are running the JBL setup of 3 speakers in the dash? If so, I'm leaning towards a build similar to yours.

 

amplifier 1 Sony xm gs4 channels 1 and 2 to stereo integrity tweeters in the sail panel 70 watts per channel
channels 3,4 are bridged to the 6.5 inch stereo integrity in the door 160 watts bridged

Amplifier 2 Sony xmgs4 channels 1,2 running the 3.5 inch stereo integrity in the dash speaker location
channels 3,4 are bridged to the other 6.5 inch stereo integrity in the door

No passive crossovers. Each channel running off of the DSP

You do not need a lot of power on a tweeter or even a 3.5 inch midrange.
Even if your amp puts out 100 watts per channel most amps are rated at lower frequencies say 40hz
by the time you put a 2500 hz crossover on there your speaker is only getting around 3-8 watts to it. Andy Wehmeyer at audiofrog did a write up on this.

The sony xmgs4 is rated at 70x4 at 4ohms
And 160x2 bridged at 4 ohms
A 3-way setup in a tundra with this amp power can get stupid loud. Mine does.

 

I was just looking for some new door speakers !

 

Check out CDT audio
They run some good deals all the time

 

Quick question:

Is it advantageous to use each of these amps as 3-channel rather than one as 4-channel and the other as 2 bridged channels? I’m guessing it’s kind of evening out the overall load between the power sources?

 

Chad

I ran each in 3 channel just to keep the heat down on the amp. When I ran one bridged down to 2 channels the fan would kick on when the amp was driven hard.

On 3 channel mode it runs cooler temperature.

 

Thanks for the response. Totally makes sense.