[blue2ki]

the long wait for the shipping is over. my amplifier and wiring have finally arrived. glad to have got it dirt cheap as well; eager to get back and get over with the install.
1. MB Quart DSC450 4-ch. amplifier
2. Phoenix Gold 8ga full wiring kit.
here are a few photos.

[chiragh_bir]

how much did it cost you?

and what are the specs?

And did you buy it online? which store ? what price ? what was the shipping time ?

[blue2ki]

@chiragh bir - you can get the specs here --> MB Quart DSC450, Car Amplifiers, Multi-channel Amps - Sonic Electronix

@nitin.dangayach - bought it from sonic, i opted for the basic UPS ground shipping here, they said it takes anywhere between 5-8 business days my package was delivered in 9 days, because of the weekend.

[simply_sunny001]

Thats gud

they ship to india,i hope you had a good experience.Please post the detailed review of shopping experience at Car Audio Video - Car Subwoofers - Car Amplifiers and Speakers

I m not finding UPS ground in the options. What were the shipping charges you paid?

Here is what I can see there :
UPS Worldwide Express ($134.73)
1-2 business days, before 12:00 noon guarantee UPS Worldwide Expedited ($124.59)
3-4 business days UPS Worldwide Express Saver ($131.27)
1-2 business days, by end of business day. USPS International Priority ($71.63)
7-12 business days, average
....pretty costly i guess.

And what was the payment method ? They charge ~$8 + 2.2% of order amount on credit card.

[blueraven316]

Congrats!
All the Maxxsonics amps are built very similar nowadays.
Hifonics / MB Quart / Autotek and Crunch share a lot of amps among their product line. Crunch being the most reasonably priced, this amp looks much like the crunch 4 Channels , some of the MB Quart Mono amps also look identical to Hifonics amps.
Some of the new Hifonics speakers are made in Germany now because of their MB quart manufacturing.

[simply_sunny001]

Even i couldnt find the UPS Ground option.

@Blue2ki

how much shipping have you paid for the above order ?

[blue2ki]

@simply_sunny001 - sonicelectronix is by far the best website here to order ICE online, they've good the best prices, great bargain deals, and provide a secure way of shopping. i had ordered my stuff from Onlinecarstereo.Com - Wholesale Car Audio/Stereo Deals At Bargain Prices earlier, but it never got shipped, and i called their customer service number a couple of times but no one answers, they put you on hold for really long, they didnt charge my credit card though, because they dont charge your card, until your order is shipped. And it still hasnt been shipped!! i waited for almost a month now. so i canceled my order and placed a fresh order with them for the same goods. and you know what, they didnt ship the 2nd order either!!
When i login into my account at their website, my order details page still says, not shipped yet. So I meanwhile ordered stuff from sonicelectronix and got it. As for onlinecarstereo.com am still trying to call them, to get my ordered cancelled cause i have the goods now, but they just won't answer the phone!
My experience with them is that they suck bigtime, extremely inefficient, plus their prices are a bit higher than sonicelectronix. So sonicelectronix is by far one of the best websites for car audio online.

@nitin.dangayach - the UPS ground shipping option is not specifically listed in their shipping options select list. If you don't choose a shipping option from their list, by default UPS ground is the standard shipping which you get. Just add your items to the cart then view the cart contents, just enter your zip code in the box below and calculate the shipping fee. It'll give the UPS ground shipping cost only. I paid ~20$ for the UPS ground shipping. But it can go up, depending on the size/weight of your package.
Nah sonicelectronix doesn't charge 8$ or 2.2%tax, on your card. the 2-2.5%tax is levied by your credit card company only, usually when youre travelling internationally, i.e. outside india, whenever you use your credit card anywhere, even at a bar, coffee shop they charge it. Sonicelectronix does not. I used my India credit card as well, but i won't be paying that tax, because i have a very good card deal, no annual fee, etc etc.
You have to talk a lot and run your mouth with your credit card guys to get such benefits. The best thing is that whenever you get a call next from some agent/employee trying to sell you a new credit card, you tell them, that your current card gives you the following benefits, if you can match them, then talk to me, if not then go chew some grass.

@blueraven316 - Thanks man. Yea, maxxsonics is growing huge now, theyve got a couple of brand labels under their belt. I was planning on getting the MB-Q PAB 4100 amp. But it was just a little outta my budget, would have got that, if i had ordered the goods sometime earlier from sonic.

[blue2ki]

Originally Posted by simply_sunny001

Thats gud

they ship to india,i hope you had a good experience.Please post the detailed review of shopping experience at Car Audio Video - Car Subwoofers - Car Amplifiers and Speakers

yea they do ship to india as well. but theres no point doing that. beacuse when your parcel/package arrives, the customs guys, levy a huge duty on that, and you end up paying much much more.
i dunno how much % duty they charge on electronics, but even that has sub-categories, so it can vary.

Originally Posted by blue2ki

@nitin.dangayach - If you don't choose a shipping option from their list, by default UPS ground is the standard shipping which you get. Just add your items to the cart then view the cart contents, just enter your zip code in the box below and calculate the shipping fee. It'll give the UPS ground shipping cost only. I paid ~20$ for the UPS ground shipping. But it can go up, depending on the size/weight of your package.

I am confused here a bit now. The ZIP code they ask for is the US ZIP Code, not the indian code.

Can you elucidate it once more...ok lemme put it this way. You were at india -> you visted sonic -> you bought an item worth whatever price -> you put in some ZIP CODE (did you put indian code?) -> and selected the shipping cost that came in as default (only 20$ for International shipping?) -> You paid using Indian Credit Card and you were charged only 2.5% as over the normal converted value(did you confirm that in your CC statement ?) -> The item reached you in 8 days ???

If that is the way it works, its definitely not a bad idea.

Originally Posted by blue2ki

Nah sonicelectronix doesn't charge 8$ or 2.2%tax, on your card. the 2-2.5%tax is levied by your credit card company only, usually when youre travelling internationally, i.e. outside india, whenever you use your credit card anywhere, even at a bar, coffee shop they charge it. Sonicelectronix does not. I used my India credit card as well, but i won't be paying that tax, because i have a very good card deal, no annual fee, etc etc.
You have to talk a lot and run your mouth with your credit card guys to get such benefits. The best thing is that whenever you get a call next from some agent/employee trying to sell you a new credit card, you tell them, that your current card gives you the following benefits, if you can match them, then talk to me, if not then go chew some grass.

I already have GOLD VISA cards from HSBC and ICICI, with nice payment history, both nearly 3 years old. But the question is are these charges (read as $8+2.25%) levied by credit card companies on their will ?

[blue2ki]

communication gap dawg. yes the zip code means the us code, back home its the PIN code.
I am in america-> i went to sonicelectronix.com -> placed an order with my indian credit card, and paid no tax, or 8$ like you say, because i have a very good credit card plan -> and my order reached me in 9 days. i did not get it shipped to india, will be carrying it back home with me as baggage.

What kind of card you have does not matter you could still be paying the tax, even if you have a platinum card, or diners club, a nice payment history also doesnt matter, you have to talk to your credit card company.

Originally Posted by blue2ki

communication gap dawg. yes the zip code means the us code, back home its the PIN code.
I am in america-> i went to sonicelectronix.com -> placed an order with my indian credit card, and paid no tax, or 8$ like you say, because i have a very good credit card plan -> and my order reached me in 9 days. i did not get it shipped to india, will be carrying it back home with me as baggage.

What kind of card you have does not matter you could still be paying the tax, even if you have a platinum card, or diners club, a nice payment history also doesnt matter, you have to talk to your credit card company.

LOL man I made a fool of myself.

I should have guessed that.

Yeah the 8% thing applies to International Customer.

I just came back from the US and trust me, you paid a lot more for this. You could have got this thing even cheaper.

I have bought all the ICE setup from the US, including Dyanamat :P

Anyway, if you are there for some time and wish to buy some more, here is what you should do :
1) Open a checking bank account and give out your residence address
2) Open a Paypal account with the same address
3) Register your bank account and the VISA/Master card in the paypal and get your address and account verified.
4) This might take 2-3 days so be patient.
Next step is easier. Check the item you want on the ebay.com. Pay using paypal.

You will save
a) At least 10-20% than the price on these other sites (including sonic, onlinecarstereo, etronics, and at least 40% if you compare with crutchfield prices)
b) You will pay using dollars so you save on conversion fee as well.
c) Thirdly if you take back home dollars, you'll get lesser value in rupees. This factor also accounts a bit.

Any way that is what i learnt from my experience.

Happy shopping !!! :P