frankmehta needs a new amp!

frankmehta · 23rd November 2008, 12:14

ok guys! the inevitable has opened. ramie bhai has been egging me on to up my budget. so here goes. upping my budget to something respectful! but not insanely expensive. want a GOOD 2 channel amp now. thats it! monoblocks make absolutely no sense to me. but need a dedicated powerful 2 channel amplifier for the sub supplying atleast 200W (2*100 RMS) suggestions please!

nura · 23rd November 2008, 12:47

Have a look at this.
Panasonic India
Costs $200 in the US.
Is available in India (link above) but don't know the price.

frankmehta · 23rd November 2008, 13:43

*i would really appreciate it if someone told me WHERE in mumbai i can go and have a look at a large no of different brands of amplifiers? like DRIVE in delhi! heard a lot about them.
*i HATE opera house because its full of illiterate louts who dont know ANYTHING and say stuff like who told you to put ground zero? according to those fools its a cheap chinese brand akin to what they are selling.
*i feel that if one resorts to such tactics to sell their rejected, faulty and reconditioned 'coustic', 'kicker' and 'morel' products, then he doesnt have the customer's welfare in his mind.
*no one believes in damping, and most of them dont even know what it is, forget about suggesting it to ppl.
*its a market where BOSS audio wiring still rules supreme and some places do sell rejected or 'nalla' STINGER wiring kits.
*and the installers??? the lesser spoken, the better. they are the ppl who spoil the whole experience by their shoddy work and substandard knowledge of things.
*i can go on and on about the pathetic situation for people on the lookout for some good quality audio equipment
*everyone suggests sony and pioneer and the most surprising part about this is that they still adopt the 'system brand must match with speakers' brand approach.' that means that if you have a pioneer HU then you MUST have pioneer speakers. i feel that this defunct 80's approach is not required at all if there's an amplifier in the middle.
*i just wish the opera house market GREW up. nowadays i just drive through the whole lane, crossing out every single shop from my list for some HUGE attrocity that they mustve commited or wrong advice they wouldve given. that market really needs a revamp. shop owners still talk about amps in terms of max power (say, 800 w for an amp whose nominal power o/p must be 50*4 maybe

). these things really annoy me and i wish we had a better, more refined market in mumbai.
*sad, but true

frankmehta · 23rd November 2008, 14:10

any idea about the price of the jbl 1004 in the grey market????? thats the only amp right now that i think is purchasable! its got great vfm and is better than even the 75.4! thanx!

adityamunshi · 23rd November 2008, 14:35

Have you tried Milan subway. I heard there are a lot of shops to look around, but never been there myself.

frankmehta · 23rd November 2008, 14:38

i havent tried it. can go tomorrow but still need to finalize which amp, what price and who to buy it from... any suggestions? fmdrive is good, i heard. but i want to see a large no of brands under one roof, possibly with grey market prices. what is the take on fmdrive? and whos good on milan subway?

id love to go to RAMIEs shop at mira road but its a very long drive for me.

adityamunshi · 23rd November 2008, 14:46

Fm drive is a reliable (less chances of getting a fake etc) place to buy stuff but he wont have all the brands/models under one roof.
AFAIK, he stocks Illusion, GZ, Polk, DLS, Blaupunkt and some grey market JBL stuff. Ive also seen audible dynamics (crap) and eclipse.

EDIT : As nura suggested, check out the panasonic amps too. I remember B&T putting it one of the setups to drive the sub.

Quote:

Originally Posted by frankmehta

i havent tried it. can go tomorrow but still need to finalize which amp, what price and who to buy it from... any suggestions? fmdrive is good, i heard. but i want to see a large no of brands under one roof, possibly with grey market prices. what is the take on fmdrive? and whos good on milan subway?

id love to go to RAMIEs shop at mira road but its a very long drive for me.

frankmehta · 23rd November 2008, 15:19

frankmehta · 23rd November 2008, 17:29

amateur question! my sony amp poses 120W to the sub @ 4ohms
and the blau gta2 special poses 180W to the sub @ 4 ohms.
how much of a difference would it make in sound quality? (i aint talking about pressure levels, im talking good tight kick up the seat)
will it warrant the extra 4k? after getting the mk2, the gz coaxials on the parcel shelf will also be supplied by the sony(100odd W).
now im TOTALLY confused! 2 channel from india that powers sub competently/ 2 channel from usa that supplies a lot of power to a single sub(maybe power it doesnt even need)

nura · 23rd November 2008, 17:43

Quote:

Originally Posted by frankmehta

amateur question! my sony amp poses 120W to the sub @ 4ohms
and the blau gta2 special poses 180W to the sub @ 4 ohms.
how much of a difference would it make in sound quality?

Not much, probably. But you can check it out. Try & find a Blau brand shop with the amp in the listening rack. Take out the sub from your car & ask the Blau installer to connect it to the amp in the shop & hear.

frankmehta · 23rd November 2008, 17:50

Quote:

Originally Posted by nura

Not much, probably. But you can check it out. Try & find a Blau brand shop with the amp in the listening rack. Take out the sub from your car & ask the Blau installer to connect it to the amp in the shop & hear.

if wishes were horses! who does that now? atleast not the blau showroom at opera house. they dont even remove the box from the warehouse until you pay. see, thats where i want some place where i can take a listen of what i want.

nura · 23rd November 2008, 18:03

I think you are talking about dealers. Try to locate the brand shop. Try the Blaupunkt toll-free number if you don't know where the brand shop in Mumbai is located.
The brand shop in Kolkata not only did what I am suggesting you do, but also disconnected their bandpass sub from the listening rack & connected it to my amp in the car to let me compare.

frankmehta · 23rd November 2008, 18:05

naaah im talking about the mico blaupunkt brand shop. methinks im going to just go buy it and maybe regret it. but i just feel the itch now. a good idea would be to visit ramies shop at mira road but still need to work that out what with the clinic timings..

nura · 23rd November 2008, 18:21

That's sad. Try the other brand shop.
Auto Sonics
Shop No 2, Deccan Court, Ground Floor
S.V. Road, Bandra (W)
Mumbai -400 050
Ph: 022-26406726 9930310905
Regarding the sub, if it's not happy with 120W, I think you should give it at least 300W.

vigsom · 23rd November 2008, 18:41

Quote:

Originally Posted by frankmehta

my only issue is that the sony already pushes out 50*2 for the compos and 120*1 for the gz mk2 sub. upgrading to a kenwood will up the power by a very small margin, say about 8-10 watts more per channel. it wont make a drastic difference in the output

The Kenwood 8401 amp puts out 180W RMS*2 channels at 4 ohms when bridged.But specifically for your requirement , I would suggest a 250W RMS mono or a 2 channel amp that can be bridged to put out 250 RMS.

Caution: If you get a 2channel/mono , you will be driving two amps and your electricals will be under strain;especially since the car is 7+.So please consider that as well.

23rd November 2008, 12:14	#16
frankmehta Senior - BHPian Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Mumbai Posts: 4,000 Thanked: 3,577 Times View My Garage	ok guys! the inevitable has opened. ramie bhai has been egging me on to up my budget. so here goes. upping my budget to something respectful! but not insanely expensive. want a GOOD 2 channel amp now. thats it! monoblocks make absolutely no sense to me. but need a dedicated powerful 2 channel amplifier for the sub supplying atleast 200W (2*100 RMS) suggestions please!
	() Thanks

23rd November 2008, 12:47	#17
nura BHPian Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Kolkata Posts: 599 Thanked: 17 Times	Have a look at this. Panasonic India Costs $200 in the US. Is available in India (link above) but don't know the price.
	() Thanks

23rd November 2008, 13:43	#18
frankmehta Senior - BHPian Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Mumbai Posts: 4,000 Thanked: 3,577 Times View My Garage	i would really appreciate it if someone told me WHERE in mumbai i can go and have a look at a large no of different brands of amplifiers? like DRIVE in delhi! heard a lot about them. i HATE opera house because its full of illiterate louts who dont know ANYTHING and say stuff like who told you to put ground zero? according to those fools its a cheap chinese brand akin to what they are selling. i feel that if one resorts to such tactics to sell their rejected, faulty and reconditioned 'coustic', 'kicker' and 'morel' products, then he doesnt have the customer's welfare in his mind. no one believes in damping, and most of them dont even know what it is, forget about suggesting it to ppl. its a market where BOSS audio wiring still rules supreme and some places do sell rejected or 'nalla' STINGER wiring kits. and the installers??? the lesser spoken, the better. they are the ppl who spoil the whole experience by their shoddy work and substandard knowledge of things. i can go on and on about the pathetic situation for people on the lookout for some good quality audio equipment everyone suggests sony and pioneer and the most surprising part about this is that they still adopt the 'system brand must match with speakers' brand approach.' that means that if you have a pioneer HU then you MUST have pioneer speakers. i feel that this defunct 80's approach is not required at all if there's an amplifier in the middle. i just wish the opera house market GREW up. nowadays i just drive through the whole lane, crossing out every single shop from my list for some HUGE attrocity that they mustve commited or wrong advice they wouldve given. that market really needs a revamp. shop owners still talk about amps in terms of max power (say, 800 w for an amp whose nominal power o/p must be 504 maybe ). these things really annoy me and i wish we had a better, more refined market in mumbai. *sad, but true
	() Thanks

23rd November 2008, 14:10	#19
frankmehta Senior - BHPian Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Mumbai Posts: 4,000 Thanked: 3,577 Times View My Garage	any idea about the price of the jbl 1004 in the grey market????? thats the only amp right now that i think is purchasable! its got great vfm and is better than even the 75.4! thanx!
	() Thanks

23rd November 2008, 14:35	#20
adityamunshi BHPian Join Date: May 2007 Location: Baroda Posts: 771 Thanked: 6 Times	Have you tried Milan subway. I heard there are a lot of shops to look around, but never been there myself. Last edited by Aditya : 23rd November 2008 at 14:50.
	() Thanks

23rd November 2008, 14:38	#21
frankmehta Senior - BHPian Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Mumbai Posts: 4,000 Thanked: 3,577 Times View My Garage	i havent tried it. can go tomorrow but still need to finalize which amp, what price and who to buy it from... any suggestions? fmdrive is good, i heard. but i want to see a large no of brands under one roof, possibly with grey market prices. what is the take on fmdrive? and whos good on milan subway? id love to go to RAMIEs shop at mira road but its a very long drive for me. Last edited by frankmehta : 23rd November 2008 at 14:39.
	() Thanks

23rd November 2008, 15:19	#23
frankmehta Senior - BHPian Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Mumbai Posts: 4,000 Thanked: 3,577 Times View My Garage	ok guys. just had a word with my friend in usa. he can get an amp for me. he's flying in by 10th of december so im kinda late in ordering. need advice soon. pasting links please post your choice. i kinda decided to skip a 4 channel amp save for one very irresistible option JBL PX300.4 (px3004) Multi-channel Amps Car Amplifiers Car Audio and Video - Sonic Electronix is this 300.4 better than the 100.4???? cos both of them cost the same. how is kole audio as a brand? and how is crunch? power acoustik? more links! PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE TELL ME WHICH ONES OUT OF THESE. REALLY NEED YOUR HELP SOON! Kole Audio PH4-1400 (ph41400) Multi-channel Amps Car Amplifiers Car Audio and Video - Sonic Electronix MB Quart DSC 480 (dsc480) Multi-channel Amps Car Amplifiers Car Audio and Video - Sonic Electronix CLOSEOUT!! Sony XM-1252GTR (xm1252gtr) 2-Channel Amps Car Amplifiers Car Audio and Video - Sonic Electronix Boss CX950 2-Channel Amps Car Amplifiers Car Audio and Video - Sonic Electronix Boss D1000.2 (boss-d10002) 2-Channel Amps Car Amplifiers Car Audio and Video - Sonic Electronix Cerwin-Vega Vega V250.2 (cer-v2502) 2-Channel Amps Car Amplifiers Car Audio and Video - Sonic Electronix Eclipse XA2000 Class D Amplifiers Car Amplifiers Car Audio and Video - Sonic Electronix Hifonics TXi 6008 2-Channel Amps Car Amplifiers Car Audio and Video - Sonic Electronix Kenwood KAC-7203 (kac7203) 2-Channel Amps Car Amplifiers Car Audio and Video - Sonic Electronix Lanzar VCT 2220 2-Channel Amps Car Amplifiers Car Audio and Video - Sonic Electronix MA Audio HK398 2-Channel Amps Car Amplifiers Car Audio and Video - Sonic Electronix Pioneer GM-5300T (gm5300t) 2-Channel Amps Car Amplifiers Car Audio and Video - Sonic Electronix Sony XM-2002GTW (xm2002gtw) Mono Subwoofer Amps Car Amplifiers Car Audio and Video - Sonic Electronix Visonik V702PB 2-Channel Amps Car Amplifiers Car Audio and Video - Sonic Electronix my favourites are in this order: 1. Kenwood KAC-7203 (kac7203) 2-Channel Amps Car Amplifiers Car Audio and Video - Sonic Electronix 2.Sony XM-2002GTW (xm2002gtw) Mono Subwoofer Amps Car Amplifiers Car Audio and Video - Sonic Electronix 3.Eclipse XA2000 Class D Amplifiers Car Amplifiers Car Audio and Video - Sonic Electronix 4.Visonik V702PB 2-Channel Amps Car Amplifiers Car Audio and Video - Sonic Electronix 5.Boss D1000.2 (boss-d10002) 2-Channel Amps Car Amplifiers Car Audio and Video - Sonic Electronix (the bass knob makes it covetable!) 6.MB Quart DSC 480 (dsc480) Multi-channel Amps Car Amplifiers Car Audio and Video - Sonic Electronix PHEW that was exhaustive! now please help! thanx Last edited by frankmehta : 23rd November 2008 at 15:37.
	() Thanks

23rd November 2008, 17:29	#24
frankmehta Senior - BHPian Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Mumbai Posts: 4,000 Thanked: 3,577 Times View My Garage	amateur question! my sony amp poses 120W to the sub @ 4ohms and the blau gta2 special poses 180W to the sub @ 4 ohms. how much of a difference would it make in sound quality? (i aint talking about pressure levels, im talking good tight kick up the seat) will it warrant the extra 4k? after getting the mk2, the gz coaxials on the parcel shelf will also be supplied by the sony(100odd W). now im TOTALLY confused! 2 channel from india that powers sub competently/ 2 channel from usa that supplies a lot of power to a single sub(maybe power it doesnt even need)
	() Thanks

23rd November 2008, 18:03	#27
nura BHPian Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Kolkata Posts: 599 Thanked: 17 Times	I think you are talking about dealers. Try to locate the brand shop. Try the Blaupunkt toll-free number if you don't know where the brand shop in Mumbai is located. The brand shop in Kolkata not only did what I am suggesting you do, but also disconnected their bandpass sub from the listening rack & connected it to my amp in the car to let me compare.
	() Thanks

23rd November 2008, 18:05	#28
frankmehta Senior - BHPian Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Mumbai Posts: 4,000 Thanked: 3,577 Times View My Garage	naaah im talking about the mico blaupunkt brand shop. methinks im going to just go buy it and maybe regret it. but i just feel the itch now. a good idea would be to visit ramies shop at mira road but still need to work that out what with the clinic timings..
	() Thanks

23rd November 2008, 18:21	#29
nura BHPian Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Kolkata Posts: 599 Thanked: 17 Times	That's sad. Try the other brand shop. Auto Sonics Shop No 2, Deccan Court, Ground Floor S.V. Road, Bandra (W) Mumbai -400 050 Ph: 022-26406726 9930310905 Regarding the sub, if it's not happy with 120W, I think you should give it at least 300W. Last edited by nura : 23rd November 2008 at 18:32.
	() Thanks