[abhibh]

Originally Posted by wannabe loser

Has anyone compared both the amps in similar setups?

Which is a better bet? The kenwood or the JBL?

Is it worth paying so much for a second hand JBL?

1. I have compared 75.4, 8401 and Pio 944 in similar setup or i must say my own setup. The best bet was 944. The JBL 75.4 is good for SUB. 284W RMS is no joke. But the 75.4 is harsher and bright amp.

2. Depends what u call better. If its SQ then i would suggest kenwood but if its raw power i would suggest 75.4.

3. If 7500 is second had price i would say no. I was quoted 7200 with B/W but i didn't bought it because of the harshness, instead my friend bought it and is quiet happy with it.

[panky12345]

Originally Posted by abhibh

2. Depends what u call better. If its SQ then i would suggest kenwood but if its raw power i would suggest 75.4..

If no treble, no bass and only transistor kinda sound means "SQ" then Kenwood 8401 is the way to go!

[Bass&Trouble]

Originally Posted by abhibh

JBL 75.4 but by no means produce 104W RMS. More like 75W RMS i would say.

Originally Posted by abhibh

The JBL 75.4 is good for SUB. 284W RMS is no joke.

Originally Posted by abhibh

if its raw power i would suggest 75.4.

You say:

1. Stereo power is not 100W, more like 75W.
2. However bridged power is not a joke, and IS indeed the claimed 284W - the "raw power" part, I suppose.

You seem to have unearthed some huge flaw in the standards that JBL uses to power test their amps, by means of your exceptional hearing abilities that puts numbers to what you hear

OR

You dont really seem to know what you are talking about.

[wannabe loser]

First off, I want to thank all the folks who took the time out to help me with my queries. It would have been near impossible to arrive at a decision without all your inputs.

Finally got my setup installed on friday night @ auto fusion. A great job done by Anwar and Touqeer. Will post pics soon.

My setup is as follows:

HU: Eclipse cd5435
Amp: Kenwood KAC 8401
Front Compos: Boston s60
Sub: JBL CS1204

My impressions about the Kenwood 8401:
Real smooth...all notes heard clearly but I still need to fine tune the setup a bit to match my tastes. No jarring on the speakers at any volume with the gain on the amp set to about 45%. The JBL GT5 A604 did sound a little harsh surprisingly and the sub was drowning out all other sounds. Plus the highs were coming out a little brighter and I could detect some discernable noise right at the top volume. Could have messed about with the settings on the JBL, but the Kenwood sounded just right for me right out of the box. The amp has enough power to feed my Bostons and even the sub. No boom - boom but some really tight bass from the sealed box. Have been listening to a lot of Opeth ad Black Sabbath and I can only say that I'm happy.

HU: What a difference in SQ between this and my old Sony! Just don't have the heart to play any more mp3s now. This HU has read discs that even the Sony refused to read. And a discernible difference between tracks reconverted from MP3s and the original CDs. I'm gonna spend a lot of dough on CDs now...

No offence meant Panky bhai, but the JBL did sound out of sorts to me. true, it had more power, but the sound was just not to my liking. Got a pretty good deal on the various components and count myself lucky.

I'm gonna post the pics and the damage to my wallet soon.

[panky12345]

Originally Posted by wannabe loser

No offence meant Panky bhai, but the JBL did sound out of sorts to me. true, it had more power, but the sound was just not to my liking. Got a pretty good deal on the various components and count myself lucky..

None taken bhai! Enjoy the sound!

[silver baleno]

Hi Wannabe loser
waiting for prices & pics! Congrats on the set-up. Why did u pick that particular sub?

Cheers

[esteem_lover]

The kenwood amp in question is pretty good value for money. Sounds clean with just about enough power to enjoy your music.

Originally Posted by panky12345

If no treble, no bass and only transistor kinda sound means "SQ" then Kenwood 8401 is the way to go!

That was in pretty bad taste. Panky, anyone who does not agree with you that JBL is the BEST, need not be ridiculed. I wonder what your taste in music is !

[wannabe loser]

Originally Posted by silver baleno

Hi Wannabe loser
waiting for prices & pics! Congrats on the set-up. Why did u pick that particular sub?

Cheers

The decision was based mainly on the price. To clarify, I auditioned Cerwin-Wega, Ground Zero, Blau and JBL. For the price/performance ratio, nothing beat the JBL. I listen to music at modest volumes so the desicion was pretty simple.

And yes, the pic and prices are coming soon. Lemme just get home....

[gunbir]

Originally Posted by wannabe loser

My impressions about the Kenwood 8401:
Real smooth...all notes heard clearly but I still need to fine tune the setup a bit to match my tastes. No jarring on the speakers at any volume with the gain on the amp set to about 45%. The JBL GT5 A604 did sound a little harsh surprisingly and the sub was drowning out all other sounds. Plus the highs were coming out a little brighter and I could detect some discernable noise right at the top volume. Could have messed about with the settings on the JBL, but the Kenwood sounded just right for me right out of the box. The amp has enough power to feed my Bostons and even the sub. No boom - boom but some really tight bass from the sealed box. Have been listening to a lot of Opeth ad Black Sabbath and I can only say that I'm happy.

Good review! Great selection of components! Enjoy the music!

[panky12345]

Originally Posted by esteem_lover

That was in pretty bad taste. Panky, anyone who does not agree with you that JBL is the BEST, need not be ridiculed. I wonder what your taste in music is !

no dear, am not saying JBL is the best.. the discussion was for comparing kenwood 8401 and JBL 75.4 and as such were my comments.

[wannabe loser]

Originally Posted by gunbir

Good review! Great selection of components! Enjoy the music!

Thanks Gunbir! Sure feels good to see a note of approval from you

Wish I cud the system tuned by you...

[noidaboy]

My impressions about the Kenwood 8401:
Real smooth...all notes heard clearly but I still need to fine tune the setup a bit to match my tastes. No jarring on the speakers at any volume with the gain on the amp set to about 45%. The JBL GT5 A604 did sound a little harsh surprisingly and the sub was drowning out all other sounds. Plus the highs were coming out a little brighter and I could detect some discernable noise right at the top volume. Could have messed about with the settings on the JBL, but the Kenwood sounded just right for me right out of the box. The amp has enough power to feed my Bostons and even the sub. No boom - boom but some really tight bass from the sealed box. Have been listening to a lot of Opeth ad Black Sabbath and I can only say that I'm happy.

HU: What a difference in SQ between this and my old Sony! Just don't have the heart to play any more mp3s now. This HU has read discs that even the Sony refused to read. And a discernible difference between tracks reconverted from MP3s and the original CDs. I'm gonna spend a lot of dough on CDs now...

Nicely stated comparison i must say,Congrats.
8401 is worth every penny.
Audio CD's are a must now

waiting for pic's

Enjoy the music

[wannabe loser]

Alright folks, finally got down to clicking some pics of the setup. The speakers went into the stock location so didn't bother clicing them. I;m sure no one wants to look at pics of the door pockets

[wannabe loser]

The damage to the wallet is posted here. Comments welcome.

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/sound-...-price-37.html

[wannabe loser]

As it happens very often here, it's time for an upgrade...

I'm thinking of adding a mono amp for my CS1204 sub. I'm looking for a versatile amp that can handle 2 ohm loads when I change to a DVC sub.

My options:
2 channel amp which can be bridged

Mono amp.

What is a better choice: 2 channel or a Mono amp?

My budget is around 10k for the amp + wiring. what are my options?