Amp Selection Difficulty
 

Hihi.

Car in question is an 02 Civic Hatchback.

Previous owner installed a Pioneer DEH-P4800MP. I'd like to upgrade eventually, but I'll stick with this for now.

2 sets of 2.2V pre-outs.
3 band PEQ.
MP3, Rear Aux-In.

It's currently powering the stock speakers, and to be completely honest ... they sound horrific.

I'm planning to disconnect rear speakers (don't want to mess up imaging, don't care for rear fill).

I want to install a set of PPI 356Cs run passive, front stage (stock location).

I may (or may not) run a Dayton 10" HO subwoofer in a vented enclosure in the trunk. I'll need a custom built enclosure, .7CuFt tuned to 29-30Hz.

The amp selection and install location is what's confusing me. I'm not sure whether to save money, run the sub later and only go 2ch. Or run a 4ch (bridge two for the rear) for the sub.

I'm on a super low budget, so I'm thinking of the following:

4ch
US Acoustics USB4085 85W x 4ch / 240W bridged ~$100
MB Quart DSC4125 125W x 4ch / 500W bridged ~$130
Cerwin Vega EXL400.4 60W x 4ch / 200W bridged ~$130
Clarion APX 4631 90W x 4ch / 320W bridged ~$220

2ch
US Acoustics USB2100 100W x 2ch ~$60
ElfAudio E2125x 70W x 2ch $150

Dilemma to the max.

I know the PPIs aren't the most efficient speaker, and the really open up with power. And headroom is always nice to have, though I don't listen really loudly.

The US Acoustics amps are Zed designed, though Korean built. Supposed to be quite underrated, because it was done at 12.9V (I still don't get this bit, some amps are rated at 14.x?).

The MB Quart amp has lots of power, but unknown quality. Maxxsonics bought them out, so they're pretty much HiFonics, Crunch, Autotek quality ... I've heard good things, but not a lot.

The Cerwin Vega, Clarion, and ElfAudio amps are Arc clones. And places like DIYMA are crazy about Arc amps.

The Cerwin Vega is a bit underpowered, though I've heard it's underrated.

The Clarion is a bit over my price range, but if it's truly worth it ... I shouldn't mind spending the extra do.

The ElfAudio is super neat cos it's super tiny! Class G/H and sounds like a dream I've heard. But it's only a 2ch, so when I do install the sub down the road, I'd have to purchase another amp (and deal with additional wiring etc).

Another issue is where to mount it. The Elf I might be able to mount under the passenger seat, but the rest might be in the trunk. This is a tad annoying, because I want to keep the hatch totally usable ... that's the whole point of buying the car!

Thoughts?

Thanks!

Buy what you can afford and like the best. Use your gut instinct. There is no magic bullet, you get what you pay for. At this level, I would choose based on price, looks, and required functionality.

All these are great budget items.

The MB Quart amp seems to me the best option here. Should keep pace with the PPI's and will provide enough power to drive the sub efficiently. at 130 bones, seems like it will work out best long term for you. Just my two cents

If you beleive in amps having SQ then the CW exl is your guy...
I personally would go with the MBQ as it's powerfull... that's pretty much one of the only 3 criteria I look at amps... power,size and xovers.

Anyway, the arc mini's are said to sound great... but the elf mini has the same board lay out however it uses different components.

I was heavily leaning towards the EXL just concerned about the power output. I've heard it does a bit more than the rated 60W/ch at 14.4V ...

Might just scrap the sub idea and run the elf under the seat..

I have the same dilemma with the same speakers. I would suggest going with a four channel amp over a two channel. the cost difference isn't that much more and you could bridge to your speakers if you find they're thirsty for more and get a sub and mono-block down the road.