I have used eclipse amps before and loved them.

 

I too would highly recommend the Eclipse amplifiers. That 4 channel you are looking at is one mean amplifer.

 

i've heard this statement a few times in the last 6months or so, that The new RF amps are not as good as the old stuff. I have to strongly disagree, as I've owned RF since the mid 80's in similar watt ratings and I can safely say that my current system is the best I've ever had, as far as SQ, impact, tonality and definitely clarity. This is just my experience, others obviously feel differently.

 

I havent read the whole thread so i dont know if anyone else has already said this but just remember dude having a high quality amp is great and all but it all starts at the source. Im running a 50 dollar Mobile Authority 4 channel amp to drive my front stage, 65 dolar panasonic mids in the doors and 20 dollar prestige tweeters on the dash and I have won in my class in both sq comps that I competed in this summer. The secret is that I run an excellent source unit, the Alpine CDA-9813 the same unit Mike Peckham has used 2 years in a row to win at the IASCA SQ world finals. Now I understand that your not building your system for competition, your building it to sound good for everyday use and thats what I did to and the fact that I can compete with it and do well is just a bonus!

 

I would have to agree with veeman.....

The current Rockford amps are better than ever....watt per dollar has dropped substantially the past few years as well.

I speculate that Rockford has lost some fans because of expanded retail distribution .

Cheers

Kevin

 

^^ kind of prooves something, doesn't it. Goes back to what I've always said, BEAUTY IS IN THE EAR OF THE BEHOLDER. If this guy can win with supposedly less than high end equipment. How high end is the expensive stuff. Just go with your ear buddy, If you like it that's all that matters. SQ is what it is to you.

 

I've designed award winning systems from MEI, and Pioneer it's a matter of "matching" all the components, not just the HU or speakers.
Every brand has it's tonal charcteristics, and it's a matter of blending the detail, and tonality from your HU to the speakers to make an award system that sounds good to YOU, for your investment.
Problem is that your expectations will rise in direct proportion to the amount of money you spend.
Look at Class A/B amplifiers.
Try pre-wiring your system, then go to each store and try the amp in the car(with a security deposit) and listen. I doubt any shop will refuse the opportunity of a sale, and a "field test" of their equipment with yours, provided you let them know what you think of the combo .
Once you find the sound quality you like best at regular listening levels, pay the shop to have the gains matched properly.

 

Buy smart but also consider your install. The best gear you can afford will not overcome a crappy install. Leave some money there for the install.

 

Back to the original question. My good friend recently had a 5ch. Alpine mrv f450 amp and all alpine equipment installed in his wife's acura rsx and I have to say I like the sonics of this system. It is very clean, crisp and airy. This is a great single amp system, 50x4+200x1. The car doesn't have fancy speakers, just the basic type-s series up front and rear and a s-series 10" sub with a cda 9830 cd unit. It sounds great and it was pretty cheap-under 1250.00 for everything. It has renewed my confidence in Alpine's other products.

 

Hey
I like the Alpine/Zapco combination, I used a 7832 & AG350 with great results, The RF 200a4 sounded much flatter with a loss of detail in the upper mid-range (noticable in female voice. I can't say about the other amps from personal experience but the older V12 experts from Alpine made a Pioneer deck sound better [img]smile.gif[/img] .
If you can get you hands on a couple of 7.2's or 10.4 from U-Dimension I think it would match really well. I tried a 3.2 with my 7909 and loved it, but the 20vs sounded much better (clearer, more depth, wider sound stage). As most other members have said use your ears IF you can audition the equipment, if not find someone locally who may let you try their equipment before you buy. There is also the possibility of buying used eqpt off the for sale section here, if you don't like it resell it. This is also a good way to listen to other brands products that are not avaialble locally.
J