Best SQ amp in a small package?

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They make a smaller McIntosh, but it is still large.

Smallest I have seen is a 3522S alpine, never seen a smaller amp around that power. I think it is 2x30 @ 12v & 4ohm. Here is one, if you do- note this model of 3522 (the S) it has all terminals as some older alpines have plugs and DIN inputs...worthless without the plugs. You can make a DIN to RCA easy enough have one on my 3518.
http://cgi.ebay.com/NR-ALPINE-3522S...tcZphotoQQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

I actually have not run this one in a car yet, I used the older 3518 that is a little taller. Some time I will pick up another 3522S and bridge both for a pair.

The only other ones I can think of are the old RF Punch 45 and 75, they were quite powerful for their size. Not sure on SQ but they were good amps and not cheap.

You can't get bass out of 6x9? What is the mounting like? The most bass might be open to a trunk for example (IB). You can always run a knock down and put a crossover or amp with one on it. If done right they can sound good depending on the HU. You can't turn the HU up real high though, so watch who messes with the radio. In fact some amps you can run the HU right into the input....they have 8v line drivers now. Don't have to worry about RCA line noise that way:D We used to do that with linear power amps all the time, but HUs were lower power back then...once you had a HU with clean output of course or again you can't turn it up past maybe 2/3.

Also partsexpress has 6x9 subs that look nice, I've never used them.
 
i remember some smallish slim amps some time ago from a company called Blade that had good sound guality in a small package. they are a bit hard to come by these days. as mentioned the A/D/S PQ and PH amps ruled for sound quality and were pretty small.

As for the 6X9 bass issue have you seen the tand band high output mini subs that parts express has? they come in 6.5" and 8". maybe you could make some type of mounting baffles to put them where the 6X9's go if you don't think the CDT's will cut it?

as far as the high pass filter on the factory system goes has anyone confirmed that it is in the head unit or could it be in the factory amp?
 
phrarod said:
The test was done on a stock system that doesn't have an outboard amp. So its in the head unit somehow.

I'll look for those blades and keep an eye out for the ADS.


in that case you could use the front channel outpust of your head unit and find an outboard crossover with some clean gain that allows one channel input and gives you multiple channels of output. the audiocontrol 2xs can do this and the manual shows several options.

http://www.beyma.de/fileadmin/seiten/download/pdf/AudioControl/2XS_Owners_Manual.pdf
 
More great advice as always, Shagone.

Why would a factory do that? So weird.

As far as 6x9s Shagone turned me onto the CDT and for 6x9 I think they're probably better built than the ones on Parts Express site. Here's what one of the seller of that speaker told me when I asked about using it as a sub:

"Sorry but their specs show their capability. they won't go to true sub bass."
 
Still if you treat the area some decent bass sound come out shouldn't it?

Yeah, that's really the idea here. Judging from the dynamat picture, it looks like there is a small enclosure-ish area behind the 6x9. I'd guess a half a cubic foot usable volume? Hard to tell from the pic.
Anyway, the thing to do is to seal it off as much as possible, and reinforce the sheet metal however you can. Anything you can do to isolate the backwave will help. Anything you can do to keep the sheet metal from vibrating with the speaker will help.

Fiberglass would be great, but it's a mess, a hassle, and more permanent. You don't have to go that far, reasonable improvements WILL make a difference.

From there, figure approximately how much volume is back there, and find a speaker that will work under those conditions.

Be warned, it probably will not be a 6x9...

The CDTs everyone likes claim they only go down to 45Hz and up to 4K

Low frequency claims are antirely dependent on enclosure. Aftermarket 6x9's are made for trunks i.e., infinite baffle/LARGE box. Stick 'em in a little box, and everything changes down there.

I could be wrong, someone out there *could* make a high excursion small-box 6x9, but there's little reason to do so. The Tang Band is probably the closest to it.

Consider 6-1/2" drivers, they're likely to be happier.

And as to why H/K (or Mini, or whoever was comissioned) set it up that way? I'd guess they didn't expect much low frequency performance out of that location. So they set up a woofer to work there with a lot of cone area to provide some midbass, and filtered the unusable part to keep it safe and sounding cleaner. I'd guess.

Tim
 
You could try a 6.5 sub in there, but at that point I would really try to figure out how I could mount an 8 or 10 in a small box or custom box...or a shallow 10 for a sub. Keep using the 6x9 for what they do now, but improving the area/enclosure will help them. Tangband makes some small high xmax subs.
 
here are the 6.5" subs to look at. you could use an mdf baffle to mount them and bump them out a bit if the depth is too much but i'm not sure if there is a panel that has to fit over them or not.

http://www.partsexpress.com/pe/pshowdetl.cfm?&Partnumber=264-832

if the 6.5' subs won't fit then the cdt or Tang Band 6x9's should be a direct fit and give some decent bass and the cabin gain will give the sensation of more low end bass even if it is not really there. after all your not looking to win an spl contest you just want some clean balanced sound right?
 
I am a BIG fan of those 6.5" tangband subwoofers. Don't expect much freeair in a rear deck, but with a designed solution, they are a phenomenal novelty and a heck of alot of fun. Especially if you are in an SPL competition that places categories by cone area!

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If you are looking for VERY sweet amplifiers at a small package and a smaller budget, my very favorite model is the Audison SRx line, in particular the SRx4. This amp is 2 inches longer than a PDX amp but otherwise of similar dimensions. rated for 65x4 or 160x2 bridged, it has an incredibly sweet sound. The Audison sound.
 
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