Does anyone have a clue?

[sinistercory]

Does anyone here have any idea about quality at all?
Why is everyone talking about pyramid, lanzar (which is pyramid now anyway), alphasonic, autotek, and all the other worthless brands out there?
It costs less, it does less. Period. If you believe anything you read out of the magazines, you need to think again. Who pays their bills? The people advertising of course. And does anyone think that the mag is going to bad mouth the hand that feeds them?
I am just in complete awe at the ignorance that is polluting the car audio world.
Who here uses Resonant Engineering? How about Arc Audio, Zapco, Focal??
Now, who is going to cry about the prices? You get what you pay for.
If anyone is expecting a "REAL" 1500 watts out of a $400 amplifier you are purely insane.
My day has been good, so I am not venting to the earless masses but instead invoking curiosity in what could be,....what should be.
And if you guys don't know about it yet, check out realmofexcursion.com
Watch the new RE XXX 12 move 5 inches peak to peak. It's under the prototype heading.
Now, that is a subwoofer.

[Hautewheeler]

and the parthenon whips butt too.. sorry cory, I too hate cheap amps, but everyone wants to play, man.. especially newbies and people on a tight budget. if there wasn't a market, the product wouldn't exist. I can remember my first set of 15" pyramid phase III's (ran by an optimus amp). I'd argue if you told me I wasn't cool, but that was all that was available (I thought) at the time. Everyone learns with experience, and these are the entry level products that make audiophiles out of some of us and fire victims from the rest.. some of us give it up, and some of us keep trying. I, fortunately am one of those who just never gave up, and now have matured into someone who cares about quality and SQ more than SPL. But, max excursion makes me feel like climbing the rope in gym class, and I like the fact that adire makes drivers that are efficient with low power and kick your ass with the right juice, just my thoughts.. don't knock the cheap stuff, it's the road that a lot of us used to get here.

BTW.. still laughing about 4000 watts with a 20 amp fuse

[sinistercory]

And an add on fire extinguisher

[sinistercory]

Hey, hautewheeler give me an email.
sinistercory@hotmail.com
I would like to talk.

[ramos]

Originally Posted by sinistercory

Does anyone here have any idea about quality at all?
Why is everyone talking about pyramid, lanzar (which is pyramid now anyway), alphasonic, autotek, and all the other worthless brands out there?
It costs less, it does less. Period. If you believe anything you read out of the magazines, you need to think again. Who pays their bills? The people advertising of course. And does anyone think that the mag is going to bad mouth the hand that feeds them?
I am just in complete awe at the ignorance that is polluting the car audio world.
Who here uses Resonant Engineering? How about Arc Audio, Zapco, Focal??
Now, who is going to cry about the prices? You get what you pay for.
If anyone is expecting a "REAL" 1500 watts out of a $400 amplifier you are purely insane.
My day has been good, so I am not venting to the earless masses but instead invoking curiosity in what could be,....what should be.
And if you guys don't know about it yet, check out realmofexcursion.com
Watch the new RE XXX 12 move 5 inches peak to peak. It's under the prototype heading.
Now, that is a subwoofer.

Everybody has got to start somewhere my brother. Thanks to forums like these now a days. Some will get help before they fall for the flea market special.
The new xxx does look sexy, but there are many other subs I would rather have that are under half the price. I'm getting to old for spl comps anymore.

[sinistercory]

actually, the xxx is considered a sound quality sub. A customer of mine has one and not only does it sound awesome but gets loud. This customer of mine bought it because of the SQ values. The MT line of RE is the SPL stuff. That, I am afraid to say, is hard to listen to for any given period. I myself am very much into the quality aspect of car audio. It is rare to actually have a customer with the same ideals. I cater to whatever needs are presented.
And, I have to admit, I was a little rough when I was on my pedestal. Here is part of the reason. The car audio industry is dying. Being replaced by flash and things that spin. So often do I present a customer with a good quality product that is well within their price range just to have them go to Wal-mart and buy complete garbage and bring it to me to install. I appreciate the business no matter. But they spent the same and ended up with inferior product. Are they happy, somewhat. They usually wonder why it isn't that good sounding or doesn't get loud (which is most consumers concern). Common responses are "shouldn't it be louder than that 150 watt and two ten's in your display?, I mean, the amp says 1000 watts?" It's frustrating. I just really want to help these people. And the end result is not that they are bitten by the bug and want bigger and better things but are dissapointed and give up.
It's most certainly not a perfect world. My first set up was a Jensen 500 watt two channel amp, and two pioneer twelves. Some dual cones someone gave to me and an optimus cd deck with no tuner. Poop. My uncle helped me build a plywood enclosure with shag carpet on it. Of course, this was in 1990, so shag was in I thought it was great until I heard the infamous rockford fosgate punch 150. it didn't make sense. How can a 150 watt amp be so powerful? I honestly thought he was hiding a power 1000 in there somewhere.
it changed me for the better, actually, for the worse. I ended up being a thief. I couldn't afford to buy these amplifiers or subs but I sure as hell could steal them. And oddly enough, it was never for myself, I just wanted to install them into another vehicle. I am all better now, that was more than a decade ago and I did pay my price.
It seemed that back then the general public had a better grip on what was good and what was bad. With what sony and pioneer have become, it's just plain frightening. Anyway, thanks for listening.

[ramos]

I feel ya. My partner and myself had to close our shop earlier this year after 10 years in the business. With all the chain stores locally. We just couldn't compete. Our average customer wasn't of the mind set after quality and durability. They were simply after loud. I think a lot of it now a days comes from the fact that there are so many brands to choose from. Back when I was first starting, there wasn't a tenth of the brands availiable today. Odd thing though, some of the "flea market " brands today. Actually started off life as good equipment. Take lanzar for instance. Lanzar has been around for quite a while. Products used to be top notch. Now they have fallen into the sub par performance and bling category. I remember thinking to myself when I saw the fosgate guy bring in the first power series amps. "who in the hell needs that much power in a car ? " Now 1000w is childs play. Times is a changing my brother.

[sinistercory]

Times certainly are changing.
my partner just asked if I was interested in buying him out yesterday. Didn't see that one coming at all.
When I got involved with him the shop was definately not making ends meet.
I have turned things around quite a bit. But like you said. There are so many brands out there now, nobody has a chance in hell of knowing what is what anymore.
A fellow came in a few days ago and asked if we carried Audiobahn. I replied no, but with courtesy. It's all I use, he said. i am thinking the whole time how sorry I feel for this guy but keeping a smile readily about my face. He asked why we didn't have it, and I mentioned the failure rate as being the highest in the industry and that it would bankrupt us on returns.
He exclaimed that he had never had a problem and wanted me to listen to his two Flame Q(?) twelves and that I won't know what hit me.
I listened and was widely unimpressed, not because it didn't get loud (it didn't) but because I didn't know subs could actually blur bass. he opened the trunk with them ripping and I heard a ton of motor noise through the front of the cone! I have heard Audiobahns do that in a reverse mount but not in a standard mounting. That and that notorious burning voice coil smell.
I said it sounded good. Then asked if he would like to hear my car. my daily driver set up consists of a JVC Arsenal deck, eight channel a/d/s amp (old but cool) some discontinued resonant engineering tens, and Arc Audio entry level components with factories in the rear (I know how cool I am). The guy looked like he shat himself. He played hip-hop (of course) and I played metal, because that is what I like. Not only did my system sound a kabillion times better it out bassed him. Out of know where he had to go. Left there with a stunned look upon his face. I recommended that he come back anytime.

[Hautewheeler]

gotta love the smell of cheap subs igniting. I do it for fun sometimes.
anyone ever catch a tempest on fire? Not concerned.. just wondering..

[ramos]

Haven't made one catch fire . But we plugged one in a while back and made the cone and vc assembly move about 5" farther than the x mech