building new system...please help...
03-10-2003, 09:30 PM
#1
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building new system...please help...
im thinking about putting together a new system. i am pretty clueless about what to get so i just wanted to know a little about what has worked for all of you guys. my budget is pretty slim. lookin at a few hundred dollars for sub(s) and amp.
one of my buddies got a hookup for clarion stuff but im not too sure about their quality. but if i did go with them i was thinking about the:
sub XW1200
amp apx401.2
i can get the sub for about 100.00 and the amp for about 123.00
is this a decent setup? or should i go for something a little more well known.
basically i think that the clarion sub and the amp are pretty high end stuff for clarion and i can get it at a cheap price. but should i just save that money and go for something like an MTX amp with like JL subs or something like that? it seems that everyone goes with the same setup...
thanx in advance. any opinions or helpful suggestions are welcome.
one of my buddies got a hookup for clarion stuff but im not too sure about their quality. but if i did go with them i was thinking about the:
sub XW1200
amp apx401.2
i can get the sub for about 100.00 and the amp for about 123.00
is this a decent setup? or should i go for something a little more well known.
basically i think that the clarion sub and the amp are pretty high end stuff for clarion and i can get it at a cheap price. but should i just save that money and go for something like an MTX amp with like JL subs or something like that? it seems that everyone goes with the same setup...
thanx in advance. any opinions or helpful suggestions are welcome.
03-11-2003, 04:06 AM
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I never heard a clarion subwoofer or amp so I can give you any info... however people have said the clarion amp is built very similiar to arc audio amps (which are really nice amps).
how many watts does that amp make?
also what is your budget? do you want it LOUD or just something with a little bump
how many watts does that amp make?
also what is your budget? do you want it LOUD or just something with a little bump
03-11-2003, 07:13 AM
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yah i heard that clarion amps arent made in the USA but they are modeled after quality amps.
ill post the specs on both items
-----------------------------------
amp-
Maximum Power Output 400W
Continuous Average Power Output 200W (100W x 2 into 4 Ohms 20Hz-20kHz @0.05% THD)
Typical 2-Ohm Stereo 190W x 2 @ 0.5% THD
Typical 2 Ohm Mono Power 1kHz 380W @ 0.5% THD
Number of Channels
2
Maximum Power Output (Watts)
400
Continuous Power Output (Watts)
100x2
Variable Crossover Frequency
55Hz-5.5kHz
Total Power (Watts)
400
Per Channel (Watts)
200x2
4 Ohms, 20Hz-20kHz (Watts)
100x2
THD @ Rated Output, (%)
0.05
2 Ohms, 20Hz-20kHz (@.5%THD)
190x2
Bridged, 1kHz (@.5%THD)
280 x 1
-----------------------------------
subwoofer-
Polypropylene Woofer Cone with A Special Aluminum Coating
S.E.T. Spider Exhaust Technology
Dual 4 Ohm Voice Coil
Cast Aluminum Basket with Unique Design
Heat Resistant TIF Voice Coil
Rear-Vented Pole Piece
Inverted Rubber Surround
Polypropylene Dust Cap with Clarion Embossed Logo
Chrome-Plated Connectors
Large Double-Stacked Strontium Ferrite Magnet
1000 Watt Maximum Music Power
-----------------------------------
im not really sure what the specs mean so any info on that would be helpful as well.
as for my budget...like i said i dont have that much to spend on it but id rather spend a little more and get a quality system that i will be satisfied with.
the music i listen to is pretty bass intense and i like a lot of BOOM. i dont really like tight bass, i like bass that kinda...lingers...i dont know how to explain it.
thanx for the reply
ill post the specs on both items
-----------------------------------
amp-
Maximum Power Output 400W
Continuous Average Power Output 200W (100W x 2 into 4 Ohms 20Hz-20kHz @0.05% THD)
Typical 2-Ohm Stereo 190W x 2 @ 0.5% THD
Typical 2 Ohm Mono Power 1kHz 380W @ 0.5% THD
Number of Channels
2
Maximum Power Output (Watts)
400
Continuous Power Output (Watts)
100x2
Variable Crossover Frequency
55Hz-5.5kHz
Total Power (Watts)
400
Per Channel (Watts)
200x2
4 Ohms, 20Hz-20kHz (Watts)
100x2
THD @ Rated Output, (%)
0.05
2 Ohms, 20Hz-20kHz (@.5%THD)
190x2
Bridged, 1kHz (@.5%THD)
280 x 1
-----------------------------------
subwoofer-
Polypropylene Woofer Cone with A Special Aluminum Coating
S.E.T. Spider Exhaust Technology
Dual 4 Ohm Voice Coil
Cast Aluminum Basket with Unique Design
Heat Resistant TIF Voice Coil
Rear-Vented Pole Piece
Inverted Rubber Surround
Polypropylene Dust Cap with Clarion Embossed Logo
Chrome-Plated Connectors
Large Double-Stacked Strontium Ferrite Magnet
1000 Watt Maximum Music Power
-----------------------------------
im not really sure what the specs mean so any info on that would be helpful as well.
as for my budget...like i said i dont have that much to spend on it but id rather spend a little more and get a quality system that i will be satisfied with.
the music i listen to is pretty bass intense and i like a lot of BOOM. i dont really like tight bass, i like bass that kinda...lingers...i dont know how to explain it.
thanx for the reply
03-11-2003, 07:53 AM
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Clarion amps are nothing close to Arc audio amps.
If I had to categorize Clarion amps, I'd say they are in the lower mid-range portion. They have a mainstream name, but are not up to par with the mid-range amps like Rockford, Kenwood, MTX, etc...
As for the Clarion subs, again, they are not known for making quality subs. They are better known for their head units.
I'm not here to discourage you from buying Clarion. Everything depends on your budget. The specs on the amp seem pretty decent. You'll have like 380 watts to work with. Knowing this, try and find a sub that has a 200 watt rms or 400-500 watt peak power handling. This will be a better combo to go along with that amp.
If I had to categorize Clarion amps, I'd say they are in the lower mid-range portion. They have a mainstream name, but are not up to par with the mid-range amps like Rockford, Kenwood, MTX, etc...
As for the Clarion subs, again, they are not known for making quality subs. They are better known for their head units.
I'm not here to discourage you from buying Clarion. Everything depends on your budget. The specs on the amp seem pretty decent. You'll have like 380 watts to work with. Knowing this, try and find a sub that has a 200 watt rms or 400-500 watt peak power handling. This will be a better combo to go along with that amp.
03-11-2003, 10:15 AM
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i know that clarion amps are nothing compared to arc audio amps. the price clearly reflects that. my question then would be what defines a good amp and a bad amp? since the amp would be powering a subwoofer it doesnt need to be all that clear right? i mean the subs produce pretty low frequency sounds and because they are bidirectional cant i afford to use a lower quality amp?
as for the subwoofer. i was looking at the specs as well and it looks pretty decent compared to the other ones. the XW series of Clarion subwoofers is after all their competition line. i figure they cant be THAT bad.
im also wondering if the amp and the sub that i chose would work well together. the numbers dont mean that much to me because i dont understand what they refer to.
and i guess my last question is what do you guys think of this setup? to elaborate, i mean is it worth spending the money on the two items i listed or should i put that money towards a more common setup (ie your combination of JLs or KICKERs or MTX or ALPINE or etc...you know...the stuff everyone has...)
as for the subwoofer. i was looking at the specs as well and it looks pretty decent compared to the other ones. the XW series of Clarion subwoofers is after all their competition line. i figure they cant be THAT bad.
im also wondering if the amp and the sub that i chose would work well together. the numbers dont mean that much to me because i dont understand what they refer to.
and i guess my last question is what do you guys think of this setup? to elaborate, i mean is it worth spending the money on the two items i listed or should i put that money towards a more common setup (ie your combination of JLs or KICKERs or MTX or ALPINE or etc...you know...the stuff everyone has...)
03-11-2003, 10:35 AM
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I just picked up the Clarion DXZ835MP deck, and it's AWESOME.
My 01 LS had a Kenwood Z828 (their top of the line at the time) and it wasn't nearly as robust as this. I can't vouch for Clarion amps or subs, but their Pro Audio stuff is trick.
My 01 LS had a Kenwood Z828 (their top of the line at the time) and it wasn't nearly as robust as this. I can't vouch for Clarion amps or subs, but their Pro Audio stuff is trick.
03-11-2003, 10:51 AM
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Originally posted by SiClone
Clarion amps are nothing close to Arc audio amps.
Clarion amps are nothing close to Arc audio amps.
clarion amps and arc audio amps were designed by the same engineer.
there were differences on heat sinks and capacitors... but the board layout was almost identical... I wish i could find the picture for everyone...
edit found pictures...
56k warning
Clarion DPX1000.2
Arc Audio 1500dr
03-11-2003, 11:27 AM
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dude thats an awesome post. it looks the same to me. ive been looking around and also talking to a lot of my friends about this. and this is what ive gathered so far.
most of my friends say that i should get something more trusted and more common. but i think they say that because they dont have any experience with clarion stuff. im really considering the XW series subwoofer and an appropriate amp. do you guys know anything about the pricing for the items i listed? is it a decent deal? im still undecided on what to get...
another issue is...if i do end up getting the subwoofer...how many watts do i need or how powerful should the amp be to power the subwoofer?
most of my friends say that i should get something more trusted and more common. but i think they say that because they dont have any experience with clarion stuff. im really considering the XW series subwoofer and an appropriate amp. do you guys know anything about the pricing for the items i listed? is it a decent deal? im still undecided on what to get...
another issue is...if i do end up getting the subwoofer...how many watts do i need or how powerful should the amp be to power the subwoofer?
03-11-2003, 12:37 PM
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i would always at least go buy the reccomendation of the comapnies subwoofer's spec, so you don;t go overboard and burn out voice coils.
always use RMS watt values instead of peak.
looking at the values of the woofers and amps you posted...
how many subs are you looking to run? since the subwoofer is dual 4 ohm, if you run one sub you need a 2 ohm stable amp. if you run two subs you can get an amp either 4 or 1 ohm stable.
the subwoofer has a max rating of 1000 watts, but you may want to research and find the rms values... and I would highly suiggest hearing the woofers...
if you want a good amount of boom, but also wanna keep bills in your pocket... I suggest getting pioneer subs . www.ikesound.com sells pioneer subs for about 40-45 bucks SHIPPED each for either 10 inch or 12 inch respectively.
those handle low amounts of power so getting a semi decent amp should do the trick. and for that I could suggest clarion for that if you can get a good deal
always use RMS watt values instead of peak.
looking at the values of the woofers and amps you posted...
how many subs are you looking to run? since the subwoofer is dual 4 ohm, if you run one sub you need a 2 ohm stable amp. if you run two subs you can get an amp either 4 or 1 ohm stable.
the subwoofer has a max rating of 1000 watts, but you may want to research and find the rms values... and I would highly suiggest hearing the woofers...
if you want a good amount of boom, but also wanna keep bills in your pocket... I suggest getting pioneer subs . www.ikesound.com sells pioneer subs for about 40-45 bucks SHIPPED each for either 10 inch or 12 inch respectively.
those handle low amounts of power so getting a semi decent amp should do the trick. and for that I could suggest clarion for that if you can get a good deal