I'm going to be ripping out the POS Alpine factory system in my 2013 Wrangler. I'll be running everything off a single 5 channel amp. There are three amps that I'm considering, but I can't make my mind up. I'd like to hear your opinions on the three amps.
Links to each amp below:
XD700/5v2 - Car Audio - Amplifiers - XD - JL Audio
Alpine
XR900-5 | eXcelon | CAR ENTERTAINMENT | Kenwood USA
New head unit will be Pioneer DEH-80PRS. I'll be running 6.5" separates in the front and 6.5" coaxial in the sound bar in the rear; brand/model yet to be determined. I'll be resurrecting one of my Soundstream SS10R for sub duty. Primary goal is SQ, but I understand that is a bit of an oxymoron in a Jeep.
Links to each amp below:
XD700/5v2 - Car Audio - Amplifiers - XD - JL Audio
Alpine
XR900-5 | eXcelon | CAR ENTERTAINMENT | Kenwood USA
New head unit will be Pioneer DEH-80PRS. I'll be running 6.5" separates in the front and 6.5" coaxial in the sound bar in the rear; brand/model yet to be determined. I'll be resurrecting one of my Soundstream SS10R for sub duty. Primary goal is SQ, but I understand that is a bit of an oxymoron in a Jeep.
Probably not what you're looking for but it may be helpful...
If you ever use the jeep where the amp could get wet, you have to think about having it repaired. None of the manufacturers are likely to repair under warranty if the damage is due to moisture. For the JL, you'll likely be at their mercy since they will sell no parts and will not provide any service literature. You can contact them for the flat rate service price and confirm about the literature.
Alpine and Kenwood will typically offer service lit and parts so service options are not as restricted.
Alpine has done some stupid things like having internal SMD fuses that are rated for less current than the external fuses AND they place them where they're virtually impossible to get to. Some parts have to be removed and in at least one amp, one of the parts is a transformer that is very difficult to remove. They also use directFET FETs in some of their amps. They can be difficult to replace and since they mate (thermally) to gap pad, the gap pad may need to be replaced because it compresses and doesn't rebound.
I don't see many kenwood amps.
If you ever use the jeep where the amp could get wet, you have to think about having it repaired. None of the manufacturers are likely to repair under warranty if the damage is due to moisture. For the JL, you'll likely be at their mercy since they will sell no parts and will not provide any service literature. You can contact them for the flat rate service price and confirm about the literature.
Alpine and Kenwood will typically offer service lit and parts so service options are not as restricted.
Alpine has done some stupid things like having internal SMD fuses that are rated for less current than the external fuses AND they place them where they're virtually impossible to get to. Some parts have to be removed and in at least one amp, one of the parts is a transformer that is very difficult to remove. They also use directFET FETs in some of their amps. They can be difficult to replace and since they mate (thermally) to gap pad, the gap pad may need to be replaced because it compresses and doesn't rebound.
I don't see many kenwood amps.
Thanks Perry. Very good information as always. I will be mounting the amp high up under the dash. I do some wheeling, but don't do water crossings. Even so, the water would have to be waist deep before it would reach the amp. There is a surprising amount of space to the left of the steering column that will fit an amp that is 8.5" X 11" X 4". The stock amp is located there too.
Do you not see many Kenwood amps because they are reliable, or not very many of them are sold?
Do you not see many Kenwood amps because they are reliable, or not very many of them are sold?
Been looking for additional candidates. I've ran across the MB Quart MA1-740.5 and like that channels 3 & 4 can be band passed. I know MB Quart was a great brand back in the day, but don't know if they are still a quality product today. Opinions?
MA1-740.5 | MB Quart
MA1-740.5 | MB Quart
Horns
Hello John, It's been awhile. I bought a pair of your wooden horns years ago. Are you still turning horns? I am looking for a pair of 100Hz wooden turn horns and a pair of 200Hz horns. Thanks
Lawton
lawanco2@msn.com
Hello John, It's been awhile. I bought a pair of your wooden horns years ago. Are you still turning horns? I am looking for a pair of 100Hz wooden turn horns and a pair of 200Hz horns. Thanks
Lawton
lawanco2@msn.com
I'm not turning horns anymore. It got real crazy and out of hand once I started to get some exposure. The wife and I decided the added stress wasn't worth it. Sorry.
Picked up a JL XD700v2 and was wondering if the JL 10W0v3 (JL CP110 W0v3) would be a good fit for this amp's subwoofer channel? It's a 4ohm single coil sub, and the amp channel is 2ohms. Does the sub get the full 300 watts, or does it see a 4 ohm load at 200watts... I'm new at this, any help greatly appreciated.
Hi Stanglx,
The subwoofer channel is rated at 180 watts at 4 ohms. 180 watts should work well with the 10W0v3 in the right box.
Regards,
Matt
The subwoofer channel is rated at 180 watts at 4 ohms. 180 watts should work well with the 10W0v3 in the right box.
Regards,
Matt
Have you looked into the rockford pbr series? They dont have a 5 channel but these amps are soo tiny you could stack 2 with a nice fan to keep them cool.
Re audio has a 5 channel. Alpine makes something similar along with kenwood and a few other brands. You can search under motorcycle amplifier.
Re audio has a 5 channel. Alpine makes something similar along with kenwood and a few other brands. You can search under motorcycle amplifier.
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The 4 ohm subwoofer will get 180 watts RMS from the amplifier. If you're not trying to win SPL competitions, the amp and sub combination you plan on using should sound quite good. There is also some room for upgrading the subwoofer in the future,2 10w0 with the coils wired in parallel for a 2 ohm load. The subwoofer channel on the XD700/5 is conservatively rated at the 2 ohm load. BigDwiz on YouTube runs the XD500/3 on an amp dyno if you're interested.
Regards,
Matt
Regards,
Matt
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