I contacted Freeman's for a link to post. There was no link available. The following was the email reply:
They are $40 shipped. I don’t sell them online, they will have to give me a call if they need one.
Thanks,
Jason Gibson
Service Manager
Freeman’s Car Stereo
6500 East Independence Blvd.
Charlotte, NC 28212
(704)-398-2206
They are $40 shipped. I don’t sell them online, they will have to give me a call if they need one.
Thanks,
Jason Gibson
Service Manager
Freeman’s Car Stereo
6500 East Independence Blvd.
Charlotte, NC 28212
(704)-398-2206
Make sure when you get these to replace the "fish oil" caps. Otherwise you're gonna be looking at same failure.
jason's a good dude. bought some items from him a few weeks ago and very trust worthy. definitely would recommend him.
I was working for a shop when the HD amps came out. I remember when I looked inside the amp when the rep came around. And I remember exsctky what I told him. Looks like problems waiting to happen and I went on to say : looks like a nightmare to repair. I never liked this design and I remembered removing a lot of amps for service. Much more than I did before. Is the 40 each?
I remember the PIM and any other modules only costing ~$6.00 each straight from Rockford back then. <I worked for a Rockford dealership back then >
This was Rockford's NAFTA Mexican built amplifier as they had just opened their south of the border assembly group up back then. The beginning of the offshore movement of all car audio amp companies.
It was the cheapest and simplest amp to repair just because you just had to have a connection with Rockford to get complete brand new modules and some soldering skills to repair or rebuild ANY HD amp they sold.
The modules were assembled and shipped to Mexico for amp assembly each and everyone pre-tested and so unskilled labor could build the HD product line for penny's of cost... It was all about the money, and it was Rockford's cheapest amp they ever built to date back then and they still charged $6.00 a watt like it was made in the USA by skilled labor....Still the most expensive amp dollar per watt while raking the US public for the highest cost/profit ratio, and they no longer gave the headroom they had before the HD line...
It was easy money repairs though, just drop in new modules and setup the bias and put the cover back on it. It almost felt like they thought I was an idiot, like their service force and assembly group... It was engineered for idiots to repair and build so their costs were marginalized to a minimum. All about the money....
And now the old stock of Modules costs $40.00 each. that was enough money back then to replace every module in the whole amp new < all 6 cards +shipping > and have a completely rebuilt amp all new inside....
I say junk them and the whole HD product line. Rockford meant for you toss them and buy new amps from them..Or they would still be selling modules for $6.00 each like they use to and they were making 50 points of profit on those bare modules even then so they probably cost around $3.00 each to Rockford..$40.00 a module lol lol lol
Do the car audio world a favor and toss all of these HD amps into the garbage since modules now cost $40.00 each, when they use to cost $6.00 each At 40 each your old school $600.00 amp will cost you $600.00 to repair and it will still fail and be junk in short order just like before... Worse then buying a car and watching $5,000.00 drop of its sticker price as you pull out the dealership to take it home... buy a boat, it will cost about the same but at least it will last longer and you can fish and ski behind it.....and toss the anchors and HD amps where they belong in the drink....lol lol lol
This was Rockford's NAFTA Mexican built amplifier as they had just opened their south of the border assembly group up back then. The beginning of the offshore movement of all car audio amp companies.
It was the cheapest and simplest amp to repair just because you just had to have a connection with Rockford to get complete brand new modules and some soldering skills to repair or rebuild ANY HD amp they sold.
The modules were assembled and shipped to Mexico for amp assembly each and everyone pre-tested and so unskilled labor could build the HD product line for penny's of cost... It was all about the money, and it was Rockford's cheapest amp they ever built to date back then and they still charged $6.00 a watt like it was made in the USA by skilled labor....Still the most expensive amp dollar per watt while raking the US public for the highest cost/profit ratio, and they no longer gave the headroom they had before the HD line...
It was easy money repairs though, just drop in new modules and setup the bias and put the cover back on it. It almost felt like they thought I was an idiot, like their service force and assembly group... It was engineered for idiots to repair and build so their costs were marginalized to a minimum. All about the money....
And now the old stock of Modules costs $40.00 each. that was enough money back then to replace every module in the whole amp new < all 6 cards +shipping > and have a completely rebuilt amp all new inside....
I say junk them and the whole HD product line. Rockford meant for you toss them and buy new amps from them..Or they would still be selling modules for $6.00 each like they use to and they were making 50 points of profit on those bare modules even then so they probably cost around $3.00 each to Rockford..$40.00 a module lol lol lol
Do the car audio world a favor and toss all of these HD amps into the garbage since modules now cost $40.00 each, when they use to cost $6.00 each At 40 each your old school $600.00 amp will cost you $600.00 to repair and it will still fail and be junk in short order just like before... Worse then buying a car and watching $5,000.00 drop of its sticker price as you pull out the dealership to take it home... buy a boat, it will cost about the same but at least it will last longer and you can fish and ski behind it.....and toss the anchors and HD amps where they belong in the drink....lol lol lol
I think our service techs repaired the cards. I was in the install part of the business then. I HATED custom installs using these amps. Just hated tearing an amp rack apart because of them. When these amps came out we started selling LOTS more alpine duoB and PPI PRO MOS amps. Several times I pulled out a 45 or a 75 and hooked up a loaner alpine 3522 or 3541 amp customer asked if they could keep the loaner. Just never had any love for these amps. $40 for ONE module. That amp is going to eBay. No wonder they still have stock.
These amps started showing up brand new on my bench right after they started to be sold. This told me they were junk. Rockford had built one of the most durable amps prior to this monstrosity being marketed.
Then buying parts direct from RF I found out how cheap they were to completely rebuild ~ $35.00 for a Punch 150HD and that was everything replaced inside all new I laughed out loud when they told me the module pricing I ordered spares and kept them on hand it was beer money to rebuild these First OFF U.S. soil built US car amp.
This was the end of Old School US built car amps. Perhaps that is why I hate them so much I say junk them... They put US workers out on the street on welfare with this amp...Plus as the President of TRU told me Rockford's Chinese based amps selling for ~$660.00 retail In the US cost $28.00 to build and $18.00 of that was the two chrome plated pieces on metal bolted to the top of the amp.. So a $660.00 priced amp was $20.00 to build in China.... Should have come with a lifetime warranty for those margins....and the cost to the US work force....
Again this HD series of amp was the very First off US soil built car amp by a US car amp company, The beginning of the end of a great American era of Car Audio of the USA...Plus with NAFTA tax free exemptions and fair trade zone status, there was no customs on the thing. It was the great American labor force destruction in car Audio...and they never once reduced the retail pricing like it was still a great amp product... We started selling Phoenix Gold out of Oregon and Sony ES if folks wanted really good car amps and left RF to its own demise....
Then buying parts direct from RF I found out how cheap they were to completely rebuild ~ $35.00 for a Punch 150HD and that was everything replaced inside all new I laughed out loud when they told me the module pricing I ordered spares and kept them on hand it was beer money to rebuild these First OFF U.S. soil built US car amp.
This was the end of Old School US built car amps. Perhaps that is why I hate them so much I say junk them... They put US workers out on the street on welfare with this amp...Plus as the President of TRU told me Rockford's Chinese based amps selling for ~$660.00 retail In the US cost $28.00 to build and $18.00 of that was the two chrome plated pieces on metal bolted to the top of the amp.. So a $660.00 priced amp was $20.00 to build in China.... Should have come with a lifetime warranty for those margins....and the cost to the US work force....
Again this HD series of amp was the very First off US soil built car amp by a US car amp company, The beginning of the end of a great American era of Car Audio of the USA...Plus with NAFTA tax free exemptions and fair trade zone status, there was no customs on the thing. It was the great American labor force destruction in car Audio...and they never once reduced the retail pricing like it was still a great amp product... We started selling Phoenix Gold out of Oregon and Sony ES if folks wanted really good car amps and left RF to its own demise....
They used to not be that much at Freeman's, but awhile back they had some new management and pricing on everything changed. Those modules they sell are not OEM modules, Freemans had them made, or at least that's what I was told by an employee. They are probably doubling their money on them.
I have mixed emotions about the HD amps. I liked them but I didn't. My favorite was the DSM amps back in the day. I hated Alpine amps as I thought they were junk, no balls. Didn't like PG amp either. One of the worst was the Orion amps, constantly burning them up. After the 4th one swore I would never own another again. Same with PPI always burning up.
I didn't repair amps back then so I didn't know a lot about the insides, but I always like Rockford stuff and still do. They were small and powerful and lasted forever. I never had any of these problems you speak of. If you install an amp and run it at rated load and leave it hooked up and leave it alone it will be fine. I had a punch 150hd in my 77 ford for 10 years before it came out with 0 issues. Usually it was the people constantly hooking and unhooking them or operating them at well below rated loads that had all the problems.
In my area Rockford amps in vehicles out numbered any other amps 5 to 1 easy. So when there are 5 times as many amps of one brand than another of course you will see more in for repairs. Alpine amps didn't put out enough power to hurt them selves, Orion and PPI amps made good power and sounded good as long as you like burning them up all the time. I never really ran and PG stuff so I can't say anything good or bad, but I sure burned a lot of sound stream amps....lol. The lists could go on and on.
Point is there wasn't or isn't an amp built then or now that won't or didn't have problems. Its just a matter of preference and what you like. My favorite Rockford amps were the 1000bd and the 1500bd the best class D amps ever built from being a user and now a repair standpoint. I have only been repairing for 13 years so I am not an expert like some people on the forum but I have seen my share of amps across the bench, especially HIFONICS. They were junk then and their junk now. I did have a few US amps that were really good.
I have mixed emotions about the HD amps. I liked them but I didn't. My favorite was the DSM amps back in the day. I hated Alpine amps as I thought they were junk, no balls. Didn't like PG amp either. One of the worst was the Orion amps, constantly burning them up. After the 4th one swore I would never own another again. Same with PPI always burning up.
I didn't repair amps back then so I didn't know a lot about the insides, but I always like Rockford stuff and still do. They were small and powerful and lasted forever. I never had any of these problems you speak of. If you install an amp and run it at rated load and leave it hooked up and leave it alone it will be fine. I had a punch 150hd in my 77 ford for 10 years before it came out with 0 issues. Usually it was the people constantly hooking and unhooking them or operating them at well below rated loads that had all the problems.
In my area Rockford amps in vehicles out numbered any other amps 5 to 1 easy. So when there are 5 times as many amps of one brand than another of course you will see more in for repairs. Alpine amps didn't put out enough power to hurt them selves, Orion and PPI amps made good power and sounded good as long as you like burning them up all the time. I never really ran and PG stuff so I can't say anything good or bad, but I sure burned a lot of sound stream amps....lol. The lists could go on and on.
Point is there wasn't or isn't an amp built then or now that won't or didn't have problems. Its just a matter of preference and what you like. My favorite Rockford amps were the 1000bd and the 1500bd the best class D amps ever built from being a user and now a repair standpoint. I have only been repairing for 13 years so I am not an expert like some people on the forum but I have seen my share of amps across the bench, especially HIFONICS. They were junk then and their junk now. I did have a few US amps that were really good.
Well I thought I was fairly clear lol
I liked old school Rockford amps before this HD model lineup. easily repaired, and lots of them out there, I had my share of them since they had full market share prior to the HD series.... Some other Rockford amps after this one line are Ok, They did innovate some different class D designs rather then be cloning like many of the others out there.
PG built a special line of mosfet amps just to compete against Rockford and MTX and they did fairly well if you could afford them. The Tantrum line was PG's answer to mosfet amps built just to compete against Rockford and MTX...
I just remember this amp product being the very first US amp company to vacate US manufacturing for offshore or in this case south of the border manufacturing...
So burn the HD amps in effigy and hang them on the wall as the death of US car amp manufacturing business as just about everybody had to follow Rockford or go bust lol its a fact....
Now on another note to the positive Rockford always pioneered modernization of their products as I recall they were also the first amp to use all SMD components thru out the entire amp. I remember this because I had to buy tweezers and a 10 X mag lamp to work on them after this also.. And MESHA is nothing more then big SMD manufacturing. This modernization cost huge on investment but pays off in profit margins due to reduced build costs.
They had the most noise free input sections aka TOPAZ input, and it held up better then Kenwoods and Pioneers version of the same input circuitry. This input circuitry allowed even novice installer to hook up system and not have noise issues in their installs... So they did idiot proof a lot of things in their amp that are very noteworthy.... Oh and 18 DB's bass boost was their real money shot...
Now there , that wasn't so bad now was it ???
I made a bundle of money repairing Rockford's, more then any other amp line and more then many other amp, lines combined. They were the most abused to death amps ever and it paid well to be able to repair them.. cha-ching $$$$$
My best combo was the 200ix and a 4080 dsm. Those 2 amps were some of the best all around amps in their class.
Looks like I got a 150HD with a bad module 🙁 picked amp up REAL cheap. 12v and ground input nice and charbroiled. Definitely hooked up reverse. Anyway. Guy messed with it inside. Pin broken off the module with the 494 and 339. 8 shorted transistors so far. 4 540's, 4 BUZ11 and I need this module or a way to fix it. Going start a thread.
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