90 old cutlass ciera audio??

[dice daniels]

I have been installing car audio for around 11 years or so now. Im damn near 27 now and I installed my first amp and subs when I was 15. I worked my way up through alot of budget equipment from walmarts and radioshack specials. And I have learned that the equipment does make the difference in sq. Of course you have to build the right enclosure for your subs. and you have to use the right gauge wires and alot of times upgrade your alternator. There is alot more to it than the equipment. But the equipment does play a big part in the quality of the sound. I have heard some cheap systems sound pretty good I will admit that. Jensen had some little bronze colored amps (I dont remember the series)a while back that were little power houses. And I picked up some no name 6x9's once that blew away most of the other speakers I've owned. But not just any equipment is worth buying. You do have to choose wisely. I use to work on a line that built pc boards for a caraudio company and I learned what goes into cheap equipment. They use the cheapest stuff they can get. And some quality equipment is done the same way. It usualy means there is more to it most of the time. So there is a difference between el-cheapo and quality equipment.

[bumpinstang77]

hell yea there is a difference but I can make audiobahns bottom of the line subs sound better and get louder then some dumbass just throwing together a couple JL audio w3's or w6's install is 90%.

[dice daniels]

Yea you're right. Install is 90% of the system. But could you get the mtx's he wanted to buy to do the same? Even Audiobahns low end equipment is put together well. Some of Mtx's stuff is realy questionable. I cant say too much about the subs he was looking at but I did check into them at a number of different sites and only a few of them had the same info on them. I could'nt find the true rms value of them at any of the sites which tells me that the subs were probably just thrown out there to make some cash before they even sent them through all the quality checks. Or the rms value fell down in the 50's and 60's and they didd'nt want to put it down because they would sell less. The company I worked for built main boards for another company that contracted us out to take up their slack. and they were contracted out by a company that was based out of california who ran the production of profile and a few other name brands. And there is a difference between profiles california series and clarus series amps. The california series actualy have better components in them. The clarus series cut back their funds on the electronics because of the shiny body they housed them in. Both are actualy pretty good amps. I would own either.But you do have to watch what you buy. Some companys just go with the lowest bidder and the electronics are the cheapest available. Jensen is famous for it. And rampage is the worst. You're lucky if you get it home before you find something wrong with it.

[bumpinstang77]

AHHH I TOLD U NGSM!!!!11111!!!!!! I always use ca and he always used clarus. but audiobahns are definately not put together well. they're even less reliable then kicker.

[ngsm13]

Originally Posted by bumpinstang77

AHHH I TOLD U NGSM!!!!11111!!!!!! I always use ca and he always used clarus. but audiobahns are definately not put together well. they're even less reliable then kicker.

Mike, in all honesty...I don't believe a word that comes out of his mouth. Some of the stuff he says really baffles me. I've opened the boards of both series amps, and I've talked to some amplifer guys, as well as a guy @ Profile the numerous time i sent back a Baja and a California amp. The Clarus line, is more solid. peace

NG

[dice daniels]

Well I realy dont care if you believe what I have to say or not. But arguing about the difference in quality between california and clarus is pretty much pointless. They are damn near matched as far as Im concerned. the design of the circuitry is actualy based on the same concept. They have totaly different power ranges because of the difference in the component layout, But they both are constructed with the same quality. they just cut back on the funds for the components in the clarus series. They didd'nt use cheapo components, They just found a sheaper supplier. I remember it being the capacitors and transistors But it could have included more. Either way they made us test 10 out of each lot that came in and I dont remember there being any problems. I was just part of the line so I cant vouch for everything that went into the amps. I put in the resistors,diodes,fuse block and tested components when a shipment came in. I worked on the cl 640s. The job paid $7.00 an hour and it was a bouring job. I have owned the cl800 and the ap600 and I had no complaints about either. I'd say either would be a safe investment.

I'm still no car audio pro. I'm still trying to learn how to build a perfect enclosure. But I do know enough about electronics to know what is wourth buying.

I dont like audiobahn, Mtx or kicker. I dont think most of their equipment is wourth buying. I'm a lj,panasonic,mb quart guy myself.

[dice daniels]

I will say that since the clarus series amps arent as complex they do have a better chance of being solid amps. But it all depends on how you use them I guess. I gave the ap600 to my brother about a year ago to push his volfenhags and it is still working well for him. And when I got rid of the clarus it was still in mint condition. Never once overheated on me.

[bumpinstang77]

I still stand behind the CA/AP line I've installed at least 10-15 of them and never once had a problem. Baja's sucks ARSE didn't have problems but I doubt it did rated power.

[dice daniels]

Never messed with any baja series yet. Dont know too much about them. You're the first opinion Ive heard so far. Does'nt seem like they are used by many people. So they probably do suck. duno?