Are RF amps and Speakers good or not

[H20 Toie]

I am finally getting around to getting a good stereo in the truck, and since i liked the sound from Friend of AA and TA truck i went to the same installer and they use the RockfordFosgate amps and speakers but after doing a little searching it seems that they might not be the best option. Since i plan on spending more than a few thousand dollars i want a really good system.

[Outnumbered]

Go with JL. I have both in my boat and I like the JL stuff better.

[Magic34]

I am finally getting around to getting a good stereo in the truck, and since i liked the sound from Friend of AA and TA truck i went to the same installer and they use the RockfordFosgate amps and speakers but after doing a little searching it seems that they might not be the best option. Since i plan on spending more than a few thousand dollars i want a really good system.
They (RF) were doing really good about 2-3 years ago, and now they are cutting costs to try to keep form losing money. That means they are looking for the lowest bidder to make the most $ per unit.
I went JL for subs, Focal for highs, and JBL for amps.
I highly recommend the Focal for the highs. best speakers I have ever had.

[1stepcloser]

I have run RF for years with no complaints. The opinions on this board though, are generally negative.
As far as speakers, I am a die hard fan of Boston Acoustic. Superb in my unqualified opinion.

[riverbound]

The "PUNCH" line of amps are not the greatest, but still IMO the best bang for the buck.....We use the "POWER" series amps in boats and have not found anything that works better. On this board though the general concensus is they are junk.
But over a 10 year period I couldnt even count how many boats I have done and I would say that 90% of them left my shop with Rockford amps, and I had very few problems.
I currently have RF amps in my stoker that were put in when the boat was new (1995) they just sopped working this season (got wet). they will be replaced with new Rockford amps this winter when the Stereo gets re-done. I am also putting RF amps in my Rhino. and have them in my truck.

[riverbound]

And as far as speakers go....If you are looking for Higher end, I would recommend MB Quart, if they are out of your price range, I would look into the Eclipse's (not point source)

[jbtrailerjim]

I run Arc Audio amps. I have had great luck with them, so far. I'll be redoing the system in my new truck very soon and it will be all Arc Audio.

[Flashover]

The "PUNCH" line of amps are not the greatest, but still IMO the best bang for the buck.....We use the "POWER" series amps in boats and have not found anything that works better. On this board though the general concensus is they are junk.
But over a 10 year period I couldnt even count how many boats I have done and I would say that 90% of them left my shop with Rockford amps, and I had very few problems.
I currently have RF amps in my stoker that were put in when the boat was new (1995) they just sopped working this season (got wet). they will be replaced with new Rockford amps this winter when the Stereo gets re-done. I am also putting RF amps in my Rhino. and have them in my truck.
Amps: Rockford
Speakers: Diamond Audio, Boston pro Series, MB Quart.
Subs: Rockford, JL Audio, MTX
Can't go wrong with any of this Good luck :D :D

[JetBoatRich]

Go with JL. I have both in my boat and I like the JL stuff better.
I have JL amps and sub, sound and work great in the boat :wink:

[Buster]

I have in my Yukon XL,
Infinity Kappa Perfect (4) Speakers
12" MTX Sub
Audiosyn Amps
Pioneer 7600 Headunit
I tried three different combintions of amps and speakers and this setup sound the best by far.
Good luck on you choice...

[INSman]

Dan
I have used virtually the same (3) amp setup in both my last boat and current boat that consists of (2) JL Audio 300/4 amps that will run 4 pairs of Coax's or 6x9's very nicely and a 500/1 JL Audio to run a pair of sub's.
These amps NEVER heat up and you will likely never have a problem with them.
For speakers, I went with JL Audio ( 6.5 inch coax's x 8) last boat and the latest one I went with some Polk Momo 6x9 and some Polk Momo coax's more because they matched my harware, but also sound very nice. Also had JL subs on my last boat that sounded incredible, this time around I went with some newer Punck Marine subs that work better without having boxes built.
p.s. Make sure you use a nice head unit that has enough pre-outs with a high voltage rating on those pre-outs :rollside:

[H20 Toie]

Dan
p.s. Make sure you use a nice head unit that has enough pre-outs with a high voltage rating on those pre-outs :rollside:
I'm going with the Pioneer Nav unit so that should be good enough right?
and i will go with the JL amps and subs with the rest being RF so it should be good.

[INSman]

I'm going with the Pioneer Nav unit so that should be good enough right?
and i will go with the JL amps and subs with the rest being RF so it should be good.
Just ask the seller what the "pre-out" voltage is on that Pioneer head unit first

[H20 Toie]

Just ask the seller what the "pre-out" voltage is on that Pioneer head unit first
2v 100 ohm

[riverbound]

2v 100 ohm
Thats pretty low.....it will require you work the amps harder which in turn will cause them to run hotter. I would say go with a 4 or 5 volt preout.

[H20 Toie]

Thats pretty low.....it will require you work the amps harder which in turn will cause them to run hotter. I would say go with a 4 or 5 volt preout.
So what unit unit is out there that has more? i want dvd/nav system with xm i was looking at the avic-n2
http://www.pioneerelectronics.com/pna/product/detail/0,,2076_3151_192089333,00.html

[riverbound]

So what unit unit is out there that has more? i want dvd/nav system with xm i was looking at the avic-n2
http://www.pioneerelectronics.com/pna/product/detail/0,,2076_3151_192089333,00.html
If those are all the features you are looking for than that is pretty much it. Just make sure you buy good quality amps and set them up right. you should be OK.

[DOHARA]

Love the eclipse line for the head units. can't beat the 5v or 8v with 55ohm preouts. Speakers I run Diamond Hex series, they get loud. The new D9 series look sick. Been happy with JL amps and Eclipse subs. Stick with the top brands.
diamond
focal
dyn audio
alpine
A/D/S
rainbow
Etc...in no paticular order....

[riverbound]

Love the eclipse line for the head units. can't beat the 5v or 8v with 55ohm preouts. Speakers I run Diamond Hex series, they get loud. The new D9 series look sick. Been happy with JL amps and Eclipse subs. Stick with the top brands.
diamond
focal
dyn audio
alpine
A/D/S
rainbow
Etc...in no paticular order....
The eclipse all in one unit woudl be a great choice except for the lack of Sat. radio. Eclipse in one of the better sounding brands on the market....even thought there quality has dropped in the past couple of years.

[rivercrazy]

Higher preout voltages only have one real advantage. That is for minimizing noise induced interference. Higher preamp voltage has no real impact on how hot an amp will run. It just impacts what gain setting adjustment is needed on the amp.
Regarding head units, assuming your not choosing a bottom of the barrow headunit, you won't notice any discernable difference in sound quality between brands in a car audio application. Just go with a headunit that meets your contruction quality standards, one that has the features you desire, and has a layout/look you like.

[Magic34]

Diamond has had thier fair share of problems operating the biz in the past. They seem to be getting better again. They had a 3-4 year time period where their stuff wasn't as good.
I can't believe Focal isn't getting more love in here. I've had many different brands in regards to highs, MB Quart, a/d/s, Sony (just kidding), and the Focal speakers are the best I have had yet.

[H20 Toie]

I was just over at the shop and they were talking about 3 kicker subs instead of the RF but still using the RF amps with the understanding that if i have any problem with the amps he will switch them out but he believes that i will be happy with them.