Audio Companies

cherrington17 · 05-12-2009, 09:29 AM

I'm just looking for who is best for the buck out there. Obviously opinions apply to some degree...

Most people know the major brands, Alpine, Infinity, Rockford, Soundstream,JBL,Kenwood,Kicker, Pioneer,Sony...etc

But what other lesser known companies are out there, that make better stuff, for a similar price range (I've noticed some smaller companies produce better product, but for a ridiculously higher price...which eliminates them from most user's market)

So... lets try to rank who makes the best... Obviously list best first... but put a side note beside the name, if the company will drain your accounts for one piece of their equipment...

Hopefully this gets done to some level... and clears up some questions for people.

Component Speakers:

Amps:

Subwoofers:

Silentalero · 05-12-2009, 09:59 AM

actually the shop i merged with has their own line coming out that blows every major line away. ALl high end audio for half the price.

Its called Shockwave.

Right now we're working on the site to get into but if you want I can pos specs.

shockwavecustoms.com

cherrington17 · 05-12-2009, 10:11 AM

absolutely post specs. this thread is for potential customer research!

FrankTheTank · 05-12-2009, 11:41 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Silentalero

actually the shop i merged with has their own line coming out that blows every major line away. ALl high end audio for half the price.

Its called Shockwave.

Right now we're working on the site to get into but if you want I can pos specs.

shockwavecustoms.com

really?

Ryan from Ohio · 05-12-2009, 11:50 AM

Such a broad topic.

Theres a few companies out there borderline mainstream that produce excellent products. ARC, Massive, Audio Que, Resonant Engineering, Ascendant Audio, Fi, Ultra, Almani, RD Audio, DC Audio and I know Im missing some.

Some of these fall into the small places also.

It truly depends on your budget. If you think your going to get something totally kick ass for next to nothing you are sorely mistaken.

Each brand has its strengths and some have better values over the other.

cherrington17 · 05-12-2009, 11:57 AM

thats what i mean. obviously you can't do audio on a budget, but some are unreasonably priced for what they do.

what are the strengths/weaknesses of each? clearly... you can only give this with ownership/experience.

and I'm eagerly awaiting silent's specs, because high end audio for half the price sounds wonderfully assanine. Good audio can't be cheap, unless you use cheap parts... and then they don't last long.

i'm pretty sure one of my woofers has blown... and i'm not happy about it. No tears, no damage at all.. just sounds muddy.And my amp clearly puts out less power then these handle RMS. Cheap parts FTL

Gr1m · 05-12-2009, 12:02 PM

i like kenwood and orion

Ryan from Ohio · 05-12-2009, 12:14 PM

In the last many years theres been MANY audio start ups. Many failures. Some promising only to disappear.

If you want some good woofs for cheap, hit up Audio Que. They are made by Digital Designs, which is primo stuff.

American Bass and Massive Audio have some good stuff, which I can get you.

Ultra is making a name for themselves right now also. Good stuff, decent price.

Depends on your budget though.

Whats cheap to you may be expensive to me.

lonnie · 05-12-2009, 12:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Silentalero

actually the shop i merged with has their own line coming out that blows every major line away. ALl high end audio for half the price.

Its called Shockwave.

Right now we're working on the site to get into but if you want I can pos specs.

shockwavecustoms.com

The problem with this statement is the above highlighted line. Not saying you are that type of person but this could be a sales pitch, and the equipment could be garbage..just being devils advocate here. Who will manufacture the equipment for this brand?

cherrington17 · 05-12-2009, 12:23 PM

for myself specifically... I have components. the tweets work great, the xovers are good... one woofer might be toast.

is it possible to replace the woofers w/ another company, or do you have to keep all those sets "matched"?

and $200 isn't horrible to me. but 500 is unreasonable, unless it'll regenerate itself.

lonnie · 05-12-2009, 12:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cherrington17

for myself specifically... I have components. the tweets work great, the xovers are good... one woofer might be toast.

is it possible to replace the woofers w/ another company, or do you have to keep all those sets "matched"?

and $200 isn't horrible to me. but 500 is unreasonable, unless it'll regenerate itself.

I would keep them the same...although you can run mismatched...if you have to I would make sure the specs of the mix matched subs where fairly close together.

AbHeLlRaZoR · 05-12-2009, 03:25 PM

I'm satisfied with my JBL stuff I didn't pay an arm and a leg for it and it all sounds good I still gotta install my rear 6x9 speakers but the sub and amp are doing me wonders.

Ryan from Ohio · 05-12-2009, 04:09 PM

Just get some new Mids then Cherry.

Dayton Audio RSDs come with good recommendations at fair prices.

www.partsexpress.com

cherrington17 · 05-12-2009, 04:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lonnie

I would keep them the same...although you can run mismatched...if you have to I would make sure the specs of the mix matched subs where fairly close together.

i didn't mean mix the woofers. i meant replace the pair of woofers and leave the tweets/xovers i have in place.

so instead of spending 200 on a new component set, i'm spending 200 on new woofers alone.

ryan, i didn't see anything remotely close to that name... anywhere on their website.

Ryan from Ohio · 05-12-2009, 05:25 PM

Dayton RS I mean. RSD is Phoenix Gold... lol

cherrington17 · 05-12-2009, 05:37 PM

65W peak on both... i'm gonna destroy those quickly.

PappaSmurf · 05-12-2009, 07:24 PM

Cherry,
go to walmart and see if they have the JVC CS-GS5120. I have 2 of them and they are the best bang for the buck...Literally! They can handle up to 900 watts max. I can personally vouch for the sound, as I have all JVC equipment in my car and they are GREAT. If you want go to my NEWBies' Mods thread and check out the pics of them in my trunk.

Also, the T-10 inverted LED bulbs are not as bad as in hotspots. They DO have hotspots or maybe that is just me. They are WAY better than the dome tip LEDs though.
-Smurf-

cherrington17 · 05-12-2009, 08:19 PM

well... now we know.. inverted = bad.

and i'm not sure how much i believe 6.5" woofer can handle 900W of anything. Thats greatly over exaggerating AND probably leads to bad quality. (high W means low clarity)

I guess i'm thinking infinity for new ones?

How do i buy new woofers w/o being 2 way? i mean.. the xover i have will eliminate that feature almost completely....

ryanJ · 05-12-2009, 09:40 PM

i like phoenix golds rsd line. I dont think you will beat them for the price. Ive seen their 6.5 components for as low as $59/pr

Ryan from Ohio · 05-12-2009, 09:58 PM

Infinity wont work, you need a 4 Ohm speaker.

Get a link to your specific component set like from the manufacturer or a link to a PDF manual.

You need something wattage wise similar to the tweeter. Then you need to choose something that will "blend" well with the tweeter. Its not just picking just something/anything up.