Thread: picking the right amp?

I have a JVC that came with my camaro, and an alpine that i put in my GP. The alpine delivers cleaner sound to my speakers than the JVC does. The build quality on JVC products is poor. They work, but everything else sounds better. I've ran both stereos on the same power with the same set of speakers in the same car, and the Alpine sounds better.

So lets see here: I own both stereos, and I've done a sound comparison using the same equipment and power levels. There isn't any doubt that most brands are superior to JVC.

Oh, and you're aware you said JVC's amps suck. You are aware ALL head units have a built in amplifier to power at least the stock speakers, right?
Unless someone else designs their HU amps and not their regular speaker amps...

Almost all current aftermarket head units do. Any that do not would mean your speakers would have to rely on an external amplifier to power them.

I literally tried to find the cheapest radio I could, and even when I found some that cost $30 new, they still had built-in amps.

Find me an aftermarket deck without an amp that isn't "out of stock" or "discontinued".

Originally Posted by 2000GTGP

Most any HU that comes stock with majority of cars is going to mediocre at best. I said jvc HU are pretty good and you say their cheapos. Arsenal line is jvc. Im going to go out on a limb and say the jvc arsenal im running is quite a bit better than your alpine

Alpines are good dont get me wrong but your paying for their name as well. Unless you go high end on the alpine decks, their more basic decks arent worth the money for the lack of features that other brands offer for the same price.




My jvc has the option to shut off the internal amp . Im not going to start a debate in this guys thread though. If he gives us a $ amount he is willing to spend on a HU im sure we can find something he will like.

I don't have an SPL Alpine deck, but I do have higher end alpine, 6 pre-outs and all the other features I need. As far as price, I got it when it was being discontinued and paid about what most the Arsenal decks cost. Sound is clear and that's all I need.

Originally Posted by SeanGTP

Almost all current aftermarket head units do. Any that do not would mean your speakers would have to rely on an external amplifier to power them.

I literally tried to find the cheapest radio I could, and even when I found some that cost $30 new, they still had built-in amps.

Find me an aftermarket deck without an amp that isn't "out of stock" or "discontinued".

False you can buy headunits from all brands without an amp. They just have preouts and you run your own amps. Why have an internal amp if your not going to use it.

Originally Posted by rynoman03

False you can buy headunits from all brands without an amp. They just have preouts and you run your own amps. Why have an internal amp if your not going to use it.

If you can hook your stock speakers up to it, it has an amp built in. I've yet to see a non-comp head unit without an amp built in. Currently mine is powering my two doors speakers, the average person does.

You're talking about ultra-rare and competition-grade decks, decks you would put in a car built specifically for audio competitions.

You can get JVC, but just expect for it to sound ****ty compared to a quality deck, and for amps and subs, to sound beyond ****ty compared to regular ****ty stuff.

Well said.

I was simply talking from a daily point of view, no deck he'll buy will come without a built in amp.

Either will give you wiggle room for future upgrades. You'll just have to tune them properly, especially with the 1500w. That means a multimeter or an oscilloscope, none of that "by ear" bullcrap.

And as far as getting a quality double din touch screen dvd hu.... either don't, or cough up the cash. Read reviews from multiple sites, you'll find the ones in your price range are garbage.

I'm lazy so:
How to Adjust Amplifier Gains Using a Digital Multi-Meter - Knowledge Base
Guide To Tuning Amp

JVC Arsenal = thumbs up.