# Your Favorite Zed Audio Built Amp Showoff & Discussion



## SilkySlim

Let's see your favorite Zed Audio made amps!
My favorite almost 4-5 way tie.
1. ESX
2. HiFonics VII, VIII
3. Rodek
4. Autotek 7xxx series
5. Autotek MM XX & XXX Series
6. HiFonics VI
7. HiFonics GenX
8. Hifonics American Warrior
9. Us Acoustics USA series
10. Lanzar Opti .2 series


Sent from my SGH-T989 using Tapatalk 2


----------



## MB2008LTZ

Planet Audio hybrid vacuum tube amps. I have 6 of them.


----------



## ChrisB

I can't remember which Hifonics series I owned, but I had either a Zeus VII or VIII that was stolen and pawned off by a drug addict relative. The thing I liked about Zed's earlier offerings was that they tended to be overbuilt versus certain other than mainstream brands that were running their amplifiers right at the limits of their parts.

So you see, even I like something that Zed made! I do remember a salesman trying to convince me to ditch my Punch 150s in the 90s to purchase a 1 ohm capable "The Crunch" amplifier, which I think was a Zed product. IIRC it was the 50SHC. Even back then, I saw no benefit of going from a pair of punch 150s running stereo to a single amp running at 1 ohm. 

Of course, that still doesn't explain my lack of sense between 2007 and 2010... Oh well, I'll just chalk that up to the nostalgia bug. Midlife crisis part 1.


----------



## SilkySlim

Everything I heard about the Crunches I might have agreed with the salesman. Those punches were designed to run on the edge and when they let go it was catastrophic failure. But man they were hard to beat on the low end. I heard that the Crunch were very close to the autotek designs. I just never got to try one for myself so that is why the Crunch and Plant Audio haven't made the top ten lists yet. As great and reliable as the Zed amps are I think that the USA series has to be the most bulletproof man those take abuse.


----------



## edzyy

Dreadnought

800 x 2 bridged


----------



## ChrisB

SilkySlim said:


> Everything I heard about the Crunches I might have agreed with the salesman. Those punches were designed to run on the edge and when they let go it was catastrophic failure. But man they were hard to beat on the low end. I heard that the Crunch were very close to the autotek designs. I just never got to try one for myself so that is why the Crunch and Plant Audio haven't made the top ten lists yet. As great and reliable as the Zed amps are I think that the USA series has to be the most bulletproof man those take abuse.


That's the thing, I was running the 150s on my subs, four 8" kicker free-airs in a multi-chambered ported enclosure. My whole reasoning was that if one amp had problems, I could wire everything up to one amp while the other was being repaired. OTOH, if I had only one sub amp and it went out, I'd have no low end until it was either repaired or replaced. I drove 60 miles round trip every day to go to college and it would have been a boring drive without subs.:laugh:


----------



## ou812

A little partial to ESX.


----------



## SilkySlim

ChrisB said:


> That's the thing, I was running the 150s on my subs, four 8" kicker free-airs in a multi-chambered ported enclosure. My whole reasoning was that if one amp had problems, I could wire everything up to one amp while the other was being repaired. OTOH, if I had only one sub amp and it went out, I'd have no low end until it was either repaired or replaced. I drove 60 miles round trip every day to go to college and it would have been a boring drive without subs.:laugh:


makes sense!

Sent from my SGH-T989 using Tapatalk 2


----------



## Assdouche

I personally like my ESX. I have 120.2 for my tweets 175.2 for my mids and a 475.1 for my subs. They are great. I had a series vii atlas on the subs before the 475.1. I have several us acoustics usa series for my wifes car and they have been awesome for the money. I've also had some autotek and have a ZED leviathan III. I've listened to all the series vii hifonics, some series vi and viii and they all are great. Rodeks are very impressive also. Its hard to beat the old school ZED designs.


----------



## mr.nice

MB2008LTZ said:


> Planet Audio hybrid vacuum tube amps. I have 6 of them.


just like me hahaaaaahahaah...:beerchug:








cheerssss..


----------



## Hi-FiDelity

The old Nakamichi PA-200X and 800X series. Assembled in the US by ZED with Japanese engineering. 

My PA-2002:









Gut shot:


----------



## mr.nice

little modification showoff


----------



## SilkySlim

I would love to get my hands on one of those for an a/b comparison. That is Zed porn.

Sent from my SGH-T989 using Tapatalk 2


----------



## mr.nice

IMHO old zed audio amplifier design have a good sounds,powerful,clean dan have a good control...they use a good quality of component inside,nichicon caps,siemens mosfet etc..and very good toroid  ...love it


----------



## SilkySlim

nice upgrades. Big dIfference? The tubes are just on the op amp section right? is it a real warm sound? Last question how is the reliability? Hide long do the tubes last?

Sent from my SGH-T989 using Tapatalk 2


----------



## mr.nice

yess,that mod make a significant result..im concern in power supply section in this amps,replacing the nichichon VR in main supply with nichicon Super through + Blackgate make my amps sounds so quiet,stable,powerfull and huge headroom  ...this amps using tubes in preamps section,replacing 12ax7 sovtex with Telefunken ecc83 smoothplate makes a big improvement,the tubes make a warm sweet sounds,more natural tone,a Shinkoh resistor + Amstrans mkp caps makes the sounds clean,backgroud off the music seems dark and relaxing....and for the Opamps,i must try many opamps to match and find the right for me hahahaha and finally im using LME4562 from national conductor...good bandwith,right tone and musical,im using 3pc of the amps in my 3 way system (micro precision MP7 twtr,MPz midr and old venture midbass)...overall the improment makes me very2 happy :laugh:
cheers :beerchug:


----------



## minbari

definately Hifonfics series VIII.


----------



## SilkySlim

minbari said:


> definately Hifonfics series VIII.


I do love those. The atlas in series viii tested much better 15-20% more power. Not as big of difference throughout the rest of the models. 
I remember being part of the install team of a system with two zeus' on 6 12w6 circa 1991-92. System was built mainly for SQ but more SQL Lol. It did low 150's SPL back then that was strong. My point is the viii Zeus had so much power.

Sent from my SGH-T989 using Tapatalk 2


----------



## SilkySlim

mr.nice said:


> yess,that mod make a significant result..im concern in power supply section in this amps,replacing the nichichon VR in main supply with nichicon Super through + Blackgate make my amps sounds so quiet,stable,powerfull and huge headroom  ...this amps using tubes in preamps section,replacing 12ax7 sovtex with Telefunken ecc83 smoothplate makes a big improvement,the tubes make a warm sweet sounds,more natural tone,a Shinkoh resistor + Amstrans mkp caps makes the sounds clean,backgroud off the music seems dark and relaxing....and for the Opamps,i must try many opamps to match and find the right for me hahahaha and finally im using LME4562 from national conductor...good bandwith,right tone and musical,im using 3pc of the amps in my 3 way system (micro precision MP7 twtr,MPz midr and old venture midbass)...overall the improment makes me very2 happy :laugh:
> cheers :beerchug:


I am going to have to try one!

Sent from my SGH-T989 using Tapatalk 2


----------



## minbari

SilkySlim said:


> I do love those. The atlas in series viii tested much better 15-20% more power. Not as big of difference throughout the rest of the models.
> I remember being part of the install team of a system with two zeus' on 6 12w6 circa 1991-92. System was built mainly for SQ but more SQL Lol. It did low 150's SPL back then that was strong. My point is the viii Zeus had so much power.
> 
> Sent from my SGH-T989 using Tapatalk 2


ya, that amp was a beast. I knew a friend of mine in the early 90s had one of those going to (2) Orion xtr 15 DVC. it flexed the doors open and literally (not kidding) broke the rear spoiler. he had to take it off.

I heard the Hifonics rep van one time. it had (8) 15" hifonics Olympus subs on a colossus. had about (8) 8" midbass, 16 tweeters and a overhead projector from an 8mm digital video player. was amazing!


----------



## SilkySlim

I wish you had pics. 

Sent from my SGH-T989 using Tapatalk 2


----------



## BadSS

My first “high-end” (for me) amp was a Odin HiFonics IV purchased around 1987. I later traded some work for a used Thor HiFonics IV around 1989. I ran both those amps in three other cars until 2006 until I swapped them out for the new-old-stock HiFonics Gen amps I bought around 2000. I had bought the Gen X amps and squirreled them away thinking sooner or later the old IVs would give it up. I got tired of waiting, lol.

Funny thing is I had no idea the IVs were made by Zed,,, and had no idea the Gen X were the last made by Zed until I ran across this forum. I’ve run and installed a number of the lower side of the high-end amps, both newer and old school amps and while I stay clear of the old school vs new debate,, I will say the noise floor is extremely low on these Gen X amps and rival any of the higher end home receivers I’ve heard.

Anyway, here’s a shot of my G8’s trunk filled with a Gen X Goliath (tweeters and rear doors), Gen X Saturn (bridged - front mid-bass), and Zed Audio Deuce. 


I had planned to run a Gen X Zeus on the IDMAX 12s,,, but it was just too dang big. 


While I’m at it,, I might as well throw in a picture of the HiFonics VIII Pluto (bridged) that’s out of sight “hidden” in place of the stock G8 amp running the center speaker.


----------



## SilkySlim

Very nice setup I don't think i have seen that much genX stuff in one place. The on the Zeus comment it's to powerful too. Unless you series up two IDMAX d2 to an 8 ohm load mono it would be to much for them in that IB config. Just had a long discussion about that with ID. FYI the IDMAX12's will handle about 1/3 max power rating in an IB config. So that would be 600 for both just gain it back. Looks good though trying out a IDMAX 12 IB myself.

http://amp-performance.de/876-Hifonics-Zeus-X.html Plenty of headroom though!

Sent from my SGH-T989 using Tapatalk 2


----------



## BadSS

SilkySlim said:


> Very nice setup I don't think i have seen that much genX stuff in one place. The on the Zeus comment it's to powerful too. Unless you series up two d2 to an 8 ohm load mono it would be to much for them in that IB config. Just had a long discussion about that with them. Plenty of headroom though!


Thanks, I have more planned for the hot rod I'm working on. I don't consider myself a collector,,, I just can't seem to pass on one in really good condition at a decent (low) price. 

I've heard that 500 watts on the IDMAX12s IB is pushing it. According to the Zed website the Deuce makes 448 watts x 2 at 0.026% THD and 475 watts x 2 at 1% THD into 2-ohms. That's not far off the mark for the Gen X Zeus,, maybe a little short compared to the VIIIs though. Anyway,,, I have the D4s wired 2-ohms per but I doubt I'm sending them 400 watts.


----------



## SilkySlim

Can't wait to see it! Are you using gen X in it as well our have you picked up something else? 

Also by the way talked to ID this week. Just tried IdMax12 IB in a temp system I saw many people say it would handle 1k still but they recommend no more than 1/3 power or 300 per in IB situations. It can depending on Feq. reach full excursion @ 200-300 Watts in IB Plus can throw some real impedance curve balls to the amp as the VC gets out of the gap at the high excursions. PM I can fill you in on the rest.

PS we all know how Steve feels about low impedance. LOL


Sent from my SGH-T989 using Tapatalk 2


----------



## BadSS

SilkySlim said:


> Are you using gen X in it as well our have you picked up something else?


Yes,, I’m planning on using another Gen X amp set up very similar to the G8. A Goliath for the tweeters and rear speakers, a Boltar for the mid-bass (couldn’t get it to fit in the G8 - used a bridged Saturn), and the Zeus for two MB Quart PWE 15” subs running IB. I haven’t laid everything out yet, but I’ve had enough gear in that car over the years that I’m sure I can fit it all – the trunk in the 85 Monte Carlo SS is quite large. 

In the car years ago I had two 15” Orion XTRs (wired @ 2 ohms) running IB firing into the rear seats and two 10” XTRs (wired @ 8ohms), also IB, firing up through the rear deck,, all running off the old Series IV Thor. I know Steve Mantz doesn’t like it and advises against running at low impedance, but that old Series IV Thor cranked it out on 1.6-ohm per channel and never missed a beat,,, and I pushed it hard all the time back then. Now that I can afford to do it, I prefer each speaker gets their own channel and as you alluded, running about double the power needed with the amps dialed back.


----------



## SilkySlim

Yea the vi would work pretty well there you start getting below 1.5 and mainly into the 1 ohm stereo and they go into protect pretty bad. I bet it sounded good. Those XTRs were very efficient especially in IB. On a side note. You do know the new IDmax 15's come out out June.


Sent from my SGH-T989 using Tapatalk 2


----------



## BadSS

SilkySlim said:


> Yea the vi would work pretty well there you start getting below 1.5 and mainly into the 1 ohm stereo and they go into protect pretty bad. I bet it sounded good. Those XTRs were very efficient especially in IB. On a side note. You do know the new IDmax 15's come out out June


Yep, those old XTRs were efficient and would pound pretty hard with just 200 watts per on them. However, I think the x-max was only around 8mm and they were a little loose or "sloppy" sounding compared to the PWEs. 

I did hear they were working on the IDMAX15s, but I already have the PWE 15s and don't want to spend any more money that I have to on the car. Plus, considering the terminal location of the roll bars in the trunk,,, I doubt the IDMAX15s would fit.


----------



## xnte

I wanted to share pics of my zed made amps + guts.

Hifonics odin VII is one of my SQ favorites.

DSC05158.jpg Photo by xnte | Photobucket
DSC05160.jpg Photo by xnte | Photobucket
DSC05161.jpg Photo by xnte | Photobucket
DSC05162.jpg Photo by xnte | Photobucket
DSC05167.jpg Photo by xnte | Photobucket
DSC05171.jpg Photo by xnte | Photobucket
DSC05172.jpg Photo by xnte | Photobucket


----------



## ou812

xnte said:


> I wanted to share pics of my zed made amps + guts.
> 
> Hifonics odin VII is one of my SQ favorites.
> 
> DSC05158.jpg Photo by xnte | Photobucket
> DSC05160.jpg Photo by xnte | Photobucket
> DSC05161.jpg Photo by xnte | Photobucket
> DSC05162.jpg Photo by xnte | Photobucket
> DSC05167.jpg Photo by xnte | Photobucket
> DSC05171.jpg Photo by xnte | Photobucket
> DSC05172.jpg Photo by xnte | Photobucket


Nice amps. I have always like the Usacoustics/Alphasonic USA series. Rock solid amps and you can almost always find someone practically giving them away.


----------



## ou812

These were in my truck a few yrs ago. 2100 on tweets, 4050 bridged 2 channel on mids and 2150 bridged on a DIY12 that I miss dearly.


----------



## BadSS

xnte said:


> I wanted to share pics of my zed made amps + guts.


That's a nice system waiting to happen! Thanks for sharing. I particularly like this one showing the difference in size and guts between the Series VII and Gen X Thors. 

DSC05161.jpg Photo by xnte | Photobucket

All that extra space in the Gen X is for adding the Chameleon modules - either a 3-band parametric eq or different type/use crossovers. The module takes up all that real-estate also.


----------



## TrickyRicky

ou812 said:


> These were in my truck a few yrs ago. 2100 on tweets, 4050 bridged 2 channel on mids and 2150 bridged on a DIY12 that I miss dearly.


I was going to pick up a US 2150 on ebay that was non-working...but didn't know how much they go for so I stayed away. It ended at 62.00 plus S&H.


----------



## SilkySlim

ou812 said:


> These were in my truck a few yrs ago. 2100 on tweets, 4050 bridged 2 channel on mids and 2150 bridged on a DIY12 that I miss dearly.


I bet it sounded awesome. I just did a usacoustics system for a buddies kid he got 
2150 on an IDMax 12
2050 on ID Ctx comps.
It sounded awesome and they are so bulletproof. I couldn't let the 2150 go all out. It still had plenty more. Maybe after break in. Getting rid of some over stock.

Sent from my SGH-T989 using Tapatalk 2


----------



## SilkySlim

Sold my 2200 to another buddy and he is driving the ever living crap out of 2 12w1 sealed. Way to much Amp but he'll upgrade subs. Also sold him my BNIB 4050 for his Morel comps and coax's. Sound great. Other than he mounted the amp on the box and it cracked the solder joint loose on the power wire too the board. Easy fix.

I guess this all counts because now they are their favorites now. They just don't have accounts to post.

Sent from my SGH-T989 using Tapatalk 2


----------



## ou812

TrickyRicky said:


> I was going to pick up a US 2150 on ebay that was non-working...but didn't know how much they go for so I stayed away. It ended at 62.00 plus S&H.


That was a good deal if it worked and wasn't beat up. I bought the 4050 locally from CL for the asking price of $20!





I paid a more realistic price for the 2100 and 2150 here in the classifieds. I find these amps quite often all across the country on CL for under $50 but nobody wants to ship them.


----------



## SilkySlim

Awesome find.

Sent from my SGH-T989 using Tapatalk 2


----------



## ou812

So.....I'm trolling around looking for anything interesting on CL and I stumble across this. A series VII Zeus. Nice amp in good shape but this gets interesting. 
























































I have never seen one of these fan shrouds. Have any of you guys ever seen these? Link to the CL ad ....It doesn't list a price.


HiFoNics Series V11 ZEUS WITH FAN SHROUD


----------



## SilkySlim

Fan was replaced with a computer fan w/blue led. I don't remember a factory fan shroud but I could be wrong. It sure does look good though. If its not factory then its a great custom job.

Sent from my SGH-T989 using Tapatalk 2


----------



## ou812

SilkySlim said:


> Fan was replaced with a computer fan w/blue led. I don't remember a factory fan shroud but I could be wrong. It sure does look good though. If its not factory then its a great custom job.
> 
> Sent from my SGH-T989 using Tapatalk 2


I was thinking someone might have made it too. Like you said...great job if someone did build it.


----------



## SilkySlim

mr.nice said:


> just like me hahaaaaahahaah...:beerchug:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> cheerssss..


At least you left a little room for spare parts box. So is that box used for all the different tubes you are trying out or just if one goes out on you (a tube)?  LOL

But really how do those PA tube amps hold up for you in the car environment? Any problems? I haven't run them in a car, the Butler tubes scared me off. I installed a few tube systems (Butler) for people and they had lots of problems with reliability.

Sent from my SGH-T989 using Tapatalk 2


----------



## mr.nice

hahahahahaa i take the pic when im going to check my amps,thats why i bring my part box ,so far i have no problem with the durabillity...i using PA tube since 2006 n no have any serious problem  
Buttler? as long i know old buttler production have a good durabillity (gold series) but the new production is sucks..very sensitive n the sounds not good (my humble opinion)


----------



## ESW

Can anyone shed some light on a rare Planet Audio "The Big Bang" made by Zed? I can't find much info on them. Thx


----------



## SilkySlim

Thanks Mr. Nice guy LOL. 
I appreciate the heads up on the PA's I look forward to getting a couple now to try.
I think I really screwed up missing out on those two 4ch tubes. I will now have to try a set most of my zed stuff has been bulletproof even the one not touched with the old 85c caps untouched. That's one of the best improvements in reliability i think. 105c and up caps.


----------



## ou812

My son ran PA Tubers on his front stage for quite a while with no issues at all. My son conducted a very unprofessional experiment when he had the PA tubers installed. He actually had the 4 channel tube on his front stage running active through a DRZ. can't remember the drivers at the time. He left the tube on the left side and took the ESX Q120.4 that i now have and hooked it up to the right side drivers. We level matched them as best as we could to make it an even comparison. We could only hear the slightest difference in sound between the 2. It did have the original Sovtek tubes. Switching them out probobly would have made a difference. I have posted these pics here in other threads but wtf...The tubes and the rest of our Zed we have had over the last few yrs.


----------



## NJPCRX

MB2008LTZ said:


> Planet Audio hybrid vacuum tube amps. I have 6 of them.


I have a near mint 754 hybrid that needs repaired. I might send it to trickyricky to get fixed


----------



## SilkySlim

Ok I really need to try one of these tubes.

Sent from my SGH-T989 using Tapatalk 2


----------



## mr.nice

NJPCRX said:


> I have a near mint 754 hybrid that needs repaired. I might send it to trickyricky to get fixed


whats the problem bro? as long as i use the tubes i find the problem in the bias potensio and the dirty hpf/lpf switch ..so i decided to replace the potensio bias and bypass all of the switch :laugh:


----------



## MB2008LTZ

ESW said:


> Can anyone shed some light on a rare Planet Audio "The Big Bang" made by Zed? I can't find much info on them. Thx


Taken from a Planet Audio booklet I have.

THE BIG BANG
Mosfet Mono-Block Amplifier
Maximum Power (2ohm) 2000 watts x 1
RMS Power (2ohm) 1000 watts x 1
RMS Power (4ohm) 500 watts x 1
Two Big bangs can be strapped together for 4000 watts of total power
Signal to noise ratio 105 db
Frequency response 9 Hz to 50 kHz
Built in single band parametric equalizer
Continuously variable phase adjustment (0 to 180)
Built in continuously variable low pass crossover
Input sensitivity 100 Mv to 5.7 V
Continuously variable bass boost (+ 18 db)
Gold plated connections
Dimensions 20 1/2" (L) x 2 13/16" (H) x 11 5/8" (W)
Hand crafted in the U.S.A.


----------



## antman

Hi , 

Question, Im currently re building my system with hi-fonics viii boltar for my focal v30 and Zeus viii bridged to power a single old school idq 10 d4

Iam I over powering my system or i just turn the gain down.

Thanks


----------



## SilkySlim

antman said:


> Hi ,
> 
> Question, Im currently re building my system with hi-fonics viii boltar for my focal v30 and Zeus viii bridged to power a single old school idq 10 d4
> 
> Iam I over powering my system or i just turn the gain down.
> 
> Thanks


You will have to practice safe sound with these options both for you're speakers and ears. Gain control baby. LOL 

That being said I am a huge fan of a Zeus on the fronts and the Boltar has more than enough grunt forthat single ten. Plus you will have headroom for days. If you have the space you won't be disappointed. Super clean and throttled back plenty left for dynamics. No fault can be placed on the amp power supply for current and a very stable voltage rail in that config. Assuming your car electrical system can keep up. 

For comparison I am running an atlas on one 2 ohm ultimo SC 10 in my wife's SUV and it sounds awesome!

Sent from my SGH-T989 using Tapatalk 2


----------



## ou812

bench test on both amps for reference.

Hifonics Boltar VII

Hifonics Zeus VIII


We need pics of said install Slim.


----------



## SilkySlim

Go to the "I've seen the collection's lets see the installs" thread my system pics are there. It never got finished with trim panels and details. It was in my wife's car and I am pulling it out and getting her something different car wise. It's having strange trans problems it sucks because I really liked it and it sounded great! Fun times.


----------



## SilkySlim

This is interesting you see zed get so much love around forums and the internet but only a few respond to the showoff and to discuss their favorites. So many brand names built their reputations on zed designs that is surprising. One thing I found interesting is their were many good designs to come out of zed land but they were all very similar sounding and power wise. I also found it interesting that there wasn't a real effective marketer that started a line with zed building on the back end that really blew them up. They were successes but not major always midline in sales. Can you imagine if Manville at JL had got had a zed built line in the 80's-90's. I know they were joined at the hip with PPI but some of the best sounding JL based systems I did back were HiFonics with JL subs. Just putting out there any thoughts?


----------



## camse2007

Hi guys, forgive my ignorance, but I'm assuming the old school pa, hifonics, nak are made by different companies now? Is zed new school still as reliable as zed old school? And if these are U.s. made, how are they comparing to audison/mosconi for sq (or is that not Zeds forte)

Thx in advance.


----------



## SilkySlim

I would say they (new zeds) are very reliable and comparable to any high quality amps made now. They are efficient and his class D sound more like the his old class a/b just a touch more neutral. They also are not as underrated power wise about on mark. For example I have tried the Minotaur V2 & Levi v3 and auditioned them in the same setups both inside controlled environment and vehicle same speaker, source etc. here is my take.

Atlas VII vs. Minotaur on a single Morel Ultimo 10SC and on two primo 12's both 2 ohm configurations the Atlas has more grunt and a fatter sound on the bottom end, noticeably more SPL. The Minotaur was much more efficient and was a touch tighter. ESX 475.1 noticeably louder much fatter sound, played much lower than both previous but both the Atlas VII and Minotaur were tighter and had more punch in the 60-100hz bass region. 

The best I can describe on the highs is his new stuff has mostly the same sound caracteristics of the old higher end zed (Rodek, Hifonics, Autotek, etc.) but more in line with today's excepted power ratings and more efficient. They seem to have a more clinical sound a touch less on the high end.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk


----------

