# Arc audio vs Audison



## Reerun_KC (Jul 8, 2015)

Anybody have any thoughts or comparisons between the Arc Audio XDi 1200.6 and the Audison AV 5.1 k?

I have read quite a few articles on both. Read many opinions on both, but havent seen a thread discussng the pros and cons comparing the two.

What's everyone's thoughts between the two?


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## capea4 (Sep 2, 2010)

well theres a pretty big $$$ difference


Capt. Obvious fill in


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## Reerun_KC (Jul 8, 2015)

Yeah but I am not worried about the $$$ I can afford the Audison.

I am more concerned with over all value in the SQ of each. Passive for now. Active later. 

Here's what it will be powered by and powering. 

Alpine CDE HD149BT
Focal PS 165f3
Focal PS 130f
2 Memphis 12's dvc 4 ohm.


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## capea4 (Sep 2, 2010)

i listened to the voce in Taigos car, it didn't leave me wanting more. i have a voce uno that i replaced a monster Old school Orion 275R HCCA, its a beast too. to me the 5.1 is a great higher end single box solution. then again, i really want to get that arc for my work truck.


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## capea4 (Sep 2, 2010)

wait....you want to run an entire 3 way, and 2 way, plus a pair of subs? that seems like a bit much


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## capea4 (Sep 2, 2010)

K.I.S.S.
run a great two way active and a single sub. spend the rest on a DSP, you will have a better solution in the end


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## Reerun_KC (Jul 8, 2015)

capea4 said:


> wait....you want to run an entire 3 way, and 2 way, plus a pair of subs? that seems like a bit much


Excess is best, right? Yes I am running a bit much and do plan on taking it completely active next spring.


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## Reerun_KC (Jul 8, 2015)

So back to the discussion at hand. 

Sorry to derail the thread


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## gstokes (Apr 20, 2014)

capea4 said:


> K.I.S.S.
> run a great two way active and a single sub. spend the rest on a DSP, you will have a better solution in the end


The best advice i have seen yet, DSP or a head unit with T/A..

K.I.S.S. and Less is More..


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## Reerun_KC (Jul 8, 2015)

gstokes said:


> The best advice i have seen yet, DSP or a head unit with T/A..
> 
> K.I.S.S. and Less is More..


The alpine has TA.


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## FishingBen (Oct 18, 2013)

I went Audison


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## Reerun_KC (Jul 8, 2015)

FishingBen said:


> I went Audison


What was the reason why you chose it over others?


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## gstokes (Apr 20, 2014)

Reerun_KC said:


> The alpine has TA.


The Alpine is a nice unit, my Sony also has T/A..


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## FishingBen (Oct 18, 2013)

Footprint, configuration, quality, reputation, sound quality experienced.


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## Kriszilla (Jul 1, 2013)

I love my pair of Arc 1200.6's. I use one for the left side channels of my car and one for the right They're running my ZR-800's with 300 RMS each, 150 to mid, 150 to tweeter, and 300 to each of my BM MKIV's. I have one [email protected]/[email protected] channel left over. 

The amount of clean power they put out for their footprint is pretty much insane.


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## Dynamic SQ (Jul 25, 2015)

FishingBen said:


> Footprint, configuration, quality, reputation, sound quality experienced.


Just wondering how all these stipulations led you to pick Audison over any Arc amp?

Footprint - Arc has small amps. Even their SE amps are similar size or smaller than Audison.

Configuration - ???

Quality - So Audison is higher quality than Arc? In what way?

Reputation - That's laughable. Arc has a great reputation for products and service.

Sound Quality - Subjective, but I would choose an SE amp over any Audison any day of the week.


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## LaserSVT (Feb 1, 2009)

I have not heard the XDI in person and can only go off what some close friends and distributors said to me as i was amp shopping a couple months ago. I was told the XDIs are spectacular amps for their price point and very efficient. They also said amps such as the Audison AV 5.1 k, Sinfoni and the Mosconis do sound better. Just looking at the specs it would seem that is true. I have heard the Audison AV 5.1 k in a friends car and loved his setup. Granted he was driving the Audison Voce components and a Focal 13" sub and he knows how to tune. I had almost bought the amp but then found a deal on my Mosconis that was just way too good to pass up.

I think you will be happy with your choice. only bad thing i ever heard about that amp was how hot it gets and tends to shut down after extended listening sessions.


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## Dynamic SQ (Jul 25, 2015)

LaserSVT said:


> I have not heard the XDI in person and can only go off what some close friends and distributors said to me as i was amp shopping a couple months ago. I was told the XDIs are spectacular amps for their price point and very efficient. They also said amps such as the Audison AV 5.1 k, Sinfoni and the Mosconis do sound better. Just looking at the specs it would seem that is true. I have heard the Audison AV 5.1 k in a friends car and loved his setup. Granted he was driving the Audison Voce components and a Focal 13" sub and he knows how to tune. I had almost bought the amp but then found a deal on my Mosconis that was just way too good to pass up.
> 
> I think you will be happy with your choice. only bad thing i ever heard about that amp was how hot it gets and tends to shut down after extended listening sessions.


Good info and I would agree. It seems like a weird comparison to me anyway. A small class D at half the price vs. a large class A/B.


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## LaserSVT (Feb 1, 2009)

Yeah when I was looking for a top tier SQ amp the Audison AV 5.1 k came up several times. Mosconi Gladen and Zero, Brax, Sinfoni and older PPIs seemed to be what everyone was steering me to. Only one person (who I know and trust) said get a Sinfoni for the mid/highs and get the ARC XDI for the subs as they are cheap, very efficient and since it will be powering subs the S/N and THD were quite a bit less important. That was followed up with "And when you save some more money you can sell it and get another Sinfoni for the subs." LOL

I agree with the SE ARC. Its really a better comparison than the XDI. I have yet to hear a full range class D that I really liked. I have heard some very nice sounding ones like the Alpine and the JL HD but to me (and maybe its just a mental block) class AB just sounds better. The few class A amps I have heard really impressed me and with very little wattage at that. First time I heard the Pioneer ODR amps I was floored by what that 15 watt amp. I remember thinking it was one hell of a big amp for only 30 watts. LOL that was like 10-15 years ago though.


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## Hoptologist (Sep 14, 2012)

I went from an Audison LRx 5.1k amp to an Arc KS300.2, KS300.4 (only using 2 of the 4 channels), and KS2500.1 (while keeping the same speakers). During a listening test at Arc, only Fred, from what I heard, was able to distinguish between the KS amps and the XDi V2 amps... it was a toss up for everyone else. I'm not sure if there is much difference between the Audison LRx 5.1 and the AV 5.1, but since the XDi and KS amps are practically identical sounding, here's my input.

If you are concerned about sonic differences, don't be. After my new amps were dialed in, they sounded just as great as the Audison did. In a blind test, I highly doubt I'd be able to tell them sonically apart. I feel like the Arc may be a tad more neutral sounding and that the Audison may be a tad sweeter or warmer sounding, but that may be from personal bias or from reading or being told in the past that Audison LRx's are warmer sounding compared to others. How much sweeter or warmer might it have been? Probably 2-3%. Or 0%, I really have no proof of it. It could easily be a psychological thing.

My Arc amps run substantially cooler than the Audison though, and Arc support is of the best. I can't count how many emails I've sent them over the years, and they are always super quick to respond and ready to help out in any way they can. If I didn't already have my KS 300.2 and 300.4, I'd have the XDi V2 1200.6 for sure.


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## Dynamic SQ (Jul 25, 2015)

LaserSVT said:


> I agree with the SE ARC. Its really a better comparison than the XDI. I have yet to hear a full range class D that I really liked. I have heard some very nice sounding ones like the Alpine and the JL HD but to me (and maybe its just a mental block) class AB just sounds better. The few class A amps I have heard really impressed me and with very little wattage at that. First time I heard the Pioneer ODR amps I was floored by what that 15 watt amp. I remember thinking it was one hell of a big amp for only 30 watts. LOL that was like 10-15 years ago though.


It's not a mental block; you just have good ears. I feel the same way.

I haven't heard the newer Alpine class D amps, but I've owned the JL HD's, and the new and old Arc XDI's (numerous models of all of them). I agree with you totally. The D's are getting better, but they don't have the refinement of the best A/B's.


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## LaserSVT (Feb 1, 2009)

Yeah even for subwoofers I have noticed a difference. My Zero 3 and JL 1000/1 were within a few watts of each other (1040 vs 1000) and while SPL seems identical between the two the Zero 3 allows the subs to produce much tighter bass. Songs that used to make the subs beg for mercy with teh JL just sound superb with the Zero 3 allowing me to play those few tracks at a higher output while maintaining that signature smooth sound the SI subs are known for.


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## sqnut (Dec 24, 2009)

SQ in your car is down to dsp and your tuning skills, amps don't give you SQ. Once you truly understand this, you wont need to spend $1,000 on an amp. Of the two I'd take the Arc for the extra head room.


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## LaserSVT (Feb 1, 2009)

Right. Ill just go ahead and toss my amps and slap in some Autotek amps, fiddle with the EQ a little, tweak the TA, adjust the crossovers a bit and maybe make some phase adjustments and it will sound every bit as good! Just think, I could sell the amps for $2500, pick up a pair or $100 amps and never tell a difference.


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## DDfusion (Apr 23, 2015)

People are making PPI sound good.


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## sirbOOm (Jan 24, 2013)

The fight is brewing over whether amps "sound better" than the next. Some amps are better than others. Are you going to notice the difference between an Arc 1200.6 and an Audison Voce 5.1k while driving down the road solely due to two different amps? Probably not, at least without a keen ear and not paying attention to driving. Or maybe you will... and then you have justified your purchase. Cool beans.

Some amps, usually the more expensive ones, are able to deliver power faster, or more efficiently, or more reliably, or more accurately, with less distortion to the music. A watt between two unstressed amps may not sound (audibly to the human hear) different, but one amps ability to take in power and deliver a watt (rather, lots of watts) during complicated musical transients, heavy/repeating/intense basslines, midbass heavy metal music, and so forth can indeed be superior to another amp that has the exact same power rating. It just can be. And that's why some will claim, justifiably, that they have more snappy midbass when they change amps, even if they didn't increase power.

But all of this is relative and also dependent on the quality of the installation.

As for the Arc vs. the Voce. I have the Arc 1200.6. My only complaint is that, for apparently 600 watts of subwoofer output, it doesn't really hit that hard with two Clarus 10" subwoofers. I haven't tuned anything but I have thrown in an Alpine PDX sub amp just to screw around (I don't have the space for it) and that was also a 600 watt amp and guess what, I had tigher, snappier bass. Go figure. The Voce amps are excellent. They are HUGE though. Every Voce amp install I've heard at my shop has been with Hertz or Audison components and usually JL subs (ug...) and they all sounded great, the bass was tight and controlled and didn't have issues going to the lower register. But, I didn't put in that amp after taking out some other amp... so... no way to truly compare.


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## mbradlawrence (Mar 25, 2013)

I have audison speakers and arc xdi (450 and 600) amps. The 450 makes my voce 3's super loud, so much so that I have to cut them in the dsp so I don't blow myself away first thing in the morning when I turn on the car.

The speakers were old, the amps are new. I chose arc for size (going in a stock location) and price ..... AND, because arc has easy access to techs and great customer service. I had a field destroy on my audison speakers and it took 6 weeks or so to get a replacement. I have heard the voce amp and it was great but heaven forbid you have a problem.


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## AVIDEDTR (Sep 11, 2008)

LaserSVT said:


> I was told the XDIs are spectacular amps for their price point and very efficient. They also said amps such as the Audison AV 5.1 k, Sinfoni and the Mosconis do sound better.


That's debatable!


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## DDfusion (Apr 23, 2015)

I was looking at ARC very hard. I got way more watt per sq inch with my DD SS4 and M1c combo. 

I would have loved to have the Audison since I've never been disappointed with anything they offer. Sticker was out of my budget.


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## Hillbilly SQ (Jan 26, 2007)

sirbOOm said:


> The fight is brewing over whether amps "sound better" than the next. Some amps are better than others. Are you going to notice the difference between an Arc 1200.6 and an Audison Voce 5.1k while driving down the road solely due to two different amps? Probably not, at least without a keen ear and not paying attention to driving. Or maybe you will... and then you have justified your purchase. Cool beans.
> 
> Some amps, usually the more expensive ones, are able to deliver power faster, or more efficiently, or more reliably, or more accurately, with less distortion to the music. A watt between two unstressed amps may not sound (audibly to the human hear) different, but one amps ability to take in power and deliver a watt (rather, lots of watts) during complicated musical transients, heavy/repeating/intense basslines, midbass heavy metal music, and so forth can indeed be superior to another amp that has the exact same power rating. It just can be. And that's why some will claim, justifiably, that they have more snappy midbass when they change amps, even if they didn't increase power.
> 
> But all of this is relative and also dependent on the quality of the installation.


I've noticed the same thing and this is something some people will never be able to wrap their brain around. This is also why I'm more than willing to drop the coin on really good amps even if they'll be running drivers that are inexpensive (but well built). When people try to tell me a cleaner sounding amp doesn't matter because the noise floor while driving down the road negates that I just laugh. I guess they'd insist on driving someone else's car during a demo at a g2g if they were to ever attend one?:laugh:Apparently jamming out in the car is below themI'm a firm believer that you get what you pay for. And spending the money up front on what you want in the first place will end up costing less than trying to reach your goal by buying crap several times. Been there done that. I'll stick with my Mosconi amps. They're what I've been searching for all these years.


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## sqnut (Dec 24, 2009)

LaserSVT said:


> Right. Ill just go ahead and toss my amps and slap in some Autotek amps, fiddle with the EQ a little, tweak the TA, adjust the crossovers a bit and maybe make some phase adjustments and it will sound every bit as good! Just think, I could sell the amps for $2500, pick up a pair or $100 amps and never tell a difference.


Really dude? That's just so lame on so many counts.


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## Accordman (Jan 15, 2008)

I've owned pretty much every LRX and Voce amp that Audison makes. My listening session will definietly trip the Thermal circuit on the Audisons where it cuts power down to give the amp a chance to cool itself. Other than that, which im playing at 145+db for a hour at a time in 100-115 degree heatwith no ac/cooling in the trunk, ive never had an issue with the amps, other than summer ive never been able to trip the protection.

But, that being said, i recently sold my audison processor (had zero problems with it) and audison amps and bought a new XDi2 1200.6 and an Arc Audio PS8. I'm probably the most non biased person any of you will ever meet. I'm a dealer for both companies and dont really have any skin in running either one in my personal vehicles. That being said, i dont think im going to tell a bit of difference in the 2 companies when it comes to critically listening at a normal level of volume and if anything i'll probably get rid of the protection in the summer.

i do like the looks and size of the arcs better than any amp audison makes though, but thats just a personal preference and nothing more.


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## LaserSVT (Feb 1, 2009)

sqnut said:


> Really dude? That's just so lame on so many counts.


While my comment was tongue in cheek and I don't wish to derail this thread I just get so tired of that comment.

Yes tuning and installation is key, no doubt about it. But the same speakers in the same car with the same deck and without making any DSP/EQ changes you will hear a significant difference going from a lower to higher quality amp. I have seen it first hand time and time and time again. People I know that I can now call friends that design this crap and have been in the industry for years and do constant testing of multiple amps all agree a better amp makes a system sound better. Its just how it is. My JLs at the same power as my Quarts just sounded better. My Mosconis at the same power as the JLs just sound better.
Many people on here that I speak to regularly that have the means to play with multiple amps know first hand how much better a quality amp sound but they are so tired of this argument that they just no longer say anything.

I guess I should just stop now. If people want to believe you can polish a turd to make it look like gold I suppose its not my place to point out they are wrong.


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## Reerun_KC (Jul 8, 2015)

Accordman said:


> I've owned pretty much every LRX and Voce amp that Audison makes. My listening session will definietly trip the Thermal circuit on the Audisons where it cuts power down to give the amp a chance to cool itself. Other than that, which im playing at 145+db for a hour at a time in 100-115 degree heatwith no ac/cooling in the trunk, ive never had an issue with the amps, other than summer ive never been able to trip the protection.
> 
> But, that being said, i recently sold my audison processor (had zero problems with it) and audison amps and bought a new XDi2 1200.6 and an Arc Audio PS8. I'm probably the most non biased person any of you will ever meet. I'm a dealer for both companies and dont really have any skin in running either one in my personal vehicles. That being said, i dont think im going to tell a bit of difference in the 2 companies when it comes to critically listening at a normal level of volume and if anything i'll probably get rid of the protection in the summer.
> 
> i do like the looks and size of the arcs better than any amp audison makes though, but thats just a personal preference and nothing more.


That's a solid review. I appreciate the feed back.


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## LaserSVT (Feb 1, 2009)

Accordman said:


> I've owned pretty much every LRX and Voce amp that Audison makes. My listening session will definietly trip the Thermal circuit on the Audisons where it cuts power down to give the amp a chance to cool itself. Other than that, which im playing at 145+db for a hour at a time in 100-115 degree heatwith no ac/cooling in the trunk, ive never had an issue with the amps, other than summer ive never been able to trip the protection.
> 
> But, that being said, i recently sold my audison processor (had zero problems with it) and audison amps and bought a new XDi2 1200.6 and an Arc Audio PS8. I'm probably the most non biased person any of you will ever meet. I'm a dealer for both companies and dont really have any skin in running either one in my personal vehicles. That being said, i dont think im going to tell a bit of difference in the 2 companies when it comes to critically listening at a normal level of volume and if anything i'll probably get rid of the protection in the summer.
> 
> i do like the looks and size of the arcs better than any amp audison makes though, but thats just a personal preference and nothing more.


Holy crap! 145db for an hour? Not sure how loud a rock concert is but my ears ring so loud that all I can hear for a few hours afterward. Even in my truck where I am pushing 115, maybe 120db, after an hour I am spent! LOL

Quick question in your first paragraph. You say in a listening session you trip the thermal but in the next sentence you say you have never tripped the thermal protection....... I r teh cornfuzed.


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## Accordman (Jan 15, 2008)

LaserSVT said:


> Holy crap! 145db for an hour? Not sure how loud a rock concert is but my ears ring so loud that all I can hear for a few hours afterward. Even in my truck where I am pushing 115, maybe 120db, after an hour I am spent! LOL
> 
> Quick question in your first paragraph. You say in a listening session you trip the thermal but in the next sentence you say you have never tripped the thermal protection....... I r teh cornfuzed.


i forgot to insert that i can get it to trip in the summer time but other than that it never happens. I was running out the door trying to get my kids in gear while typing it out lol.

Yeah i listen to LOUD music, ive been in a vehicle that does 158s giving demos for 8 hours straight (obviously i have hearing protection) but i dont ALWAYS listen to it that loud, if my wife or kids are in the car i cant really play anything over talking level without the wife alarm going off.


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## LaserSVT (Feb 1, 2009)

Accordman said:


> i forgot to insert that i can get it to trip in the summer time but other than that it never happens. I was running out the door trying to get my kids in gear while typing it out lol.
> 
> Yeah i listen to LOUD music, ive been in a vehicle that does 158s giving demos for 8 hours straight (obviously i have hearing protection) but i dont ALWAYS listen to it that loud, if my wife or kids are in the car i cant really play anything over talking level without the wife alarm going off.


Ah, LOL. Thanks for the clarification. Thought my reading/comprehension skills took a bad nose dive. LMAO.

But damn, that's freakin loud. I haven't put my Mosconis into thermal yet but I did take a two hour drive last week while jamming near max volume the whole time and realized my rear seat was up. It partially blocks the fans with only a 1/4" gap and I could smell the carpet starting to melt. I flipped that seat down and you could touch them but wouldn't want to do it for more than a few seconds. Freaked me out, thought I hurt my new babies. At least they cooled down in under 5 minutes and stayed maybe 10* above the trucks interior temp for the rest of the drive.
Made me wonder just how hot they have to get before they go into protect mode. I have never felt my JLs get that hot. 
That was one of the reasons I didn't get the Audison as lots of people say they run hot and I figured if the seat was up it would only get minimal airflow and this being Texas, everythings a far drive. LOL


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## grinkeeper (Jun 26, 2015)

Great thread started here. lots of great statements.. Thanks for the opinions... I hate to bring it up but Im sure we have all read the Richard Clark blind amp test threads. Its hard to say which amp sounds better after reading that glut of info and comments. Im still using Old school amps from the 90s and haven’t felt the need to change. orion xtr 2150 for example has always been loads of power for me. and SQ amps I use some of the nice ZED made stuff like the Nak PA504 AND pa1002 and I seriously can get into the idea why I would upgrade while these are still alive and working...I guess Im still living in my glory days and nostalgia must be something Im in denial about..Any other people that still can’t wrap there has around new amps


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## Kelocyde (Oct 29, 2012)

:dead_horse:...I'm with the statement "all amps sound the same" except they distort differently.

Per my understanding, most differences shine night-and-day at higher volumes. But anything driven at 1 watt (anything "decent" typically runs at like .05% distortion or less) are going to sound identical. At normal levels (<90db), most full-range amps never see above a few watts anyways, especially with sensitive speakers (although in car-audio, volume levels can be quite excessive and losses can be extreme due to poor acoustic environment.)

Placebo effect, confirmation bias and humans' poor ability to hear come huge into play--even though lots of of think we have the most discerning golden ears.

Fun little read:
Richard Clark Amplifier Challenge FAQ

Hope I don't get :behead: for this 


As for the topic, I'm not familiar with those two amps other than brand and specs, but a quick google search show them being within $100 of each other--someone mentioned the Arc was half the price of the Audison.


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## Dynamic SQ (Jul 25, 2015)

Kelocyde said:


> :dead_horse:...I'm with the statement "all amps sound the same" except they distort differently.
> 
> Per my understanding, most differences shine night-and-day at higher volumes. But anything driven at 1 watt (anything "decent" typically runs at like .05% distortion or less) are going to sound identical. At normal levels (<90db), most full-range amps never see above a few watts anyways, especially with sensitive speakers (although in car-audio, volume levels can be quite excessive and losses can be extreme due to poor acoustic environment.)
> 
> ...


I disagree. I've owned at least 150+ different models and brands of car audio and home audio amplifiers in my life, and amps definitely all have their own signature sound. 

At this point, my opinion is, Richard Clark is an idiot and his test is nothing more than a buttress for cheap people to quantify using cheap ****ty amps. Period. Not to mention, most people leave out the fact that he tweaked all the amps he tested internally to try and make them sound the same before the test. His test holds no more weight than me, and many others, doing testing in my own home and cars over the course of 20 years. 

People don't spend more money on amps just to do it. If there were a consensus in the real world (not on this forum) that all amps sound the same, then any amp over $100 would never last on the market. We would all be buying the $69 Amazon special. 

Unfortunately, this forum isn't the real world and the members here are a limited few in the big picture. 

If all you can afford is a $69 amp and some clearance Madisound drivers, then use what you can afford. Just don't come here saying all amps sound the same and tuning can turn a $3.00 speaker into an Esotar 650 because you're broke.


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## Kelocyde (Oct 29, 2012)

Dynamic SQ said:


> I disagree. I've owned at least 150+ different models and brands of car audio and home audio amplifiers in my life, and amps definitely all have their own signature sound.
> 
> At this point, my opinion is, Richard Clark is an idiot and his test is nothing more than a buttress for cheap people to quantify using cheap ****ty amps. Period. Not to mention, most people leave out the fact that he tweaked all the amps he tested internally to try and make them sound the same before the test. His test holds no more weight than me, and many others, doing testing in my own home and cars over the course of 20 years.
> 
> ...


"Signature sound" from amplifiers does exist, that's how they distort. The distortion may be appeasing (i.e. tube amps) or appalling (pyle) hence the need to spend more money--i don't disagree about that at all.

In a perfect world, amplifiers should be transparent (as in don't alter the sound whatsoever) but some are made with extremely low quality components, are made incorrectly, or are driven too hard and therefore are not transparent. 

I don't know why you're bringing drivers into this, I'm not referring to those whatsoever. They make the hugest difference in sound. 

I currently have three amps, not including ones from the past. These include older amps such as a Marantz 501 and McIntosh MC2100, both fully serviced. A modern amp I own is an Emotiva XPA-2. I've heard a McIntosh Mc452, including the above amps, all on the same system and they sound identical at reasonable listening volumes. Sure, turning the volume up to unreasonably loud levels may bring the "amplifier signature" out but that's just distortion being introduced. The only reason I have these is because I was once naive thinking amps made a difference.

Heh, Richard Clark, I said a "fun read". You didn't have much fun it looks like  

"Official" All amps sound the same thread - AVS Forum | Home Theater Discussions And Reviews

I'd love to have an intellectual debate! Please no insults  Hell, we can start a new thread (or pm) to not cluster this one.


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## LaserSVT (Feb 1, 2009)

In the million times I have seen this argument there is always someone that brings in the Richard Clark test like its the Rosetta Stone or something. LOL

I can only go by what I hear and what I hear is they sound different. Yeah I will concede that at 5 watts you really cant hear any difference but at 50 watts you can and its much more evident when you are going above 100 watts.

Just my experience. It aint gospel and I have no hard facts other than experience and the will to waste tons of money on this crap.

Main thing is I am happy with what I have and I am so the rest don't matter.


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## capea4 (Sep 2, 2010)

http://www.diymobileaudio.com/forum...-fs-audison-voce-5-1k-bit-bit-ten-d-$800.html

Solved, buy that


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## Kelocyde (Oct 29, 2012)

LaserSVT said:


> I can only go by what I hear and what I hear is they sound different. Yeah I will concede that at 5 watts you really cant hear any difference but at 50 watts you can and its much more evident when you are going above 100 watts.


Have you ever clamped your speakers (not subwoofers) or seen amps with analog VU meters displaying wattage? I was dumbfounded when I was seeing .5 watts being pushed with OCCASIONAL peaks at 5 watts and more than sufficient volume. I mean I'm sure mostly everyone here understands sensitivity (1w/1m) but that day it reallly hit me. Fun little test to try out


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## LaserSVT (Feb 1, 2009)

I havent had anything with a VU meter on it in a couple decades. Cant say that I paid attention to what wattage number they were pointing at.


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## captainscarlett (Mar 15, 2011)

Aren't Arc Audio speakers basically SB Acoustics drivers?

I like Audison stuff. Smooth, but detailed, but that's just my preference.


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## Accordman (Jan 15, 2008)

lol my tweets measures out of a 200rms supplied to them a whooping 7 watts used power where my midbass were using a mere 73 watts out of the 300 i sent them in one of my builds.


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## Accordman (Jan 15, 2008)

captainscarlett said:


> Aren't Arc Audio speakers basically SB Acoustics drivers?
> 
> I like Audison stuff. Smooth, but detailed, but that's just my preference.


unless SB acoustics makes amps now, i dont see how the drivers are relivant


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## captainscarlett (Mar 15, 2011)

Accordman said:


> unless SB acoustics makes amps now, i dont see how the drivers are relivant


My bad, sorry. I'll bow out.


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## otis857 (Feb 12, 2008)

Aside from the SQ differences, which IMO are minuscule at best, I put an Audison LRx 5.1 running off an RF 3sixty.2 in my wife's Pacifica for a 1 amp solution back in 2008. It was sized perfect to fit in the rear storage compartment. We dont stress it out like I may have when I was younger, but the amp has run like a charm for all these years. Im sure the new ones are more advanced than the older models, and may or may not sound better, but I can attest to their reliability. Its definitely been set it and forget it.

That said, I've been eyeballing the XDi v2's as well for my truck. But mainly based on size and build quality. I ended up finding some good deals on some new version PDX amps and am going to try them first. I dont know that there is a right answer to your original question, guess it depends on your specific needs.


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## Jeffdachef (Jul 3, 2015)

Both the Arc audio's ps8 and audison bit one seem to have almost endless tuning options. If i had to chose one, i'd still go with the bit one


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## nineball76 (Mar 13, 2010)

The only advantage the bitone has is the DRC. Once the controller for the Arc is released I think the ballgame changes.


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## Kriszilla (Jul 1, 2013)

nineball76 said:


> The only advantage the bitone has is the DRC. Once the controller for the Arc is released I think the ballgame changes.


Definitely. I have the PS8 and the H800. The only reason I'm not using the PS8 is lack of a controller. It's going into my wife's car instead. 

Plus, the dual optical input on the H800 is handy since I'm running two optical sources now. One of them (Alpine changer) isn't variable, so I'm stuck using the RUX-C800 to control volume with that device, something I can't do on the PS8.


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## Tiago729 (May 24, 2015)

The reason why I went with the AV5.1k is because I already had the Bit Ten D, so going all digital was a no brainer to me. But my second choice was actually the Focal FPD 900.6. Came very close to getting it. Front stage power is the same as the Arc, but the sub channel has a little more power ([email protected] bridging ch. 5 and 6). Another good thing about the focal is its highly modulated power supply which will deliver the rated power at 12V (major). Pasmag did a review on the 4 ch. version where they actually tested the true output at 12V. So there you know that you're getting what you paid for. Just my 2 cents.


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## Accordman (Jan 15, 2008)

Jeffdachef said:


> Both the Arc audio's ps8 and audison bit one seem to have almost endless tuning options. If i had to chose one, i'd still go with the bit one


the bitone has 31 predetermined bands of eq per channel

the PS8 has 31 bands of parametric eq with adjustable Q and user definable frequency points

maybe my simple mind is reading to much into it but that seems like a pretty BIG difference in tunability to me, not to mention all of the other options within the advance tuning mode of the ps8.

Bitone is a cheaper price wise piece though especially since the price drop to 799 MSRP


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## nineball76 (Mar 13, 2010)

Not to mention, the ps8 has user definable crossover. Dial in exact frequency. Infinitely adjustable. 

Only thing I don't understand, or haven't looked into enough, is the ps8 set at 8v outputs and nothing else? My amps max at 3.5v, and I realize you can use the master volume to limit the output, I liked that the h800 had a couple different settings there.


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## Jeffdachef (Jul 3, 2015)

nineball76 said:


> Not to mention, the ps8 has user definable crossover. Dial in exact frequency. Infinitely adjustable.
> 
> Only thing I don't understand, or haven't looked into enough, is the ps8 set at 8v outputs and nothing else? My amps max at 3.5v, and I realize you can use the master volume to limit the output, I liked that the h800 had a couple different settings there.


8v is if you have everything up. You can always turn it down on the ps8 and test the pre-out voltage comming from it to get the right level before you hook it up.


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## Reerun_KC (Jul 8, 2015)

Greet feedback and info guys. Very educational responses.


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