# Best budget 4-channel amp



## tadef (Jun 1, 2010)

Driving 4" component set and 5.25" co-axials. I'd like to try and keep it under $125...but was looking at Pioneer GM-D9500F. Just looking for best bang for the buck.


----------



## thomasluke (Jun 10, 2011)

You have made a great choice already. No need to debate .


----------



## tadef (Jun 1, 2010)

Any of the MB Quarts that can be had for around $100 any good? I remember a couple of years ago, everybody (here) was all over the base MBQ for bang for the buck.


----------



## Navy Chief (Jun 14, 2010)

Are you only looking at new amps, I generally feel that my money goes further on pre-owned equipment.


----------



## tadef (Jun 1, 2010)

I would buy used from a reputable seller. But it's just so hit-and-miss.


----------



## Pitmaster (Feb 16, 2010)

There are many reputable sellers on the DIY classifides


----------



## tadef (Jun 1, 2010)

No, I meant finding what you want.


----------



## kyheng (Jan 31, 2007)

For that amount of money to be spend and the low power speakers, I'll consider the HU's speaker outputs...


----------



## DiMora (Nov 14, 2011)

Pitmaster said:


> There are many reputable sellers on the DIY classifides


And a few snakes, so shop carefully, make sure they have a picture of the item, ask questions, always use PayPal and DO NOT GIFT.

To the OP: I like used gear - great bang for the buck.

I am a huge sucker for the Eclipse PA series amps. Look for a PA5422.


----------



## chevbowtie22 (Nov 23, 2008)

Alpine MRP-F300. I realize retail is a little outside your budget but I'm sure you could find a very slightly used one for closer to the price your looking for. They are tanks. They don't put out monster power by any means but I VERY rarely see them fail. Its consistently been my go to amp for budget installs including past small budget installs in my own cars.


----------



## High Cotton (Feb 6, 2012)

DiMora said:


> And a few snakes, so shop carefully, make sure they have a picture of the item, ask questions, always use PayPal and DO NOT GIFT.
> 
> To the OP: I like used gear - great bang for the buck.
> 
> I am a huge sucker for the Eclipse PA series amps. Look for a PA5422.


I had a PA5422 that I regretfully sold. I would buy another in a heart beat.


----------



## Grey_Fox (Sep 8, 2011)

The MBQ's Q-line is suppose to be their top-tier products.


----------



## mojozoom (Feb 11, 2012)

For about $100 you can get the Aura RPM4200, and it seems to have a good rep and nice build.

That's my plan anyway.


----------



## duro78 (Dec 24, 2011)

Raise your limit and get the Ppi p900.4 will not disappoint

Sent from my DROIDX using Tapatalk


----------



## ZAKOH (Nov 26, 2010)

tadef said:


> Any of the MB Quarts that can be had for around $100 any good? I remember a couple of years ago, everybody (here) was all over the base MBQ for bang for the buck.


If you're talking about MB Quart FX series, no they're not good. Their wattage is overrated by the factor of almost two. Some guys on this forum had problems with MB Quart Q series too. The ONX4 series is perhaps ok. I'd personally skip MB Quart and most of cheaper products. For the most part you get what you pay for. One budget amp I'd look into is probably PPI Sedona.


----------



## Wesayso (Jul 20, 2010)

That Pioneer doesn't look bad... at that price I'd try it.


----------



## zumbo (Feb 4, 2012)

I have a Linear Power 4253IQ I purchased from a member here. I made the purchase on ebay. I was in the design faze of my build, and was going two different directions. I had one black JL Slash amp from previous plans, and was having problems finding current matching black slash models. Black has been discontinued. 

Started buying LP because it is local, I have had great past systems using the brand, and I can get repairs/color match pretty easy. I ran into trouble trying to find one of the more desirable amps for driving my subs. Prices were just too high for my budget.

During my searches for LP, I continued to search for matching JL Slash amps. All of a sudden, a seller list a NIB black 300/2, and a matching used black 500/1. I jumped on it. That completed my build. I have Three matching JL amps for my system.

So, I am left with some LP gear I don't plan to use. I will sell the 4253IQ, which was purchased from a member here, for what I paid. The amp needs speaker plugs, so I will have to go by Tips to pick some up. Whatever they cost will have to be added to the price, + actual shipping. There is no need to commit, as I understand how deciding on equipment can be. I have to get the speaker plugs anyway.

You can see the link here, and also confirm my story by my feedback purchases:
eBay - New & used electronics, cars, apparel, collectibles, sporting goods & more at low prices


----------



## audiobaun (Jun 8, 2011)

Id take a Look into SoundStreams LilWonders for that price.4ch refurb is @$120 shipped and has a great warranty on Ebay


----------



## avanti1960 (Sep 24, 2011)

tadef-

i had the pioneer gmd 9500F for about 3 months. there was an overbearing harshness to the sound my ground up install that included receiver, speakers and sub. 
after replacing everything but the amp (speakers twice) i learned that the harshness was coming from the amp, even at low to moderate volume, and that this amp demonstrated the worst possible characteristics of what people complain about in class D amplifiers. it was a harshness in certain types of music that is just awful to the ears. 
i replaced it with a JL 900 HD and the harshness went away, but quite honestly not completely. 
since I am going to upgrade again and convert to an active setup, I am strongly considering a good small class AB amp to drive the tweeters. 

good luck but stay away from that amp- there is a reason why the original MSRP was ~ 300.00 a year ago and now you can find them for just over a buck or so.


----------



## tadef (Jun 1, 2010)

Hmmm. I had an Eclipse class D amp (XA4000) in my M3 and didn't find it to be harsh at all (pushing 5.25 CDT components and Infinity Ref 6x9s). Now that doesn't mean the Pioneer isn't, but are you thinking it was the Pioneer or the class D part of the equation?


----------



## robert_wrath (Apr 24, 2011)

Try one of these:
http://www.diymobileaudio.com/forum/1523992-post32.html


----------



## tadef (Jun 1, 2010)

I've been thinking that class D might be the way to go for lower run temps. Looking at installing these under the rear seat.


----------



## tadef (Jun 1, 2010)

Did I mention that I need a relatively small footprint too?


----------



## avanti1960 (Sep 24, 2011)

tadef said:


> Hmmm. I had an Eclipse class D amp (XA4000) in my M3 and didn't find it to be harsh at all (pushing 5.25 CDT components and Infinity Ref 6x9s). Now that doesn't mean the Pioneer isn't, but are you thinking it was the Pioneer or the class D part of the equation?


It's that pioneer. There are class d amps that sound good. But right now I have one of the best SQ class D amps and I think it can be beat by a decent AB amp.


----------



## robert_wrath (Apr 24, 2011)

avanti1960 said:


> It's that pioneer. There are class d amps that sound good. But right now I have one of the best SQ class D amps and I think it can be beat by a decent AB amp.


Which one?


----------



## tadef (Jun 1, 2010)

GM-D9500F

I won't take this as the gospel, but it does give me pause...


----------



## tadef (Jun 1, 2010)

I see you can buy Arc XXD 4080 refurb for $147...

Don't love the lack of RCA outputs.


----------



## avanti1960 (Sep 24, 2011)

robert_wrath said:


> Which one?


when I eliminated all but the GMD9500 amp as the source of the frequent garbled harshness i was hearing, i reasearched and demo'ed extensively. 

i was able to duplicate the issue at my dealer with a low-end class D Kicker amp- it had the exact "garbled harshness" that my pioneer amp was producing. they couldn't get the pioneer amp to work on their sound board. 
the best class D amp they had was the JL audio 900 HD, which I wound up buying- only because they had no class AB amps in stock and that their footprint would not fit where I needed to mount my amp. 
however- i listened to one class AB amp (Focal) and it did sound better than the JL 900 HD. Smoother. If it was in stock and would have fit I would have taken that one in a split second.


----------



## Mason Dixon (Oct 24, 2011)

Is the PPI S320.4 amp decent?


----------



## tadef (Jun 1, 2010)

So this amp clearly didn't work for Avanti...is there anybody out there with something good to say about it?

And what about the XXD 4080?


----------



## avanti1960 (Sep 24, 2011)

how about this one- i personally would trust clarion. 

Clarion XR2410 400W, XR Series 4-Channel Amplifier


----------



## gsdye (Nov 30, 2011)

I personally went with a used JL Audio 300/4


----------



## cnut334 (Oct 17, 2009)

Do the soundstream rubicons deliver clean sound?


----------



## Go Horns! (Dec 16, 2011)

avanti1960 said:


> tadef-
> 
> i had the pioneer gmd 9500F for about 3 months. there was an overbearing harshness to the sound my ground up install that included receiver, speakers and sub.
> after replacing everything but the amp (speakers twice) i learned that the harshness was coming from the amp, even at low to moderate volume, and that this amp demonstrated the worst possible characteristics of what people complain about in class D amplifiers. it was a harshness in certain types of music that is just awful to the ears.


Thanks for the heads upon the amp. Will hope to go the classifieds route.


----------



## Bayboy (Dec 29, 2010)

Surprised no one mentioned US Acoustics (if you can find one), but then I seen small footprint to fit under a seat. Guess that kills that suggestion.


----------



## tadef (Jun 1, 2010)

Ya, I'm probably limited to a class D. So, considering Eclipse EA4200, Arc XXD 4080 (the newer one is out of my budget) and the PPI P900.4, but again, that's stretching my budget quite a bit.

I haven't completely ruled out the Pioneer. Avanti - was the Pioneer functioning properly? I can't imagine there wouldn't be more complaints if they ALL sounded like you describe.


----------



## bombzombie (Nov 30, 2008)

Don't know if you are seeking a more powerful amp, but these digital amps are conservatively rated, reliable and cheap with reasonable sound quality. I wouldn't recommend an A/B amp for a constrained space without a heat management or air flow management setup.

NEW ALPINE MRX-F30 4-CHANNEL CAR AMPLIFIER Built-in Crossover & Bass EQ | eBay


----------



## tadef (Jun 1, 2010)

A little too spendy and no RCA out. I ended up buying an Eclipse EA4200 yesterday. I would have liked to get a little more power, but this should do OK.


----------



## bombzombie (Nov 30, 2008)

Gotcha. Why do you want an RCA output? 

Power-wise, you've likely hit your sweet spot for watts/dollar and maybe for what your speakers can handle (most higher-end amps underrate their power somewhat -- the birthsheets on that alpine I have seen read 4x80 at 13.8v [listed at 4x50rms]). More power will cost you a significant bit more without much attendant benefit beyond increasing head-room. Additionally, the old rule about doubling power comes into play as well. Good luck.


----------



## marvnmars (Dec 30, 2011)

for small foot print and a/b performance, the massive nx4 is hard to beat, you can commonally find them on here used/new in the sub $200 range, will easily fit under a seat, and i can say from personal experience, they will email you answers to any queation you may have about their equipment fast, and with a logical answer. i reciently replaced my alpind pdx 150.4 with the massive, imo it does have a smother sound to it, there is no longer a harshness i had in the mid bass, to my ears anyway. the only downside of the massive is the crossover section in the amp will not support an active set up on it's own.


----------



## avanti1960 (Sep 24, 2011)

tadef said:


> . Avanti - was the Pioneer functioning properly? I can't imagine there wouldn't be more complaints if they ALL sounded like you describe.


i believe it was. understand that the harshness was not present 100% of the time. with smooth music, female vocals, acoustic music it sounded fine. but play something more aggressive like classic rock or metal, especially raspy male vocals, e.g. pearl jam, foo fighters, and the harshness was there. maybe it isn't obvious to the average ear but i heard it and could point it out to anyone. once you hear it your ear focuses on it and from then on the amp is doomed- you can hear it more and more often. really a horrible amp. 
it was not hit you over the head obvious like high volume clipping- more like slightly garbled and unclear- enough to make you want to rip the amp and the whole "upgrade" right out once you knew what you were hearing.


----------



## tadef (Jun 1, 2010)

I looked back at your thread regarding the install. I think your ear is much more sensitive than mine - and I'm glad I don't hear that much detail.  Anyway, problem resolved. Thanks everybody!


----------

