# Old School Amps - The Punch by Rockford Fosgate.



## ANT

These were the amps that people were using when I got in to the hobby.

http://phoenix.craigslist.org/wvl/ele/825587637.html

I think is is over stating their potential a bit but nice amps non the less.
Missing the Promos 1000 though...


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## ca90ss

DIYMA said:


> These were the amps that people were using when I got in to the hobby.
> 
> http://phoenix.craigslist.org/wvl/ele/825587637.html


You got into the hobby 3.5 years ago?


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## ClinesSelect

Actually it was Feb 2005.


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## ANT

Guess I did not pay close enough attention to the ad...
I thought these amps were the punch amps from the late 80's

I didn't realize the fosgate did a throwback series..

After looking a the amps a little closer I see the new fosgate logo othe amps and packaging 
Dissapointing...
nm


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## ClinesSelect

A cool little comparison of the two. 

Punch 45


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## zero niner

Yeah, they were some sort of re-release or anniversary model or edition, when I got into car audio in the late 80's, this is all my friends shop was installing. I remember seeing a car that had a Punch 45 powering every speaker, it had like 10 of these all in a row, it looked awesome! I liked how they manipulated the power of each amp to run each speaker. Yup, always liked the old school punch series.

Rob


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## Hispls

I heard good things about the 25 to life series. They came out priced insanely high, but more recently the prices dropped to some great deals from some of the big online stores.

These were grossly over-rated (moreso than the late 80's ones) on purpose for the old-schoolers, and I believe they were even American made.

I remember lots of us ran whole systems off punch 45's back in the day. You could fry bacon on them after about 15 minutes, but we'd do fronts, rears, and subs @ 1 ohm in tri-mode. Rugged and powerful little amps!


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## ChrisB

I like my 25 to Life Power 1000! I tried to get a Punch 150 or two, but I was broke when they were running for $175 at the end of last year. Now Bill's Electronics is the only one who seems to have any NIB models for sale and he wants $275 for them.

ETA: The odd thing is my next setup will be either involve some Orion HCCAs that I have or my Old School Linear Power amps. I ended up switching to Orion and Linear Power because I grew tired of looking for working gen 2 Punch 150s on eBay.


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## tomtomjr

Out of all the RF amps, the Gen1 is the best in my opinion. I had over 100 of them in my collection last year. Now, down to about 60 or so of the 1st gen amps. The Gen2 and the HD series just never seemed to hold up like the first gen series 150,75 and 45. They are bringing a premium on Ebay. I just sold a 45,75 and 150 1st gen 2 weeks ago that brought a LOT. They were new in the box from about 85 or so. Getting harder and harder to come across the first gen RF stuff. The power series are still bringing top dollar. (300,650,1000) , and the early power series bring insane money (360,II,VI) ...


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## zero niner

Hispls said:


> I remember lots of us ran whole systems off punch 45's back in the day. You could fry bacon on them after about 15 minutes, but we'd do fronts, rears, and subs @ 1 ohm in tri-mode. Rugged and powerful little amps!


Ha! That's exactly what I was thinking of, I loved those systems! Thanks for the memory, that was a long time ago  

Rob


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## Hispls

tomtomjr said:


> Out of all the RF amps, the Gen1 is the best in my opinion. I had over 100 of them in my collection last year. Now, down to about 60 or so of the 1st gen amps. The Gen2 and the HD series just never seemed to hold up like the first gen series 150,75 and 45. They are bringing a premium on Ebay. I just sold a 45,75 and 150 1st gen 2 weeks ago that brought a LOT. They were new in the box from about 85 or so. Getting harder and harder to come across the first gen RF stuff. The power series are still bringing top dollar. (300,650,1000) , and the early power series bring insane money (360,II,VI) ...


You're a greedy bastard! 

The first gen definitely outlasted/outperformed the HD's and later models. The original power series was very nice though. I really loved me some RF in those days.


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## ChrisB

Hispls said:


> You're a greedy bastard!
> 
> The first gen definitely outlasted/outperformed the HD's and later models. The original power series was very nice though. I really loved me some RF in those days.


I found the cooling to be a little better on the Gen 2 Punch 150s. I had a Gen 1 that I ended up making an aluminum shroud with some 120mm 12 volt fans to keep from going into thermal mode. I am still kicking myself in the ass for selling my Punch 150 with the shroud to pay for my college issued parking tickets in 1993. The guy I sold it to is STILL using it till this day.


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## tomtomjr

They make great looking wallpaper too!!!


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## GlasSman

Nice collection.

The ones with the fins are_* truely*_ old school.

The term old school is _*GROSSELY*_ over used these days.


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## ChrisB

Tomtomjr's photos make me want to cry every time I think of an amp that I needlessly sold.


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## tomtomjr

06BLMUSTANGGT said:


> Tomtomjr's photos make me want to cry every time I think of an amp that I needlessly sold.



I suggest you better find one now before the prices go up anymore. Every year, these go up in price. Especially the 1st gen RF amps. The Fosgate (Pre-Rockford) amps are going up too. I run into a new RF collector about once a month. Prices are not going to go down anytime soon.


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## nakamichidenon

Guess i shouldnt have traded my 150 hd..then....picked it up for 30bucks from some old guy...he had in his garage with a little rust on the alens but the speaker wire was not evern stripped from the plug.... traded with some haflers msn 40s.... Whats the highest you see these for tomtomjr?


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## xlynoz

Ahhhhh the old days. I can remember one of my buddies in the 0 - 100 watt class running to the back of his Blazer to unplug the Punch 45 molex's from the SQ set up to the SPL set up. Funny how Thunder on Wheels (TOW) allowed you to do that. He finally set up a series of Bosch relays so he could just flip a switch for SQ, another for full blown SPL and a third for middle ground, high end with two 15's. Damn that was a whole bunch of relays .


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## tomtomjr

nakamichidenon said:


> Guess i shouldnt have traded my 150 hd..then....picked it up for 30bucks from some old guy...he had in his garage with a little rust on the alens but the speaker wire was not evern stripped from the plug.... traded with some haflers msn 40s.... Whats the highest you see these for tomtomjr?


Highest prices I have seen on HD is for new in box ones. I paid $275 for a 150HD new in the box awhile back. I saw one sell for $350 New in box. But then a gen2 Punch 45 went for $504 on Ebay a year ago. But the thing to keep in mind is that it is only worth what someone is willing to pay. 
The Fosgate (pre-Rockford) amps are hard to find. Finding one of them new in the box is next to impossible, but have 6 of them NIB. And a lot of used ones. Been really lucky on finding those. In my electronic tech days, I only saw a few then, and snagged every one I could get my hands on. The rarest of the amps I have are the prototype amps from Jim Fosgate's car, a PR-235 NIB, and a Power II. Unsure of what they are worth though. I have never seen any of them for sale other than the ones I have...


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## xlynoz

This got me thinking about the fun stuff we used to do. For example here's my first system. JBL T545 6x9s and Punch 8" subs running off an Harmon Kardon CA240 with an Kenwood H/U topping it off.




























And here is a real boom box










Oh yeah those were the days.


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## tomtomjr

Hey xlynoz, have you been in DFW for awhile? I worked for Dalworth car stereo for a few years, and several other stereo shops as an audio repair tech. 
Love the cooler. I did several of the trucker boxes. Where the trucker would take it in and out of the truck. Did a briefcase stereo too that was a tuner, an eq, and four 4" speakers. Loud!!! The JBL 545 6x9's were the "in" thing back in the early 80's. Everyone had to have a set. Then they would get stolen within a month or two. Sounded great on a Punch 40 with slide controls or a 1st gen Punch 45.


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## xlynoz

tomtomjr said:


> Hey xlynoz, have you been in DFW for awhile? I worked for Dalworth car stereo for a few years, and several other stereo shops as an audio repair tech.
> Love the cooler. I did several of the trucker boxes. Where the trucker would take it in and out of the truck. Did a briefcase stereo too that was a tuner, an eq, and four 4" speakers. Loud!!! The JBL 545 6x9's were the "in" thing back in the early 80's. Everyone had to have a set. Then they would get stolen within a month or two. Sounded great on a Punch 40 with slide controls or a 1st gen Punch 45.


Only been here a couple of years. Lived in New Orleans before that. 

I can't take credit for the Boombox as a couple of guys at the shop threw it together for spring break. Was awesome except for the 60 minute runtime and off to the room to recharge.

Yeah the T545 were the ****z. Bright as hell. JBL didn't need to come out with the titanium tweeters they could have just used those .

Where about in DFW do you live? I'm up in Frisco.


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## ChrisB

nakamichidenon said:


> Guess i shouldnt have traded my 150 hd..then....picked it up for 30bucks from some old guy...he had in his garage with a little rust on the alens but the speaker wire was not evern stripped from the plug.... traded with some haflers msn 40s.... Whats the highest you see these for tomtomjr?


Actually, you may have made a wise decision on the Punch 150 HD. I will only go with a Gen 1 or Gen 2 Punch amplifier, i.e. anything pre-HD. I had too many problems with a Punch 30 HD that I was using for a tweeter amp in 91 or so. After sending it off for repair three times, I threw my hands up and gave it to a friend. He actually used it tri-mode to run one 12" sub and two 5.25 inch coax speakers.


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## eisnerracing

tomtomjr said:


> They make great looking wallpaper too!!!


WOW amazing old rockfords !! 


but I think I have the holy grail of rockford Fosagte 
the original punch amp made by hand by Jim Fosgate himself before the addition of the name rockford to the company 
and a hand etched serial # A9489
PR 220 20 watts by two 
high level input amp - and it works


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## bigdwiz

The PR220 was not the first amp by Fosgate, it was the PR7000 (introduced at Summer CES in 1973, yet not clear when it was actually released to the public). The amp you have there is very nice, not taking anything away, just making a correction. The PR220 was available in starting in 1977.

Here are some pictures of the PR7000 aka "PowerPunch"




















And here's a pic showing the first 3 known (audio based) products from Jim Fosgate (also used the patented "Punch" circuit). Bottom to top; Pro Line Frequency Energizer, Fosgate Frequency Energizer and PR7000 "PowerPunch"


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## eisnerracing

I do remember this under dash amp/ eq 
And now I think about it. I guess I should have 
Listed the pr220 as one of the first trunk mount style by Jim or my 
Be this first model


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## rlawley1967

I had two Punch 150's bridged. One for each RF Pro 12's and one Punch 150 for the midbase, mids and tweets. I ran All RF in a 1989 Nissan 300z, the whole back end was a ported box that was the first one designed by a computer. 6.5" midbase and tweeters in the front doors, and 4" mids and tweets in the rear seat area. I was the first in the area to have a CD player in my car, it skipped every time I hit a bump. I hit 144db and took first place in my first competition.

Now I'm 47 and running 1750 watts of JL Audio in a 2014 Silverado. Although the products and music has changed, I still love the huge systems and showing my stuff at sound comps. Now I can hit 151db.

7db difference with 1300 less watts. All this to say, the old school stuff was excellent; although the sound quality is much better now. It's loud and clear. 

I always said, if it's too loud, you're too old. AND If your mirrors aren't shaken' you got taken'!


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## spaceace60

xlynoz said:


> This got me thinking about the fun stuff we used to do. For example here's my first system. JBL T545 6x9s and Punch 8" subs running off an Harmon Kardon CA240 with an Kenwood H/U topping it off.
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I know this post is old but it hit a soft spot(I guess i wasn't the only one using T545's?)I've owned many pairs of the Jbl T545,infact I bought a pr just 10yrs ago from warehouse buried in a ton of dust still sealed in orig plastic after probably sitting 20 plus yrs(the owner was like "would they be worth a $100 to ya?)Hell Ya!! I was laughing inside like a kid at Christmas morning!!! they were so fun to own back in the day(way before i found this pr.!)as I got to brag about having the biggest 6x9's in town back in the mid 80's!! I was also one of the 1st guys in my town to have things like a x-over and subs all hooked up to old Kac Kenwood amps and a high end Kenwood cassette deck!(damn even Kenwood had a half decent line back in the day!!!)while most of my friends were still playing 8 tracks of Led Zep and Rush lol! I was what seemed like light yrs ahead of them lol! Fear not I've come out of a 15yr.retirement as im back at it again!!(since me and wife split!) i'm going into my 2nd (or maybe 3rd?)childhood!! as I got the audio itch again and i'm doin it all over again!!!,but this build will be my best/most expensive build yet!! I'm still gona use old school amps,but for obvious reasons i'm going with new Hu,speakers and processors! I built the best systems in my hick area around in the mid 80's and again in mid 90's(when it was all about Mb Quart spkrs,PPi/USamps-the mighty purple 400 alt killer!!,and I had the RF Symetry lol You go Wayne Harris lol!) I'm soo pumped to build again as I got my customized mid life crisis 3000gt Vr4 and most of my audio gear set aside just waitin to go in!! My 4th(final build in 2025)will have to be loud and clear for a whole new reason!(I will by then be half deaf lol!)just give me any reason to turn my **** up louder will ya!!!!!


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