These brands any good?

[EnVeE 02]

Im looking at a few options for my new system. Im not exactly looking to spend alot, but i have a few things in mind. First off, can any one tell me anything about Power acoustics? Is there stuff any good? And second, does anyone have any info on a Brand called o2? There subs are cheap and the amps arent too bad either. My cousin currently has two 10" Kicker CompVX subs running off one of their amps and a good friend of mine is running a 12" JL W3 off one of these amps. I just wonder if their subs are any good. Carmedia1.com carries a few of their products. Any input is appreciated. Thanks

[BigBL87]

Just from what I've heard on other boards, I wouldn't go with the Power Acoustik's. A few people liked em, but most of the guys decently serious about audio thought they were crap. As far as O2, I haven't found anybody really talking about them. If you go with their stuff, I'd say its a big risk. In the car audio world, you get what you pay for. If you want quality stuff, go with established companies and pay a little extra.

If you want a decent balance between affordability and quality, I'd reccomend Pioneer. While the aren't at the top of the totem pole, they're decently priced and good quality for that price.

[EnVeE 02]

thanks alot bigbl..the only reason i would really conside the o2 brand is the fact that the amp my cousin has, has been holding up for some time now with two extremely powerful subs...and he beats on them. Maybe ill look into pioneer.

[BigBL87]

No problem. I'm looking into building my system myself, so I'm around at alot of car audio forums just picking info up. For an amp, Pioneer has a nice 2 Channel 760 watt amp, that's what I'm buying myself. It matches the RMS on my Dual subs (ha, ya, craptastic brand!) exactly, and should be able to power my higher quality subs I'll get to replace my crappy ones. I also had some 6x9's from them in my last car, and some people thought I had a small sub somewhere, so their bass response is obviously pretty good.

[EnVeE 02]

how much did the amp run you? where?

[BigBL87]

In havn't gotten it yet, gotta save up the money. But, they run anywhere between 99 and 160 dollars, depending on where you look. I haven't read a single bad review, and a number of audiophiles over on the other boards really like it, especially for the price. I found it on Kmart's website for 99:

http://www.kmart.com/catalog/product.jsp?productId=155575&Ne=410000000&pCategoryId=89&N=1824+4294966724&Nty=1&categoryId=1824

[ryanbgb22]

imo the best bang for the buck is audiobahn, there amps are by far the best for the price and dont do rediculous over power rating like sony etc. even cheaper is dub audio which is the same as audiobahn just a bit cheaper. I baught a dub amp on ebay for $120 and was amazed with the amount of power it had in comparison to the "1000 watt" pyramid pos i had before.

[BigBL87]

Ya, Audiobahn is one of those brands people seem to love or hate, not much middle ground. I don't have an opinion myself because I've never heard any of their stuff. You're right about Sony, definitely. I might buy some of their older stuff, but anything within the last 5 years is pretty much crap.

[GrandAmGT1996]

IMO a good, fairly inexspensive sub and amp are Rockford. You can pick up there T1 series subs cheap and there amps arent that exspensive either. Not to mention there amps are pretty powerfull.

[caraudiodave]

first off, power acoustik is junk. O2 isnt much better. you do get what you pay for.

audiobahn is also a low budget brand, but they have a great marketing scheme, chrome and flames. they do have higher end stuff, which redeems their name, but anything from them in the lower price range is crap.

pioneer makes good CD players, mediocre speakers, but their amps suck. a few years back they had to recall their amps because they would smoke.

some decent brands for amps are phoenix gold, alpine , and JL audio. all of these brands make great high end amps, but also make pretty damn good lower end amps too.

[j_goldwood]

couldn't agree more dave... alpine supporter here - has never disappointed me.

[Metallman56]

i'm not a alpine fan. although the one time i did have one of there amps, it did just fine. i just hate there speakers. i would also stear clear of kicker. i've had 3 kicker amps, and 2 of them are shot, niether were abused. as far as amps, i dont think there is a better bang for the buck out there then Kenwood excelon's line. if you go to woofersect.com go can get a 900 watt rms amp, for less then $250. thats a hella deal, and there good quality.

heres the link

http://www.woofersetc.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=page.display&page_id=14&mfg_account_ID=38&category_id=3

[BigBL87]

Here's the list that I usually go to as far as quality. While I realize people will vary in their opinions, it's a pretty exhaustive list and most people on automotiveforums.com seem to agree on it:

http://www.automotiveforums.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=382679

*Oh, and the list is in the second post in the thread.

[Metallman56]

not a bad list. personally i would add Quart, Boston, and Audison to the HIGHLY RECOMMENDED, and drop out Alpine. but thats just me. not a bad list though.