# Which amp? Audison or Alpine?



## spoolin215 (Dec 22, 2002)

Okay, so as some of you may know I have a 10" Alpine Type-x (4ohm dual VC) And I've been looking for the right amp, within reason, I'm a little tight on money, so it has come down to these two right here:
Audison Lrx 1.400 which runs at [email protected]








OR
Alpine MRD-M1005 which runs at [email protected]








It would be going in a Subaru Forester so mounting space IS NOT an issue. So which amp would you go with and why? Obviously the Alpine has more power, but from what I've heard Audison amps are second to none. I can get the Audison new for 300 flat. The Alpine would cost me about 340 new.
For more info on both amps:
http://www.audison.com
http://www.alpine-usa.com


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## vedubau (Jan 17, 2001)

*Re: Which amp? Audison or Alpine? (spoolin215)*

Though Alpine makes a decent product, their amps are no comparisson for the LRx Audison line.


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## spoolin215 (Dec 22, 2002)

*Re: Which amp? Audison or Alpine? (vedubau)*


_Quote, originally posted by *vedubau* »_Though Alpine makes a decent product, their amps are no comparisson for the LRx Audison line.

I have been hearing this from a lot of folks, and 300 bucks for the Audison is pretty much ridiculous as well, but i'm just a little worried that it won't be enough to drive that Type-X.


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## afinley (Dec 29, 2004)

*Re: Which amp? Audison or Alpine? (spoolin215)*

alpine does make some decent products.


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## 2.ohh (Jun 21, 2002)

*Re: Which amp? Audison or Alpine? (spoolin215)*

what enclosure are you putting the sub in? if its a large ported enclosure, the audison would put out plenty of power to get the sub moving. if you planned to put it in a smaller enclosure, get the alpine amp, you'll need the power.


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## Dr. Placebo (Jul 22, 2006)

*Re: Which amp? Audison or Alpine? (2.ohh)*

Taking the sensitivity of that subwoofer into account you need every watt you can afford if you are hunting for spl. You could make a case for an A/B amp over a D-class amp as well. Audison has been one of the boner brands of the past two years, not without reason though.


_Modified by Dr. Placebo at 12:00 PM 11-4-2006_


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## afinley (Dec 29, 2004)

*Re: Which amp? Audison or Alpine? (Dr. Placebo)*

digital settings. cant set those wrong. hopefully.


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## dead0narrivel (Aug 7, 2005)

ive got the mrd-m1005 in my mkv powering a Boston Acoustics SPG... this amp is quite powerful, good clean, no distortion, once you can figure out the digital settings its a breeze to tune and it looks really clean (one of the bigger selling points) ive never heard of audison but i can vouch for the alpine and say its a quality amp


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## spoolin215 (Dec 22, 2002)

*Re: (dead0narrivel)*


_Quote, originally posted by *2.ohh* »_what enclosure are you putting the sub in? if its a large ported enclosure, the audison would put out plenty of power to get the sub moving. if you planned to put it in a smaller enclosure, get the alpine amp, you'll need the power.


It's a moderate sized SEALED box. 

_Quote, originally posted by *Dr. Placebo* »_Taking the sensitivity of that subwoofer into account you need every watt you can afford if you are hunting for spl. 


Forgive my ignorance, but what is SPL?

_Quote, originally posted by *dead0narrivel* »_ive got the mrd-m1005 in my mkv powering a Boston Acoustics SPG... this amp is quite powerful, good clean, no distortion, once you can figure out the digital settings its a breeze to tune and it looks really clean (one of the bigger selling points) ive never heard of audison but i can vouch for the alpine and say its a quality amp

Yeah i've always had Alpine stuff, but everyone I talk to has been saying Audison is the ish.


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## afinley (Dec 29, 2004)

*Re: (spoolin215)*

Sound Pressure Level. the cool way to say volume.


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## spoolin215 (Dec 22, 2002)

*Re: (afinley)*


_Quote, originally posted by *afinley* »_Sound Pressure Level. the cool way to say volume.

huh, well I don't want it to be super loud, I just want it to be TIGHT. I listen to more rock and metal than anything else.


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## afinley (Dec 29, 2004)

*Re: (spoolin215)*

then you would want a sealed box.


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## spoolin215 (Dec 22, 2002)

*Re: (afinley)*


_Quote, originally posted by *afinley* »_then you would want a sealed box.

yeah that's what I got...but which amp?


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## afinley (Dec 29, 2004)

*Re: Which amp? Audison or Alpine? (2.ohh)*


_Quote, originally posted by *2.ohh* »_if you planned to put it in a smaller enclosure, get the alpine amp, you'll need the power.


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## 2.ohh (Jun 21, 2002)

*Re: (spoolin215)*

definitely the alpine. you'll need the power. if you listen to a lot of rock and heavy metal, chances are you would clip the audison without knowing it.


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## vedubau (Jan 17, 2001)

*Re: (2.ohh)*

Lets look at the facts people! The Alpine puts out 1000 watts at 14.4 volts which in the real world is not a good voltage since most cars only achieve about 13.5-14.0 volts. Its rated to deliver only 700 watts at 12 volts.
The Audison on the other hand delivers 650 watts at 12 volts so the difference is only 50 watts at 12 volts. Fifty watts is not going to be noticeable
The Alpine, since its a class D amp, will be more efficient than the Audison's class A/B design, but the Audison should be a better sounding amp. And given Audison's reputation for "underrating" their products, I would bet the Audison is actually more powerful


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## spoolin215 (Dec 22, 2002)

*Re: (vedubau)*


_Quote, originally posted by *2.ohh* »_definitely the alpine. you'll need the power. if you listen to a lot of rock and heavy metal, chances are you would clip the audison without knowing it.

what does "clip" mean. I know nothing about car audio.

_Quote, originally posted by *vedubau* »_Lets look at the facts people! The Alpine puts out 1000 watts at 14.4 volts which in the real world is not a good voltage since most cars only achieve about 13.5-14.0 volts. Its rated to deliver only 700 watts at 12 volts.
The Audison on the other hand delivers 650 watts at 12 volts so the difference is only 50 watts at 12 volts. Fifty watts is not going to be noticeable
The Alpine, since its a class D amp, will be more efficient than the Audison's class A/B design, but the Audison should be a better sounding amp. And given Audison's reputation for "underrating" their products, I would bet the Audison is actually more powerful

what's the difference between a class D and A/B?


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## vedubau (Jan 17, 2001)

*Re: (spoolin215)*

In very basic terms, its the design of the amplifier. Class A and Class A/B have been around a long time and are still the choice for full-range (20Hz-20KHz) amplification. Class D amplifiers are fairly new and are designed to be much more efficient, but at a loss of sound quality and they are mainly subwoofer amps. Here is a good link that describes Class D in comparisson to A/B:
http://sound.westhost.com/articles/pwm.htm


_Modified by vedubau at 11:08 PM 11-4-2006_


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## vedubau (Jan 17, 2001)

*Re: (spoolin215)*

Also found this link:
http://www.caraudiomag.com/spe....html


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## 2.ohh (Jun 21, 2002)

*Re: (vedubau)*


_Quote, originally posted by *vedubau* »_Lets look at the facts people! The Alpine puts out 1000 watts at 14.4 volts which in the real world is not a good voltage since most cars only achieve about 13.5-14.0 volts. Its rated to deliver only 700 watts at 12 volts.
The Audison on the other hand delivers 650 watts at 12 volts so the difference is only 50 watts at 12 volts. Fifty watts is not going to be noticeable
The Alpine, since its a class D amp, will be more efficient than the Audison's class A/B design, but the Audison should be a better sounding amp. And given Audison's reputation for "underrating" their products, I would bet the Audison is actually more powerful


the 12 volt rating from alpine is very underrated. *if* the efficiency at 14.4 volts and 12 volts is the same, and the input current is the same, the amp should put out 833 watts into 2 ohms at 12 volts. nearly 200 watts difference still won't be audible, but it is nearly a 1 db difference. but also keep in mind that the audison rating is at 13.8 volts, not 12 volts. they rate it 300x1 @ 12 volts into a 4 ohm load, but 350 watts @ 13.8 volts. the difference at 2 ohms would be greater, so the alpine would put out even more power, getting into the audible range.
you won't hear a difference between the amps when hooked to a sub. the alpine being more efficient (closer to 90%, rather than less than 65%) would be a better choice for a sub, regardless.
the audison would probably put out similar power, but it would have to do it at 1 ohm, not 2. given a single, inefficient, dual 4 ohm sub, the alpine would be a better choice to get higher real world power and less current draw.
also keep in mind the rating practices of audison. their rms is a musical rating, so comparing their rated current draw, the amp can't put out 650 watts rms into a 2 ohm load. for it to actually put out 650 watts continuous, it would require 72 amps of input. the amp only has a 60 amp fuse and is rated down to 1 ohm. so in the real world, the alpine will beat it like a red headed step child. the alpine is more efficient, allows for more current input, and puts out the most power into the load needed for the application. the only reason to get the audison at this point would be to buy the name.


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## 2.ohh (Jun 21, 2002)

*Re: (vedubau)*


_Quote, originally posted by *vedubau* »_In very basic terms, its the design of the amplifier. Class A and Class A/B have been around a long time and are still the choice for full-range (20Hz-20KHz) amplification. Class D amplifiers are fairly new and are designed to be much more efficient, but at a loss of sound quality and they are mainly subwoofer amps. Here is a good link that describes Class D in comparisson to A/B:
http://sound.westhost.com/articles/pwm.htm

_Modified by vedubau at 11:08 PM 11-4-2006_


have you listened to an amp with the new ice power technology? good luck hearing a difference. if you want the best of both worlds, get a class G or H amp. class D amps have gotten a bad rep because of the poorly designed amps that don't sound as good as a decent class A/B. but it all comes down to amp design. with mosfets that switch high enough, there isn't a problem.


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## 2.ohh (Jun 21, 2002)

*Re: (spoolin215)*


_Quote, originally posted by *spoolin215* »_
what does "clip" mean. I know nothing about car audio.



clipping is when you try to exceed what the amp is capable of producing. essentially the voltage stops increasing, but you increase the amperage output from the amp. the increased amperage will only heat up the subs voice coil more than ordinary and can cause thermal failure, depending on how much and how long. if you clip an amp enough, you will hear the sound become degraded.


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## afinley (Dec 29, 2004)

*Re: (vedubau)*


_Quote, originally posted by *vedubau* »_The Audison on the other hand delivers 650 watts at 12 volts so the difference is only 50 watts at 12 volts. Fifty watts is not going to be noticeable

audison rates at 13.8v


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## vedubau (Jan 17, 2001)

*Re: (afinley)*

According to the owner's manual, the rated output is based on 12 volt input. I did see the chart on the web site that says its based on 13.8 volts. Regardless, my point was, that the Alpine rating of 1000 watts is not a good rating to use.
I don't dispute that the Alpine has more power, but I do think the Audison is better built, better sounding and the difference in power is not that big of deal unless you plan on competeing in SPL contests.


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## 2.ohh (Jun 21, 2002)

*Re: (vedubau)*


_Quote, originally posted by *vedubau* »_According to the owner's manual, the rated output is based on 12 volt input. I did see the chart on the web site that says its based on 13.8 volts. Regardless, my point was, that the Alpine rating of 1000 watts is not a good rating to use.
I don't dispute that the Alpine has more power, but I do think the Audison is better built, better sounding and the difference in power is not that big of deal unless you plan on competeing in SPL contests.


check the owners manual again. page 12 to be exact. in the specs section, the only rating it has at 12 volts is the 4 ohm rating, which is 300 watts. in ideal circumstances the power would double into a 2 ohm load, which would be 600 watts. i'm not saying the audison isn't a great amp, because it is. i'm saying that for a sub application the alpine is a much better choice. to say the audison is better sounding is a bit ridiculous, unless you have done a double blind test with the two. aside from that, you are letting your brain do the listening that your ears should be doing.
the alpine has to put out its rated power for one minute to be CEA-2006 compliant. it also has to do that at across the entire bandwidth of the amp. if you go to page 24 of the audison manual, it gives the basic specs of their testing. the 12 volt rating is their nominal power rating (typical of amps designed for competition use) and is at .3% distortion. the 13.8 volt ratings are for their "continuous" ratings at 1% distortion. they have their audison standard, 1995 and 1998 editions, which i can't find detailed information on either of them.
the alpine will actually put out closer to 960 watts with 13.8 volts input. 960 watts vs 650 watts will be about a 1.4 db difference, which is definitely audible.


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## spoolin215 (Dec 22, 2002)

*Re: (2.ohh)*

Wow a lot of info in here, a bunch of it over my head, because I don't know anything about car audio.
Thanks to everyone that has posted so far. I'm still not sure on which amp I am going to buy. I guess my next question would be, is there any way I can figure out how many volts my Subaru would run at? As stated about the Alpine runs at around 14V but that's not common I guess for cars to run at?
Any help?


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## 2.ohh (Jun 21, 2002)

*Re: (spoolin215)*

checking the voltage with no amp hooked up isn't going to show you much. chances are the voltage will stay between 14 and 14.4 volts with only the stock equipment hooked up. when you are actually playing a 1k watt amp at reasonable output, you'll be able to see the voltage drop. to measure it you'd need a voltmeter. its not something that is a huge deal, though, unless your voltage is constantly staying below 13 volts, since you'll end up killing your battery. but you'd have to listen to sine waves constantly for the voltage to drop that low and stay there for extended periods of time.


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## spoolin215 (Dec 22, 2002)

*Re: (2.ohh)*


_Quote, originally posted by *2.ohh* »_checking the voltage with no amp hooked up isn't going to show you much. chances are the voltage will stay between 14 and 14.4 volts with only the stock equipment hooked up. when you are actually playing a 1k watt amp at reasonable output, you'll be able to see the voltage drop. to measure it you'd need a voltmeter. its not something that is a huge deal, though, unless your voltage is constantly staying below 13 volts, since you'll end up killing your battery. but you'd have to listen to sine waves constantly for the voltage to drop that low and stay there for extended periods of time.

I see. This **** sucks. I wish it was: Buy, plug, enjoy.


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## 2.ohh (Jun 21, 2002)

*Re: (spoolin215)*


_Quote, originally posted by *spoolin215* »_
I see. This **** sucks. I wish it was: Buy, plug, enjoy.










it is







not all people have to be so anal retentive as some of us







just put the sub in a well designed and built enclosure, hook a good amp to it, and call it a day.


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## spoolin215 (Dec 22, 2002)

*Re: (2.ohh)*


_Quote, originally posted by *2.ohh* »_

it is







not all people have to be so anal retentive as some of us







just put the sub in a well designed and built enclosure, hook a good amp to it, and call it a day.

haha well I think I am going to go with the Audison. So we'll see how it goes. What do I need for wire? 4 gauge? 2 gauge?


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## 2.ohh (Jun 21, 2002)

*Re: (spoolin215)*


_Quote, originally posted by *spoolin215* »_
haha well I think I am going to go with the Audison. So we'll see how it goes. What do I need for wire? 4 gauge? 2 gauge?


4 gauge is fine. its good for up to about 120 amps in a reasonable length of cable.
the biggest upside of the audison is that if you decide you don't like a single 10, you can upgrade to a pair of more efficient dual 4 ohm VC subs to really take advantage of the power on hand.


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## spoolin215 (Dec 22, 2002)

*Re: (2.ohh)*

Well guys, I ended up buying the Audison, so hopefully I can have everything in and running by next week. Thanks for answering all my questions and all the different input, it is greatly appreciated.


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## vedubau (Jan 17, 2001)

*Re: (spoolin215)*

I know this topic has already been settled, but I found some new info that may give you more piece of mind on your decision. The latest issue of Car Audio & Electronics just completed a review of an Audison LRx6.9 amplifier. Now I know this is not the model you got, but it is the same model line and therefore should have similar specifications. The author stated that the power output measurements were "EXACTLY" the same at 14.4V and 12.5V input voltages.


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## 4-Dr-W-a-T (May 20, 2006)

*Re: Which amp? Audison or Alpine? (spoolin215)*

I will tell you from personal experience, that the Audison LRX1400 is the best amp I have ever had in any of my audio systems. I have 2 12" Xtant A1240 subwoofers, and I can gladly say that the subs sound more responsive and cleaner than the Xtant A6001 Amp. I thought the xtant was perfect for them. I WAS WRONG! definitely worth the money.


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## djbrand1 (Sep 11, 2003)

*Re: Which amp? Audison or Alpine? (4-Dr-W-a-T)*

AUDISON. there is no comparasion here with the alpine.


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