# Old school equipment .... Alpine 7909 Head Unit / Soundstream Amp



## BoostMiser (Apr 15, 2002)

Back in the day (early 90's), I was into car audio. Had more kids and sold everything. Could kick myself. Anyhow, I'm getting back into it again and I don't like a lot of the new stuff. Amps seem to be breaking and unreliable, head units are too busy for me. So I'm going back old school. I just purchased a Soundstream Reference 405 5-channel amp. I want a good quality head unit and the 7909 comes to mind. It would be used, but this is the layout I've always liked. Some say it was the best Alpine ever built, and maybe the best head unit ever by manufacturer - Very expensive. There are a few on E-Bay but I can't believe I'd be buying a used head unit for >$600. Anyone have any experience with this unit. I had a similar one in the day, but with tape deck and cd-changer controls. It was awsome with the Boston Pro's, Audio Control EQX, etc etc...Ahhh, those were the days.


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## Blk95VR6 (Nov 9, 2000)

*Re: Old school equipment .... Alpine 7909 Head Unit / Soundstream Amp (Joe_R)*

Joe,
I had a 7909 as well WAAAAAAAAAY back in the day as well. Yeah, it was (and still is) the best, hands down. Pros still swear by them and I see a lot of people trying to acquire them more and more each day. Rumor has it there is an anniversary edition out but it's still sky high as far as price goes, but oh the epitome of simplicity....

Mike
P.S. I have a set of Rane ME-30s I'd like to unload for 250.00 (unconverted). Know anyone interested? If you do, IM me...


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## Non_Affiliated (Feb 12, 2002)

*Re: Old school equipment .... Alpine 7909 Head Unit / Soundstream Amp (Blk95VR6)*

It's the brave few that can admit to liking the old stuff, I two like some of the older equipment. I have the Alpine, PPI, JL, MBQuart system. Well the MBQuart I sold to a friend 3-ways for $50.
But I have the Alpine 7292S Shuttle control cassette deck. Yeah I know it ain't the best, but it's a tank. Alpine CHM-S601 Changer. Feeding the PPI Par-245, to the FRX-322, then off to my PPIA 600, and my PPIA 204.2. The 600 Powered the 2 10W6's. Is it just me or is a PITA to have amps with onboard x-overs. I like having control of the system up front. Maybe I'll just die like th dynasours but I like the older stuff.


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## Mex gti (Sep 18, 2001)

*Re: Old school equipment .... Alpine 7909 Head Unit / Soundstream Amp (Non_Affiliated)*

Oldschooler here too!!!!!







.Maybe not that much......
H/U:Newer Alpine cd (cant remember model bcause of some







)
Front







ld quarts dsd 216
Back:Stock
X-over:Coustic xm3(to be replaced by Audio control 6xs)
Now the oldies:
2 Punch 200 dsm amps (my fav RF amps so far....)
2 12" Kicker c-12 25th annyversary subs
Front stage will be Focal Polykevlars by Dec,rear fill will be Polyglass http://****************.com/smile/emthup.gif 
The 7909 was in the top 10 "all time best products" by Car sound back in 93,along with some Quarts,ppi amps,jl subs,Macintosh,and my amps














!!!!!


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## Blk95VR6 (Nov 9, 2000)

*Re: Old school equipment .... Alpine 7909 Head Unit / Soundstream Amp (Mex gti)*

Okay, I'll put out my "old school" setup, back in the day...
Alpine 7909
-USD 6.0 waveguides 
-HiFonics Isis for my single 12' JBL (Jam Blasting Loud DVC) woofer and my 8" USD midbass speakers
-HiFonics Ulysses for my Waveguides
-Rane Equalizers for the system
-Home built crossovers for the whole thing
Stock alternator and electrical system, NEVER had a problem with current or power. Even ran the stock battery...
All self installed, very little wood, mostly custom fiberglass, LOTS of sound deadening clay (no DynaCrap for me) speakers isolated from the chassis of the car to reduce resonating. All this in an Altima (should have never given up the stereo stuff







). I want to get back into it as well, but I'll go with an Alpine 7909, Xtant 3300C (still one of my faves from the "new school"), my Ranes (if I don't sell them), another pair of USDs (maybe 7.0, or a set of Veritas horns), and some secret high end component speakers. I would rather have a faster car (FI) but a nice stereo is something you don't ever outgrow...
Mike


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## BoostMiser (Apr 15, 2002)

*Re: Old school equipment .... Alpine 7909 Head Unit / Soundstream Amp (Blk95VR6)*

Yeh, I also remember HiFonics and PPI. My roommate in College was a DJ and was crazy into car audio in his Peugeot. He ran a Soundstream amp, then HiFonics, MB Quarts, Alpine head units and eq's, etc.
I got my Alpine head unti from another roomate. It was the top of the line before the 7909 came out. He ended up buying the the 7909 when he sold me this unit. 
1993 Mustang LX 5.0
Alpine head unit 
Boston Acoustics Pro 5.2's up front
Boston Acoustics 797 6x9's
50x4 PPI art series amp
Two 10" Infinity free air subs (needed trunk space)
Soundstream D200 amp
Alpine CD changerh
Audio Control EQX
Esoteric Audio speaker wire and rca cabling


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## YetiMan (Jul 25, 2001)

*Re: Old school equipment .... Alpine 7909 Head Unit / Soundstream Amp (Joe_R)*

I had a 7909 in my scirocco, stolen in 92' along with three Phoenix Gold MS275 amps etc...








After that i had a couple 7903's.. and still have one of them. The 7909 had exquisite sound quality and sold for a grand back then. If you find a very lightly used one now that is still quiet it would be well worth $600 (i had problems with the 7909 and 7903 units developing internal noise... you could hear the CD mechanism making noise through the speakers).
The beauty (IMO) of the 7903/9 was in it's simplicity. Every now and then you come across a tool that is so purposfull in design, with everything you need and nothing else to complicate you when you are getting down to buisiness. I feel the exact same way about my Canon EOS 1 camera bodies compared to the consumer models...
*But...* 
I was stodgy too, and was going to hunt down a 7909... but instead i broke down and bought a glitzy disco king motorized blinking lights and all Alpine 7894. I felt terrible buying it too.
But you know what ? I am *so glad i did !!!* This is the head unit i dreamed of way back in 92', with time correction (which is fairly amazing in action if you ask me) and the built in crossover with full control from the HU. The ability to set the bass and trebble frequency points and width is awsome too. I am truely glad i installed it (i almost returned it) a 7995 is probably an even better choice too, but the silver face and blue lights in a corrado would have made me violently ill.


[Modified by YetiMan, 6:42 PM 9-10-2002]


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## Non_Affiliated (Feb 12, 2002)

*Re: Old school equipment .... Alpine 7909 Head Unit / Soundstream Amp (YetiMan)*

Yeah I hear ya YetiMan, I too feel real ill when I see the Silver faced radios. The blue lights I under stand. I like ergonomics in the car, along with athstetics (sp?), and uniformity. My drool deck would be a Denon DCT-R1.








but the end all be all: DCT-Z1








To bad it only comes silver and with White/Red orange Back lighting. For $2,400, you'd think they would go with a more common color and maybe you could get it black face.


[Modified by Non_Affiliated, 7:03 PM 9-10-2002]


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## YetiMan (Jul 25, 2001)

*Re: Old school equipment .... Alpine 7909 Head Unit / Soundstream Amp (Non_Affiliated)*

Denon's... dey cool ! guy at work has what was their top line audiophile HU about three years ago... it's a real keeper ! That silver face looks almost like something Krell would offer, but they would surely have blue lighting...
A true high end unit would have nothing but up down and pause for the CD and a volume control though... ya know, i might just have to send Krell an email !


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## 4DR Assassin (Sep 6, 2000)

All this talk of old school reminds me of when i had a kenwood pull out tape deck and a particle board box with 2 pyle 12s in it.







Shoot, how many of you remember M&M subs? That outta take you back. My favorite ALPINE HU i've owned (had 5, still have 4) is the 7914 I had...the very first one i bought. Currently running the 7977...but probably going up to the 7995....not sure just yet. 
I still like the old stuff though. Still bang a pair of 10w1s in a bandpass box back from 94.







I LOVE my PPI Art Series A300s....If I could affoard it, I would get me a 7990.....but the 7909 is still a bad ass HU after all this time. I have friend that was telling me the other day he could get me a 7909 for less than $500.....I'll holla at him and see if he can still do it and let you know.
Rob


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## Alpine Mike (May 13, 2002)

*Re: Old school equipment .... Alpine 7909 Head Unit / Soundstream Amp (4DR Assassin)*

Wow... It's great to see others that are old school also. As you can see I am somewhat biased on my preference of brands but I have owned alot of product through out the years. All the stuff you guys have talked about was awesome. Not so sure that anybody really appreciates good sound any more. But I believe that you can get current product that sounds better than the old stuff. It is expensive, but I guess you get what you pay for. 
By the way, 4DR assassin, Unless you want mp3 playback you probably won't notice a sound quality difference between the 7977 and 7995.


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## 4DR Assassin (Sep 6, 2000)

*Re: Old school equipment .... Alpine 7909 Head Unit / Soundstream Amp (Alpine Mike)*

Mike, that's one of the reasons I want the 7995.....also, i'm giving the 7977 to my friend in return for helping me work on my car. I do kind of like the time correction.....kind of neat, but i still can't get use to the silver face. Still not sure I will get the 7995 thought.....it's up in the air at the moment....I'm considering some video in the car, but I'm trying not to sacrifice SQ to have it.


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## Alpine Mike (May 13, 2002)

*Re: Old school equipment .... Alpine 7909 Head Unit / Soundstream Amp (4DR Assassin)*

I felt the same way you do about sound quality and video. I used the 7995 and flush mounted a 5" monitor in the dash above the radio. (had to take out the goofy cup holder) this way I have sq and video. Just ran the DVD audio through the aux input. If you don't like the silver face, the 7894 has the same features but is black and green.


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## 4DR Assassin (Sep 6, 2000)

*Re: Old school equipment .... Alpine 7909 Head Unit / Soundstream Amp (Alpine Mike)*

Yeah, i was going to do that in the S4 but really don't feel like trying to relocate the A/C Controls...... I had considered the 7894, but I like dead heads.....that's why I considered the 7995. I'm gonna figure out what i want to do sooner or later.....


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## Non_Affiliated (Feb 12, 2002)

*Re: Old school equipment .... Alpine 7909 Head Unit / Soundstream Amp (Alpine Mike)*

4DR Assassin, Yup M&M Godfathers were the schizzle! With PPI 2350AM, MB Quart QM 216 set. Or remeber the Rockford Fosgates' Real Punch and Power amps. The Power 300 Mosfet, Power 650, and power 1000. Those chrome babies were some bad mamma jammas.
I remember when Pyle sub were also the sh1t. G&S Redlines were also quite touted as being a pounder of a sub.


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## breathe (Jun 17, 1999)

*Re: Old school equipment .... Alpine 7909 Head Unit / Soundstream Amp (Joe_R)*

Oh man, I have craved the 7909 for so very long! I remember the car that got me totally hooked on car audio and this receiver/cd player specifically (well, it was modified/customized for 'higher sound quality than what [was] currently available"). Anyone remember the Speaker Work's/Richard Clark's Buick Grand National?








I remember this car....back when waveguide drivers were a radical new concept! Clark struck me as a very smart man who was light years apart strategy wise from most competitors on the IASCA circuit in the late 80's/early 90's. The entire car with its 5000 watts was designed to reproduce PERFECT sound - not loud cranking sound - which was enhanced in many ways, including the fabrics used on the seat covers (to reduce sound reflections). Sat in this very seat at one of the early CES shows, and have yet to hear a finer sounding vehicle...










[Modified by Bill, 3:35 PM 9-11-2002]


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## Alpine Mike (May 13, 2002)

*Re: Old school equipment .... Alpine 7909 Head Unit / Soundstream Amp (Bill)*

Your right! That car was the envy of the entire industry. If I remember correctly they were using aperiadic membranes on the 10" or 12" subs (can't rember) mounted in the rear sides. Definately the first to do that. Dynamat and others then offered them but it seemed to fizzle out.


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## bugmanrs (Feb 12, 2001)

*Re: Old school equipment .... Alpine 7909 Head Unit / Soundstream Amp (Alpine Mike)*

Here, get this. It's brand new and looks 30 years old.








http://www.mcintoshlabs.com/
They're not cheap though, but I'm sure you already knew that.
The Reference 405 is my all-time favorite amp. My buddy has one in his GTi, but he will not part with it. I've tried...


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## 4DR Assassin (Sep 6, 2000)

*Re: Old school equipment .... Alpine 7909 Head Unit / Soundstream Amp (Non_Affiliated)*

quote:[HR][/HR]4DR Assassin, Yup M&M Godfathers were the schizzle! With PPI 2350AM, MB Quart QM 216 set. Or remeber the Rockford Fosgates' Real Punch and Power amps. The Power 300 Mosfet, Power 650, and power 1000. Those chrome babies were some bad mamma jammas.
I remember when Pyle sub were also the sh1t. G&S Redlines were also quite touted as being a pounder of a sub. [HR][/HR]​Oh snap







, G&S Redlines....damn, i totally forgot about those. You've brought me back for real....







Yeah, I remember the old (REAL) Punch amps. Remember the old no frills, no writing other than the bass and treble written above the 2 knobs Punch 150s? Or the original Punch 45s? Those were solid as a rock. You could run them hot, drop them, do whatever and they would keep pumping along without skipping a beat. 
Damn, you guys are bringing back some good memories...that's when car stereo was truely fun. These are the kind of posts that make you feel good.







http://****************.com/smile/emthup.gif


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## Playa178 (Jan 6, 2001)

*Re: Old school equipment .... Alpine 7909 Head Unit / Soundstream Amp (4DR Assassin)*

quote:[HR][/HR]Or remeber the Rockford Fosgates' Real Punch and Power amps. The Power 300 Mosfet, Power 650, and power 1000. 
Yeah, I remember the old (REAL) Punch amps. Remember the old no frills, no writing other than the bass and treble written above the 2 knobs Punch 150s? Or the original Punch 45s? [HR][/HR]​Hah I love this thread...being that I am ONLY 24 years old I guess Im not that old school but when I was 13 I was putting systems in my older brother's car and his friend's cars...
I actually had a Punch30 as my very first amp in my first car (89 beretta)...powered a stillwater kicker ss2x10 box with the port plugs








Speaking of all the old good stuff...my best system ever that scored well in IASCA competitions was:
Alpine 7909 (geez I paid $250 for it used back in '95, now their over a g note used)
A/D/S PH-15.2 6 channel amp (best amp ever IMHO)
A/D/S 325is mids/highs in front (no passive x-overs)
A/D/S 325is mids only in rear
A/D/S PQ-20.2 4 channel amp (bridged to 2 channels)
2 JL Audio 10W6 subs (wired to 3 ohms each)
Audio Control 4XS (with all kinds of custom chips)
2 Audio Control EQTs (mono EQs to each side)
The install was pretty simple in a 93 Escort GT...subs in tire well amps/processors flushed in floor behind subs and in front of the seat...custom plexi covers over them with green neon and all...
ahh the old school....I miss it....now its all about tvs, and playstations, etc...ick...I just want my good old stuff back



[Modified by Playa178, 8:23 PM 9-11-2002]


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## YetiMan (Jul 25, 2001)

*Re: Old school equipment .... Alpine 7909 Head Unit / Soundstream Amp (Playa178)*

_A/D/S PH-15.2 6 channel amp (best amp ever IMHO)
_ 
Hey, i am still using one of these in my corrado !
First sustem in my Scirocco was 2 punch 75's and a punch150, all lined up in a row with the stickers removed so it looked like one long amp...
Replaced that with three Phoenix Gold MS 275's, their first amp... didn't have the plexi bottom cover for them that were so popular though... 
Oy !


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## Lexi (Jun 18, 2000)

*Re: Old school equipment .... Alpine 7909 Head Unit / Soundstream Amp (Joe_R)*









Speaking of old school.......
Is it just me or are they just better amps







I've owned and parted with many old school amps, I'm not planning on parting with these one's anytime soon. Its a matched set of Phoenix Gold MS275 + MS2125. The wiring needs a little cleaning I know. That MS2125 is running at 2 ohms mono on a pair of IDQ subs and it just slams. It can over power the MS275 with bass and still doesn't distort... the gains are close to 0 
Other old school amps I should have hung onto
PPI Art Series A600 / A404
Autotek 7600 BTS [ 300 x 2 rms power monster ] 
RF Punch 200 DSM
PG Outlaw amp , limited Edition [ M100 + M50 under one huge heatsink] 
PG M100 + a pair of M50's + M25
Orion 2150 SX


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## Non_Affiliated (Feb 12, 2002)

*Re: Old school equipment .... Alpine 7909 Head Unit / Soundstream Amp (Lexi)*

Ahhhhhh Yeti, I bought a Rockford Punch 150 for $45, Cost $5 for me to fix it and viola I had a perfectly good 150 that ran4 10's.
I think I'm gonna have to go digging and bring up some oldies but goodies.
Oh I noticed one thing, No one liked the Orion GS line, or the original 225, 250, and 2100 HCCA's?
I must say one manufacture that has to hold the title of most Limited Production Lines of amps is Pheonix Gold. 
MPH6300
Fraink Amp'n Stien FAS2300
Son of Frain Amp'n Stien FAS 2400
MS1000
OUTLAW 1845 
BANDIT 1895
Route 66 (Almost bought one back in '93)
The Reactor


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## Lexi (Jun 18, 2000)

*Re: Old school equipment .... Alpine 7909 Head Unit / Soundstream Amp (Non_Affiliated)*

quote:[HR][/HR]Oh I noticed one thing, No one liked the Orion GS line, or the original 225, 250, and 2100 HCCA's?[HR][/HR]​I've just never owned an HCCA , yet. I believe GS was the precursor to the SX lineup and then the XTR . For that matter I didnt' mention PPI's ProMos or ProArt series which is the same as HCCA idea. I've always wanted to run an entire system off a ProMos 450 50x4 amp. Stable down to .5 ohms a channel .


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## 4DR Assassin (Sep 6, 2000)

*Re: Old school equipment .... Alpine 7909 Head Unit / Soundstream Amp (Non_Affiliated)*

quote:[HR][/HR]
Oh I noticed one thing, No one liked the Orion GS line, or the original 225, 250, and 2100 HCCA's?
[HR][/HR]​Non Affiliated, I loved the HCCA 225. Wow...did i forget about the Route 66....LOL What about the old Hifonics amps.....better yet, remember Linear Power?!?!?!








I got one for you, do you remember those BLADE amps....the ones that were real small, but supposed to produce a lot of power....wonder whatever happened to them. 
Did anyone ever have one of those Blau. stalk EQs?? Or the Clarion one? LOL.....man, i had the Blau and F'd it up the day i was putting it in....cable got caught on the seat track and















Man, this is bringing back some OLD ass memories.


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## DNMonty (Jun 28, 2000)

*Re: Old school equipment .... Alpine 7909 Head Unit / Soundstream Amp (4DR Assassin)*

I have 2 PPI amps in mine. PPI Sedona APA425 (circa 93) and a A600 (circa 94) the A600 just now started flaking out after many years of ritual beatings. The problem now is, nobody is willing to fix it, for any amount. PPI won't even touch it, they said if I sent it in for repair they would replace it with a PCX2200 for $549, but I've seen that amp online for $499 anyways. Anybody know of a PPI dealer/repairer that has been around for a long time as a PPI dealer? Maybe they still have the schematics and I could UPS it to them for repair. PPI won't provide me with schematics and nobody around me wants to even try to fix it without one.


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## Non_Affiliated (Feb 12, 2002)

*Re: Old school equipment .... Alpine 7909 Head Unit / Soundstream Amp (Lexi)*

quote:[HR][/HR]Oh I noticed one thing, No one liked the Orion GS line, or the original 225, 250, and 2100 HCCA's?
I've just never owned an HCCA , yet. I believe GS was the precursor to the SX lineup and then the XTR . For that matter I didnt' mention PPI's ProMos or ProArt series which is the same as HCCA idea. I've always wanted to run an entire system off a ProMos 450 50x4 amp. Stable down to .5 ohms a channel .[HR][/HR]​Lexi there are quite a few ProMos amps floating on ebay. If your serious you should check it out. Oh and the GS line of Orions amps were the Glod Series. Ya know the All Gold heatsink.







Talk about Bling Bling.


[Modified by Non_Affiliated, 9:27 AM 9-13-2002]


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## Non_Affiliated (Feb 12, 2002)

*Re: Old school equipment .... Alpine 7909 Head Unit / Soundstream Amp (DNMonty)*

quote:[HR][/HR]I have 2 PPI amps in mine. PPI Sedona APA425 (circa 93) and a A600 (circa 94) the A600 just now started flaking out after many years of ritual beatings. The problem now is, nobody is willing to fix it, for any amount. PPI won't even touch it, they said if I sent it in for repair they would replace it with a PCX2200 for $549, but I've seen that amp online for $499 anyways. Anybody know of a PPI dealer/repairer that has been around for a long time as a PPI dealer? Maybe they still have the schematics and I could UPS it to them for repair. PPI won't provide me with schematics and nobody around me wants to even try to fix it without one.[HR][/HR]​Oh man you may be in luck..here is a post from another forum.
See this post and read it through, it has some places referneced for amp repair. http://www.termpro.com/cgi-bin/ubb/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=40;t=005751


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## DNMonty (Jun 28, 2000)

*Re: Old school equipment .... Alpine 7909 Head Unit / Soundstream Amp (Non_Affiliated)*

Thanks for the tip on TIPS!







I called them and this really sweet girl on the phone explained their whole process and I'm boxing it up and shipping ASAP for an estimate and repair. BTW, their info is as follows
TIPS
3599 Old Brandon Road
Pearl, MS 39208
(601) 932 - 8477
Weird thing though, I also found http://www.tipsinc.net @ the same address with a similar phone # and they a ISP/WebHosting company.


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## Non_Affiliated (Feb 12, 2002)

I have a few others from the archives.


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## Lexi (Jun 18, 2000)

*Re: Old school equipment .... Alpine 7909 Head Unit / Soundstream Amp (Non_Affiliated)*

Non_Affiliated - what's a good soundstream amp to get ? I've never tried one and heard the SQ is really good. I need about 40-75 watts rms x 2 for a set of 6 1/2's.


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## Blk95VR6 (Nov 9, 2000)

*Re: Old school equipment .... Alpine 7909 Head Unit / Soundstream Amp (Bill)*

quote:[HR][/HR]Anyone remember the Speaker Work's/Richard Clark's Buick Grand National?








[HR][/HR]​Bill,
I still keep in touch with Richard and David Navone. Back in 1989 I went to Burlington, North Carolina, to Richard's house, and saw his operation close up. He was working out of his house, mostly, and had his Cadillac there, the Grand National, and several other "projects". He had a guy by the name of Patrick Poovey (with a '79 Scirocco) working with him at the time, and Autosound 2000 was just getting off the ground. This was also the time that a guy by the name of Bill Bibb was getting into the scene really big, he drove a Mercury Sable and had an awesome system in it as well. I bought a set of waveguides and installed them in my Cabriolet soon after, as well as a 7909, and other components. Man, those were the days! That car is just as fast as it looks as well, having actually ridden in it. And the Alpine amps, all five of them, made 3,500 watts of power, and the 12s in the side panels and 15s in the trunk with the aperiodic membranes on them were just fantastic. I even remember the Blitzsafe for the 7909. That car is still my favorite of all time, though I heard a while back that Harry Kimura was supposed to be building a Grand National that would top it, but I've not seen nor heard about it in some time...
Mike


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## Non_Affiliated (Feb 12, 2002)

*Re: Old school equipment .... Alpine 7909 Head Unit / Soundstream Amp (Lexi)*

quote:[HR][/HR]Non_Affiliated - what's a good soundstream amp to get ? I've never tried one and heard the SQ is really good. I need about 40-75 watts rms x 2 for a set of 6 1/2's. [HR][/HR]​Well to be totally honest, I have not owned a Soundstream. I have heard the horror stories, and success stories. I found it funny though back in the SS advertising they would Boast a 1920 Watt Triple Dralington Power supply. You realize that that is more power than a small space heater in just the power supply, and back then the power supplies were not as efficent as today. They Were also IIRC all Class A/B, which menat they could generate some real heat on the heat sinks. SS did have a nickname of SoundSteam, cause they would run rather hot.
Now ther are some real Gems in the sound stream lines throughout the years. But I think I have heard some realstories of these badboys getting things jumpin in the interiors when they were really pushed. I beleive that was because the power supplies were un-regulated, please correctme if I am wrong.
I know most often than not most people used alot of SS amps for sub arraingments, cause most of them drove lower impeadances than what was spec'ed. That could be why some people had real heat issues. I personally have had the heatsink fins slighly burnt into my finger when touching one that had been hammered on, and me like an idiot for some reason wanted to see how hot the amp was. Derrrrrrr.
A reveiw from me would be bad as seeing I never really got a chance to listedn to a well installed system using SS. Most people in my area just used most of them for sub amps.
I have been inside the refernce 300, and the only thing I am not really fond of is the seperate boards for the different channels, it's not actually the seperate boards themselves. But, rather all the wires running around connecting them up. Wires inside and amp can do funny things when exsposed to high EMF. But seeing there are alot of SS amps on ebay tells me that a good majority of them survived.


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## 4DR Assassin (Sep 6, 2000)

*Re: Old school equipment .... Alpine 7909 Head Unit / Soundstream Amp (Non_Affiliated)*

Damn Non Affiliated, I haven't seen a Carver or Hafler amp is so long......LOL.......not to mention "The Hot Setup".......


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## DNMonty (Jun 28, 2000)

*Re: Old school equipment .... Alpine 7909 Head Unit / Soundstream Amp (Lexi)*

Lexi, this is the A600 I bought from you BTW.


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## zilla (Jun 17, 2000)

*Re: Old school equipment .... Alpine 7909 Head Unit / Soundstream Amp (Lexi)*

quote:[HR][/HR] 
PPI Art Series A600
[HR][/HR]​which is very happy in it's new home


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## Non_Affiliated (Feb 12, 2002)

*Re: Old school equipment .... Alpine 7909 Head Unit / Soundstream Amp (zilla)*

My A600, and A204.2 are not very happy with their home. Cause they have been camping out under my bed.







I am positive they would be much morehappier in my car.


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## DNMonty (Jun 28, 2000)

*Re: Old school equipment .... Alpine 7909 Head Unit / Soundstream Amp (zilla)*

_Was_ happy. Now sits in a darken cardboard box with plenty of packing materials on it's way to TIPS for an estimate and hopefully repair. I've had that thing for how long now and it still looks like I just unboxed it. The artwork is completely unscathed. But of course, a pretty but non-functional amp just takes up space. I think having that amp was the demise of 2 throttle bodies though. Said I kept running into a low battery state and the throttle body couldn't reset itself. Damn thing can suck a lot of juice!


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## Nash50 (Dec 25, 2001)

*Re: Old school equipment .... Alpine 7909 Head Unit / Soundstream Amp (Joe_R)*

Who remembers the original Fosgate 2100 (before it was Rockford) that was released in 1980. Drew 80 amps of current with 4x40 watts. Back when amps were very inefficient. And the original ADS 2001 sytem with a Nakamichi Portable Cassette TD-350 with 2 ADS 200 speakers, released in 1977. These are old school.


[Modified by Nash50, 11:20 PM 9-18-2002]


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## Non_Affiliated (Feb 12, 2002)

*Re: Old school equipment .... Alpine 7909 Head Unit / Soundstream Amp (Nash50)*

Or the under dash record player, 8-tracks, or even 4-tracks. He He. Seriously, I think I remember Fosgate as just the name but can't remember actually seeing one. I remember the A/D/S power plate.


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## BoostMiser (Apr 15, 2002)

*Re: Old school equipment .... Alpine 7909 Head Unit / Soundstream Amp (Non_Affiliated)*

Here's the 'old school' amp I just bough for $260. What a nofrills workhorse.


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## F1_Fan (Apr 16, 2001)

*Re: Old school equipment .... Alpine 7909 Head Unit / Soundstream Amp (Joe_R)*

quote:[HR][/HR]head units are too busy for me. [HR][/HR]​You said it... I thought maybe it was time to replace the Monsoon and do it right. After a few minutes in the car audio store I had motion sickness from all the animated displays








But ah, this thread takes me back... I had to go pull these gems out of the storage closet. 
Faceplate is from my Sony XR-U550 headunit. That was back when if you wanted a mixed tape you *used tape*. That HU was sweet, Dolby B & C, better specs than 99% of the home equipment available at the time.

The amp is a Rockford 4600x. 4 x 30 but RF was really underrating their equipment. That amp combined with the Boston components I didn't bother unpacking tonight and a custom 2x8" sub box that's sitting in the garage could produce clear, clean sound at levels that I couldn't handle even 10 years ago.


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## DNMonty (Jun 28, 2000)

*Re: Old school equipment .... Alpine 7909 Head Unit / Soundstream Amp (zilla)*

Holy crap!!! Tips not only fixed my A600, but it seems it was running as only half of it's potential all along. I had to turn this thing about halfway down ot match the previous balance with my Sedona. It's got crazy power now. Not light dimming problem on the Passat anymore either. Tips said the chips were all shifted inside, and a wire on the output transformer was cracked. From their estimate, it had experienced extreme vibration (go figure) but more likely was dropped @ one point or another. So, for the $135 including shipping, the amp is brand-new again!!!


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## vwgtirob (Aug 16, 2001)

*Re: Old school equipment .... Alpine 7909 Head Unit / Soundstream Amp (Blk95VR6)*

quote:[HR][/HR] I still keep in touch with Richard and David Navone. Back in 1989 I went to Burlington, North Carolina, to Richard's house, and saw his operation close up. He was working out of his house, mostly, and had his Cadillac there, the Grand National, and several other "projects". He had a guy by the name of Patrick Poovey (with a '79 Scirocco) working with him at the time, and Autosound 2000 was just getting off the ground. This was also the time that a guy by the name of Bill Bibb was getting into the scene really big, he drove a Mercury Sable and had an awesome system in it as well. I bought a set of waveguides and installed them in my Cabriolet soon after, as well as a 7909, and other components. Man, those were the days! That car is just as fast as it looks as well, having actually ridden in it. And the Alpine amps, all five of them, made 3,500 watts of power, and the 12s in the side panels and 15s in the trunk with the aperiodic membranes on them were just fantastic. I even remember the Blitzsafe for the 7909. That car is still my favorite of all time, though I heard a while back that Harry Kimura was supposed to be building a Grand National that would top it, but I've not seen nor heard about it in some time...[HR][/HR]​Harry was building a GN, but stopped. He's now definately building up an older Caddy (I think) for the 2003 season. RC, DN, and HK are all hanging out at the forums at http://carsound.com/. I'm going to be meeting up with Harry for a beer at IASCA finals next month. You should go if you have a chance.


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