putergod

I am looking for some high quality, high efficiency, 2 ohm 6 1/2 components for my GTO. They will be running off of a US Amps USA-4300x. Sound quality is most important with output being a very very close second (hence wanting 2 ohms and high efficiency). So, any suggestions for high quality (in sound and build), high output 6 1/2's? Price cut-off is < $500

If Merlin = AX does that mean that the merlins are now completely handcrafted in the USA like the "florida amps"?

OMG... You must own one and have caught the "Mustang Disease". The argument is which is faster, not which sold "better", but wich is faster. The Camaro has been faster it's entire life but maybe a FEW select years (yes I know I already said this, but I obviously must say it again). 300ft/lbs of torque huh? Yea... that's much better than the Camaro's 345. Yup, sure is. And I already know WHY they changed it. I read up on it WHEN IT HAPPENED. They were forced to.. plain and simple. sure, I've read the "pro ford" websites that say "they were trying to be more honest". Bullchit... they were forced to. And, hypothetically, if it WERE true... then why the hell weren't they honest before? Catch 22 I tell ya!

Where are you getting your information from?????? The Fox body was slow as hell. The Iroc-Z of the 80's, and the Z28 of the early 90's had 10-40 more horspower (depending on year) Hell, the Rustang came with 302 cubes, headers, true duals, and STILL only made 205hp. The chevy 305, with manifolds, and single exhaust made 230. Jump up to the 350 for 245. Here's some charts I found on the net to compare all 3rd gen years of both cars. Obviously Mustang III Started in 79 while Camaro III was in 82, but you'll see the differences (camaro with more every single solitary year) from 82-92... the entire 3rd Gen Camaro run. Also note, that in 1992, Ford was busted for "overrating the 302", hence the reason the 1993 302 is rated 20hp less than the previous years (it was the same damn motor). So, all those "225's" you see on the Ford chart can safely be dissmissed as "205's". Mustang Camaro

Like always? I'll have to strongly disagree here. In the Muscle days, it was really a tossup. I don't think anyone really won that war. There were so many available options, you could literally order a car anyway you wanted it. Early 80s to mid 90s, the Mustang was THE pinnacle of performance. It spawned an entirely new genre in the aftermarket industry. It's aftermarket is rivaled by NO other. It wasn't until Ford switched to the SN-95 platform and kept the 215HP 302 in an overweight aging chassis. Hell, it didn't get a redesign until 05. You can literally take parts from any Fox chassis from 77-04 and they will all bolt right in. The new F-body finally had the performance package with a larger engine, more HP and torque, less weight, and better handling in 93. But they did not sell. I don't know why. They were slightly more than the Mustang, but had a huge performance advantage over them. Call it whatever you want, but the Mustang has always set the bar, and has continued on and will continue to as an American Icon. It is THE original pony car and all others will simply follow in it's hoofsteps. Sorry dude... The Camaro has whooped the Mustangs ass consitantly the entire time it was in production save a select FEW years in the 70's. The 3rd gen RS Camaro with the 305 could run neck and neck with the GT... the Z28 creamed it. Also, the engines going in the new Camaro are far more potent than anything Ford has... and that is WITHOUT a SC. Poor Ford can't build an engine to save their lives (or company really, lol). They need a SC just to stay close enough to the N/A Vette just to SEE the tail lights. Even the heavy ass pig the GTO is stomps the crap out of the Rustang GT... With a few minor mods, it'll cream the SC'd GT500. With a SC, it'll cream the Ford GT (and any fool that will pay $150k+ for a FORD has serious issues. The Z06 WITHOUT a SC, and HALF the price destroys it on the track). Hell, with bolt-ons and ethanol, a member of ls1gto.com dynoed 766hp to the tires! The Challenger won't fail because they are smart enough to offer different trims and power trains... as long as they price the lower models low enough. However, the SRT-8 will be a rare bread. If it weighs what the Charger weighs, it'll be no faster than a GTO, at 15k more. That is over priced. The Camaro won't fail for the same reasons. However, the top line Camaro will be a GT500 killer, and will run just a tick behind the Z06.

Impossible, period. Even if it were, it would shatter all the windows in the car instantly. A sonic boom 2 miles up is loud enough to literally shake an entire building on the ground (I hear them daily at work - right by an AF base). A sonic boom can only be created by an object breaking the sound barrier. The piston would have to move, in ONE direction, in excess of Mach 1. Same goes for the port velocity. That is created by the backwards motion of the piston, so it is dependent on the speed of the piston. It doesn't matter how fast you can make it move back and forth, as it must exceed Mach 1 in ONE direction (i.e. Mach 2 if you count forward and backward directions) to be successful. Now, think about what it take for a jet to exceed Mach 1. Most jets capable have upwards of 20,000 pounds of thrust, or more, in order to achieve those speeds. Also note that this is at high altitude where the air is much much thinner with much less resistance. Try converting that to watts. It is not eay to do because of the way thrust is derived, but a good way to "get a good idea" is here: Source: http://www.aerospaceweb.org/question/propulsion/q0195.shtml Now, look at those numbers. 27,210KW... Not 27,310 watts... but KILOWATTS... That's 27,210,000 watts. You have a sub that can handle 27 million watts? Hell.. even an amp that can output that kind of power?? It is physically impossible to achieve. You would need ONE sub that could break the sound barrier. A combination of 27 thousands subs on 1kw each would still not create a sonic boom as none of them would be breaking the sound barrier. would they be loud? Hell yes. Probably even louder than a sonic boom. But a sonic boom would not be created. Edit: Also, without some space age subwoofer material, "if" (huge if because it can't be done) it were successful, the pressure of a sonic boom would tear the sub to shreds.

USA-4300x I've had this amp for several years now, and it is hands down the bext multi-channel amp I have ever owned (and I've owned a lot - should I show my age by mentioning the Carver M-4820 I had many moons ago? lol). The sound quality is excellent as is the build quality. I don't have much to say other than that, as that is what matters, right? But I can give this one testament to the build quailty. When we built the box for my 12"s in my old car (running off my old SoundStream Class A 10.0), about 3 years ago, we hooked everything up for a quick test. While it was playing I noticed smoke coming out of the 4300x.... yes... actual SMOKE coming out of my precious amp. So, I ran to the front and shut down the system to inspect the problem. One strand of speaker wire was touching the opposite terminal, running that channel on a dead short. Well, I fixed that problem, and fired the system back up. 3 years later it continues to provide awesome sound out of all 4 channels.

soundStream SPL 160's and Cerwin Vega XL-D's. I've owned both (still have the 160's, but age has taken it's toll), and loved them dearly.

How do these newer companies that you speak of compare to what SoundStream, Orion, Linear Power, and US Amps used to be, particular broken down in the following categories: Sound quality Build quality Overall "bullet proofnes" (if you were around in the 80's and 90's you know what I am talking about in relation to the companies above - I've seen both a US Amps and a SoundStream used as a cutting torch all day, and still pound away when hooked back up) Are they "underrated"? (Again... see above...) All in all.. how do they compare? I currently own a SoundStream Reference Class A 10.0 (arguably the best car amplifer ever produced) and a US Amps USA-4300x (have "accidently" had this on a dead short with no damage - still sounds awesome). Both have served me well over the years (the SS has been running on a 1/2 Ohm load since 1995 and still pounds away), but in the new car I want matching amps for "looks", but want to retain the quality I have now.

Hey everyone. I found this site while looking up stuff about US Amps, and I'm glad I did! So, I'll be lurking here and there. Name is Mike, and live in the Warner Robins, GA area. I am an Electronics Technician in the Navy, and Systems Administrator in my civilian life. I've been heavily into home and car audio since about 1987, and have a deep appreciation and love for the old school, hand crafted in the U.S.A., quality gear that seems to be rapidly going the way of the dinosaur. Hope to get to know some of you, learn from some of you, and maybe even share a little knowledge with some of you.