im starting this post to see whats your favorite brand of choice.

please dont bash if somebody says a brand you THINK is not good.

one of my all time favorite is ORION because they keep it simple with only a few items but are all good.

my other ones are CROSSFIRE, PLANET AUDIO, ID, ED, RE just to name a few.

these would be my frist picks if i had to build a system.

now what are yours.......

jamie

Arc Audio - cheaper and better sounding then zapco, and they stay cooler and are smaller.

Focal - Over the past few years I have been amazed by there lower end stuff sounding amazing

Memphis - Best amps out there for the money.

oh....

and planet audio for making the best cheap stuff there is

humm this is a tough topic because I have history with so many different compaines and I like so many of them,

so............... I have strong ties to RF, because I ran them way back and had great results, I have lost a little love in recent years, but still like em

Kicker, yes I know everyone and their mother runs them, but I am talking 1997 here when I was running round solo barics and ZR1000's, back when Kicker was not all out mass production yet (I think), but people like Polecat make kicker a solid place

Orion, I have been a massive fan of the HCCA line from its inception and some of the older monster amps, they were one of the first to hit it big in SPL and do very well at that, and one of my favortie set ups I did was 2 HCCA 12's and a pair of HCCA275s, almost bent metal with that, damn miss that set up, but I have always loved them

Cadence is an insteresting one, I have heard their subs but not enough to love their loudspeakers yet, but I do love their amps, soild, efficent, durable, and damn strong

RE is a company that has grown on me, I like their innovation and customer service, not to mention their high quality products, I mean last year alone I bough 4 RE8's as presents to friends B)

Eclipse is my current favorite, because I have been beyond happy with the quality and performance of their head units and sub woofers, I want more experience with their components and amplifers and point source components

Audio Control, well they make awsome equipment that can really make a difference in the final sound of your system, and they have been the leader in many different aspects in processor/crossover production

Phoenix Gold is a great company for car audio, they produce high quality high performance equipment and have excellent service, I mean Tad aka PG Trainer alone is enough reason to run PG equipment, yes some of the prices are a little high but in many cases I feel it is worth it, they are not a company that is trying to make a trillion different products but still offer a good amount of options, can

Image Dynamics is another one I like, not sure about love, but service is great and I would love to have a non-daily driver SQ car with their horns, Captian Canada can agree with me on this, just some all around awsome sounding equipment

ADS makes my favortie components, when I have more expendable cash I would move to them for sure, even though Focal makes some unreal SQ components I feel ADS is right up there and I feel they are often over looked

Zapco, wow some of my favortie amps I have ever dealt with, I would love to run a Reference 650 alone for a super sweet SQ set up, and the track record of the C2K 9.0D is just perfect

Stereo Integrity, well great quality and top end service, hard to not like them, hence the reason I went after them and brought Nick and his crew over here

there are a few more but I can't think of them right now

update: steve reminded me about Crystal, good components for the money and the CMPX2 is insane, I want one bad

Edited March 4, 200421 yr by denim

Hmmm ... this one could take a while. I like a lot.

Memphis - awesome amps, some ok budget subs, well priced.

Sony - Mobile ES of course.

Phoenix Gold - Titanium ... very nice amps.

MTX - Resident MTX freak ... as much as Aaron likes AudioControl.

Orion - All XTR system last summer was amazing for the two months it was in.

Kicker - L5's. Love em'. Really, I do. Stellar customer service, if not the best customer service in the industry.

JL Audio - Like the products, dislike the prices.

Alpine - Always love the head units

Image Dynamics - Horns are wicked. Subs sound amazing. EQ is stunning.

Eclipse - Awesome head units, and everything else. Big fan of the screens.

Planet Audio - Love the amps. Period.

Arc Audio - Love my amps and EQ. Awesome customer service. I'll never sell any Arc piece of equipment I buy.

RE - Love every sub line and likewise for the 35 and 36-1D. Await the components and component amp.

Adire Audio - Couldn't be more pleased with the Brahma / Tempest / Shiva's I've owned. Plan on getting some more HT things in the future from them.

Crystal Mobilesound - CMPx2, enough said.

Morel / Peerless / Scanspeak / etc - nice speakers.

Missed a few. Would go into more detail if I wasn't crunched for time right now.

- Steve

thought id add some more

Alumapro - cuz no ones knows who and what they are and they dont get the respect they should

Nakamichi - Pimp as hell head units.

Cadence - For making the a7

Kronik Balla Audio - For making the blingiest subs in the world. who cares what they sound like, they are 24k Gold.

http://nexxon.com/kronik/kronik.htm

and of course

JL audio - best marketing in the 12v world. Any company that can sell the crap they do for the prices they sell it for gets me vote.

and of course

JL audio - best marketing in the 12v world. Any company that can sell the crap they do for the prices they sell it for gets me vote.

definate quote of the week, lolololololol

and of course

JL audio - best marketing in the 12v world. Any company that can sell the crap they do for the prices they sell it for gets me vote. 

definate quote of the week, lolololololol

its true B)

Alumapro - cuz no ones knows who and what they are and they dont get the respect they should

x2.

Agree 100%.

- Steve

are they still in business? I just read on SD that they went out...? if so thats a shame

long live the M16

are they still in business? I just read on SD that they went out...? if so thats a shame

long live the M16

http://www.alumapro.com/

i have a local dealer and he's still getting new stuff all the time. I dont think they went under. the m16 was not even that great really, the Alchemy is what kicked ass for the money. I bought a used 10 for like 40 shipped off ebay and went wround and sold it for 200. awsome sub, even at 200.

I would say that my favorite brands are: Alpine, RE. Elemental Design's is startin to grow on me very slowly, although i dont think i'll ever purchase a woofer, i still recommend them to people, because i think there decent for people with street beat. JL Audio, although whored like a mofo, is also startin to grow on me but very very very slowly lol. Also like Viper.

Gnome Audio - I own **** mofo, so I gotta give mad love to myself (kinda like masturbation, i suppose)

RE - My homies till the end. I love everything they make and I know that if I'm ever dissatisfied with anything, David will make it right.

Cadence - Badass amps. Nuff Said.

Planet Audio - Maybe slightly overrated, but very solid and great looking amps.

Stereo Integrity - Nick makes some pretty amazing drivers. My two best-selling boxes of all time are for his subs.

Pioneer - I don't care what anybody says, still the best looking, most functional HU's for the price. However, I wouldn't piss on one of their subs or amps to put out a fire.

Elemental Designs - I haven't had much experience with their drivers except the K and Kx, but both are VERY solid and sound great. I'm actually getting to the point where I suggest the Kx over the regular K's, especially in low power installs.

Audio Art - They went out of business a few years ago, but their amps are still the best on the planet, IMO. Their HC line is what got me interested in SPL in the first place. If you ever see a 50HC, 100HC, 120.2 or 240.2 for sale on ebay or otherwise, let your old pal Donn know. I'm starting a collection

Dollar Store :ph34r:

Audio Art - They went out of business a few years ago, but their amps are still the best on the planet, IMO. Their HC line is what got me interested in SPL in the first place. If you ever see a 50HC, 100HC, 120.2 or 240.2 for sale on ebay or otherwise, let your old pal Donn know. I'm starting a collection

Did you get the 100HC that was buy-it-now for $240 within the last day?

Orion (pre DEI)-I have never found amps like these. HCCA. I have 4 right now (225x3 and 2100) and am looking to add at least 1 more to the stable.

JL-say what you want about their pricing. First I have yet to pay retail from an authorized dealer. Second, I have yet to hear a JL sub (W0 series not withstanding, cause they are poo) properly enclosed that didn't sound great. They aren't loud, but I'm a pure SQ guy so I don't really care that there are tons of subs out there that get louder. They get loud enough for me and with not a lot of power.

a/d/s-I have the old (early nineties vintage) S6.2i plate sub. Two 6.5" true subwoofers on a steel plate. They are some of the best extended range woofers I have heard. They don't need a crossover on the low end and blend well with most tweets for a true 2-way system. Every component set of theirs I have heard has been amazing.

AudioControl-enough said.

Phoenix Gold-I am still on the hunt for a couple of the MS and MPS series amps. They pretty much set the standard for bulletproof, stable amps. Good design sonically, great execution of that design. No BS, just a solid, well built amp. Not much of a fan of the newer stuff, too much into looks and not enough into performance.

Soundstream-Through the early nineties these were great amps, subs and components. Haven't tried the new stuff, but so many companies have gone south lately that I'm not holding my breath. I might be surprised, but...

PPI (pre DEI)-No frills amplificaton. Ballsy amps that didn't break.

Rockford-While the stuff was made in the States, it was some of the best around (amps, I never really liked their subs). The newer stuff sounds harsh to me. This is on a set of comps that were running on my 225HCCA previously. Just sounded mechanical to me.

I'll wait till my XXX comes in to make a judgement about RE.

Well so many have been touched upon already so here I go

Cadence- an unbelievable protect.

Viper- So far its been ok to me havent had it long enough to judge

Focal- Pretty much near perfect components

Eclipse- So far its been ok to me havent had it long enough to judge

RF- Love my subs

RF Amps- Can not understand why the amps are not fused great power to much heat though :ugh:

Sony HU- If you can get the right one with proper voltage and ohms the features are fantastic gets to hot but does its job never had a problem till recently

RE- what can i say that has not been said before!

Orion- will find out soon enough! B)

Rockford Fosgate- Because of their RFD2215's, they hit low and are loud. (I generally won't buy commercial name brand subs anymore though)

Adire Audio- For the money, you get some true monsters.

Peavey Electronics- Power amps that can run just about anything, with authority.

Bryston- Power amps built like a tank and with a 20 year warranty, not bad.

Cerwin Vega- Some the wickedest home speakers made, that didn't cost 10g's.

Tascam- Full featured Digital Audio Tape deck and properly accepts DDS-2 tapes.

Well here we go....

Pioneer - Head Units; I don't care what anyone thinks, Pioneer still makes the best head units, period. I have left one out in the rain overnight, then stepped on it the next morning, and it was still like new.

Crystal Mobilesound - CMP, COMP, CMPx2; I would do almost anything to get my hands on a couple 12" or a single 15" CMPx2. I have never heard one, but I know that they have awesome sound quality and a flat response, and can get exceptionally loud if needed. Overall a phenom.

Resonant Engineering - all woofers; The best woofers that money can buy, period. There really isn't much else to say. I can't wait until I get money for a new head unit so I can finally hear my HC's that I've had for over a year.

Planet Audio - amplifiers; IMHO, one of the top two affordable amps out there. I have only ran Planet Audio amps, and will continue to do so. Excellent features, durability, and longevity.

Memphis - amplifiers; Right there along with Planet Audio for the top spot of best amplifier that most can afford. They are gorgeous and powerful.

Audiocontrol - EQ; Everyone knows how handy these are...

Image Dynamics - IDMAX, IDQ v.2; Some of the best sounding woofers out there, especially for the price. I have also heard great things about the comps and horns.

Stereo Integrity - Magnum D2; The company that brought a new meaning to "crisp SPL". Nick made one hell of a driver.

Treo Engineering - CSX, SSX, SS; Pure SPL stuff, period. Not to mention the SS's are sexy.

Incriminator Audio - woofers; I have never personally heard any of their products, but just from the way they market and from what other people say about them, they made my list. They don't care about looks or being mainstream, just regular guys like us who love audio, especially SPL.......

Peerless - everything; Peerless, IMO, has set a new benchmark for affordable sound quality. Their XLS line of woofers are extremely crisp and clean, and their products can be had extremely affordably on Parts Express website.

Soundstream - woofers, amps; What else can I say about Soundstream? They have withstood the test of time, and continue to make good stuff. However, I believe that their older products may have been a tad better than the new stuff. Regardless, check out the Exact line.

PPI - amps; I put PPI on here solely for the reason that they made Art series amplifiers. Probably one of the top three best amp lines ever made, and they are sexy as hell. I only wish that I owned a MOS40 and an A1200....

Pioneer - Head Units; I don't care what anyone thinks, Pioneer still makes the best head units, period. I have left one out in the rain overnight, then stepped on it the next morning, and it was still like new.

deemed quote of the week

Diamond Audio - (m5) 1st subs, and needless to say i beat them to hell. Clipped the amp, did everything wrong with this setup, and one of them is still in perfect condition.. the other got on the wrong side of 2000watts..

PPI- PCX-2125 amp.. all i have to say is this thing has been through hell and a half. I moved up to this amp and my cousin who owns a professional shop put it in.. needless to say i changed the settings immediately because i didn't have a clue what i was doing.. it was clipped, ran at 2.7 ohms for like 3 months, starved for voltage... and it still works like the day it came.

Clarion- Sucks.. i haven't had good luck with them, they don't do much, and i blew them w/ 40 watts.. and the highs are tinny.. (bottom of the line stuff here folks).

MTX- 1st amp i had, put that thing through it's paces for sure. she ended up meeting the magic smoke genie. but it definately worked very well for the time it was in operation. hahaha.

RE- HC loved it, deep... deep... and deeper. The response in this thing was perfect for me. Friend has it in Daily use now, and it's still truckin.

Kicker- ix series amp.. ended up getting this thing wet, so she's purty screeewed. Worked well for what i had it doing, but didn't shine like my PPI.

eD- Find out in a few days

SI- Find out in a a week or two :boink:

MTX - Resident MTX freak ... as much as Aaron likes AudioControl.

I'm the other MTX freak. My last 7 subs have been MTX.

memphis....only the best amps i have ever owned..their subs and componets aren't bad either

treo.... get loud and sound good doing it, maybe not the best sql sub out there, but really really close and they can take a beating

rf....absolutely loved my 8" hx2's..they took a beating and are still ticking

sony...like steve said..the mobile es stuff...c90 still one of the greatest h/u ever

alpine....h/u's rock, great features for the price, esp compared to eclipse(which is a badass h/u in it's own right)

focal...my polyglass sound as good as the day i bought them...but i think i'm trying silk tweeters this next go around

mtx..the new line of subs(starting with the 7500's) are just awesome and the 1501d(used to be the 81000d) is one hella amp

phoniex gold...only owned the xs series of amps..but they were bullet proof..played mine(xs2500) at 1 ohm for about 2 weeks, never shut off, got plenty hot...but it is right now killing a pair of 10" w0' in a poor bandbass box!!

jl...like their prices or not, it's hard to beat their quality

audiocontrol....aaron said it all..or has for the last 2-3 years..lol

si...maybe next month i'll know...

hifonics....read above

that is all

wheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee

Now that I've had a chance to get my XXX broken in an listened to it for a while, all I can say is add that one to my list for sure. I can't see buying another sub other than the XXX.

Head Units: No real clear cut winner here. I like my Denon-built RFX8240 best of just about any head unit I've played with in any car save the P9, but the Platinum series are the only RF units I like. Probably Pioneer since they have something for everyone, and their very high end stuff is amazing.

Processing: AudioControl. Been in the game a while and are true enthusiasts making a living out of a hobby they love.

Amplifiers: Phoenix Gold. My Tantrum amps are amazing, and I've dealt with their old XS line and the Ti line as well. All amazing for the money. Tad @ PG is awesome as well. Great customer service from such a big company.

Speakers and Subs: Tied between JL Audio and Adire Audio. For JL, again, great customer service for such a big company. Something for everyone. I love the XR components, the W6 line of subs, and the W7s as well. Their lower line stuff is really nice as well. Adire just builds some amazing products and Dan is probably one of the most knowledgeable guys in audio, period. You cant go wrong when buying Adire.

Nick Lemons and Stereo Integrity are also a BIG favorite of mine. Nick is a class act and has some amazing products. The Magnum is up there as one of my favorite subs I've ever heard and their new 8 is a piece of work as well, not to mention those components I heard in Nick's car were VERY sweet too. Just a great company overall.

I am a little fish in a big pond but.....

I like Pioneer for HUs(mine has been through hell and back and is still workin good!)

And I run all RF equipment(amps, components, sub) They work well for my needs now....