Erick G

Hey guys

I've decided not to go with brax sponsorship.
they want 25 shows a year from me and i honestly dont feel like driving all over the country. I have a new house getting built and I rather focus my time on my house.

Do I still buy the brax amps retail?
Do I go with mcintosh amps (classic amp - excellent quality)
or do I go with arc audio amps (save me some money)

I am definetly going with dyn audio up front and IDMAX subs
Confused to all hell
I hate this process of shopping!

someone hit me over the head please
thanks

Erick

Percy

*whap*! (Nerf bat)

They're all very good amps but only one does as advertised in the specs. McIntosh. Brax had a writeup (Mobile Entertainment...formerly Car Stereo Review) on their distortion and s/n ratio ... they didn't even come close to advertised specs. Mc on the other was BETTER than specs across the board. To me, it's a company (Mc) that conservatively rates their products. The other guys have to advertise specs that can't be proven in a real life test.

In terms of sound quality, there have been people that rated the Brax as better sounding and less clincal than most amps. This includes the Mc. BUT, the key here is the op amps they're using...BB604's - I highly doubt they're using BB627s and even then they're not the ultimate in resolution. For those that haven't compared it to a modded piece of equipment, you'd think they were the ultimate in sound. They're only partly right. If they did listen to a modded piece of equipment versus the stock Brax, the stock Brax would lose ground. Now if both were modded, the gap would be so close that it's not even funny.

Construction. At one time Brax was touting a "fully discrete" amplfier. If this were the case I would have to give Brax kudos for being the FIRST to ever do this for car audio. A fully discrete input stage (NO OP AMPS) would result in better sound. But, alas, they're using op amps. The rest of it appears fully discrete though, but pretty much all amps are discrete after the input stage.

As for the build quality, you really can't go wrong with either. I know the Mc has built in fans and one heck of a reputation for quality. (does brax have cooling fans?) Also, there are nice touches on the Mc like power meters and circuit breakers. Brax is the new kid on the block so it has lots of catching up to do. Mc has over 50 years of experience under it's belt and experience like that can't be gained in just a couple of years. Plus Mc has several patents in amplifier design that other companies can't copy...otherwise they face lawsuit to patent infringement.

Both are built quite nicely. Both sound quite good. One has a bit of advertising hype (it's tolerable...but it's hype nonetheless) while the other is conservative. You really can't go wrong with either, but for my bucks, it's the Mc.

There is a waiting list for the Mc as they build the amps in production runs - on the same assembly area as their home equipment. If a dealer has a Mc amp in stock, consider yourself lucky!

Don't know enough about Arc Audio though.

Percy
Putting away the Nerf (tm) bat.

Erick G

brax doesnt no have cooling fan which is why im thinking of passing on it.

I agree.. mcintosh amps are hard to find.
I found a place that has 1 in stock and they tell me they can get another in a couple days.


I need 1 mcc404m and 1 mc420mb and im set

hard decision.

Erick

sirsomo

Erick, its a tough decision. Im too poor to know enough about these amps to recommend one over the other.
Have you ever heard a McIntosh? Some people dont like them, dont know why just opinion I guess.
Have you contacted Peter at theautophile.com? I believe he sells both brands and Zapco, so he could probably help make a decision.
Arc amps are good, but Im not convinced that they're up to par with the others.
Good luck, its a good problem to have, you could be picking between Jensen and Urban audio. Sorry your sponsorship didnt work out, its probably for the best.

retrodrive

Actually with high end amps it is all about the looks and features. If you like McIntoch look wih all the meters, go for it. On the other hand you can have ARC painted any color ou want...or polished or chromed by the factory. The also have all the x-over features (Linkwitz-Reily) you will ever need. They are very solid and have the best personal support I came across.

As far as sponsorship goes, they are pretty flexible about that. I doubt they would ask you to do anything close to what BRAX did.

Erick G

retro very cool!

do you have a contact at arc audio?
are you good friends with anybody there?
I would like to contact them and see if they can help me out.

thanks

erick

BabaBooey

Arc reps post at several boards, but easiest to reach at teamamp.com's forum. I would go with Arc on that list simply because it's cheapest and, like Retro said, they have grood xover features (you can LP subs, HP a component set, or just push a button and HP in the upper frequencies for horns/tweets). I'd go with JL or Cadence to to features (and Cadence is very cheap), but I'm one of those people that can't hear the difference amongst amps, so take my opinion with a grain of salt.

Erick G

I plan on going using

2 Arc Audio 4150 CXLR (front stage/rear fill/center/trunk coax)
1 Arc Audio 2500CXL for my subs

hopefully I can find a shop that has IDMAX in stock

thanks

Erick G

retrodrive

Eric, I would talk directly to the man. Call them up at 209-341-0374 and ask for Demitrious. This guy is a head of ARC. Talk to him and mention that Pete with black LS400 reffered you. He is cool guy to deal with and pretty good to deal with.

retrodrive

oh ya, almost forgot:

Erick G

retro is that regular chrome?

what should i tell demitrious?
that I am interested in sponsorship?

Erick

retrodrive

That is non-factory chrome. You can get high polish from the factory I think.

Tell him that you go to shows, that you got BRAX sponsorship but they want too much from you and that you want to deal with the company that is more realistic about shows.

Also, you might want to talk to him about partial sponsorship when you have to pay something for your equipment but not much. That will give you even more freedom.

Send him some pics of your 2 previous installs and tell him that you go to shows and such. Always gives a good impression and let's him evaluate how serious you are.

Erick G

ordered my dyn audio 240mkII today
not sure what to use in my trunk and rear doors

I think i will go with Arc Audio

Retro.. where did you get your arc chrome plated and how much?

Can I send mine to you to get them plated?
please

thanks

Erick

Erick G

Retro

I called Demitrious
AWesome guy! you wherent kidding!
I have to call back Wednesday, He is VERY excited and is very very interested in my car

thanks again

Erick

retrodrive

Great! Actually ARC people and service is another reason I am with them. Pretty much everyone is cool over there.

Now that amp is not mine but I know a guy who had that amp chrome plated. I can ask where and $$$ for you if you want.