GradeA_TireFryer

Anyone Have Experience With The Big 5 Channel Amp From Jl? What Are The Ratings On That Amp?
Or Do You Think A 4 Channel And Seperate Sub Amps Work Better, Trying To Save Space And Weight,

mbanks21

Separate amps is generally always better but the JL 500/5 is a very good amp. Its 100x2, 25x2, and 250x1. What speakers and sub are you running?

GradeA_TireFryer

Alpine 4" Coaxile In Dash Type S
Alpine 6.5" Seperates In Kick Panels Type S
Alpine 6 X 9 Type S - Rear Deck
Kinda Still Looking For Subs - Maybe 4 Alpine Type S 12's -
Kinda Got A Type S Thing Going On -
Really Interested In The New Stackable Alpine Amps - But Not Out Yet,
Back In The Day I Was A Big Orion Fan (i Was One Of The Original Team Xtream Spl Vechiles 164.4db On 1000 Watts), Dont Hear Much From Them Anymore -
Use To Sell A Lot Of Ppi And Again Not Much From Them Either
Jl Was Around Then - And Still Strong Today - So I Was Thinking They Must Have Something Going On.

TJElite

I had a 500/5. JL makes some good stuff, but their amps never really jumped out at me. I do like the staggered front / rear power, though. Pretty good amp. One interesting thing is that the sub channel is 250 watts, regardless of ohm load. With JL, you tend to pay for name, though, so unless it was the same or cheaper than another 5, or multiple amps, I probably wouldn't do it.

One down side is that if one channel bites the dust, the whole amp comes out. I lost the front right channel twice on mine (both times manufacturing defect...kind of scary), and both times had to swap in another amp, or be without music of any kind.

Just curious...why the 4 channel? I never really understand why some people do seperate front / rear amps. Unless you are just dying to fade front to rear. Think about it. You can buy a 4x50 amp, and put it on 4, 4ohm speakers, and get 50 watts to each. Or, you can do a 2x50 amp, put it on 4, 4ohm speakers, and get 50 watts to each (provided it is 2 ohm stable, and doubles power, which most good ones do). All you gain with the 4x50 is fading. I see you want to do more than that up front, with the 6 1/2 set, and the 4. As long as you do your passive crossovers right, and don't have overlapping frequencies, you can still get a 4 ohm load with this. If you don't plan on doing a true 3-way, I'd suggest not using the 4's. In fact, I'd suggest not using them period. A 4" driver doesn't add enough sound reinforcment, and putting it in the dash will give you path length problems, and poor imaging.


In fact, I don't even really understand why people do rear speakers, unless its a surround system. In a concert, the stage is in front of you, the same should be true of your car. The old IASCA term was 'front stage, rear fill'. And rear fill should be almost undetecable. I had trouble with this when I was competing, until I finally just took the rear speakers out...I started getting much better scores. Unless you really just need the extra volume from the rear speakers (which you probably don't), or you really care about the people in your back seat (which you shouldn't), I wouldn't bother with rear speakers. If you just have to have them, put some straight woofers back there...5 1/4's, 6 1/2's 8's...just no tweeters. Remember, the stage is in front of you.

Toby

Notladstyle

my rears carry midbass since I had 5.25s up front and I dont like being at a concert I like sound all around me.

I installed the JL 450el? 5 channel in a 03 dodge ram and he ran in on 2 pairs of polk momo coaxials and a single 12 alpine type-s. It wasnt anything mind blowing but if you want a clean, space saving setup then it will put moderate power in a nice compact package.

TBSpyder

I really like the 500/5, and for someone looking for an "all in one" package, it's definetly the way to go. Toby makes an excellent point though, kind of like those home televisions with built in dvd player and VHS player. If you're looking to build an spl vehicle, or just run multiple and/or high powered subs, it's probably not going to cut it.

GradeA_TireFryer

The More I Think About This System A Single All In One Amp Wont Work - First Not Enough Power For Subs
4 12's Will Need Decent Power -
So I Think I Will Do 1 4 Channel Amp And 2 Mono Amps -
I Do Want The Ability To Fade Front Rear - I Also Think I Will Need The Rear 6x9 For Some Midbass/ And Volume
I Think I Will Be A Little Bass Heavy, But The Car Has A Really Loud Exhaust - 3" Duals Mandrel Bent With 40 Mufflers
I Will Run The Front Channel At 2 Ohm And Rear Channel At 4 Ohms
Sound Stage Is Shot In This Car No Matter What I Do - I Think The 4" In The Dash Will Only At Be Able To Hear The High's
Notladstyle Pm Me I Need Some Prices

mbanks21

Are you suggesting he run his mids and highs in parallel so the 2 channel amp sees 2 ohms? At 4 ohms the amp is working half as hard, stays cooler, and probably has less THD than at 2 ohms. I do agree with not running the 4" speakers or rear speakers (although a nice set of 6x9's will help with midbass). Id run a nice set of 6.5" separates on a nice 2 channel amp (JL 300/2 maybe) and what car are you putting 4 12" subs in?

That amp wouldnt work for you setup. Too much power for the fronts, not enough for the rears, and nowhere near enough for subs.

kpr10is

DLS A7. 4x60@4 ohms or 4x100@2 ohms + 600x1@1 ohm, or bridged 220x2@2 ohms + 600x1@1 ohm. And its DLS, so its underrated power. Gonna probably be a bit more pricewise than the Just Lousy though, probably at $900 or so to your door

TJElite

Yep, that's what I'm suggesting. Yes, it will run hotter, and might have slightly more THD (still well below audible, though), but its not like they aren't designed to do it, and provided cooling and power is adequate, won't have a noticeably shorter life. Not to mention the capital outlay is less. Basically, you're just getting your full value from the amp.

Don't get me wrong, your observations are valid. But, if we were really concerned with work, heat, and THD, we should all buy 1000 watt amps, run them at 8 ohms, turn the gains all the way down, and keep the volume at 1/4. This would also get us around 100 watts to each set of mids.

Toby