Hello,

Just want to know your opinions on the best aftermarket amps available. Has anyone heard of "ZAPCO"? I was at an audio pro shop today and I tested the JL audio (the one I wanted w/ stealthbox) 250 watt against Rockford, Kenwood, ZAPCO-a brand I have never heard of.

ZAPCO WON!!! At least with my ears...the volume/gain wasn't changed, just the brand of amp.

I am impressed, and the nice thing is this ZAPCO is US made, in Modesto CA. If you get a chance to hear it, let us know what you think.

 

Bang for the buck: MTX.
Nifty factor: class T Blaupunkts.
Ghetto fabulous: JL Audio.

R

 

Davbret,

Your funny! Well I went with the Zapco amps and the "ghetto fabulous" JL Audio Stealthbox to save a little room in my boot.

 

Pooky,
Look forward to hearing your opinions of the JL stealthbox when you get it in; and hopefully some pics too :smile:

My amp is/will be the Boston Acoustics GT42 ... heard lots of good about it and it looks really cool!

_________________
Ian C. Gloucester, MA
<A href="http://users.adelphia.net/~gbmini/bl...uot;</a>

CWFFC member. Indi Blue / Lapis Blue MCS ... body color exterior trim, chrome grille, painted roof Union Jack, Euro shelf and rear fog switch

 

i have a pheonix gold amp... they are awesome... kinda pricey but worth it i think... i already got it ready for my mini when it gets here

http://www.pheonixgold.com

 

Iancull,

Awesome looking Bostons! Are you really considering the Stealthbox or any other single sub out there?

 

If I could stuff a pair of Pass Labs XA200's in my MINI, life would be beyond perfect!

...oh, you wanna know about car amps? My vote is for Precision Power, Monolithic, and Audison. All are first rate sounding amplifiers, for slightly different applications.

Cheers,
Ryan

 

iancull,

what speakers are you running with your boston amp

 

>>iancull,
>>what speakers are you running with your boston amp

Today ... none :smile:
The HK amp is still doing the sound, driving the HK speakers.

Next week, I will be having the new amp installed along with MB Quart reference series 6.5" speakers front & rear (RCE 216):
MB Quart RCE216
Priced around $300 per pair.

I like their sound - to my ears they sound better than the Premium line, and although the Q line sounds much better, it is also $1000 more per pair!

 

I'm using a JL Audio 300/4 and think it does very nice. I'm not running a sub, but didn't want one.

 

My poor MB Quarts need more clean power. They are being drowned out by my new Quicksilver aftermarket exhaust.
So to battle back I will be adding an Xtant 4.4 fifty watt x four channel amp. Should be enough to balance out the burbling from the rear. Unless I add a header? Ahh the battle goes on.

 

just wondering...are any of you planning on changing the stock battery perhaps to optima? and how about any changes to the electrical system? i'm planning on upgrading my system modestly but am wondering if i'm gonna have to do other changes as well.

 

I'm having a Farad Cap added to my new system so it shouldn't affect the MINIs power. But the next battery will be the Optima that's for sure.

 

Good choice of amps pooky I have the Zapco studio series amps that i have run for 3 years now with no problem. Currently I have 2 Zapco studio 500's running 8 Alpine Type R's and a studio 50 running all my highs. Down side is the studio 50 is only 2 ch. You won't be disappointed with your selection of amps.

 

I'm installing Mcintosh amps in my Mini. Their car line is nearly as excellent as their home equipment.
Although they're a bit pricey and rather large I've heard no other 12V amplifier that compares to them.
....' should have the system completed in a few weeks, I'll post pictures then.
http://www.mcintoshlabs.com

 

Broskoooo,

Thanks for the support in regards to the Zapco amps. I have listened to several makes of amps and the Zapco delivers the most clarity and quality sound that I have ever heard, personally speaking. Wow, you have the studio series Zapcos, awesome. I know that costs a pretty penny...must sound beautiful and 3 years old too.

Bubba,

Love your name, I named a teddy bear of mine Bubba when I was young.

I'll post mine when Pooky Jr.'s set up is complete.

 

Just a quick note to let you all know that adding an amp (50 Watts per channel x 4) makes a ton of difference.
I had upgraded to MB Quart speakers front and rear and it made a small difference. Clearer with better highs but bass was still lacking and total volume was too low without getting distortion. Today I added the Xtant 4.4 amp and now I have BASS (the kind you can feel ) and a lot of it from front and rears. I think if you kept the stock speakers and added a quality amp it might do very well. In the range of 35 Watts per channel x 4 with connectors to the speakers.
If you do a speaker upgrade and add an amp then think about $1000 to $2000 minimum to do it right. Easy to spend $3000+ if you replace the head unit (radio/CD/DVD). But the sound will be worth it. POWERful

 

minihune,
how's the amp installed, ie. location? did you keep the head unit? any cross-overs? and do you think you'll install subs?

 

The amp is bolted onto the rear right seat back with all cables running down into the carpet at the boot. Everything in the interior is taken apart to run the wires from the Head unit (stock radio was kept) to hi-lo converters ($20- this accepts the speaker wires from the HU and converts it into RCA plugs. Then I had installed 5 foot RCA cables from the HU at the converter back to the amp. More 8 gauge speaker wires were used to run each of the speakers to the amp. I had crossovers from the MB Quarts in the front and the amp came with built in crossovers with switches to bypass or not. I just got it today but the bass is loud and clear so I don't think I really need to add subwoofers. Send me PM and let me know where you live. Maybe we can get together. Get your favorite CD ready. It's pretty impressive but also very costly. I got a 4 year warranty on everything from Island Sound. They do excellent work.

 

Are you guys doing the installs yourself or are you having the shop do it? I might get an amp at bestbuy or cicuit city and would just have them install it. So an amp with the stock speakers is good enough? I'll prob change the speakers later. I was thinking of getting an amp small enough to fit in one of the side compartments in the trunk, any suggestions for an amp small enough to fit? thanks

 

>>I'm installing Mcintosh amps in my Mini. Their car line is nearly as excellent as their home equipment.
>>Although they're a bit pricey and rather large I've heard no other 12V amplifier that compares to them.
>>....' should have the system completed in a few weeks, I'll post pictures then.
>>http://www.mcintoshlabs.com

McIntosh car amps are really sweet sounding. They add clarity and don't add distortion. Let me know how the install goes as I will consider them for my MCS. Please post photos.

 

Whoohooo!!!!!!!!!!!!!!Pooky Jr.'s audio system is complete! It sound awesome, better than expected. I actually kept the head unit and the HK SPEAKERS but did not use the HK amp. I emailed this to Minihune just some minutes ago:

The installer(s) had been working on it from 1p.m. this afternoon til' 8p.m. and the sound was incredible. The HK's sound much crisper, not Infinity or MB Quarts quality...but damn close to it. And the JL stealthbox gave more bass than I would have ever expected from any top of the line single subwoofer box. This definitely beats most setups for the money. With the HK head unit and HK's speakers intact, the ZAPCOs 350 and 360 amps, new wiring for all speakers, connectors, adaptors, analog subwoofer **** dial, JL audio stealthbox, Farad cap, and installation came to a total of $1900.00. I think the cost was reasonable for the great job the shop did. I am very happy.

If you guys notice that on most MINIs there's a missing "toggle" switch in the row of toggles? Well, my installer asked my where would I like to put the JL sub woofer's gain/volume **** (dial) from the ZAPCO 350 amp. I told him if they could install it where the blank toggle switch is at. He said it shouldn't be a problem...and it worked! No more blank toggle space! :smile:

 

I'm glad that PookyJr has new sounds and is safe at home now. I doubt that you will need to replace the HK speakers anytime soon given you have the new Zapco amps. The speakers are decent enough and you'd need to spend a lot more to get a small improvement if any since you are likely to keep the HU and amps. Changing the HU would add features and improve the CD player some but at extra cost and could be a magnet for auto thieves :evil:
Being stealthy is a plus. If you look stock that is great. But when you blast your stereo your cover will be blown

_________________
ALOHA

 

>>I'm glad that PookyJr has new sounds and is safe at home now. I doubt that you will need to replace the HK speakers anytime soon given you have the new Zapco amps. The speakers are decent enough and you'd need to spend a lot more to get a small improvement if any since you are likely to keep the HU and amps. Changing the HU would add features and improve the CD player some but at extra cost and could be a magnet for auto thieves :smile:

 

i'd agree that pookyjr got a great upgrade at a great price. i'm currently trying to figure out how much i wanna go. originally i was looking at $3000 for eclipse/alpine hu, high end separates, pretty good rears and amp. possibly a simple sub setup. by the way, which JL stealthbox is that? is there one specific for mini's?

however, now i'm considering going a bit more extravagant. basically a custom sub and amp rack setup, while maintaining at least half the available boot space. this alone would probably add another $2000 along with a more powerful amp for the subs only and accessories.

one reason why i like eclipse is that they have a security feature on their hu's. a preselected cd of your choice is inputted as the security disc. anytime the power is disconnected to the hu, ie. ripping it out of the dash, the security disc is needed in order for the hu to play again upon reconnection, ie. installed again. the user has 5 chances to get the security disc right. otherwise, the hu shuts down and must be sent to the company hq along with owner info/papers to work again. as far as i know, when i first got one back in '97, eclipse is the only company that has this feature. that plus a 3 year warranty. pretty good stuff.

the main reason why i'm so hooked on car audio is because i already got a $5000 system in my truck, which i couldn't bear to get rid of after getting the mini. but since i use the mini 5-6x/week for work, i've missed the sounds. it does help that i've got a lot more fun performance to make up for the lack of sounds, but i still miss it during the daily drive.