[Drivesthebeast]

I'm just curious about something... What is it with so many of you and JL audio stuff? Is there something I'm missing? It seems that so many people have JL subs on this site, or have JL amps...is there some particular reason? I know that back in the day (early 90's) there were like 5 brands you HAD to own... Orion, Pioneer, Kicker, MTX, and JL Audio...but I don't really see very many cars around any more with any of those brands other than Kicker or Pioneer on occasion.

So, what is it about JL? Is there something about their stuff that makes them a better choice than others? Personally, I've never been too overly impressed with any sound systems I've heard with JL stuff in it. Sure they could be loud, and handle a lot of power, but they just didn't sound right to me...the SQ seemed to be lacking...but maybe that's just the way my ears are...or listening taste/style differs from other people...

So, like I said, what's the deal with JL? B)

[microbunny]

JL was, and still is top notch. Depends on the setup and what you plan to do with your system..

I personally have never owned any JL products but, JL subs are intensely powerful and do sound great. They make excellent quality gear but, I have always believed that everything they make is way over-priced...thats the #1 and really only reason I've never been into JL products.

I will say, I've heard more then one complaint about their sub amps (mono) but the subs have always been solid..

I like Clarion myself, I have 2 amps and a 12" sub, all by Clarion, and I have always been pleased..

I suppose its all personal preference but, like with alot of things, you pay for the JL Audio name!!

...just my 2 cents

[MAlby7]

I've never heard anyone complain about JL's stuff. I've listened to enough stuff but not too much. JL makes great subs and amps. Their speakers are kinda lacking in bang for the buck. I think Infinity makes amazing speakers for the price. the Infinity 6.1 Kappa Perfects are by far some of the clearest components I've ever heard. I've listened to tons of subs. 90% of them just make low frequency noise. My 10W7 doesn't do that. You can hear clarity in it. If the frequency of the beat changes slightly you can honestly tell. It sounds clearer that my brothers old rockford, my buddy's phoenix golds, and the old infinity I had.

With respect to the JL amps, they are very user friendly. The fact that they have the same RMS rating from 1.5 to 4 ohms means that no matter how you wire things they will still have the same wattage. These amps are also very underated. My subwoofer amp is about 240watts RMS underated. You can beat on these amps all day long and it won't even flinch. Try doing that to a Sony amp and you'll blow it withing the first week. These amps aren't physically that large either and they weigh a lot so anyone that knows the heavier a piece of electronics is the more stuff they have going on inside technology wise.

I'm not putting down any other companies such as JBL, hell I have JBL components up front. All I know is that no company can make an amazing entire lineup. Pioneer, Clarion, Alpine, Eclipse are known for their decks. Infinity, MB Quart, Focal, and the higher end JBL, are known for their speakers. JL Audio, Adire Audio, and the higher end JBL and Alpine are known for subs. JL Audio and JBL are known for their amps. I know I have left out a bunch of companies but these are the ones that come to mind.

This is just my opinion!

[Drivesthebeast]

Well besides being loud, yeah, I found they were kinda pricey (not as expensive as the high end JBL, or MTX subs though), and well, I didn't like how they sound at all...like you said though, perhaps being considered "Top-Notch" is all about personal prefference...

BTW, I think that Clarion's subs and amps sound teriffic, and they are very affordable...got beat by a kid with a Civic with 2x 12" Clarions by like 1.5db last summer...I think that's coz he had a bigger amp, his box was ported, and he had an aftermarket HU...lol!

[MAlby7]

Ya like others have said it's all about personal preference. I'm in no way trying to put down any other companies but of all the car audio forums I belong to this is what you hear people recommending. Clarion is also very good as someone pointed out.

As far as JL pricing goes, it is more expensive because you are paying for a name, but the quality is also there to back it up!

[MAlby7]

Before I start I do not agree or disagree with this entire list. A group of car audio experts got together and dreampt up this list...

This is the infamous Good, Bad, and Ugly list.

These are some pretty generalized groupings and also very subjective. We've simply based our experiences with the products whether they are direct installs, personal property or extensive research. You should always physically listen to a product before purchase because you are the one who will determine whether or not an item "sounds good" or not.

This topic, while being controversial, is simply a generalized guide meant for beginners in the hobby. Many brands specialize in certain items, ie. better amplifiers than speakers, better mids than subs, etc... Also almost all manufacturers offer entry level products as well as high quality lines. As I stated before, this is a GENERALIZED guide. It is your responsiblity to research and audition every brand before you purchase anything. Good luck with your decisions.

We've broken this section into 4 catagories:
1: Bad
2: Questionable
3: Good
4: Highly Recommended


Bad


American HiFi (Rockwood)
American Pro
Audiovox
Automobile
Becker
Boss
DHD
JDL
Jensen
Kenwood (speakers)
Kole
Kraco
Kronik
LA Sound
Legacy
MA Audio
Optimus (Radio Shack)
Planet Audio (Boss, by any other name)
Power Acoustik
Profile
Pyle
Pyramid
Rockwood
SAS Bazooka (amplifiers)
Sherwood
Sony (anything by Sony)
Sound Storm
Sparkomatic
SPL Audio
Thump
Ultimate Sounds
Visonik
Volfenhag


Questionable


Alpine (lower model speakers)
Autotek
Audiobahn
Blaupunkt
Aiwa
Crunch
Elemental Designs (eD)
Hifonics
Hollywood
Kenwood (amplifiers, head units)
Kicker Solobaric (L5, L7, Solo-X square subs)
Lanzar
Lightning Audio
Matsui
MTX (subs)
Onyx Mobile Audio
Panasonic
Phoenix Gold (ask on specific models)
Pioneer (amplifiers and speakers)
Precision Power (PPI) (newer non-US made amplifiers)
Rockford Fosgate (current products)
SAS Bazooka (all products)


Good


Alpine (amplifiers, Type-R speakers and subs)
Altec Lansing
Alumapro
Ample Audio
Audio Development
Avionixx
Boston Acoustics
Cadence (current amplifier products)
Cerwin Vega (subs)
Clarion (head units)
Coustic
Crossfire
Crystal
Directed (DEI)
Earthquake
Eaton
Helix
Illusion
Infinity
JBL (amplifiers)
JVC Digifine
Kicker (amplifiers & Comp/CompVR subwoofers)
Lunar
Memphis Audio
MTX (amplifiers)
Phoenix Gold (some models)
Polk Audio
Rockford Fosgate (some models)
Soundstream
USAcoustics


Highly Recommended


a/d/s
Adire
Alpine (head units, signal processors)
Arc Audio
Audax
Audio Control
Brax
Butler Audio
CD Technologies (CDT)
Diamond Audio
Digital Designs (DD)
DLS
DynAudio
Eclipse (Fujitsu Ten)
Esoteric Audio
Focal
Harrison Labs
Image Dynamics (ID)
Infinity Kappa/Kappa Perfect components
JL Audio (subs, XR components, slash series amps)
KEF Kar components
Kove
Luxman
MB Quart
McIntosh Laboratories
MMATS
Morel
Nakamichi (tape transports)
Ohio Alternator
Orion
OZ Audio
Pioneer Premiere (head units)
Precision Power (PPI) (Art series amps, old)
Rainbow
Resonant Engineering (RE)
Rockford Fosgate (older 1980s and 1990s models)
Sinfoni
Streetwirez
Stinger
Treo
US Amps
Wrangler Alternators
Xtant
Zapco

[Drivesthebeast]

You are right...I am not saying I think JL's stuff sux, just that I don't like the sound that they produce...It's the same as home audio stuff...so many people have a huge hard-on for Paradigm speakers, which I've always thought DO SUCK...lol!

My freinds used to use all Rockford/Stinger Pro/Dynamat and all that stuff, as well as MTX Black Gold (I had 2x 10"...simply indestructable, simply amazing subs!), and myself I always had JBL, with a Pioneer Premier HU. But now that I own a car that has a slightly more modern looking dash in it (more modern than a 78 Mercury Zephyr I'd say! lol!), so I'm getting the JVC Arsenal series KD AR5000, the 2nd from the top for this year from them. Apparently JVC has a very good track record in terms of reliablity and not breaking...especially the Arsenal series, which is made more rugged and with more expensive internal parts.


I also used to be (and still am) a huge fan of SAS Bazooka tubes...I had 2x 8" in my first car (1985 Mazda GLC Hatchback), and whenever I listend to Outkast's Rosa Parks, people thought I had 2 12's in the back. But, to me, the biggest thing about Bazookas, is that they play amazing SQ. Myself, my family, and freinds all agree that we find they are almost unbeatable for SQ...you'd have to spend a lot more on seperates to equal it...

But I've gotten off track here...the JL stuff must be pretty good since it sells well (at least with Focuscanada.net memebers anyways...lol!). I'd just sooner choose something else...but thanks for the input...you've answered my question... B)

[Drivesthebeast]

Oh yeah, refference that list you posted just now...man...the stuff that's considered excellent is all Rich-Ass-Man's stuff! LOL! That, and a lot of them are again, brands you pay the name premium for...

How dare they place Power Acoustik in the bad (and in total too!) lol!

[MAlby7]

I dunno man!

[euro_zx5]

MAlby7,Jan 23 2005, 03:55 PM Wrote:Before I start I do not agree or disagree with this entire list.  A group of car audio experts got together and dreampt up this list...

This is the infamous Good, Bad, and Ugly list.

These are some pretty generalized groupings and also very subjective. We've simply based our experiences with the products whether they are direct installs, personal property or extensive research. You should always physically listen to a product before purchase because you are the one who will determine whether or not an item "sounds good" or not.

This topic, while being controversial, is simply a generalized guide meant for beginners in the hobby. Many brands specialize in certain items, ie. better amplifiers than speakers, better mids than subs, etc... Also almost all manufacturers offer entry level products as well as high quality lines. As I stated before, this is a GENERALIZED guide. It is your responsiblity to research and audition every brand before you purchase anything. Good luck with your decisions.

We've broken this section into 4 catagories:
1: Bad
2: Questionable
3: Good
4: Highly Recommended


Bad


American HiFi (Rockwood)
American Pro
Audiovox
Automobile
Becker
Boss
DHD
JDL
Jensen
Kenwood (speakers)
Kole
Kraco
Kronik
LA Sound
Legacy
MA Audio
Optimus (Radio Shack)
Planet Audio (Boss, by any other name)
Power Acoustik
Profile
Pyle
Pyramid
Rockwood
SAS Bazooka (amplifiers)
Sherwood
Sony (anything by Sony)
Sound Storm
Sparkomatic
SPL Audio
Thump
Ultimate Sounds
Visonik
Volfenhag


Questionable


Alpine (lower model speakers)
Autotek
Audiobahn
Blaupunkt
Aiwa
Crunch
Elemental Designs (eD)
Hifonics
Hollywood
Kenwood (amplifiers, head units)
Kicker Solobaric (L5, L7, Solo-X square subs)
Lanzar
Lightning Audio
Matsui
MTX (subs)
Onyx Mobile Audio
Panasonic
Phoenix Gold (ask on specific models)
Pioneer (amplifiers and speakers)
Precision Power (PPI) (newer non-US made amplifiers)
Rockford Fosgate (current products)
SAS Bazooka (all products)


Good


Alpine (amplifiers, Type-R speakers and subs)
Altec Lansing
Alumapro
Ample Audio
Audio Development
Avionixx
Boston Acoustics
Cadence (current amplifier products)
Cerwin Vega (subs)
Clarion (head units)
Coustic
Crossfire
Crystal
Directed (DEI)
Earthquake
Eaton
Helix
Illusion
Infinity
JBL (amplifiers)
JVC Digifine
Kicker (amplifiers & Comp/CompVR subwoofers)
Lunar
Memphis Audio
MTX (amplifiers)
Phoenix Gold (some models)
Polk Audio
Rockford Fosgate (some models)
Soundstream
USAcoustics


Highly Recommended


a/d/s
Adire
Alpine (head units, signal processors)
Arc Audio
Audax
Audio Control
Brax
Butler Audio
CD Technologies (CDT)
Diamond Audio
Digital Designs (DD)
DLS
DynAudio
Eclipse (Fujitsu Ten)
Esoteric Audio
Focal
Harrison Labs
Image Dynamics (ID)
Infinity Kappa/Kappa Perfect components
JL Audio (subs, XR components, slash series amps)
KEF Kar components
Kove
Luxman
MB Quart
McIntosh Laboratories
MMATS
Morel
Nakamichi (tape transports)
Ohio Alternator
Orion
OZ Audio
Pioneer Premiere (head units)
Precision Power (PPI) (Art series amps, old)
Rainbow
Resonant Engineering (RE)
Rockford Fosgate (older 1980s and 1990s models)
Sinfoni
Streetwirez
Stinger
Treo
US Amps
Wrangler Alternators
Xtant
Zapco
[right][snapback]80270[/snapback][/right]

Just thought i'd revive this thread to bring up the topic: Is Planet Audio really that bad? Well sooner or later hopefully i'll get to meet some of the fellow Focus Canada members and you can judge for yourselves. I think I did great with low end Planet Audio stuff, Planet M2 5x7's in the doors powered by a Vortex 300w 2ch amp... and as for the subs, the Planet's were a little too expensive for my budget at the time (upgrading from a Planet 12" Vortex) so I decided to go with a pair of last year's OZ Matrix subs for some new sound. All in all, these cheapies sound incredible... much better than some even on the "high end" list here. So it really comes down to the user then... or does it?

EDIT: Do you happen to remember the site where you got the list from?

[MAlby7]

euro_zx5,Oct 3 2005, 11:47 PM Wrote:EDIT: Do you happen to remember the site where you got the list from?
[right][snapback]146438[/snapback][/right]

I remember the name of the site that I found a link for this list on. It was www.e-coustics.com All I know was there was a lot of audiophiles (installers, suppliers, competitors) that visited the site frequently.

[euro_zx5]

That's cool, thanks. I'm just surprised no one's commented on the main point. At least having heard some of Planet Audio's stuff...

[ANTHONYD]

I've only ever ownerd JL and Memphis subs.

I run Alpine amps.
Boston Acoustic doors.

No complaints here.

[focusonthis88]

I have everything Orion. I bought a H2 Orion and two Orion 600D amps. So everything in my car is orion execpt my head unit. And I love Orion...Works greats!

[scoobasteve]

Bah.... theres a difference between old and new orion.

Old orion kicked ass... big powerful amps. not flashy at all, built in the usa.

since they got bought by dei. its all about making the product appealing, at the expense of quality


If i have my way. I'll be selling my viper D2500.1 and getting a couple old orion
HCCA275G4's

old competition amps, they take a beating and never get hot.

Rated 150x2 @ 4 ohms. but they can be bridged safley to .5 ohms where they put out well over 2000w

The only advantage new orion has over old orion stuff is the connectors. The connectors on the old orion amps were junk, but i guess not too many people in the 90's were running 0 gage cable.

I'm very picky with my car audio. i wont touch any of the futureshop brands anymore... Pioneer, Kenwood, Sony. bleh, boring stuff. its nice to see them carrying higher end stuff now. Eclipse, Fosgate, and rumor has it that they'll start carrying alpine.

My personal favorites are

Alpine
Focal
AVI
Adire
Resonant Engineering
Elemental Designs
Boston Acoustics
CDT
Memphis
Seas
Resonant Engineering
MB quart
Rainbow
DLS
Image Dynamics
Old Rockford Fosgate
Old Orion


I'd much rather have a system that sounds good that nobodys heard of. than a brand that everybody has.

[euro_zx5]

scoobasteve,Oct 4 2005, 10:20 AM Wrote:I'd much rather have a system that sounds good that nobodys heard of. than a brand that everybody has.
[right][snapback]146487[/snapback][/right]

Same with me. That's the point i'm trying to get to. :)

[focusonthis88]

Well, I think Orion make good product. Nothing beats the old stuff....Old stuff was made to last long and play like hell. In these days we need something fast and quick so they don't have time to make it like the old days.

euro_zx5,Oct 4 2005, 10:42 AM Wrote:

scoobasteve,Oct 4 2005, 10:20 AM Wrote:I'd much rather have a system that sounds good that nobodys heard of. than a brand that everybody has.
[right][snapback]146487[/snapback][/right]

Same with me. That's the point i'm trying to get to. :)
[right][snapback]146492[/snapback][/right]

That's why my new system is one of a kind. It's a H2 12" orion that's hook up on two amps. One amps is puching the subs and the other amp is puching it down. I think Orion is one of the only compagny that does that. I think?

[scoobasteve]

focusonthis_88,Oct 4 2005, 10:46 AM Wrote:Well, I think Orion make good product.  Nothing beats the old stuff....Old stuff was made to last long and play like hell.  In these days we need something fast and quick so they don't have time to make it like the old days.

euro_zx5,Oct 4 2005, 10:42 AM Wrote:

scoobasteve,Oct 4 2005, 10:20 AM Wrote:I'd much rather have a system that sounds good that nobodys heard of. than a brand that everybody has.
[right][snapback]146487[/snapback][/right]

Same with me. That's the point i'm trying to get to. :)
[right][snapback]146492[/snapback][/right]

That's why my new system is one of a kind. It's a H2 12" orion that's hook up on two amps. One amps is puching the subs and the other amp is puching it down. I think Orion is one of the only compagny that does that. I think?
[right][snapback]146494[/snapback][/right]

Orion isnt made the same now because its made by shitty DEI... I know all about shitty DEI. my viper amp is made by them. it really is a DEI 2400 except 2 ohm optimized vs 1 ohm

I was gonna get an orion h2. but then i heard one in person... SLOPPY :(

what kind of amp are you gonna run on it?

[Kool_ZX3]

scoobasteve,Oct 4 2005, 12:34 PM Wrote:

focusonthis_88,Oct 4 2005, 10:46 AM Wrote:Well, I think Orion make good product.  Nothing beats the old stuff....Old stuff was made to last long and play like hell.  In these days we need something fast and quick so they don't have time to make it like the old days.

euro_zx5,Oct 4 2005, 10:42 AM Wrote:

scoobasteve,Oct 4 2005, 10:20 AM Wrote:I'd much rather have a system that sounds good that nobodys heard of. than a brand that everybody has.
[right][snapback]146487[/snapback][/right]

Same with me. That's the point i'm trying to get to. :)
[right][snapback]146492[/snapback][/right]

That's why my new system is one of a kind. It's a H2 12" orion that's hook up on two amps. One amps is puching the subs and the other amp is puching it down. I think Orion is one of the only compagny that does that. I think?
[right][snapback]146494[/snapback][/right]

Orion isnt made the same now because its made by shitty DEI... I know all about shitty DEI. my viper amp is made by them. it really is a DEI 2400 except 2 ohm optimized vs 1 ohm

I was gonna get an orion h2. but then i heard one in person... SLOPPY :(

what kind of amp are you gonna run on it?
[right][snapback]146499[/snapback][/right]

I had a friend who swore my memphis audio stuff, Everything else sucked. I always heard polk audio sucked balls though :blink:

My friend wants to build a realtivly cheap good system, any suggestions? He got a slightly used kick ass shape pioneer primer deck for 150 last week. Very nice and works great. He wants to add to it so any suggestions is awesome?

[scoobasteve]

does he like to buy things on the internet?