Phoenix Gold QX2180

[PrecisionBoost]

Does anyone know the specifications for the PG QX2180??

I picked one up at a local garage sale for $10.00 because it had one of it's phono input connectors sheared right off.

I tested it last night and it works fine on the side that still has an input connector.... the replacement part is $1.49 so I should have it back to normal in a few weeks.

I love picking up broken amps.... usually the guy selling it has no idea that they can be fixed for next to nothing.

I was trying to find out the specifications for this amp but I can't seem to find them anywhere (which is odd).

What I'm most interested is the RMS power output in all modes and what kind of load it can take ( 4ohm,2ohm,1ohm,0.5ohm )

Thanks..... Chris

[TheGreatAndPowerfulOz]

PG stuff is all well made and produces their rated RMS power with no problems. Just remember (as I'm sure you know) never try to put too low an impedence load on the output or it will go into protection, over heat, blow the fuse or put it's toes in the air and die.



QX2180 SPECIFICATIONS:
Output Power:

4 ohm stereo @ 12VDC 40W RMS x 2
4 ohm stereo @ 13.8VDC 55 WRMS x 2
2 ohm stereo @ 13.8 VDC 90 WRMS x 2
4 ohm bridged @ 13.8 VDC 180 WRMS x 1
Crossover Frequencies 30Hz to 600Hz
Crossover Slopes 12dB per Octave

That's a great find for $10 and will make a decnt front stage amp or be great for a bi-amping tweets on a component set.

Cliff

[PrecisionBoost]

Thanks for finding the specs.... I was surprised that I couldn't find them right away.

I plan to use it for my front low mids which are rated for 60Wrms so that amp should be perfect.

Don't forget thats $10 Canadian so that's like $1.50 US right?

Our nice exchange rate is starting to go south again as the US economy picks up.... was great for a while.... we were around $1.30 CDN = $1.00 USD but I'm sure it will creep back up to the $1.50 range one of these days.

I also picked up a Blade Technologies amplifier which was a Canadian based company that made some nice amps about 10-15 yrs ago.

It says it's an "Optically Switched Class A" which I belive is now called a Class D. ( I could be wrong about this but I think they were the first ones to do this type of switching class amplification...I think they first came out about 12-15 years ago )

They disapeared shortly after getting a good name so I think one of the larger companies gobbled them up and took the technology for themselves.

These guys were cutting edge at the time....the retail was about $900 and I picked it up for $60 and the guy through in an old (but decent) Pioneer 12" sub with enclosure.

Have you ever heard of Blade Technologies ?

Do you know if my assumption that the "Optically Switched Class A" is the same as the current Class D amps is correct ??

Everything works.... I think I'll throw that old sub in my truck.

[TheGreatAndPowerfulOz]

As for the exchange rate going back up, I rather enjoy it for taking my summer holiday across the border

Optically switched Class A is not the same as a class D. A Class D is a digitally switched power regulator which is only good for powering subwoofers as it produces noticable noise if used with full range, mids or tweeters.

"Optically switched" refers to the low current draw, high gain isolator in a power supply to keep a very tightly regulated voltage. From what I have read, they are very efficient, but do not produce the higher power outputs that can be made from a class D.

Use the right amp for the job

I'll get more details on them both when I get back to my house (visiting my parents right now). Dialup sucks for researching on line!

[PrecisionBoost]

I really don't know much about Class D but I did hear that they were bad for anything more than subs due to the switching distortion.

I remember there being something special about these Blade Technologies amplifiers but I just can't remember what it was.

This amp is a four channel unit..... M504 probably stands for 4 X 50W.

I will have to read up on the "Optically switched Class A" amps.... I was assuming that it might be one of the first Class D because of the wording.

I was thinking they had a Class A preamp and then used Optoisolators to make a "chopped" high current waveform.

Shows how long I've been out of the "car audio scene"

Any info/links you could give me on the new amplifier types would be greatly appreciated.... I'd like to get back into making some systems but it would be nice if I knew about all the new stuff that's come out in the last 10-15yrs.

[TheGreatAndPowerfulOz]

If you are serious about getting back into car audio, I very highly reccomend you join www.caraudioforum.com

The guys on there (many of them) really know what they are doing. They are not brand loyal, but sound quality loyal. If a company makes a *good* product, someone will have purchased it and know what they are talking about when it comes to technical parameters and testing it's capabilities.

Honestly, I learned more on that forum in a year than I had the prior 10 years I had been doing custom ar audio installations.

There are a lot of exceedingly knowledgable people on there, and most everyone is willing to help.

The Off Topic section can get rather silly, so don't expect too many people to be serious when posting in there.



Cliff

[daewooluvr]

If you are serious about getting back into car audio, I very highly reccomend you join www.caraudioforum.com

oh yes and mention that you are thinking about getting audiobahn equipment, they really love that. LOL JK

[PrecisionBoost]

Thanks for the link.....

They will probably think I'm a whack job when I say my primary amp is made by Sansui.

It's old but good..... straight from Japan.... 300Wrms per channel at 4 ohm and 12V.

It's actually two separate monoblock amplifiers with separate power supplies.

The retail was somewhere in the range of $2000 but I managed to get it for $450 because the company importing them went bankrupt (and I just happened to know the "audio expert" who was helping the bank liquidate the equipement)

In the store we hooked it up to four Crankenstein Competition 15" subs and shook the crap out of the store..... I was very impressed.

I have six JL Audio 8W1-8 and two Alpine 8050 (8") and a dozen sets of various mids/tweeters.

I still love 8's...nice tight sound..... most people don't realize that three eights have more displacement than a 15" sub.

I plan to put the two Alpine's into a bandpass configuration and port the other six with slightly different resonant frequencies.

Should be fun if I ever get enough time to work on it.

[TheGreatAndPowerfulOz]

Unless the band pass box was specifically made for *those* speakers, then it will not sound good. Band pass, in general, is a bad idea, and is, with out a doubt a bad idea if it is a prefabbricated box that was not designed to the specs of that sub. Band pass *will* sound like crap if it is anything other than designed for that sub.

And yes, Audiobahn is loud, not too expensive, but doesn't reproduce sound quality well. Their products are chrome and 1) for showing off how shiney they are and 2) primarily for SPL, so a system can get really loud, even if you don't care how clean it sounds.

Yes, I know three 8's have more surface displacement than a single 15, but if the singlke 15 has a MUCH loger cone throw than the three 8th, it will get more air moving which results in more sound.
A "tight" sounding sub, as you described, is a result of a stiff suspension or a sealed box, which forces the cone to return to he rested center position.

I have always beeen a fan of a 12 or 15" sub with a very flat BL in a ported box with the vent tuned very low (my box right now is tuned to 24Hz). With this configuration, you can play low and loud with very accurate sound reproduction. Have the mid bass crossed to match the top cut-off of the sub, and the mids to match the top cut-off of the mid bass. Then above the mids you have the crossover points matching the mids and tweets together.

I prefer a front sound stage configuration in my car (no back speakers), so you can actually close your eyes and it sounds like you are sitting in the front row. If you can close your eyes and pick out where each instrument is playing, then you have done well. There is also a coin drop test sound on a CD that sounds like a coin is being dropped in front of you and you can year where it bounces across your frount stage. If that is working properly, you have set everything up well. This takes a lot of time precisely placing the speakers and aiming them. Quite often, a 2nd pair of tweeters with a varible gain can be extreamly helpful achieving a proper sound stage setup.

Ok ... enough rambling ... LOL

Cliff

[daewooluvr]

And yes, Audiobahn is loud, not too expensive, but doesn't reproduce sound quality well. Their products are chrome and 1) for showing off how shiney they are and 2) primarily for SPL, so a system can get really loud, even if you don't care how clean it sounds.

You need to check out Audiobahn's latest stuff... they've come a long way in the SQ department...

[TheGreatAndPowerfulOz]

And yes, Audiobahn is loud, not too expensive, but doesn't reproduce sound quality well. Their products are chrome and 1) for showing off how shiney they are and 2) primarily for SPL, so a system can get really loud, even if you don't care how clean it sounds.

You need to check out Audiobahn's latest stuff... they've come a long way in the SQ department...

Shaun, I know you love your Audiobahn, and yes, they have improved a lot since they first came out, but they are still not anywhere near the sound quality of Rainbow, CDT, Adire, Focal or many of the better brands out there. They are still somewhat expensive (when compared to some brands) for what you actually get, but less expensive than some of the higher end brands. The Audiobahn speakers are a vast improvement over stock speakers, and to someone who has not used anything better, they will sound very good. Until you hear VERY good speakers that have been installed and crossed properly, you will not know that the Audiobahn speakers are not as good as they could be.

Cliff

[PrecisionBoost]

Unless the band pass box was specifically made for *those* speakers, then it will not sound good.

Well of course....I hope your post was meant for "informing" others and not me....I've made over 40 subwoofer enclosures including several tuned 8th order bandpass boxes. ( some fibreglass but mostly MDF )
I presently own seven different design programs and I have two textbooks on physically measuring all speaker properties/parameters.
I even model the box after electronic circuits and test it on a bench with an audio waveform generator.

A "tight" sounding sub, as you described, is a result of a stiff suspension or a sealed box, which forces the cone to return to he rested center position.

I would disagree with that..... the box is what molds the total Q not the speaker. I can make 8's sound just as loose as a 15" but I've allways prefered a Q in the range of 0.707

With this configuration, you can play low and loud with very accurate sound reproduction.

My personal opinion is that 15" subs and accurate usually don't go hand in hand....cone flex and cone mass create distortion....the larger the sub the worse it gets.... a 15" sub physically can not play certain sounds accuratly due to it's cone mass.

I prefer a front sound stage configuration in my car (no back speakers),

Wierd.... is this something new that people are into?

I personally use a DSP to move the soundstage in three dimensions.
I usually have it setup for three configurations.... sound stage centered on me, both front passengers or both front and back passengers.

Given you are not in a concert hall I can't see how there is any way that you could set a proper sound stage image with just front speakers.

To reproduce a sound stage as it should be heard you need the "echo" from the back (just like you would in a concert)....given the sound absorbing materials and irregular shape of the cars interior the only way to make that reproduction is with rear speakers.

To me playing sound in one dimension sounds flat..... with a 3D setup you can not only make the primary sound come from the front, you can move it up or down or left or right.

I've sat in my car and fiddled with a particular sound (like the coin drop) and moved it around the soundstage by adjusting my active crossovers and DSP.

I can make it sound like its coming from the passenger side floor or as if it dropped on a floor ten feet directly above my head.

Anyways.... I best get back to work.... I must say that everyone has a different idea of what is "an ideal sound system" so everyone is going to have different opinions on setup tactics.

[lsm]

IM sent.

[daewooluvr]

IM sent.

holy crap, talk about bringing a post back from the dead