Witch brand is better in car audio?

Question

Is Alpine or Jl audio better. or what is the best brand of all kinds.

Answer 1

well i prefer FUSION they make really good car audio.... and that's what i have in my car its crystal clear and the subs pump out the bass
http://www.fusioncaraudio.com/products.php?region=3&action=view&product_id=300

Answer 2

Alpine has more functionality then JL. The best in both SQ and SPL is probably Critical Mass. The UL12 is one of the best subs ever, but the cost is near $2000.

Answer 3

i'm not a fan of either. alpine is overated, and JL is overpriced. out of those 2 though, i'd go with JL. i think alpine is just awful.

IMO my favorite brand is Boston Acoustics. awesome SQ from everything they make. very clean and clear. here are some other brands i really like.

Kenwood Excelon
Pioneer Preimer
MB Quart
Eclipse
Diamond

Answer 4

It's all personal preference. Go to your local car audio store and listen to what they have. And turn it up!! I have all Alpine equipment but that's the personal preference. I've heard some nice JL equipment too.

Answer 5

Jl makes good amps and subs. Everythings else I would go with alpine or all Alpine if your going for SQ.

Answer 6

for head units alpine all the way , mid basses , mids and tweeters alpine ddd and for amps and subs jl dude

Answer 7

Alpine by far. Everything else costs too much to attain the same quality of sound.

Answer 8

Incriminator Audio come out your pocket but worth the money

Answer 9

Alpine all the way!!!

Answer 10

There really is no "best brand". A lot of companies make good equipment. JL and Alpine both make good equipment and which sounds better really depends on your install. If you are buying locally, a few other brands that are widely available are MTX, Infinity, and Eclipse.

The largest difference between one brand and the next is marketing. There are tons of companies available that don't spend as much on advertising and are cheaper.

When you compare equipment, keep in mind that each audio company has multiple lines. Usually there is an entry level line, then a mid grade, or several mid grade, and then the top line usually refered to as "competiton" quality. Each successive line cost more than the one below. Comparing entry level alpine to mid grade JL is not a good comparison. It's like Apples to Oranges.

If you're on a budget, don't hesitate to shop stores like "wal-mart" for your head unit. The main differences between them are options. Sit down and figure out what you really need from your head unit. For instance, perhaps you decide you need 2 pre-amp outputs, a CD player, and a built in equalizer. Buying a HU from the entry level gear like they sell at wal-mart will give you the same results as a $900 head unit that is "top of the line". There is really very little difference between the qualit of output from various head units. The only real benifit to using a high end unit is 8 vot pre-amps or balanced outputs. Either one can increase your signal to noise ratio. The difference in what you hear is very minute.

I have had good results from some generic hu's, but I would recomend sticking to brand names you recognize like pioneer, sony, alpine, etc.

The biggest factor in the "sound" of your system is the speakers you select and how you install them. In most cases, the mid grade, and high end speakers will sound a lot better than run-of the mill entry speakers. Listen to some and see how important it is to you, then decide what you're willing to spend, then find the one's you like the sound of best. Hard / soft dome tweeters sound differently, as well as cones made of different materials (poly, pressed paper, aluminum, kevlar, etc.) The internal crossovers can make a difference too. If you can afford a component set, it will most likely sound the best. Also, when you install, make sure you do a good job, seal up any air leaks around the speaker, use any gasket's included, and make sure they are fastened securely. If you get resonances from the surrounding material do what you can to dampen it. The better the seal is between the front and back of the speaker, the better your bass response will be. Spend more money on the fronts because those are the ones you hear more anyways. You actually can get good sound with out any rears at all!

The main differences between different brands of amps are reliability and built in options (crossovers, bass boost, high level inputs, etc.) Compare amps by RMS rating, not Peak. Do the best u can to match the output of the amp to the rating on the speakers. If your amp puts out 50% of your speakers' rating or more, you will probably have excelent results and plenty of output. Don't excede the rating on your speakers.

Here are a few suggestions for brands:

HU: any major brand will do a good job. I've used Pioneer, Pioneer premier, Sony, Rockford Fosgate, Panasonic, JVC, and several generics. I would steer clear of the generics, some were good some not.

Amp: I've seen lots of good amps. A few brands that I would not hesitate to use: Alpine, JL, Hifoinics, Autotek, Zapco, Eclipse, Lanzar, Memphis, Power Acoustik, MA audio, Visonik, PPI (precision power), Orion, ADS, Xtant. There are about a million other good amps out there, these are just a few that popped into my head. I dont' know about the current Rockford Fosgate amps, but I had bad luck with the past 2 generations of RF. I also have heard a few horor stories about the last generation of MTX amps, but the new ones are completely different so I have no idea on them. I have also met people who liked the last generation of MTX so the jury's out. :)

For speakers: Alpine, JL, Rockford Fosgate, Pioneer (entry level are ok as well as higher end), Image Dynamics (these guys make awesome speakers and are fairly inexpensive), Infinity, Eclipse, MTX, Lanzar (not the best on the market, but their high end are cheap and sound extremely good for the price), MB Quart, etc. Again, this is just off the top of my head. There are lost of other good speakers out there too. Best way to pick one is by listening to them. It is unlikely you will find a shop that sells Image Dynamics, but they do sound as good as or better than pretty much anything else you can buy.

For Subs the biggest difference in soud will be the enclosure. Listen to different types and see what you like the best. Of basic enclosure types, sealed usually gives you the widest frequency response, and in most cases, the most accurate. Vented are generally louder and can have a wide frequency response, or higher peak output. Bandpass tend to be the most efficient, but they have the least "sound quality". Go listen to some and see what you like. Any of the following will give you excelent bass in the right enclosure, pick your enclosure type, and then choose one that will work well in that enclosure. Mid grade & competiton level pioneer and premier, JL, Alpine type R, etc., MTX (more of a street bass sound, and best in vented boxes), Infinitity (kappa perfect are incredible), Image Dynamics (they all sound good, IDQ is great, and IDMAX is unbelievably loud), Eclipse (mid and high end are all very good), Lanzar (use the Heritage Die Cast, or Opti, both are great, very similar to MTX, Max, and heritage are ok for the money, but it is worth the extra $ for the higher end), Ma Audio / Visonik (entry level are ok, but the higher end are Good subs. Agian, more street bass type subs). There are tons of other great subs out there. These are just a few popular brands that came to mind. If I personally were putting a sub together, I would choose Kappa Perfect, Eclipse Aluminum, or any of the Image Dynamics line for a sealed box. I would choose Lanzar, MTX, or any of the brands in the last sentence for a vented system. This is just my personal preference though. I have used all of the subs I just mentioned at one point or annother. I have used many that were not on the list but sounded good too. I personally don't prefer alpine or JL subs because I feel I can get more sub for the money in other brands. Eclipse is rediculously expensive, but they do make an exceptional subwoofer. I feel the build quality of JL is also not adequate for the $. They are a good sounding driver. In my opinion, you can get the exact same results you would get from a JL using Image Dynamics at half the cost. The ID and IDQ subs are very similar to JL's and much more durable (rubber surround, and the IDQ have an indestructible voice coil) The IDMAX is capable of similar output to the 12" W7 and sound just as good. Buy your sub before your amp so you can match the OHMs of the suwoofer to the amp.

In my opinion Copper is copper, I wouldn't spend much to get a name brand wiring kit, I firmly believe there is no audible difference. High strand ofc 4 awg is high strand ofc 4 awg. If you are thinking about super high strand wire, consider lower end in larger wire. It's cheaper and no super high strand 4 awg will carry as much current as a decent 2 awg wire. If you really want fancy colored wire, go ahead and buy it, but remember you're paying more for the looks, not the function of the wire. As far as RCA's you can spend a lot of money to get little to no difference. any basic shielded RCA will do a very good job. Twisted pair tripple shielded is even better. Most people can't tell the difference between a $5 pair of rca's and a $100 pair of rca's. If you do a blind a/b comparison, it will come out to be about 50/50 every time. Be sure to keep your power wires to one side of the car, and the singnal wires to the other. Dont wrap your RCA's around the power wire, it can cause extra noise.

Use the thickest wire possible with your equipment. I would recomend 8 awg for systems under 300 watts. You can use 8awg for up to 500 if you keep the power lead as short as possible. I would recomend 4 awg if you can get it for systems over 300 watts. 4 awg is good till 1000 watts, but if you are to the higher end of the scale, larger or shorter wires would be preferable. If your system is over 1000 total watts, your power lead should be at least 2 awg. If you can afford 1 awg or 0 awg, it is a good idea to run from the battery to the distribution block as large as possible. You're also looking at adding a second or more batteries in a system that large.