moderate wattage 2 channel amp choices that is CLEAN

[ridingonair]

I have 2 CDT HD ex 6.5" coax 2 ohm in the fairing rated at 130 rms each. I will NOT ever run more than the 2 fairing speakers. Running the av Aquatic AQ-MP-5UBT head unit. Sounds decent but know that I would rather have a cleaner signal and get closer to around 100rms per channel. REally wanted the biketronics but the lowest power they have is overkill and having no gain adjustment doesn't give me the feeling I will enjoy it for long before toasting my speakers. Second is whether the J&M 180w 2 channel is decent or not. Have to thd rating to go off of. Guessing around .1% but if better great as .1% thd is dirty to me on a amp not used for subwoofers. I prefer to keep the power wire no more than 10g and have a max current draw of around 20-25 amps. The pdx f4 is a little big but has good ratings, but at the price I would rather support an American made amp. Really wish biketronics had the 75 watt rms x2 amp rated for 2 ohm. So with this in mind does the J&M amp perform well long term and if not what is a good CLEAN 2 channel if the J&M is not so good with a built in HPF and gain adjustments. I don't need a " smart" amp as I would rather have control of the gain and crossover. Leaning toward this 4 channel and just running the front side. I noticed the STN is really low on the soundstream so that may not work. REally wanting input on the J&M at this point or something comparable to the soundstream with a better STN ratio.
http://www.crutchfield.com/p_530ST410KD/Soundstream-Stealth-ST4-1000D.html?tp=115

[Olie]

Hogtunes makes a 200W 2 channel amp with 1% THD at 2 ohms. Soundsteam has the PN2.350D but I wasn't able to get the distortion percentage or the STN. Just some ideas for you.

[UltraNutZ]

i do believe most of the picaso-nano as well as tarantula lineups from SS are .05%, 70db snr, 55db channel separation.  They make up for the lower SNR factor by increasing power output.  Always been a really cost effective, power-producing amp.

J&M has always made good amps, albeit overpriced.  For years, J&M amps were re-branded Arc-Audio amps but not sure who's manufacturing the latest round of products for John.

Not much you'll find in this market is truly made in USA anymore, including J&M amps and SS amps.

[ridingonair]

I have been looking for hours. Have found some prospects. This little earthquake is close to the top.
http://www.sonicelectronix.com/item_77285_Earthquake-MiNi-D1500.2.html
Next is this Hertz
http://www.hertzaudiovideo.com/car-audio-amplifier-hcp2/
Both are in the $150 range.

[UltraNutZ]

i didn't ask previously - what bike is this for?

don't know anything about Earthquake - never heard of them, however I do like the rca outputs to loop through when building a system.

I think the hertz amp might give you issues with height on the 13-prior batwing bikes.

[ridingonair]

i didn't ask previously - what bike is this for?

don't know anything about Earthquake - never heard of them, however I do like the rca outputs to loop through when building a system.

I think the hertz amp might give you issues with height on the 13-prior batwing bikes.

12 street glide. Earthquake has been around for a long time. Used to make some really good spl stuff in the 90's. Both amps are around 2" height and I planned to just buy some brackets off a guy selling them on amazon and eBay that will mount similar to the jm bracket using the head unit mounting bolts. If 2" is a height issue then what is the max height to be looking for?

[UltraNutZ]

it (the height) might not be an issue at all on your bike because you're dealing with that aftermarket head unit and it's a SG but on stock ultra bikes, because of wiring it's a chore getting a SS PN5.420D in there.  On an EG and SG it's not so much an issue because less wiring in there.

[ridingonair]

it (the height) might not be an issue at all on your bike because you're dealing with that aftermarket head unit and it's a SG but on stock ultra bikes, because of wiring it's a chore getting a SS PN5.420D in there.  On an EG and SG it's not so much an issue because less wiring in there.

Well I really think this earthquake amp will be a good performer. I like to try things out of the common norm. Has real good specs. So will 9 1/4" width x 8 1/4 length" x 2 1/8 " height fit ok then? Otherwise the Vega B2 would be next best. It's funny I asked J&M what the amp they have has for a thd at rated output and they didn't know what that meant. Also same with stn. Emailed John and never got back a response. Funny to me they have no clue what that was.

[hwork]

Why not the arc ks125.2 bx or diamond micro2? Both fit easily in the street glide.

[ridingonair]

Why not the arc ks125.2 bx or diamond micro2? Both fit easily in the street glide.

Arc can kiss my ass. No warranty if you don't buy direct or from brick and mortar.
Can't find a micro 2 and those who do have want $400 if they even have them. Don't know what the deal is there. I will likely order image dynamics 2 channel. Specs ate good and at $250 is decent value.

[UltraNutZ]

It's funny I asked J&M what the amp they have has for a thd at rated output and they didn't know what that meant. Also same with stn. Emailed John and never got back a response. Funny to me they have no clue what that was.

some things never change.

[UltraNutZ]

Why not the arc ks125.2 bx or diamond micro2? Both fit easily in the street glide.

Arc can kiss my ass. No warranty if you don't buy direct or from brick and mortar.
Can't find a micro 2 and those who do have want $400 if they even have them. Don't know what the deal is there. I will likely order image dynamics 2 channel. Specs ate good and at $250 is decent value.

ouch!  lol

ARC is good stuff (amps) but I do understand where you're coming from.  ARC is sold all over the place just like Polk Audio is - Amazon, fleaBay, many online retailers, etc. but when it comes time for warranty, they pull that "sorry you bought from an unauthorized vendor, it's your problem" attitude.

[ridingonair]

I ended up ordering the image dynamics mq150.2. Will fit the bracket I am getting and has good specs. It was proced in between the vega b2, and the diamond m2. They all 3 seem to share similar chassis design. I'll have plenty of headroom and still have a good clean signal especially with the 4v preout on the aquatic av. I'll turn the internal amp off. Another function I like about the aquatic.

[Bsmith153]

Let us know how that amp performs.  I have the Focal 2.350 2 channel at 105rms. With you apparently checking out crutchfield, surprised you didnt mention it.

[ridingonair]

Why not the arc ks125.2 bx or diamond micro2? Both fit easily in the street glide.

Arc can kiss my ass. No warranty if you don't buy direct or from brick and mortar.
Can't find a micro 2 and those who do have want $400 if they even have them. Don't know what the deal is there. I will likely order image dynamics 2 channel. Specs ate good and at $250 is decent value.

ouch!  lol

ARC is good stuff (amps) but I do understand where you're coming from.  ARC is sold all over the place just like Polk Audio is - Amazon, fleaBay, many online retailers, etc. but when it comes time for warranty, they pull that "sorry you bought from an unauthorized vendor, it's your problem" attitude.

That "attitude" just left a poor impression on me and their product in general. If it is well built then why even mention the " no online sales warranty" crap. Also somehow all these places that sell it got it from somewhere and I am sure Arc had no problem distributing them to whomever may be selling them online.

Let us know how that amp performs.  I have the Focal 2.350 2 channel at 105rms. With you apparently checking out crutchfield, surprised you didnt mention it.

When my bike gets back from tires and dyno tuning I will toss it in and see how it sounds. I didn't look at the focal mainly due to price point. I set a budget and stuck to it. I know with the Image Dynamics I will have plenty of headroom and should get a nice clean output from it. The CDT speakers are very natural sounding, have a brilliant ouput to them. Will see how the lower end response is with some decent power but even off the aquatic av the clarity is up to par with the old mb quart german made stuff I used to have in my cars when younger.

[Bsmith153]

Ill have to check out those CDT speakers, not that happy with my Kickers.  Where did find them?

[ridingonair]

Ill have to check out those CDT speakers, not that happy with my Kickers.  Where did find them?

I bought direct but there are quite a few online retailers. I have the Hd6ex 2 ohm 6.5" coaxials right now. I will likely upgrade to components down the line but these are some very good sounding coaxials. I  very picky and have had lots of nice car systems over the years. For $150 they are well priced for the performance.

[UltraNutZ]

CDT has been around for some time and without a doubt produce a good quality built and quality sounding speaker.

[speed limit]

Biketronics is the way to go

[azlou66]

Biketronics is the way to go

They make great stuff but not the most budget friendly, at least my budget.

[speed limit]

Biketronics is the way to go

They make great stuff but not the most budget friendly, at least my budget.

you get what you pay for

[ridingonair]

Biketronics is the way to go

They make great stuff but not the most budget friendly, at least my budget.

you get what you pay for

That is mostly true but sometimes you also pay for things you don't need. Biketronics amps are directly set up for harmon units. So when I feed a 4v preout to no gain adjustment I have no clue where my headroom is besides volume on head unit. I can't set my gain to 1/2 volume or 3/4 volume and have some control to keep my gain down low. To say biketronics is the best is like saying amsoil is the best oil. All good products cost more than their cheaper counterparts. More than 1 player. And I am not arguing that biketronics are good.

[speed limit]

just trying to save you some money in the long run i wish someone had suggested biketronics to me before i waisted money on rockford and soundstream

[ridingonair]

just trying to save you some money in the long run i wish someone had suggested biketronics to me before i waisted money on rockford and soundstream

I get what you are saying which is why I went with a way better quality amp than soundstream or Rockford. I had spoken with biketronics prior to my amp search and the tech and I mutually agreed their amp was not best for my setup. And CDT audio is very well known for high quality, audiophile sound. I have been very meticulous in my selection and don't even know if I will listen to it much.

[azlou66]

At 80 mph SQ is piss poor at best with whatever amp. We are running around on bikes with a ton of ambient noise to contend with, didn't need to spend three times the money for a BT4180 over a SSPN4.1000D. I did buy the BT  7.1's during the Xmas sale wouldn't have paid retail for them over Infinity 602's though. Hell I worked on a flight line for ten years and have been on bikes, street and dirt, for over forty years I'm half deaf anyway.

[speed limit]

At 80 mph SQ is piss poor at best with whatever amp. We are running around on bikes with a ton of ambient noise to contend with, didn't need to spend three times the money for a BT4180 over a SSPN4.1000D. I did buy the BT  7.1's during the Xmas sale wouldn't have paid retail for them over Infinity 602's though. Hell I worked on a flight line for ten years and have been on bikes, street and dirt, for over forty years I'm half deaf anyway.

can't find a class D CDT amp

[ridingonair]

Likely don't make one in any size. As I said CDT is audiophile stuff. Class D while more efficient doesn't produce the sound quality a well built class a/b all can.