Topic: hertz audio ?

[funkoff13]

my office is my car so i have decided to do a car stereo build to listen to my recordings while cruising around.  when i was a teenager i had a new 1988 mercury cougar and i did an insane stereo build in that car where i had 2 alpine pullout stereos <1> tapedeck/tuner <2> cd player <3> pioneer 400 watt amp running 2 subs <4> alpine 100x4 amp running 2 6x9s and 2 6.5" coaxials.   most people at that time didn't even have a cd player in their home, i was 16. 

fast forward to today.... i have a 2001 nissan maxima that i love.  it's an amazing vehicle and i really do live out of it being a sales dood.  i decided on an in dash navigation update for the car and the bug hit me....

i have always loved the old school phoenix gold car amps (don't get confused with the phoenix gold crap at KMART, totally different company) and recently decided to purchase an old PG m44.  this is one of the best sounding amps i have ever heard.  i know its 20 years old however, i only paid $170 bucks for it and if need be i am 9 miles from prodigital, Jimmy can repair it.  i'll admit, i am concerned about the caps leaking on the board.  i have decided to bridge it so it will be 160 x 2 @12V.  we all know cars run at ~13.8V - 14.4V.  the amp is totally under rated.  this is a bit of a concern because the speakers handle 160 RMS. 

anyways, the point of this post is to ask if anyone has ever listened to hertz audio car speakers and/or amplifiers?  http://www.hertzaudiovideo.com/default_en.htm

i gotta tell ya, i'm pretty fucking impressed with their high end stuff.  the lower 2 component speaker models sucked IMO, the 'energy series,' i believe (honestly i am a bit confused on what the model numbers are at this point in my research and the website wasn't very helpful but if they have orange cones they suck).  the high end speakers blew my mind.   i couldn't believe the soundstage had such a subtle presence.  so warm with no fatigue.  i closed my eyes and listened to my recordings in the specialty shop for 2.5 hours.   i am going back next saturday with more recordings to be sure this is the purchase i want to make.  the speakers i am looking at are 3 way components <1> 6.5" mid-bass <2> 4" mid range <3> 1" fabric dome tweeter for $800 a pair. 

i have decided on this head unit:  http://www.amazon.com/Sony-XNV-660BT-Bluetooth-Integrated-Navigation/dp/B0046A9DH6  with the HD radio, sirius radio, bluetooth options. 

any thoughts are appreciated.

[funkoff13]

i have decided on the hertz mlk2's 


http://www.lifestylestore.com.au/products/car/Hertz/6in****Speakers/MLK2/

oh they will sound sweet.

[funkoff13]

MLK2
MILLE COMPETITION SPLITS 2 WAY - GRILL INCLUDED
RRP: $1,888.00
*We will beat any competitor's advertised price

HERTZ MLK 2

The most beautiful element of Mille systems is the sound. The system’s main characteristic is clearly perceptible, superior tonal accuracy. This stunning range recreates the tri-dimensional quality of musical instruments and makes the listener feel as if they are taking part in a musical event.

Colourless sound, controlled, full, solid bass impact and exceptional dynamic response makes for an involving audio experience. The tweeters offer variable chamber size for increased flexibility and performance. Off-axis response is perfectly even, making for detailed, clear, definite sound image for the passenger and not just the driver. Mille Systems feature a unique analogue time alignment facility.

If you focus on the components technical features, you risk to lose touch with the most beautiful element of Mille systems: sound. A state-of-the-art installation, even if simply made in factory locations but with utmost attention to fixing and vibrations rejection, will enhance musicality. The system main characteristic is clearly perceptible: superior tonal accuracy. Sound recreates the instruments tridimensionality and makes the listener feel as if he took part in the musical event. Colorless sound, controlled, full, solid bass impact, very good dynamic reserve which performs at best when the musical track involves you the most, for blur-free reproduction. ML 280 off-axis response is perfectly even, as well as its off-axis response; this ensures detailed, clear, definite sound image. Thanks to the filter efficient action, sound stage gets higher and centered, making voices natural and firm, singling every element out in the orchestra, easily recreating real, complete, detailed sound. MLK 2 installation in the car compartment is eased by the woofer standard size (thanks to its neodymium magnet, it is shorter) and by the tweeter with aluminium structure and differentiated acoustic chambers. Extraordinary versatility is ensured by the passive filter and by its adjustments. Tuning is spontaneous in any car, since you can handle the listening position you prefer, the response equalisation, the components efficiency. Simply by moving the jumpers for the various controls, you can achieve the smoothest response in whatever conditions, for extraordinary excitement .

Features

    * » 2-way Component System
    * » 165mm Woofer
    * » 28mm Tweeter (adjustable chamber)
    * » 2-way Passive Crossover (2.8Khz, 12dB per octave)
    * » Maximum 300 Watts

[funkoff13]

oh and i set an agreement on this amp for the front stage in my maxima!

http://www.caraudio.com/forums/amplifier-classifieds/521992-usaudio-2-channel-tube-amp.html

[Church-Audio]

That's a hybrid amp, the tubes are a preamp stage and the output is transistor.  Thus some of the stuff he is saying like:

And yes this is a bit under-rated, but using tubes makes it much louder than a regular amp. I would assume it would sound closer to 200 watts per channel compared to a non-tube amp.

It is commonly stated that tube amps (that is, with a tube power stage) have "louder" watts vs. transistor amps, this is because the tubes will overload more gradually than transistors.  So you could be at 0.1% THD with a transistor amp, and 6dB louder will be 20%, whereas the tube might go from 0.1% to 1% in the same transition.

Also, since these are preamp tubes they last much longer than power tubes, so changing them isn't a big imperative.

And this:

it trully does shine! no HPF is used on the amp as frequencies below 87hz are cutoff by the tubes used at a 24db slope when set to High not flat or sub

Tubes aren't HPFs, they can easily have response down to DC.  Any HPF would be the circuit design, not the tubes selected.

As for using it with a sub, a power tube output can be accused of having "tubby" lows (which guitarists tend to like), that's a function of several things including the power supply (whether the rectifiers are tube or solid-state), and of course the response of the output transformer.

Preamp tubes again don't have any such issues since their power output is small an they don't have output transformers (I didn't see an interstage transformer in that design).  So it should perform like any other similar quality solid-state output.

I doubt you'd find a 2x 160W tube power amp for a car; it would be the equivalent of carrying around two big guitar amp heads in your trunk, each with 6 power tubes and a big honkin' output transformer (bigger than the toroid that is in there), and since their efficiency is typically less than 25% they would tax your car's power system.  You'd also need a pretty good-sized inverter/rectifier to generate the 500VDC the power tubes would require . . . maybe a custom job for somebody really crazy . . .

Only one problem with a stereo tube amp.. Try matching both sides of the amp so they sound the same.. Almost impossible with 20% value components many manufactures use for coupling caps. Resistors 1% makes it easier but still its much more easier to make a solid state amp matched from side to side then a tube amp. Then you have to factor in that tubes ALL tubes age at different rates due to inconstancy in manufacturing = a nightmare to make both sides balanced and sounding the same. I think tube amps for stereo sound great but everyone needs to remind them selves that the tubes even when matched dont stay matched for long.

[funkoff13]

so i pulled the trigger on these yesterday:

http://www.hertzaudiovideo.com/default_en.htm

[funkoff13]

this head unit showed up today. 

http://www.amazon.com/Sony-XNV-660BT-Bluetooth-Integrated-Navigation/dp/B0046A9DH6/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1319694724&sr=8-1

i also have an old school PG M44  160Wx2 bridged

http://www.bing.com/images/search?q=phoenix+gold+M44&view=detail&id=3576CD2A336466BAE7BBB292DB937AD14316CF7A&first=0

additionally, i purchased a PGZX250 and a PGZX500:

http://www.bing.com/images/search?q=phoenix+gold+zx+500&view=detail&id=294337BE5D5304ADCBC82209D6C525BDCAE163F0&first=0