Alright, so I've been laid off so I have a bit of time on my hands and with some stereo components sitting in my garage I figure I might as well do this. I have a DLS Ultimate Iridium 10" sub in a 4080 enclosure and a set of the Dynaudio System 240 mark ii components for my front stage. I would like to run them passive for now and use only 1 amplifier to reduce my budget. I was looking at the Alpine PDX 4.150 and the JL 600/4 HD amps. Any thoughts on these or others that are in the max range of $800 or less (less preferably).

 

I dont think either of those amps will work for you. Your sub is a 4ohm dvc so you will be running either 4ohm or 1ohm. I dont think either of those amps are rated for 10hm, and even if they were, both are regulated, so you wont gain any power. I have been looking at amps lately, and I was thinking that an DLS A4 or A5 would work well for you. It might be hard to find a good amp to put out enough power for your sub and power your fronts at the same time.

 

I had the A4 powering a 10" eD and Polk SR's upfront. The amp didn't seem to have any problem running that setup and DLS subs are more efficient than most. I would give the A4 a try, I think woofersetc.com also carries them now as well.

 

I'd scoop up the PDX 150.4

Bridge two channels for the sub (the PDX supplies regulated power from 1-4ohms), and use the other two channels to power the components. IIRC, the PDX's are over 80% efficient and they have a very small footprint.

 

^+1

 

If your components have bi-ampable crossovers, then I would suggest the PDX-5. Separate gain control of each driver can really help with staging/balance. If your liking the JL stuff, then you may want to wait for their 5-channel... though retail is over $1,000; defintely out of budget.

 

The problem with going with the PDX is that it is a class D full range amp. I haven't presonally heard them, so I cant say much on it, but there are people that will say stay away from them. Just make sure you take that in to consideration. The other problem I have with it, is that I they are still pretty expensive, and you can probably get an A4 or A5 for around the same price or maybe a little more. Between the two, I would think the choice should be obvious, but to each their own. The PDX does have some really nice features, it has a small foot print, and it looks great though.

The A4 and A5 will give more power to your subs than the JL and PDX, but less to your components. It is supposed to be a great amp though, and very efficient.

I also realized I made a mistake in my last post. Since it is a 4ohm dvc, you will be wiring it parallel, so 2ohms. I was thinking 2ohm dvc.