im gonna attempt to give some insite on some brands. now what i base my opinions on is stuff i have personally used. i worked at a shop for over a year and before that was bestbuy for 7-8 months. i have competed in SPL burps and bass race but i am yet to enter in SQ but i have been to and help host some shows. this is an on goin list please keep it to what you have experinced dont make it a pissing contest as i will ask the mod to delete the post. this is to help people decide what kinda product they wanna buy. some may have a ballin budget some may be ballin on a budget either way lets do our best to get everyones moneys worth.
sony- there HUs are nice on a beginner level there speakers are junk and very cheap mean while there amps and subs are made for one another there 1200watter (peak) is perfect for a pair of there subs. i ran a setup for over a year and never ran into any issues there not bad for a budget system.
Kicker- well there speakers have never really pleased me and some lack mids where other lines lack the highs.... now there amps are pretty stout they do there power but i have just never seen them in many SQ cars which makes me wonder if there power is really that great? there subs IMO seem very sloppy and there square subs yes they are loud but lack alot... if u wanna know what i mean ask me and ill explain.
Alpine- well there HU over the years have been great but also have been kinda cheesy soo IMO i think there okay depending on the models u can get a great deal for your money mean while there are times u are just paying for a name and nothings there. the speakers are very good and depending on the price u choose to pay will decide how great of a deal you get. just keep in mind there type R's want power and need that power to stand out
. now there subs well they are okay i had e's and i had r's. both can take a little more then what they are rms says but becareful and make sure its clean power. the r i had lived to see 1200 rms for a period of about 2 months (never played longer then 2hrs with that power)
Memphis-Great product from subs to amps to speakers. and not to mention some of the best warranties out right now. there speakers offer a lifetime warranty ... on SPEAKERS!!!!!! not to mention they sound amazing.
Rockford Fosgate(RF)- i honestly hate to say it but there speakers lately have sounded like pure ass. there subs are decent and then amp they do there power... so they just float around not really standing out like they used to back in the day.
Audiobahn-pure crap from the get go. i had a 4 channel amp that struggled to run 2 6.5s and a single 10. would get hot after 15 mins of playing time. hot i mean i could cook eggs on it. the subs are horrible sound like dirty booty. 2 subs rated at 400 rms each couldnt handle 600 rms of good clean power... hmm weird????
Hertz- great great products ... currently running there hsk 165s bi amped on 75x4. sound great but due to me rushing i blew tweeters by not properly setting filters...
The g/f has a full hertz system same doors speakers but there energy amps and subs this setup is amazing the only thing i wanted her to get was more power to them mids and highs 
but great product. ill have to say a product im willing to standby.
Audison-the bigger older brother of hertz... been around for a while and great quailty. very very pricey but very well worth it. i have only heard a few of there products and was very very pleased.
Diamond-the past few years have been ruff for them. buyouts and then huge product line changes..... still a decent product depending on the dealer in your area u might be able catch a great deal. i am a huge fan of there older amps D5 and D7 and there Hex line of speakers are freakin awsome with some power on them.
Critical Mass-pricey but okay speakers ... u could get more for your money ....
Polk-
Autotek->
Crunch->Nice bang for buck deal and most of there amps produce the power rated !!! autotek and hifonics are all the same company lol great products very cheap for a price but seem to be holding up...
Hifonics->
Dayton-
Bose-stock .... and stock blows just like bose there is a saying "no highs no lows must be bose" lmao
Boss-umm yeah u will never see a true 2000 watt amp with a 40 amp fuse. very very cheap and made in china... not a good product at all.
Pyle-i swear there related to boss..... lol
Kenwood-
Valor-
Jvc-oh boy ill say that my dad my mom and i all have a jvc and the 2 in parents rides are over 4-5 years old. so yeah im pleased lol. check out there HEMP lines seem to be a decent product.
Digital Designs- i have owned a set of 8's and workin with a pair of 12's right now and so far they have my heart. great product and great build quality. they are one of few companies that are still designed and made in the ole USA.
Fi- used to be the guy for RE. still has great subs they are doin it big and sounding good while doing it. and priced freakin badd ass compared to other subs.
Bazooka-
Sound Storm-
Jensen-
Soundspliter-
Macrom-
Oxygen(O2)-
Mtx-
Atomic-
Earthquake-
"Pioneer - Great Headunit maker, one of the best besides Eclipse, Kenwood (touch screens), and Alpines. Though have been known to have a grounding problem, easy fix for this. Speakers and components I would rate as a great buy for intermediate enthusiasts. Pioneer subs have not really pleased me, but some like their SPL geared sub, this can take some power, but no overly much.
Audioque - These amps do rated power at 12.8 v, and at 14.4 v will do roughly 150-300 more than rated. These are built in Korea, and are amazing amplifiers for the price, don't expect amazing, but for the price these are very well amplifiers. Many have sound that audioque uses the same boards as the Hifonics amps, but the hifonics have been overrated by 200-400 watts. I was hesitant in audioques SDC 2.5 street beater sub, as it has only a 2.5" voice coil, theres alot of others out there that come with 3" and the same or even better build quality, though it will reflect in price.
DC audio- These subs are hand built like many other manufacturers in Reno Nevada. There are Level 1, Level 2, Level 3, Level 4, Level 4 XL, and their monster Level 5 series of woofers. I have bought the Level 3's which are rated at 600 rms each, 1200 peak, but these things can take 1-200 more rms than rated. Customer service is amazing, you can get a hold of Rusty almost all the time, or by email, and his prices are very well priced.
RD Audio - These guys product is not bad, and is very decent for the price. The customer serivice and attitude you will get is very rude. These guys like to bash other companies, and really not a pleasant company. Many have compared their amps to Sundowns as their boards are made in the same factory, so ill let you decide on that one.
RE audio- This company use to dominate the spl world few years ago, and are still a growing company. I am almost 100% sure that all of their woofers are now made overseas, and still retain the flashy $$$ tag. I have not used these woofers, but my close buddy was easily putting 1100 rms on a 600 rms rated driver. The owner/creator of RE left this company, and started FI audio, and has been very succesful." these are "pear b's" experiences
Eclipse - Raw underrated power. Their amps are built like tanks, and have some of the highest damping factpr ratings on the market, and can easily push out more than then the rated amount of wattage nominally. Equally, their subs are also underrated, often being able to handle 40+% more power then they are rated at. One of the few subs i've seen being able to produce great SQ in a sealed enclosure, and a monsterous amount of SPL in a vented. Their headunits are known to be some of the best, often boasting 8volt preouts and copper plating. Although their equipment can be pricey retail, if a good deal is found, its definetly worth the purchase. "jcoleman" helped out with this. I agree completely i have had some eclipse decks and some subs great product ... but can be poorly priced.
JL Audio- makes a great product very big brand due to all the press attention. my only thing i have againist them is the price tag both MSRP and the actual cost of it. this is why i usually dont recommend when peolple ask me what to buy. there w7 is an SQ sub not a spl so please please dont try to compare to other brands sq subs that are built on a spl platform. the w7 is rated for a small RMS of about 750 yes they have handled more but they really dont like it.
sony- there HUs are nice on a beginner level there speakers are junk and very cheap mean while there amps and subs are made for one another there 1200watter (peak) is perfect for a pair of there subs. i ran a setup for over a year and never ran into any issues there not bad for a budget system.
Kicker- well there speakers have never really pleased me and some lack mids where other lines lack the highs.... now there amps are pretty stout they do there power but i have just never seen them in many SQ cars which makes me wonder if there power is really that great? there subs IMO seem very sloppy and there square subs yes they are loud but lack alot... if u wanna know what i mean ask me and ill explain.
Alpine- well there HU over the years have been great but also have been kinda cheesy soo IMO i think there okay depending on the models u can get a great deal for your money mean while there are times u are just paying for a name and nothings there. the speakers are very good and depending on the price u choose to pay will decide how great of a deal you get. just keep in mind there type R's want power and need that power to stand out
. now there subs well they are okay i had e's and i had r's. both can take a little more then what they are rms says but becareful and make sure its clean power. the r i had lived to see 1200 rms for a period of about 2 months (never played longer then 2hrs with that power)Memphis-Great product from subs to amps to speakers. and not to mention some of the best warranties out right now. there speakers offer a lifetime warranty ... on SPEAKERS!!!!!! not to mention they sound amazing.
Rockford Fosgate(RF)- i honestly hate to say it but there speakers lately have sounded like pure ass. there subs are decent and then amp they do there power... so they just float around not really standing out like they used to back in the day.
Audiobahn-pure crap from the get go. i had a 4 channel amp that struggled to run 2 6.5s and a single 10. would get hot after 15 mins of playing time. hot i mean i could cook eggs on it. the subs are horrible sound like dirty booty. 2 subs rated at 400 rms each couldnt handle 600 rms of good clean power... hmm weird????
Hertz- great great products ... currently running there hsk 165s bi amped on 75x4. sound great but due to me rushing i blew tweeters by not properly setting filters...
The g/f has a full hertz system same doors speakers but there energy amps and subs this setup is amazing the only thing i wanted her to get was more power to them mids and highs but great product. ill have to say a product im willing to standby.Audison-the bigger older brother of hertz... been around for a while and great quailty. very very pricey but very well worth it. i have only heard a few of there products and was very very pleased.
Diamond-the past few years have been ruff for them. buyouts and then huge product line changes..... still a decent product depending on the dealer in your area u might be able catch a great deal. i am a huge fan of there older amps D5 and D7 and there Hex line of speakers are freakin awsome with some power on them.
Critical Mass-pricey but okay speakers ... u could get more for your money ....
Polk-
Autotek->
Crunch->Nice bang for buck deal and most of there amps produce the power rated !!! autotek and hifonics are all the same company lol great products very cheap for a price but seem to be holding up...
Hifonics->
Dayton-
Bose-stock .... and stock blows just like bose
there is a saying "no highs no lows must be bose" lmao Boss-umm yeah u will never see a true 2000 watt amp with a 40 amp fuse. very very cheap and made in china... not a good product at all.
Pyle-i swear there related to boss..... lol
Kenwood-
Valor-
Jvc-oh boy ill say that my dad my mom and i all have a jvc and the 2 in parents rides are over 4-5 years old. so yeah im pleased lol. check out there HEMP lines seem to be a decent product.
Digital Designs- i have owned a set of 8's and workin with a pair of 12's right now and so far they have my heart. great product and great build quality. they are one of few companies that are still designed and made in the ole USA.
Fi- used to be the guy for RE. still has great subs they are doin it big and sounding good while doing it. and priced freakin badd ass compared to other subs.
Bazooka-
Sound Storm-
Jensen-
Soundspliter-
Macrom-
Oxygen(O2)-
Mtx-
Atomic-
Earthquake-
"Pioneer - Great Headunit maker, one of the best besides Eclipse, Kenwood (touch screens), and Alpines. Though have been known to have a grounding problem, easy fix for this. Speakers and components I would rate as a great buy for intermediate enthusiasts. Pioneer subs have not really pleased me, but some like their SPL geared sub, this can take some power, but no overly much.
Audioque - These amps do rated power at 12.8 v, and at 14.4 v will do roughly 150-300 more than rated. These are built in Korea, and are amazing amplifiers for the price, don't expect amazing, but for the price these are very well amplifiers. Many have sound that audioque uses the same boards as the Hifonics amps, but the hifonics have been overrated by 200-400 watts. I was hesitant in audioques SDC 2.5 street beater sub, as it has only a 2.5" voice coil, theres alot of others out there that come with 3" and the same or even better build quality, though it will reflect in price.
DC audio- These subs are hand built like many other manufacturers in Reno Nevada. There are Level 1, Level 2, Level 3, Level 4, Level 4 XL, and their monster Level 5 series of woofers. I have bought the Level 3's which are rated at 600 rms each, 1200 peak, but these things can take 1-200 more rms than rated. Customer service is amazing, you can get a hold of Rusty almost all the time, or by email, and his prices are very well priced.
RD Audio - These guys product is not bad, and is very decent for the price. The customer serivice and attitude you will get is very rude. These guys like to bash other companies, and really not a pleasant company. Many have compared their amps to Sundowns as their boards are made in the same factory, so ill let you decide on that one.
RE audio- This company use to dominate the spl world few years ago, and are still a growing company. I am almost 100% sure that all of their woofers are now made overseas, and still retain the flashy $$$ tag. I have not used these woofers, but my close buddy was easily putting 1100 rms on a 600 rms rated driver. The owner/creator of RE left this company, and started FI audio, and has been very succesful." these are "pear b's" experiences
Eclipse - Raw underrated power. Their amps are built like tanks, and have some of the highest damping factpr ratings on the market, and can easily push out more than then the rated amount of wattage nominally. Equally, their subs are also underrated, often being able to handle 40+% more power then they are rated at. One of the few subs i've seen being able to produce great SQ in a sealed enclosure, and a monsterous amount of SPL in a vented. Their headunits are known to be some of the best, often boasting 8volt preouts and copper plating. Although their equipment can be pricey retail, if a good deal is found, its definetly worth the purchase. "jcoleman" helped out with this. I agree completely i have had some eclipse decks and some subs great product ... but can be poorly priced.
JL Audio- makes a great product very big brand due to all the press attention. my only thing i have againist them is the price tag both MSRP and the actual cost of it. this is why i usually dont recommend when peolple ask me what to buy. there w7 is an SQ sub not a spl so please please dont try to compare to other brands sq subs that are built on a spl platform. the w7 is rated for a small RMS of about 750 yes they have handled more but they really dont like it.
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