Help me pick an amp and sub

A display that is visible to the driver that is not factory installed or for use by emergency services is deemed illegal for the most part in Canada. Law will vary from province to province. Even the RCMP vehicles with their Panaconic Youghbook laptops are highly distracting to the members, they are meant to be used when the vehicle is not in motion. Any time that it requires you to take your eyes off of the road, be it to check your infants seatbelt or play with a lcd display, you are a risk to all other drivers. Be careful if you are going to continue on this path.

Instead of an equalizer have a look at a master volume control of some kind. This will put a volume control, fade and sub level controls within fingertip reach with no driver distraction. Audio Control makes a 3.1 model that would be best for your use. www.audiocontrol.com. Buy the right piece of equipment for your needs, not the chaepest piece to do the job. This piece will make or break whatever the balance of the system will be made up of. I would also recommend a 4 or 5 channel amp to power your speakers. The factory speakers will come to life with some real power behind them. If you are after a good overall sound, the 5 channel amp route is a great way to go. If you want to annoy all those around you, then head the 4 channel amp + sub amp route. Post up if you want some more info or advice, especially on the Audio Control 3.1 route.

So does that make indash LCD's illegal too? Like those Alpine and Clarion ones?

The Clarion that I was looking at is http://www.clarion.com/usa/product/index.php?mod=details&category=processors&product=EQS744# but only with a 5-band eq. So it has fader, balance, sub and master volume control. Whether it's the same quality as the audiocontrol ones, I'm not too sure...

The Memphis 16-MC3004 4-channel amp looks very nice, and is likely at the top end of my amp budget (looks to be about $400CDN). From what I've gathered now from suggestions and other research, here's the 4-channel amps that seem to fit my application:

• Alpine MRV-F340
• Memphis 16-MC3004
• Eclipse PA5422

Any contrast/comparisons for these three amps? Or any other ones I should be looking at in the 50-75Wx4 rms ranage that I should be looking at?

Forbidden, what's your opinion on running the four factory speakers on two channels and bridging the remaining two to drive the sub?

Dyno,

I personally have experience with the eclipse amp and Memphis amp that you are considering. I have to say that both amps are excellent and will do the job, I think that the eclipse centers more on SQ while the memphis will give you a little more punch. The one thing I don't recommend is buying either amp through ebay, especially the memphis. I know for fact that if you don't buy a memphis product from a memphis authorized dealer you will never get warranty service for that product, they are extremely strict in this sense and if something goes wrong you are basically screwed. I'm pretty sure that Eclipse is the same way, I guess the point that I'm trying to make here is that you are better off buying the product from an authorized dealer. You may pay a little more but I feel that the piece of mind you recieved is well worth it.

Thanks! I hadn't heard anything specific about the Memphis yet. Since I value SQ more than SPL, I'll try for the Eclipse and see what kind of price I can get it for.

-dyno

Sorry for the late reply, PST means we get to sleep in as most of you guys are having lunch! So for replies, here we go. Any indash lcd display cannot be used when in plain sight of the driver while the vehicle is in motion. You can still use it as a cd player, am / fm tuner but not as a DVD transport to watch a movie. This also goes for an X-box or similar plugged into the screen. All of these systems usually require the use of the parking brake to be engaged. Now enterprising installers and noobs with access to a forum like this can be shown how to bypass it. This bypass and subsequent us of the lcd for viewing any entertainment source is in fact illegal in Canada and I imagine some US states. Here it will result in fines / points for driving with undue care and attention and possibly a 30 day vehicle impound, costly to say the least. Imagine a "N" driver with one of these things in his dash and he plows into you as he missed the red light, this is a chance I do not want to take, you may think that you will never do this but what about the other guy?

Now the Audio Control 3.1 will take on all comers, it is a vastly superior piece of equipment as compared to what you are looking at. It is much more than a volume control, eq, fader and sub level controller. It is also a line driver of 13volts peak and "balanced outputs". It will have a much better sound quality and capabilities in your system.

Eclipse on sale from an authorized dealer = happy customer with great sounding system, great choice, and the amp can take a high voltage input from the 3.1 as well.