Audiobahn Headunits

Has anybody seen or tried the new Audiobahn Headunits? On paper they look pretty sharp, feature-wise, with iPod direct connect and such. There aren't any shops around here where I can try them out for myself.

I'm looking to replace the "Temporary" Sony headunit I've been running for the past year and a half (it's not a bad unit, if you only listen to one kind of music).

Let me know what you think about Audiobahn Headunits

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~WAYLAND

On paper all Audiocrap's products look pretty sharp.  They aren't that sharp.  Outright lies or stretching the truth to the max?  You decide.

Either way, I feel they produce a horrible product for the money and I refuse to support their "bling and hype over quality and research" approach.  In my opinion companies like them are moving the industry in the wrong direction.

Look Blaupunkt if you want a quality low priced unit.

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New Project: 2003 Pathfinder

Man keep your sony. It may suck, but audiobahn would be a downgrade.

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Nik
Jeeputer Progress
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Check it out.

Kfr01....I use audiobahn in my truck right now.....I've said this before, and I'll say it again.  You can't judge it unless you've used it.  For me, their products are fine.  They perform very well and for the price, I think they're a respectable company.  That "BLING" you talk about isn't what the company is all about.  Now I can go on for a while....  But all I have to say is stop acting like they don't make products that perform.  Unless you've used their product, it's hard to judge them.  Don't jump on a bandwagon, and say things about a product you've probably never used. 

Who started the entire "Audiobahn is crap" movement anyways???

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~WAYLAND

Audiobahn started making headunits? Who manufactures them?

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Certified Security Specialist
Always check info with a digital multimeter.
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Tell Darwin I sent you.

I've been sick lately, sorry I won't be on much.

They've had headunits out for about 2 years now,  but haven't really distributed them.  The 2005 year will be their "second generation" models, with all of them featuring ipod Direct (allowing you to control your ipod through the head unit) and 4 volt preamp outputs.  As for who makes them,  I'm not sure,  but I'm going out on a limb and saying they make their own headunits...

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~WAYLAND

wayland1985 - "Who started the entire "Audiobahn is crap" movement anyways???"

I think audiobahn started that.

I had some audiobahn amps and subs a few years ago and I've seen and know plenty of people with their stuff. I can say from experiance that it is bottom of the line equipment. It sounds like a$$, the power ratings are very overstated, and it holds up like an old man without viagra.

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Nik
Jeeputer Progress
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Check it out.

I will agree with you that their speakers and lower-end subwoofers sound bad.  But if anything, their amplifiers (especially the new ones) are a bit under-rated.  So I'm not sure how many years ago you owned audiobahn products, or what models  you had, oonik, but their new stuff does what it says it will do.  

I have owned their A4601Q amplifier powering 4 Infinity Kappa 5x7 speakers.  They sound phenomonal (when I have the Sony's stupid EQ options tuned correctly). 

On the Mono-amp front, I was just given a brand new A18001DT amplifier to replace another under warranty.  First thing I did when I received it was bring it to a local car stereo shop ( Rich's Car Tunes, owned by Rich Inferrera a man featured in many car audio magazines) for bench testing.  The result was at 14.4 volts the amplifier put out about 2100 watts RMS at 1 ohm  (it is rated for 1800 rms at 1 ohm).  It turns out audiobahn now rates their products at 12 volts.... 

My woofers perform very well too.  2 AW1206Ts are what I run.  In their enclosure the do exactly what I want:  When I want SQ, they perform very well (they aren't a W7, but then again, a W7 costs 3 times more).  When I want SPL,  they give me SPL (While tuning the amp today, my roomates complained that I was shaking the house....and the Bass boost was all the way down, the gain is set for the 2 volt output of the sony, and the head unit's volume was at 1/2 power).

As for durability, I'm going to just say it.  They are like tanks.  Sure, I had an issue with one of their amplifiers, which is about 3 model years old, but they replaced it without any hassle.  My other amplifier wasn't even bolted down for months, and was being tossed around in my trunk for months.  It still works like a charm.  The woofers have taken more abuse than you would imagine, yet still seem to work like they day i got them....  

Sooo....maybe behind their chrome parts that everybody is so affixed on, there is some science/research going on.  Remember, they are a young company and are still perfecting their products. 

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~WAYLAND

I HAVE used and listened to their equipment in friends cars. I have also demoed products of theirs at dealers BECAUSE I wanted to form my own opinion.

They didn't impress me at all. I thought the speakers sounded like junk for the price.

A friend bought one of their amplifiers. We didn't bench test it, but it failed shortly after he bought it.

Their subs - I admit some of the models seem OK - I have seen some decent reviews - but I still think they're a horrible value for the money.

So.... I DO have experience with Audiobahn. You're not going to convince me they're a quality company until they stop with the unrealistic ratings and put less time into stupid bling and more research into some innovative features that actually add to industry.

Hey, I can appreciate the fact that bling and hyped up ratings sells - I just won't support it. As a business person I can appreciate the quick success their company has had. They've done a wonderful job targeting the market with their products. I applaud them as business people. - I wont' buy their products because they're good businessmen!

In any event. I just don't think there is any reason TO buy audiobahn. Price? Nope. Quality? Nope. Innovation?   Certainly Nope.   Reliability?   Nope. What's left? Bling?

A company has to SHOW ME WHY I should buy their product. I bought Quart because they were best sounding coaxial mounted components I could find. I bought Eclipse because I feel the sound quality and feature combination is second to none. I bought Xtant because that line was heavily discounted and I believe Xtant's numbers approach honesty. Image Dynamics did a great job building a relatively efficient 10" sub for very small boxes that produces quality sound in the process.

These products gave me REASONS to purchase them. I simply see no REASON to buy Audiobahn - and I can think of a couple NOT TO!

Change my mind? Show me a reason.

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New Project: 2003 Pathfinder

While you have formed a solid opinion, it will be VERY hard to compete with your setup.  Your components are definately in a class of their own.  But, being a college student, there is absolutely no way for me afford Xtant or MB Quart.  As it stands now, Audiobahn can't compete with any of your particular components.

As for your comments on price, yes most Audiobahn products are a little overpriced ( as if JL Audio wasn't ), which is why I only bought their products while on sale.  My subwoofers were on sale at sounddomain.com for a buy 1 get one half off end of the year clearance.  My 4 channel was purchased as a christmas special from crutchfield.com.   My mono amplifier was purchased at a huge reduction, only 380 dollars, as a clearance item (It was a model 3 years old at the time...it met my needs....i bought it...it failed....audiobahn replaced it with the 2005 model at no cost to me under warranty). 

I also went with audiobahn because it was reccomended by a friend for my application.  Plus, versus other brands in the price range (Sony, Kicker, etc) it seemed like the best buy.

Those were the reasons I originally bought Audiobahn.  Why I'm looking for Audiobahn now is a different story.  So far my experience has been very positive.  They've been abused to extremes ( I take my truck off roading, and my amps tend to get bounced around, or get stuff dropped on them, etc.) and still continue to work.  Also, I respect Audiobahn's customer service.  I tried calling a few companies, like eclipse for warranty service on a head unit that died on me,  and was led through an automated system, that dumped me into a person's voicemail....who never called me back.   I called audiobahn for warranty service on the amp mentioned above, and was immediately received by a real live person, who directed me to a real live person, who quickly handled my case.  I called back a few weeks later, to check on the status, and got a voicemail.  I told them my name, and gave them a number and time to call me back at.  And unexpectedly, I actually received a call at that time I asked, with all the answers I needed.

So, I choose audiobahn for what I have experienced with their product and with their company.   They are definately not in a class with Xtant, but they aren't in a class with legacy either.  Audiobahn is marketing towards youth, but then again, how many middle aged men are looking to drop their last paycheck into a subwoofer?  The car audio market is a youth driven market right now, and Audiobahn recognizes that.  They wouldn't get nearly as far trying to sell products for some business executive's brand new Porsche.  By selling decent products that appeal to some youth today, they have been able to become a globally recognized, award winning company selling to some of the nation's largest vendors (Circuit City, for example).  And, they've become this company in under 10 years.  Quite a feat.  I'm sure now that they have become recognized, they will re-focus their mission, and start bringing out new products that even you may want to consider buying.  Already they have began producing head units with iPod direct features (a feature only introduced by Alpine about a month ago).  They have introduced a "TRUE" digital line of amplifiers, becoming one of a handful of companies offering digital technologies for mobile amplifiers.  They offer an array of subwoofers that not only puts to shame the offerings of other companies, but can also match anybody's personal taste/preference.

In the end, Audiobahn is a young company.  I only lash out at people, because they talk trash about a company they have never even experienced (kFR01, I'm sorry to have lashed out at you, but I didn't know if you really had used their product).  And while they may not be the very best choice on the market, they are definately not the worst, as many people think them to be.  And I can almost guarantee you,  by their 10 year mark, they'll probably be contributing far more to the industry.  After all, look what they have accomplished in only a few years....

AND WITH THAT POST....LET'S GET BACK TO THE TOPIC AT HAND....   AUDIOBAHN HEADUNITS...

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~WAYLAND

Oh, and by the way,  An Audiobahn amplifier isn't that much more expensive than something else in its class...  1200 watts RMS at 2 ohms (12 volt rated)  for $900  versus 1000 watts RMS at 2 ohms (at whatever Xtant's Ratings are) for $1200 isn't all that bad....

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~WAYLAND

Good argument wayland. (I'm being sincere.) It is nice to bat this topic around with someone who can intelligently form an argument that doesn't get to name calling. Cheers friend.

That said, back to the topic, and to be totally fair, I know nothing about Audiobahn's headunits. Let me know if you hear or see any credible news or reviews about their performance.

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New Project: 2003 Pathfinder

Yeah...Well...Poo on you both.

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Nik
Jeeputer Progress
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Check it out.

Like any brand, some offerings are better than others.  A few companies have such consistently high quality that buying on name brand alone is usually a good bet.  Many companies have such consistently low quality that avoiding them based on name brand alone is usually a good bet.  But even they offer an occasionally good quality product.  Unfortunately Audiobahn falls into the latter category.  They have made a name for themselves by a huge marketing and sponsorship push, low prices with seemingly great specs, enhanced visual appeal, and an occasionally good product.

From what I have been able to determine, Audiobahn head units are designed in Taiwan and manufactured in China by the same company who makes Audiovox, Jensen, Rampage, Prestige, Pursuit, Lanzar, Recotron, Profile, Kraco and others.  They may be fine, I have never listened to them.

The earlier suggestion of Blaupunkt as a good quality low-cost alternative was very sound IMO.

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Support the12volt.com

i would triple the " look at Blau" comment..... it's a good quality inexpensive line, with next to no bling.....

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Kevin Gerry
Certified Electronics Technician
MECP First Class Installer

Owner/Installer
Classic Car Audio
since 1979

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~WAYLAND

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"I don't play games. I play Nakamichi and that for real yo" - Probably some japanese kid said this in the early 80's trying to sell stereo out of his trunk lol.

Ok, so dude just got done defending himself and gives several reasons why he likes audiobahn, none of which include stating the advantages of "phat surround", chrome or bling, and also casts off the idea of using an audiobahn deck once he hears who makes them, and still you jump down his throat in what seems to be a post with no new information which seems to only have on purpose and that is to work him up again after we already see he doesnt appreciate his stuff being called crap. Question was answered, opinions were given, lets stop beating this dead horse.

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double-secret reverse-osmosis speaker-cone-induced high-level interference distortion, Its a killer

Hmm...That was a little uncalled for, but what would expect from a german with a few drinks? lol

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Nik
Jeeputer Progress
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Check it out.

Haha,  thanks Ravendarat...  I think?

How about we close this topic???

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~WAYLAND

ya, it was in your defense. Not to often I find myself defending a suporter of audiobahn, but I am in a good mood tonight

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double-secret reverse-osmosis speaker-cone-induced high-level interference distortion, Its a killer

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~WAYLAND

apples and oranges.

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Big Dave

I know of a couple of particular guys on this site that if they were to design a system around Audiobahn gear could probably lay the smack down to alot of people on this site. Sometimes install is more important than choice of equipment. Here in the Great White North Eh!, we get hosebagged on Audiobahn pricing, it is far from inexpensive here. Now the outrageous claims not withstanding, the gear performs and performs quite well actually. We had a lower failure rate than we did with Rockford for that matter. Now just because the head's are made by someone else does not mean that they are useless and have no place in car audio, that spot is reserved for Sony and Bose . You don't think that Eclipse makes their own cd players do they......

Eg: How many of you like Hyundai's?

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Top Secret, I can tell you but then my wife will kill me.

"hosebagged" - We don't use words like that in Alabama. Silly Canadians.

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Nik
Jeeputer Progress
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Check it out.

No, you guys just talk with weird accents, find me a Southern chick dude, I'd be all over that. Anyways so, how may of you like Hyundai, the fabulous manufacturer of Eclipse heads if I am not mistaken.

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Top Secret, I can tell you but then my wife will kill me.

Hyundai makes Eclipse heads? At least they can do something right.

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Nik
Jeeputer Progress
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Check it out.

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eh? what did you just say?