i have a 2001 a4 non bose, with the symphony head. i am currently upgrading my system. i am keeping the factory head and have added mb quart's for the front stage, a jl stealth sub on the way, with no rear fill. My question is on the amp. i have reviewed past messages for the past 2 days and have found out some wonderfull information especially from siberian, mark p, and markbradford , but i am still somewhat unclear on how many channels, and channels per watt, would be the best for my setup. i am leaning to a ppi amp, but i am open for any suggestions on the amp, as well as any other information you think would be helpful. Thanks for any help you offer.


2001 A4 1.8T

Here's a little more info for you...

First off, it helps to know what kind of budget you plan to stick to... however for now I'll say this...

If you are only going with front stage and a sub, then the most typical configurations are either use a three channel amp, (which would be my first choice), or a 4-channel amp that allows you to bridge the rear (channel 3 and 4) to a single mono channel to power the sub, or use two amps... one two channel for the fronts, and then a mono block for the sub.


I tend to like the three channel amp configuration because it allows for a cleaner, space saving install. Good 3-channel amps are designed specifically for applications such as yours and mine..(I too am using just front stage and a sub) Also, if you want another three channel amp to investigate, my research on the subject has ultimately pointed me towards Xtant. They make really nice amps that have gotten rave reviews for build quality, sound quality, power output, noise supression, features, and flexibility. Granted they cost a little more, but it's money well spent. However there are a lot of other good brands out there... including PPI, Soundstream, Phoenix Gold, Rockford, Pioneer, Kenwood, A/D/S, to name a few.


As for how much power... for the Quarts, I'd say 50 to 75 watts should be just fine up front. Unless you trying to win SPL contests,then go for 100, but for all practical purposes for an everyday driver that you just want to sound great and are not planning on entering any sound competitions... 50 watts of good clean power from a good amp is really a decent amount of power for front components. (mind you, there's a difference between 50 watts from a good amp, and 50 watts from a crap amp)... However if you want to beef it up a little, then by all means go with 75... it's just a matter of what you want to spend. I've looked at lots of amps and I've found that 50 watts per channel seems to be the best power/dollar ratio on the better brand amps. On a lot of better brands, when you step up to 75, the price can really jump up quickly.

For my system, I have Diamond separates. I talked to a Diamond factory rep and he suggested 75 watts for them. Currently, I have 30 watts on them (it's a temporary amp until I get my Xtant), and to tell you the truth, they sound damn fine with 30 watts.

For a sub, it really depends on the sub, how efficient it is, what size it is, what the impedence is, how many subs you are using... but I'd say get as much power as you can. I think it's pretty typical to run 200 watts or more to a sub. I'll be running 250 watts to a single 10inch sub with dual voice coils.. and believe me it'll slam hard.

Hope I didn't confuse the issue! It's Friday and I'm sort of rampling.

when i start building my system. I was dead set against an aftermarket head unit until i saw what a nice job you did integrating your head unit and that faceplate.

Cheers