Rockford Fosgate - Quality and Experiences..

[ru4ward]

My son is working on putting together a system for his 1999 Pontiac Grand Prix and he's really focused on Rockford Fosgate and I wanted to throw it out there as to what everyone's opinion and experiences have been using RF..

He's looking at the following:

HU = RF RFX9420U
Front Speakers = RF T152C
Rear Speakers = RF T1693C
Amp = Still reviewing but he is leaning towards an Eclipse or Alpine at this point
Sub = Eclipse 9102 or Alpine

So I welcome any feedback and assistance in reviewing his thoughts on putting this together.

[CVStroker]

My son is working on putting together a system for his 1999 Pontiac Grand Prix and he's really focused on Rockford Fosgate and I wanted to throw it out there as to what everyone's opinion and experiences have been using RF..

He's looking at the following:

HU = RF RFX9420U
Front Speakers = RF T152C
Rear Speakers = RF T1693C
Amp = Still reviewing but he is leaning towards an Eclipse or Alpine at this point
Sub = Eclipse 9102 or Alpine

So I welcome any feedback and assistance in reviewing his thoughts on putting this together.

RF is a decent company. Although they still have quality issues with many of their products.

Of that list, the only thing I'm really leery about are the speakers. What made him choose those speakers, and how is he going to power them?

Give us a budget, style of music he listens to, and we can whip up a system that he would enjoy.

[Marty01]

just to clarify.. ive never owned RF however, ive heard a few diferent set ups that included some RF peices... what stands out the most is one of their 15in subs.. no idea model number as a friend of mine had it.. WOW!! great low LOOOW bass... clarity sounded good.. but didnt really have the quick response of other subs.. could be the box it was in as that was close to 5 cubes sealed... which is HUGE... but im sure with the correct box/setup it would have responded very nicely to quicker beats and so on... that sub handled 800 watts and according to my friend.. was only made to handle 600 watts.. but cant confirm this for sure as he wasnt sure himselkf which model sub he had.. he took the best guess he could... their amp are also very impressive.. their decks.. couple of my friends have RF deck.. they are pleased with them as well

like i said.. i have never owned.. just heard... havent heard horror stories from anyone i know who had first hand ownership of RF products.. if it means anything

[phrozen5100]

Well I have a pretty good amount of experience with RF...they're speakers and subs I'm not a huge fan of, not that they're bad but just not the best for the price usually. They're amps are a pretty good value if you get them from highdesertaudio <--- eBay seller. One of my amps I got from them was bad, but it was fixed and now it's playing just fine and it has nice features on it too. Never dealt with their HUs.

[ru4ward]

CVStroker..

Thanks for the reply.... He only choose them based on a friend who had a pair that appeared to be alot cleaner sounding than others that he had heard. We live in the Indianapolis area and it's really been had to find a good Audio center to give you an opinion on anything other than a Best Buy guy trying to sell something. He was looking at a JL Audio amp to drive the component speakers and a separate amp to drive the subwoofer. .

I'm looking to give him $1500 to get him something he can be proud of but at the same time doesn't take Dad to the bank for 2 or 3 g's.. So:

Budget: $1500
Listen To: Metallica, Seethier, and Rap. He likes a lot of Heavy, Alternative, and Techno
Specific's: He really wants a Deep Bass sound and believes he would like a SPL 75% and SQ 25% type breakdown, although after a while I think he will have wished for a closer to 100% SQ sound versus SPL? Maybe that's a Dad wish!!

Appreciate feedback,
J.C.

RF is a decent company. Although they still have quality issues with many of their products.

Of that list, the only thing I'm really leery about are the speakers. What made him choose those speakers, and how is he going to power them?

Give us a budget, style of music he listens to, and we can whip up a system that he would enjoy.

[Blastbox]

I was always Recommended the Adire Brahma with more or less 4 cf vented box. Should handle the SQ and SPL "as told" very well.

In my opinion, dont like Rockford (period) Everyone has them

[CVStroker]

CVStroker..

Thanks for the reply.... He only choose them based on a friend who had a pair that appeared to be alot cleaner sounding than others that he had heard. We live in the Indianapolis area and it's really been had to find a good Audio center to give you an opinion on anything other than a Best Buy guy trying to sell something. He was looking at a JL Audio amp to drive the component speakers and a separate amp to drive the subwoofer. .

I'm looking to give him $1500 to get him something he can be proud of but at the same time doesn't take Dad to the bank for 2 or 3 g's.. So:

Budget: $1500
Listen To: Metallica, Seethier, and Rap. He likes a lot of Heavy, Alternative, and Techno
Specific's: He really wants a Deep Bass sound and believes he would like a SPL 75% and SQ 25% type breakdown, although after a while I think he will have wished for a closer to 100% SQ sound versus SPL? Maybe that's a Dad wish!!

Appreciate feedback,
J.C.

Well, I'll take a shot at this:

HU: Clarion DXZ545MP, $115 at www.ikesound.com
Front Speakers: MB Quart PCE 213, $230 on ebay
Sub: Adire Audio Brahma 15, $440 at www.easy-audio.com
Sub Amp: Hifonics 1000D, $200 at www.ikesound.com
Speaker Amp: Alpine MRV-T320, $120 at www.ikesound.com

The HU is a tested and proven player. It's a fairly cheap one, but does the job you need it to do without all the unnecessary extra bells and whistles.

I listen to a similar set of music, and I use the MB Quart PSD 213s, the predecessor to the PCE 213s. There is almost no difference in the way they sound, they have just been updated. I think they're perfect for the music I listen to, where the vocals can sometimes make or break the sound.

The Brahma is simply one of the best subs on the market right now. It is similar in sound and performance to the JL W7, but better in SQ and total output IMO, plus cheaper (I'm sure you like that one huh dad?). Adire is a lesser known company, so don't be put off by them if you go into a shop and the salesman trashes them, because it's highly unlikely that he's ever heard one, or heard of it for that matter. I use Brahmas, Easy E has lots of experience with the Brahma, and we'll both attest that it is one of the best on the market for SPL and SQ.

As for amps, the Hifonics is a great dollar per watt amp. They're tough, reliable, and clean. It's hard to beat them if you're on a budget. The Alpine is also a quality amp. I don't have much personal experience with them, but a few friends run them, and they do the job nicely.

That puts you at just over $1100, plus shipping. That leaves you $400 for wiring, interconnects, enclosure material (if you don't want to/can't build your own enclosure, look at easy-audio.com as well for them, good quality for a good price, and shipping from NW Illinois to Indy wont be too bad either), and other small things.

[ru4ward]

Thanks everyone.....

CVStroker,

I was also looking at a Directed Audio AMP to drive the sub, but I'm not sure of it quality versus the Hifonics....

Thanks again....

Well, I'll take a shot at this:

HU: Clarion DXZ545MP, $115 at www.ikesound.com
Front Speakers: MB Quart PCE 213, $230 on ebay
Sub: Adire Audio Brahma 15, $440 at www.easy-audio.com
Sub Amp: Hifonics 1000D, $200 at www.ikesound.com
Speaker Amp: Alpine MRV-T320, $120 at www.ikesound.com

The HU is a tested and proven player. It's a fairly cheap one, but does the job you need it to do without all the unnecessary extra bells and whistles.

I listen to a similar set of music, and I use the MB Quart PSD 213s, the predecessor to the PCE 213s. There is almost no difference in the way they sound, they have just been updated. I think they're perfect for the music I listen to, where the vocals can sometimes make or break the sound.

The Brahma is simply one of the best subs on the market right now. It is similar in sound and performance to the JL W7, but better in SQ and total output IMO, plus cheaper (I'm sure you like that one huh dad?). Adire is a lesser known company, so don't be put off by them if you go into a shop and the salesman trashes them, because it's highly unlikely that he's ever heard one, or heard of it for that matter. I use Brahmas, Easy E has lots of experience with the Brahma, and we'll both attest that it is one of the best on the market for SPL and SQ.

As for amps, the Hifonics is a great dollar per watt amp. They're tough, reliable, and clean. It's hard to beat them if you're on a budget. The Alpine is also a quality amp. I don't have much personal experience with them, but a few friends run them, and they do the job nicely.

That puts you at just over $1100, plus shipping. That leaves you $400 for wiring, interconnects, enclosure material (if you don't want to/can't build your own enclosure, look at easy-audio.com as well for them, good quality for a good price, and shipping from NW Illinois to Indy wont be too bad either), and other small things.

[phrozen5100]

DEI makes some good amps along with Viper. I'd take Viper over Hifonics and DEI and Hifonics are fairly close...but, I'd go for the DEI most likely. If I was to buy a Brahma, I'd more than likely buy a refurbed Viper D1200.1 for $280 shipped from teamcsw on eBay.

[CVStroker]

DEI makes some good amps along with Viper. I'd take Viper over Hifonics and DEI and Hifonics are fairly close...but, I'd go for the DEI most likely. If I was to buy a Brahma, I'd more than likely buy a refurbed Viper D1200.1 for $280 shipped from teamcsw on eBay.

I would agree if we were talking a component amp. But at the sub bass level, as long as the amp puts out rated power, you can't tell the difference between .0001% and .1% distortion. The Hifonics will do just as good of a job as the Viper, for cheaper.

[phrozen5100]

I would agree if we were talking a component amp. But at the sub bass level, as long as the amp puts out rated power, you can't tell the difference between .0001% and .1% distortion. The Hifonics will do just as good of a job as the Viper, for cheaper.

I'd choose to Viper to be different, and I'd never choose an amp because of some minor difference in THD.