Soundstream Rubicon 502

Price Paid:  $400.00

Year / Model Reviewed:
 Reference 500s

Strengths:
alot of power for the money,reliable, versatile, and can run for hours and hours no problem.

Weaknesses:
Wish all switches were on face and also fuses on outside.

Summary:
Bought the amp (reference 500s not Rubicon) 4 or so years ago had it in 3 different systems to power subs at mono. Unbelievable power.
Run 4 gauge wire as power and ground, 12 gauge for speaker wire. Simple hook ups ,all gold plated, easy controls, and good looks.
great sub amp and good in stero also, wish i could buy another.

Similar Products Used:
fosgate ehhh, ....

Price Paid:  $275.00

Year / Model Reviewed:
 Both Reference 500 and Rubi 502

Strengths:
The ref 500 the best amp I have ever owned. Runs cool, plays loud, easy to adjust precisely and plays forever at cranked up volumes. Rubi 502...the only strength is that it is a good looking fake of a reference 500.

Weaknesses:
Ref 500......absolutely none...have run a pair of 15's briefly (I am into SPL and clarity...15's didn't do it for me)...gobs of power and bulletproof. Rubi 502, the new cicuitry, the new this, the new that, etc...soundstream tried to fix something that wasn't broke, and it destroyed it.

Summary:
Ok, firstly, this is a direct comparo of ref 500 and rubi 502. The reference 500 was unbeleivable. No heat dropped to 1 ohm load, and just went for hours and hours (long road trip were frequent) pushing (2) 12" Sstream SPL subs. Loud as hell and never fades out. The 502 was another story. Briefly hooked one up in the identical sytem setup as the reference was, location and all..(prospect of better everything so stated soundstream)This amp was about as loud at first, but then got very hot and as it played longer and longer, the bass hit's started fading. Not impressed with the new line. I immediately returned the amp 2 days later. Get the reference series or don't buy sstream. Not when involved with amps anyways. Had the ref 500 for about 3 years, not a hitch, and never a problem...just good, clean, consistent and dependable power delivery. Please note the 5 stars goes for the reference 500, NOT THE RUBI!!! Rubi ranks witha 2 in value (as it is more expensive by a little then the same rated reference) and overall performance rating of 3. Good sub-par amp for the first time rich kid that wants the name brand to brag about around town..

Similar Products Used:
Ref 500. ---> only amps I heard that play nearly as clean was PPI..but cost nearly double the money for similar power. Power wise, rockford not even in the same league, PPI, HAHAHAHAH!!!!, really a league of its own...especially in the price range...rubi 502 I would rather own a jensen

Price Paid:  $450.00

Year / Model Reviewed:
 99? 502

Strengths:
Looks, Quality

Weaknesses:
Heat, Low Usage time (Design flaws??)

Summary:
First off, im writing this for a friend, because he owned this amplifier for 1 month.
He went and had the amp installed from a local retailer for these amps. The first one, lasted about 4 hours, and then burned up. (Literal Smoke)
The Second one lasted about a day, same thing.
Then they took the truck in, analyzing everything, Speaker Ohms loads, cable lengths/cable guage, RCA Pre-Out Voltages - all of the diagnostic procedures that should be done if your popping amps. Everything was A-OK.
He was running 2 12" subs, at 4 ohms each In Stereo to the amp. So no heavy loads.
The third one lasted 2 weeks, and then shot stray voltage thru his whole system taking his Head unit, Electronic Digital Crossover, and every speaker in his truck.
Well, Third Time's the Charm as they say. The place of business ended up replacing his whole system for him (Luckily) due to the damage it caused.
About 6 months later, they dropped the Soundstream line.
Now this was not some backyard install joint. this was a highly reputable place, which had been doing installs for years, with Certified Installers.
I've done a few replacement installs from the Soundstream boo-boos, and Everyone That I talk to wishes they would make a better product.
Sound quality is good, and lots of power...but it just doesn't last from what I have seen. If you do get one, make sure you get a FULL warranty to where you will have support. It would be worth the extra money.

Similar Products Used:
Kicker, Kenwood, Alpine

Strengths:
lots of power
stable to 2 ohms mono
good connections
good crosovers

Weaknesses:
nothing

Summary:
i paid 359 and i would recommend it to anyone.

Similar Products Used:
lots of amps
comparable to any other high end amp(rockford, orion, ...)