A very good set of shocks/struts at a great price, stiffer and better made than oem. Smooth ride without harsh jolting. Emergency Tree Service Waterloo

None so far.

Cheaper than 2 seperate...100x2 frnt, 25x2 rear, allows you to add 250/1 plus sub your system. Timeless classy appearance.

Need space for large size

My 1st expensive system! Alpine IVA 900, JL 500.5, 10w6ae(.77 cubic inches), VR 525csi frnt, TR 650cxi rear. This amp saved me $200 easy, I haggled and compared prices and went with the 5 channel instead of seperate JL amps. From authorized amp install fees to shop supplies and even double the cost of 300 watt amps quickly adds up to $900-$1000. I wish this amp were a couple inches smaller bc it wouldnt fit under my front seat and since Im so limited with space in my Toyota Tundra, it sticks out just a little (thank God for floor mats :s). Im wondering if the 250 watts leaves my 10w6 hungry for power however and have considered installing 2 6w0's to take the power and dedicating a second amp for my 10w6(perhaps a free RF power 800a2). I just dont want to mess up the JL theme nor do I know if that amp will make me happy. That and Im already SHORT on space! I like the 100x2 up front and rear fill of 25x2. Not sure if I like the ambience mode on or off. It sounds great when DVD's are on but I like the little extra bass and overall fill with it off. Planning to turn it on once upgrades with 6w0's are added.

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RF Punch Series 300s, Soundstream Rubicon 404, (2) 12" Kicker Comps, Kicker 5x7

JL amps are excellent -- you can get better amps (Zapco, Tru, McIntosh) but be prepared to shell out $800+. Great features.

Just so you know, the reviewer who said that "this is a terrible SQ amp because it uses a regulated power supply which kills transients" is wrong. Transients are an important part of music, but a regulated power supply has nothing to do with transients. JL builds excellent amps, equal to or better than 95% of the mainstream.

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JBL p80.4, p180.2 -- good value, decent quality.

Power, ease of installation, owner's manual is one of the most complete that I've come across....

Power is raw, not musical

After reading all the reviews for this product, I finally decided to go with Jl Audio. Biggest mistake I ever made, sure the amp has power and it hits hard. Any good amp will do that, what I was looking for musicality and unfortunately JL amps do not have that. When I was shopping for a replacement amp, I decided to go to Good Guys, a local electronics chain Southern Cali, I was doing an A/B comparison between this amp and a Kenwood Excelon KAC 650D, the Kenwood had a much warmer and musical sound to it. Needless to say I was dissapointed. I will not buy JL amps again! Ended up replacing it with a Soundstream Van Gogh 800.5. Very sweet amp! My System Alpine CDA 9815 CDT Audio Euro 620 fronts Infinity Reference 5000cs rears 3 JL Audio 12W6 - subs Soundstream Van Gogh 800.5, JL Audio 500/5

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Soundstream, Coustic

One amp instead of two.

Haven't found'em yet

Wanted to upgrade stock system, started with this unit and stealth box sub for my sierra P/U extended cab. Plenty of power for all 5 channels-sounds great even thru the stock seperates (next thing to change).

This amp powers an entire system, utilizing a hydrid construction of a class A/B amp for the main speakers, and a class D amp for the sub

The ambient mode, at least to me, does not enhance the sound quality

First things first - I never realized how technical and complicated a decent car sound system can be. Matching components is a daunting task, and even though I relied on a salesman at first, I went back to the shop three times - first replacing a subwoofer, then finally the amp before I was happy. I know enough to be dangerous, but am by no means an expert. I do not have the ability to install a full-fledged system as noted below. It should also be noted that while in the shop, I worked with the installer to tune the amp to my liking. I do not expect to change the settings of the amp - I fine tune the music with the flexible setting of the Alpine head unit (includes sub level adjusting). In rating any one component, it's important to know what the entire system is, so here's mine (installed in a 1997 Town Car): Alpine CDA-9807 MP3/CD head unit Boston Acoustics Pro-Series 5.5 Component speakers (front) Boston Acoustics NX-97's (rear) JL Audio 12" W3 dual 2-ohm sub in custom box (in trunk) JL Audio 500/5 Amp (in trunk) Ones listening style is also critical in choosing the proper component. If you want to impress people with thumping bass from a half mile away, you should have a separate monoblock 1000-watt amp driving at least a pair of 12" subs, and one or two multi-channel amps driving the main speakers. If you're like me, and the music is the most important, you want a system that mixes the highs, mids, and lows. You want to impress people inside the car only - you want your music to be clean at all listening levels without distortion. And finally - budget is important. Multiple amps can get pretty expensive, and you may have to alter your cars electrical system to handle all that power. I ended up spending around $2,000 for the system (including installation). Since I was limiting my budget, I needed to consider each piece separately first, then consider the system as a whole. When I had the system originally installed, the amp was the Alpine MRV-F450 5-channel amp. Immediately, I was having problems with the amp going into protect mode when the head unit was at a volume of 24. The amp was over-heating because my normal listening volume was pushing the limits of the Alpine amp. Once I stepped up to the JL 500/5, it's a whole new ballgame. My ears basically bleed at a volume of 17, with very little if any distortion. The JL Audio 500/5 amp is considered a hybrid amp. It's a class A/B amp for the four main channels, and a class D amp for the sub. Class D amps run cooler that class A/B amps, and since the class D portion is driving the most power hungry piece (the sub), it is configured the best so as not to overheat. It's a fairly large amp, but since my Town Car's trunk is huge, this is a non-issue. If you are good at adjusting amps, the controls are conveniently placed, so that once installed, you can adjust levels without much difficulty. One important feature of the JL amp is it's power ratings. One thing lesser car audio systems suffer from is that larger speakers are mounted in the rear, thus, most of the sound comes from the rear. Many amps run equal power to the front and rear speakers. When you're listening to music, whether at a concert or at home, the soundfield originates from the front. In a decently configured car system, the front speakers are the most important, with the sub being second. The rear speakers should only be used for filler. The JL Audio 500/5 pumps 100-watts to the front speakers, 250-watts to the sub, and only 25-watts to the rear speakers. To me, it's obvious JL Audio considered the importance of the front speakers. The Alpine amp I originally installed ran 50-watts to each of the four main speakers. I chose the component speakers for the front because I wanted them to carry the load of the music, and they use every bit of the 100-watts the JL 500/5 provides. The 250-watts to the JL Audio 12" sub is more than enough for my taste. I can really feel the bass - actually, it pounds me at decent volume levels. Even at a lower volume, I still can feel the bass, something I was really looking for. I ran the system for over an hour at a 4-window open highway driving level (loud). When I got home, I felt the amp - it was warm, but not unbearably hot like the Alpine was. I guess the Class D amp for the sub really does keep the heat away (as well as the general design of the heat sinks). Since I ran the Alpine amp for a week before exchanging, I can compare the tow amps. The JL Audio packs much more wallop. With the head unit being balanced left/right and front/rear, it's like I'm listening to a concert with the artists in front of me, not behind me. The 100-watts the JL amp provides to the front speakers really shines with the component speakers. The Alpine just couldn't push the sub to the extremes the JL 500/5 can. Final notes: the salesman was all excited about the ambient mode on the amp. It's like the Yamaha proprietary soundfields - suppo

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Alpine MRV-F450

Features - LOTS of them. Excellent power arrangement similar to a home theater setup. Selectable slopes on the crossover (Must have 24db/octave for the subs)

SOUND.....regulated power supplies always have and always will suck for realism and SQ.

Are you a musician? Do you know what music SHOULD sound like? Do you REALLY know a good sounding amplifier, either for the home or car? Are you considering the JL line?.......THEN READ ON.... I wanted SO BADLY for this amp to be "the one".....it had the features and power specs that I wanted. It seemed SO right for what system I was putting together. I am however SO disappointed. I should have known better when I learned that the amps featured "regulated power supplies"...but JL tried to put a spin on it with the whole "RIPS design", stating it was more musical than prior designs, and I thought, "Well,..maybe"....NOPE! TRANSIENTS are the ESSENCE of music! Amplifiers need UNREGULATED power supplies and NO current limiting to sound "REAL"! But the whole industry is going after the "SPL market" and sound quality is truly out the window. It's so sad. They'd rather sell a product that "wont make a kid's headlights dim" then to make an amplifier that sounds REALISTIC. Kids don't know or care so why bother? As long as it plays loud and plays "clean" then it's "good". That is the mentality that has pervaded the industry in recent years. I read reviews and hear people at the stores say, "Man, that JL amp I just put in rocks! My speakers up front don't distort at ALL anymore"...well, DUH, the amplifier has robbed your music of all it's beautiful TRANSIENTS! The speakers are seeing this limited, constant, musical signal. Sure you can adjust the volume louder and softer (Obviously), but the music itself is "fit" between a floor and a ceiling that doesn't allow for the big musical peaks. BUMMER! I call this amp the "Hifonics for the new age"......for those too young to recall, Hifonics was THE company which first put fully regulated power supplies on the map, and made it their calling card. Those amps were SO unmusical. Boomers of that period use to all have a ZEUS or Collossus running a SAVARD box with 4 15's....I recall always hating their sound. JL are you listening (reading)?? Why not come out with a second line named the "Audiophile Series" or "SQ series"?? A second line with all the same great features but with a more musical topology - UNREGULATED POWER SUPPLIES! I think it's a great idea. You'd have a great WELL MADE product for everybody. I would definitely give it a shot.

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Name it...original Soundstream, A/D/S, Mcintosh, other various brands that came and went.

Connections, Design, Efficient, Good looking, It''s JL

none yet

This is a really nice amp, served my purpose to begin with but I''m needin'' a lil bit more bass, so I''m buyin'' another JL 250/1 to use as a slave to this amp. It''s runnin'' CDT HD62''s up front, CDT slim coaxials out back, one Diamond Audio M3 10", gettin another 10" next week with the 250/1. Gets a lil warm after hours of use, but just a lil bit. Good all around controls, sturdy connections.

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Rockford Fosgate stuff

Well Built, True Continuous Power, config options, nice looking

gets a lil'' warm during hours of use.

Solid Amp, no clips, heat''s a minor issue, prolly due to my setup. It''s pushin'' CDT''s all around and one 10" Diamond Audio M3D10.2 It hits, constant power, nice control options, solid connectors.

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Alpine, MTX

Delivers what it is supposed to, excellent features and functions, good power.

Size (as with all five channel amps), runs a bit hot in my application (never goes into protect mode), pricey. No significant weaknesses found at this time

This will be the last amp that I ever have to buy... I hope. Very functional features, good power, great install flexibility. AB/D amp

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2 channel fosgate amps, mono xtant