Soundstream any good?

[Iron-Mike]

had considered setting up a pair of 2 channel amps and a mono to run my stereo in my truck and have a new floor built over it all with the plexiglass windows and LED lighting underneath.

I already have all the JL audio interconnects and fuses and distribution blocks I'd need for the project

I have pretty much all Kenwood stuff in there now and a pair of Lanzar Audio amps


I'm thinking of switching to Soundstream Tarantula amps and subs along with their 40farad capacitor and 6.5" components.

Was just wondering if anyone had any insight as to the quality of the Soundstream line of car audio or is there another brand i should consider other than JL?

 

[DOZIER]

Soundstream= good stuff. Not true wattage but good stuff.

 

[Iron-Mike]

in your opinion should I just do all slash series JL amps and XR series components with a 12W7 sub

or should I do the soundstream tarantula series stuff?

thanks for the advice

Mike

 

[DMacLennan14]

i would do all jl. jl is some of the best in the business as far as amps and subs are concerned.

 

[Infinity08]

It really depends on what kind of pricing you can get. JL is great stuff, but very expensive, and they only have one authorized internet dealer. Soundstream has several, and generally has better pricing, but I put them a tier or two down from JL in overall quality. Their amps are fine, though. I dearly LOVE the Reference series re-release.

 

[DOZIER]

I agree with all above^^

 

[sjr033]

^x3
But to add, it might depend on what sub set up you are going to run. i.e. if you plan to run a w7 I would run a JL amp, no questions. Just because of the 3ohm rating on the w7 If you plan to run a different sub than by all means I would consider a Soundstream. Either way the Soundstream tarantula series amps should be better than your Lansar

 

[NYMount21]

Personally I realize everyone has different opinions, but I think JL are way too overrated. I think Kicker Solo Barics L7's are the best of the best when it comes to subs. They bump like crazy and have great sound quality. If i wasn't a broke college student, i'd switch em with my JBL's.

 

[Iron-Mike]

I know the Lanzar amps I'm running now are not the best things in the world, don't get me wrong they're getting the job done with my Kenwood 12" subs in a ported box.... but I know there is better out there that produce cleaner power.

I compared JL to Orion last night and from what I see the Orion amps and subs KILL JL Audio amps and subs from a specifications standpoint. I went as far as checking to see what size fuses are required in the Orion HCCA D5000 class D mono amp I was looking at and it takes a 250a fuse that is standalone in its own case. Orion website claims the amp gives 2500w @ 1Ohm and with a 250a fuse its pretty much right on the money. Cost of the amp is comparable to a 1000/1V2 from JL too.

I'm sticking to Kenwod for my multimedia needs (deck, nav, bluetooth) but I wanted to upgrade my speakers to 6.5" components for the doors, DVC subs for the rear and high quality amps to push clean power to eveything.

I think its a toss up for me now between the Orion equipment and the JL Audio equipment.

Soundstream equipment seems pretty nice but their wattage numbers aren't real world power. Fuses don't lie

please keep the opinions coming I'd love to see what everyone thinks

Thanks guys

Mike

 

[jluv]

I think Kicker Solo Barics L7's are the best of the best when it comes to subs.

Really? To each his own, I guess.

 

[DOZIER]

Agreed^^^

 

[Iron-Mike]

I've come to the conclusion that I'll be doing my system over with all Orion amps, components and subs.

HCCA-D5000 mono amp
HP4800 four channel amp
HCCA6.2 6.5" components (front and rear)
HCCA12.2 12" 2Ohm DVC Subwoofers (pair)

Wiring, fuses, connectors and 30 farad capacitor will all be Stinger


thanks for the input and opinions

Now I just gotta find someone that does good work building custom floors for the cargo area to put the amps and cap in with the plexiglass windows and LED lighting... Gotta have the carpeting match the OEM interior color too

 

[ErickSaint]

Hasn't soundstream been bought out in recent years? Not sure if they are under the Directed label, but thought I heard of them being bought out. Maybe I'm thinking of PPI, cuz they used to be good but have been hearing bad things since them going under Directed.

Other than that I have used the old school soundstream SPL series of subs and they sounded great, actually still going strong in a friends car. I think they were originally bought towards the end of the 90's. Their amps seem the be a decent option in their price range.

 

[ghoster]

I just bought me 2 15" L7s and they are beenin powered by a SS PCA2000D

 

[Iron-Mike]

soundstream is still owned and operated on their own. They haven't been bought out by anyone that I'm aware of...

I talked with my buddy that is going to help me with my install and he agreed with me that the Orion equipment will be far better than the Soundstream equipment I had originally planned on buying.

We're going to build a floor for the amps and capacitor, a custom 4cu ft vented enclosure for a pair of 12" DVC subs from the same company. All wiring and terminals will be Stinger. I already have a DDX-6019 with nav module and bluetooth for a deck and a kenwood 7" drop down monitor in the rear. Hoping to begin the building of the floor and enclosure in early April and will take roughly 2 weeks with both of us working on it. I'll take as many pics during the process as I possibly can and document the install for anyone that wants to follow along.

I will be running the D5000 amp @ 2ohmsto push both subs
the HP4800 amp will push front and rear component speakers
I plan on installing a 200amp alternator and a 2nd optima red top battery hidden in the factory sub location. I'm going to replace the 7" kenwood drop down monitor with a Shark 17" drop down but keep the rest of the kenwood stuff intact. Will be using 200sq ft of Fatmat for sound dampening and plan on covering every inch of the interior with it including the roof. Carpeting of the raised floor will match the OEM interior carpeting and I want to have raised lettering of "Orion" and maybe their logo in the carpeting of the enclosure for that finishing touch. The subs have to fire either up or down so when looking into the cargo area the side of the enclosure is all you'd see which is why I wanted to add the lettering and logo to the box to dress it up a little. Plus the enclosure will be built to the optimal specs for those particular subs.

keep the posts coming guys I'm loving all the info and opinions...

 

[Infinity08]

Soundstream is under the same umbrella as Power Akoustik, have been for about 5 or 6 years now. Orion IS owned by Directed electronics and has exactly the same equipment now as PPI and Directed, and soon, Polk.

Also, why did you buy a capacitor? Please, please, please have a reasonable explanation.

 

[Iron-Mike]

I haven't bought any of the stinger equipment or Orion equipment as of yet. I currently am not using a capacitor in my system but I have HIDs anyway so my lights dont dim. But I have Lanzar amps and kenwood subs in a ported enclosure now. RCAs are JL Audio and 4ga power and ground. 12ga speaker wires

Any particular reason why I shouldn't run a capacitor with the orion equipment I'm putting in in April?


please please please explain

 

[toypaseo]

The Soundstream Reference 300 I used in the past was great. Might not be the cleanest power, but it was strictly a sub amp. Being ½ ohm stable was nice, even though I never tried it.

I ran it most of the time mono to a 2 ohm load. The only time it shut down was in 105°+ heat in Phoenix.

 

[Iron-Mike]

from all the info I've gotten back from you guys and the reviews I've read about the Orion equipment I'm going to get I'm just itching for my income tax return so I can buy it all at once and squirrel it away for spring to do the install

The soundstream equipment does get great reviews but their wattage claims are not real world which is unfortunate cuz I really like the design of their tarantula amps... especially the new series. I'm not a big fan of how their tarantula subs look though. In pics they appear to be a paper cone in all sizes. I can just imagine overpowering one of those subs with a high power amp and having cardboard confetti floating around in the cargo area for a few seconds

 

[sjr033]

Two things Iron-Mike...
1. Why are going with the dual 2ohm? You should be going with the dual 4ohm subs. That way you can run at 1ohm and get the most output from you amp.
2. Please tell me that you planning to upgrade the power wire from the 4guage? A amp that has a 250amp fuse and 2500 rms/5000 watts peak is going to need more than just one 4guage power lead.