MB Quart PAB-5400

falkenbd · Post by **falkenbd** » Fri Aug 08, 2008 10:56 am

Anyone have any experience with this amp. Looking to put one in a friends civic, figuring we can hide it in the spare tire compartment.

Someone here is a dealer of them right? Michael maybe?

Any other suggestions that might be more affordable? I think this thing retails at over $600.

Tim · Post by **Tim** » Fri Aug 08, 2008 8:08 pm

falkenbd wrote:Anyone have any experience with this amp. Looking to put one in a friends civic, figuring we can hide it in the spare tire compartment.
Someone here is a dealer of them right? Michael maybe?
Any other suggestions that might be more affordable? I think this thing retails at over $600.

Do you have any specs on it?? I'm sure there are more affordable alternatives

Tim

falkenbd · Post by **falkenbd** » Fri Aug 08, 2008 9:44 pm

4x55 @ 4 ohms or 4x80 @ 2 ohms
and the sub channel is 200x1 @ 4 ohms and 300x1 and 2 ohms

the 4 channels are bridgeable to 160x2

it has built in crossovers that are capable of setting up an active front stage.

I am looking at this amp because it has a lot of flexibility, could bridge the front stage or go active with only 1 set of inputs - since the stock deck is going to be used with a LOC this makes it a good choice.

The owner of the car also prefers to keep only 1 amp so we can tuck it away under the floor in the trunk. This one will fit nicely onto a little rack I plan to build that sits on the spare tire.

tomcat · Post by **tomcat** » Sat Aug 09, 2008 3:58 am

That amp goes for $229 shipped from onlinecarstereo.
http://www.onlinecarstereo.com/CarAudio ... ctID=17701

Some of the 5 channels that are cheaper are crunch, soundstream and boss. I dont think those would be good choices.

For $239 this Hifonics looks good.
http://www.onlinecarstereo.com/CarAudio ... tID=19582h

Or this Kicker for $289.
http://www.onlinecarstereo.com/CarAudio ... ctID=16919

smoker · Post by **smoker** » Sat Aug 09, 2008 6:35 am

nothing wrong with crunch or soundstream and boss while entry level stuff has proven reliable

falkenbd · Post by **falkenbd** » Sat Aug 09, 2008 7:30 am

Tomcat,
I am not going to buy something from onlinecarstero.com - have you ever googled the website name to read reviews? http://www.resellerratings.com/store/onlinecarstereo
1. They are not an authorized dealer of any of the products they sell
2. From what I can tell they have the worst customer service ever, probably offshore

I'm not trying to start a debate here, but while those prices are very tempting - its not a good idea to buy from someone that isn't an authorized dealer.

The other amps you pointed out are also good choices, I hadn't thought of the hifonics.

We lucked out and someone is selling a used PAB-5400 locally. Going to try and pick that up today.

Tim · Post by **Tim** » Sat Aug 09, 2008 8:40 am

falkenbd wrote:Tomcat,
I am not going to buy something from onlinecarstero.com - have you ever googled the website name to read reviews? http://www.resellerratings.com/store/onlinecarstereo
1. They are not an authorized dealer of any of the products they sell
2. From what I can tell they have the worst customer service ever, probably offshore
I'm not trying to start a debate here, but while those prices are very tempting - its not a good idea to buy from someone that isn't an authorized dealer.
The other amps you pointed out are also good choices, I hadn't thought of the hifonics.
We lucked out and someone is selling a used PAB-5400 locally. Going to try and pick that up today.

I used them for comparison shopping between amps, but I have since found out the they are not even the best for that either. Personally, I wouldn't buy from them.

I only trust people or shops I know and they are not either.

Tim

tomcat · Post by **tomcat** » Sat Aug 09, 2008 6:28 pm

I have never bought from them either. I just use them to compare specs and prices. Most of the time I buy my amps used. I have 9 PPIs that I bought used and they all work great. I should sell a few.

As far as those entry brands I mentioned how do they compare to MB Quart and Hifonics? There wasn't much difference in price. Is there much difference in quality? And what about the actual output, do they do what they advertise?

tomcat · Post by **tomcat** » Sat Aug 09, 2008 6:35 pm

Wow, I just went to that ratings site and onlinecarstereo does have horrible ratings.

I checked http://www.woofersetc.com and they had great ratings. Thats were I bought CDT components from.

Tim · Post by **Tim** » Mon Aug 11, 2008 2:53 pm

tomcat wrote:I have never bought from them either. I just use them to compare specs and prices. Most of the time I buy my amps used. I have 9 PPIs that I bought used and they all work great. I should sell a few.
As far as those entry brands I mentioned how do they compare to MB Quart and Hifonics? There wasn't much difference in price. Is there much difference in quality? And what about the actual output, do they do what they advertise?

I have heard both good and bad about the kicker amps, never any hands on time with them. I don't think the crunch stuff is so bad if you know what to get. I did hear once that the kicker amps are way underrated.

Quality could be a whole different ball game though. I know MB Quart and Hifonics have really solid reps.

Tim