So your saying this 1 soundstream amp will run 8 mids on 4 channels and run 2 10's on the last 5th channel? So you can run all this on 1 amp?

Not only that but car amplifiers are not regulated in how they publish their power.
This leads to most of them using inaccurate power rating or just downright false specs.

Most typical (not the high end ones) car amps will actually deliver 50-70% of the rated rms power in real world conditions. So that Jensen that says 75w rms may actually only deliver 50w in the real world .. Its like using the speedo on a boat for the mph instead of a gps,LOL.

I am suprised that your a fan of (todays)soundstream. Can you elaborate?

Well he did say simple system. What amps do think are good? I have been out of the loop on stereo stuff for years. I am running a 5 channel Rockford fosgate right now, but it doesn't have enough power for the subs, so I was planning on using it for mids/highs Add an amp for the subs, get new subs and build a box for them if I have room.

In today's world of putting what used to be a good name on sub standards amps, there is more good than bad. However, my first experience with the soundstream rubicon amp was to help tune a set up that was installed by a local radio shop. I was surprised how clear and strong the amp was for the price.

I purchased one for the cruiser I owned a few years ago, knowing that the boat would not be kept long I wanted a budget stereo. Below is the equipment and price I paid on the initial install. The stereo was loud and clear.

Sound stream Rubicon 5.800 $180.00
Sony CDMX60 head $150
Kicker Comp 12" x2 $100
Fosgate 6.5 prime co-ax 2 pair (4) $80

I was suprised to say the least, and I am not easy to please. My only complaint was the mids, they sounded good, however they were limited at high levels, that was me, I got nothing but compliments on the sound.

I later added 4 more of the fosgate prime speakers, originally tried to bridge them all out but the load was too much. So two speakers on each channel, using all four channels was the hot set up. The increased ohm load only made the system over the top. And the now higher spl allowed me to play louder without hitting the limitations of the mids.

That stereo, would play all day long on one fully charger 1000 amp Napa marine battery, saving the other for starting and house.

We would see people dancing and singing to our music 500 ft away at the beach

Keep in mind the cruiser had advantages over a go fast. Large glass walls that housed the subs in a free air configuration, and areas to mount the mids higher than we can in most go fasts. The amos was also mounted exposed on my cabin step wall, and would sometimes get hot enough to burn a leg, but it never tripped, and never failed.

So I had $510 invested in the 6 speaker set up, and $590 in the 8 speaker set up. Only other costs were, wiring, sub grills, and baffles. I used stick on window membrane (like dyna mat but cheaper) to tone down vibration on the walls and such. Just sounded great :D

Yes, do not bridge the 4 channels. Just run two mid speakers off each channel parallel at 2 ohms. Run two DVC subs bridged parallel at 1 ohm. Make sure the amp has air circulation. I usually use brushless computer fans set up to pull air on on one side, and blow air out on the other if the amp is mounted in a confined space. This amp will get hot with this load, but won't fail or trip if air is circulating

This pic is before the fosgates were installed, I actually tried the cheap single cone stock speakers with the amp, not good :D

http://i1230.photobucket.com/albums/...D9DAF09A6E.jpg

Amp install on stairs in cabin, this was before final wiring

http://i1230.photobucket.com/albums/...D9AD5C71D0.jpg

I too have been out for years. Friends of mine have JL and Fosgate. They seem good clean and reliable. My problem w JL is I bet there are other products that are just as good but will be 30% less. I just dont know what they are. You cant trust reviews becasue you know some of them are written by 16yo kids who know nothing. There are a zillion products in the marketplace now. Old brands are not what they used to be. And the list goes on.

If I were to buy amps today it would be fosgate and it appears I could get a 4ch 100x4 and a 800w mono amp for under $500.

But im not buying today, so these threads are intriguing. For amps, Soundstream esp ref series, Precesion power, fosgate, kicker and yes even JL all have my attention as I write this.

OK now that I've acquired a few of the pieces am just curious about adding extra batteries. I want to go from 2 to 4. So do I need battery isolators for each side in that case?

I have 2 switches right now, one for each motor/electrical circuit.

You need to determine how the switches are currently set up.
No additional switches should be needed.

Usually, the additional 2 batteries should be added to the same bank that auxilery such as the head unit and lights pull. Otherwise the amps will drain one bank and the HU and anchor/interior lights potentially drain the other.

If you are running a couple high power amps, 1/0 wire is best even on short runs.
Cut the wires to size and have them professionally crimped at a battery or auto electric shop. If you dont go at a busy time or just drop them off, they might charge $10-20 cash for all. I used to crimp as tight as possible with a vice grip then solder but still ran into problems.