New guy on the Phorum!

Shinju · Post by **Shinju** » Wed Apr 15, 2009 9:12 am

Well new here but not to the Phoenix Gold amplifier phenominon.

Grown in Oregon! Was a huge PG user and collector.

The Original Oregon made Phoenix Gold amplifiers were a work of art not only in looks but sound as well!

Its a shame that the phoenix gold of today does'nt share that same build quality!

Only Phoenix Gold amplifiers I am looking for these day's are the M series.

Anyway Thought I would send a shot out and introduce myself!

dBincognito · Post by **dBincognito** » Wed Apr 15, 2009 9:19 am

Welcome to the Phorum!!!!!

Always nice to have a new member aboard....I totally agree, PG needs to quit figuring out how to make their amps worse and go back to making them the right way

oldskoolmseriesfan · Post by **oldskoolmseriesfan** » Wed Apr 15, 2009 9:39 am

Welcome to the phorum Shinju, Im partial to the M series aswell

Dont forget about the step up from the M series..... MS, MPS

Post by **fuzzysnuggleduck** » Wed Apr 15, 2009 10:15 am

I love the old amps, but from all information I've had from insiders, the actual audio circuitry of the RSd line of amps was the closest to MS amps that they've made since the MS.

I can't comment on build quality but the RSd line doesn't have vast complaints here on the phorum. We see a lot more Xenon (Korean built) problems due to the initial cold solder issue.

We love the old amps, but it's a bit of a discredit to PG to say the newer amps are sonically inferior... unless one actually has the data to prove it. Physical design? Old school rules the new designs hands down. Hand made in USA? Can't beat that with big asian build houses. That said, the RSd line was a spectacular price/performance amplifier line. You'd be paying more for less with a lot of other brands.

All that said, I wouldn't trade my M series amps for any other PG line. Not because there isn't better necessarily but because these just do everything I need without batting an eye.

Oh, and Welcome!

dBincognito · Post by **dBincognito** » Wed Apr 15, 2009 10:20 am

fuzzysnuggleduck

PG to say the newer amps are sonically inferior

I didn't say that....I'm talking about, style...and gold boards

Post by **Rold Gold** » Wed Apr 15, 2009 10:26 am

I'm "Oregon Grown" myself.................

Welcome............ What does yer collection look like these days.........?

Shinju · Post by **Shinju** » Wed Apr 15, 2009 11:13 am

I like the M series mostly due to the fact it was my first Phoenix Gold amplifier purchase in 93 (M25 and M50).

Later on I ended up with a M100 and a M44. But I have owned a lot of the MS and MPS and I had every single Sapphire amplifier in their line. White and Sapphire blue.

To touch on the new Phoenix Gold amplifiers. I ended up with a Ryval V1502.

At first glance I really like how it looked, Black Sink with very minimal art work on it. Amplifier was pretty stout. I took it apart like it do everything else I own and to be honest it didn’t look half bad.

Decently built, Black PCB board, copper cooling rods and a pretty decent power supply.

I ran my Powerbass 2xl-6.5 Kit at 4ohm stereo off this amplifier while I was waiting for my Sundown SAX-50.4 to arrive.

The amplifier produced a pretty clear signal wasn’t bad, I mean it wasn’t a Zapco Z400C4-SL but it got the job done.

Now here comes the bad... I was driving home talking with the wife and I had the music on low volume. I then began to hear a ticking sound though the left side 6.5 and tweeter. About 30 seconds later a loud POP then a very loud and annoying Feedback type squeal followed.

This fried my 6.5, Passive xover and tweeter.

Not sure what happened but the amplifier gave out, I took the bottom plate off again to look, Nothing was fried (to the naked eye), Smelt bad or anything. So I hooked it up to my 12v ps and tested the left channel it was sending out straight DC. Right channel was perfectly fine.

Not sure if my V1502 was bad from the get go or it was poor quality parts, But I have never had an amplifier just up and go out like that.

Shinju · Post by **Shinju** » Wed Apr 15, 2009 11:15 am

FuzzyHoNutz wrote:I'm "Oregon Grown" myself.................

Welcome............ What does yer collection look like these days.........?

Orignally from Coos Bay.

Post by **Francious70** » Wed Apr 15, 2009 11:29 am

Welcome to the Phorum!

Post by **kg1961** » Wed Apr 15, 2009 11:45 am

Welcome to the Phorum
x2

bretti_kivi · Post by **bretti_kivi** » Wed Apr 15, 2009 1:04 pm

Hello from the other side of the planet

Shinju · Post by **Shinju** » Wed Apr 15, 2009 1:19 pm

Thank you guy's for the welcome!

OldSchoolFool · Post by **OldSchoolFool** » Wed Apr 15, 2009 1:56 pm

"Its a shame that the phoenix gold of today does'nt share that same build quality"

Quality is a relative concept. For some quality is an emotional connection, absent any facts. For some, quality is a numerical function, devoid of any emotion.

For me, quality is both. Hence the Roadster 66.

Shinju · Post by **Shinju** » Wed Apr 15, 2009 2:09 pm

OldSchoolFool wrote:"Its a shame that the phoenix gold of today does'nt share that same build quality"

Quality is a relative concept. For some quality is an emotional connection, absent any facts. For some, quality is a numerical function, devoid of any emotion.

For me, quality is both. Hence the Roadster 66.

Roadster 66 is a good looking amplifier, And I will admit its a pretty good internal design with the dual board approtch.

But that is a specialty amplifier so alot of time and energy went into the design for that one.

I have played around with the Octaine series and the Ryval series.

I was not very impressed with the Octaine amplifiers, They were more bling then anything else. I mean... Advertising that your amplifier has a carbon fiber PG Logo for slick looks! Understand that those features are a selling point for some people.

Carbon fiber badge adds 15db right?

The Ryval amplifiers are accually pretty decent.. I do not know why mine crapped out on me so I chalked it up as a fluke and moved on. Only thing that bites me is that Rodin wants 125 flat repair for an amplifier that can be bough new with authorized factory warranty for 100.00.

But you are correct.

Post by **Bfowler** » Wed Apr 15, 2009 2:12 pm

^true

and by the numbers....pg amps are the most reliable they have ever been. more ti amps went in for repair/warranty then any other amp.

Post by **stipud** » Wed Apr 15, 2009 2:47 pm

Bfowler wrote:more ti amps went in for repair/warranty then any other amp.

I think that's because Ti's were insanely popular. I'd be more curious to know the failure rate per number of units sold.

dBincognito · Post by **dBincognito** » Wed Apr 15, 2009 2:52 pm

stipud wrote:
Bfowler wrote:more ti amps went in for repair/warranty then any other amp.
I think that's because Ti's were insanely popular. I'd be more curious to know the failure rate per number of units sold.

How about the number due to failed installs

Shinju · Post by **Shinju** » Wed Apr 15, 2009 2:54 pm

stipud wrote:
Bfowler wrote:more ti amps went in for repair/warranty then any other amp.
I think that's because Ti's were insanely popular. I'd be more curious to know the failure rate per number of units sold.

I really liked the Ti, But Me personally I think the Heatsink design was flawed.

Yes I know they had a massive fan but still being trapped under an aluminum case with those cooling towers on top of yet another piece of metal. Mine at 4ohm 2ohm loads Mono/Stereo alway ran pretty hot even with good airflow around them.

I have owned several, Never had any issues other then the dials getting scratchy due to dust problems getting into the internal parts of the dial itself and a few Temp problems.

I heard those QX amplifiers had a huge failure rate vs sales. If I remember right they were not out very long at all.

vin78 · Post by **vin78** » Wed Apr 15, 2009 2:54 pm

welcome! Are you on diyma and emsq as well? That user name is familiar

Shinju · Post by **Shinju** » Wed Apr 15, 2009 2:59 pm

vin78 wrote:welcome! Are you on diyma and emsq as well? That user name is familiar

Not emsq, But all the others yes

RoE, CA, SMD and a couple others!

I been selling amplifiers since the early 2000's over ebay and just recently over internet forums!

Shinju · Post by **Shinju** » Wed Apr 15, 2009 3:01 pm

I actually have 1 ZX475 Ti left. One of the best/cleanest signal 4 channels I have used.

OldSchoolFool · Post by **OldSchoolFool** » Wed Apr 15, 2009 3:15 pm

"I think that's because Ti's were insanely popular. I'd be more curious to know the failure rate per number of units sold."

Fowler is correct, numbers and rate considered.

Also consider that people working on Octane, engineering and marketing efforts, are not at PG now. Cough, ahem, starts with an "ex" something something.

The Ti series that came after 600.2 all had dual fans. (something that was poo poo'd by the cough, ahem, now where was I...) No thermal issues there, and the 800.1 ALUMINUM version weighed like 2 pounds or less.

The same person who pushed Ti800.1, 1000.2, 900.7, and 1200.1 thru also pushed Xenon (please excuse the first run...). But do you see point without being too specific?

My point being that different people make a company. Some come, some go, flavors change. It should be noted that almost every single employee there including the stupid mechanical guy has 10+ years. Engineering, forget about it, 20 year folks. Roll the product time line up to RSdC, RSd (the components man, come on!!), Roadster 66, Ryval (the new one... an insane $/watt x quality combination... and where is the carbon bling there? the stupid lights? extra bolt on stuff besides that cheap badass looking badge which acutally glues in anyway? the money went inside)

... getting the picture?

The downhill slide you all so perceptively percieve actually ended quite some time ago. It's echoes are still with the company, obviously.

OldSchoolFool · Post by **OldSchoolFool** » Wed Apr 15, 2009 3:17 pm

"Its echoes" (my bad).

Post by **Francious70** » Wed Apr 15, 2009 4:06 pm

I started my PG experience with an M25 and liked them ever since. The next amp was a Xenon and so have been the 4 after that. I think they're some of the best amps I've ever used.

denim · Post by **denim** » Thu Apr 16, 2009 5:35 am

Welcome, I am on a few of the other sites you are on.

New guy on the Phorum!

New guy on the Phorum!

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