Phoenix Gold Phorum

Posted: **Sat Mar 29, 2008 10:29 am**

Hi
First of all I want to introduce my self, beacuse it's my first post in this forum. I'am car audio enthusiast from Poland, I don't have any experience whit the pg amp (expent for a cheap QX2100), that brand is almost unknown in my country. I'm reading the archives of this forum for some time and I'm very impressed by you knowlege. I know have an audio art 140.4 and a hifonics brutus VII. I'am a huge fan of oldchool US amps.
Okey time for the question, I seen some photos of M 100 amps and they had gold plated boards. And know i can buy a M 100 amp and it's board is green, where it supose to be gold. Is it okey? Guy says it's working fine nad sounds great.

Posted: **Sat Mar 29, 2008 10:30 am**

This are the photos of it http://img137.imageshack.us/my.php?imag ... f87mn7.jpg http://img137.imageshack.us/my.php?imag ... f87mn7.jpg

Posted: **Sat Mar 29, 2008 10:32 am**

Welcome to the phorum. Your M100 board looks exactly like my M100. You should have no worries.

Posted: **Sat Mar 29, 2008 11:01 am**

This is a nice place to see the inside of many amplifiers:

http://www.realmofexcursion.com/ampguts/

Posted: **Sat Mar 29, 2008 11:05 am**

Yes i know it but look --> http://www.realmofexcursion.com/ampguts ... Gold_M100/ That has a golden plated board. Why are there differences, isn't golden plated boards better or it's all about the looks?

Posted: **Sat Mar 29, 2008 11:13 am**

I think it looks more "gold" by the flash but I am not sure sorry

I do not think PG changes the board per M100

Posted: **Sat Mar 29, 2008 11:15 am**

brutus vii? is that right? i have no recolection of that model...

Posted: **Sat Mar 29, 2008 11:21 am**

One has gold bits.. The other doesnt. I would imagine it was because of the revision number, however, I would want to see pics of it with the cover on to make sure its not one of those fakes.

Posted: **Sat Mar 29, 2008 11:56 am**

Sorry it's hercules VII, i just get confused with all of the hifonics names.

Here is the picture with the cover on http://img134.imageshack.us/my.php?imag ... 124yg9.jpg . But I think it's orginall, I was just courious about that gold board. Any of you have a comparison the m series to audio art amps. I had listened to 140.4, 50 HC and 200.2XE. Do you think that m series is better sounding than audio art amps?

Posted: **Sat Mar 29, 2008 11:57 am**

that's strange, i've never seen one like that before! all m series amps have gold plated traces and this one appears to have been covered in some sort of green laquer. looks factory though!

Posted: **Sat Mar 29, 2008 2:59 pm**

I have seen this and it is explainable:

The original first runs of the M series boards were Gold plated just like MS/MPS series amps. Standard production back then.

Now Why Gold plating in the first place, Well Gold is INERT, it will not corrode, Copper corrodes. PG Gold plated to prevent corrosion to the copper traces, AND because it looked pretty and had links to the company name < marketing IMO>

Now the last of these amps or possibly replacement boards were coated in "Conformal coating materials" Not GOLD. It saved on costs, and I have seen this before one of our Admin's M-100 looks like this.

The simple explanation is either it is a End of run board, or its a replacement board issued by PG that is coated with standard conformal board coatings rather then Gold which is now at $1,000.00 a ounce..

Its still a M-100 but since ALL M series amps were never meant to be open faced like earlier amp lines I am sure it was this reason why they stopped using Gold on these amps.

Its still a M-100 and I am sure many folks here would be more than glad to remove any burden the board not being gold plated my place on your spirit...

I hope I have helped clear this issue some for you. Its still a great amp, just not meant to be open faced and shown off like other PG amps.

Phoenix Gold Phorum

Question about the m100

Question about the m100