Amps on Ebay

[Baldie]

I was just surfing on ebay for amps. I noticed there were alot of brands that I've never heard of like...Pyle...Eclipse.....I was wondering if anyone has ever bought a "never heard" amp on ebay and how did it work out for you? Should I consider it?

[mywifesls]

Pyle has been around FOREVER, but quality is suspect; you know, THD levels, signal/noise ratio and real "usable" power(RMS watts). I don't even know if their still in business! Eclipse makes, or at least use to, some of the best head units on the market. Don't know anything about their amps though. I haven't been in the audio game for quite awhile now, but Pyle was one of the leading innovators when the "Bass Craze" hit in the mid-late 80's and into the early 90's. They use to make pretty good subs for the money back then. Of course, all that means DICK compared to the stuff today! Subs and amps are SOOO much more efficient now than they were back then! I've always been leary of buying anything used as far as stereo gear goes, whether for car or home. If I can't hear it and mess around a bit with it before buying, I pass! I'm only 31, but I don't get into the stereo stuff like I used to before I got married. I tend to go more middle ground as far as stereo's go. Rockford-Fosgate Punch series amps give pretty good bang for the buck though. Some of the younger guys, or guys that are into the "scene" on the forum will DEFINETLY be able to steer you in the right direction. Of course, they tend to lean more towards the higher end gear, but you can't knock em for wanting only the best! Hope this helps.

[ronab2k]

Umm...a lot of people have heard of those. Do some research on their website for the models. If a brand doesnt have a website, then its probably a "never heard of" brand.

www.eclipse-web.com/

www.pyleaudio.com/

[Baldie]

The reason I questioned it was because I saw a few "brand new" pyle amps w/1000watts for $100. Seen a couple 1400 wattage pyle amps for $130. Iwas kinda suspicious. I'll do more research. thanks.

[ronab2k]

FYI-Its good to look at the sellers rating. If they have sold a lot of stuff and have a 100% satisfaction rating, then I would probably trust that they are selling good stuff. If they don't have a history (i.e. they are a "new" seller and selling something that may sound suspicious) I would avoid them...especially if its a big purchase. A lot of deceitful sellers register a new seller name so people cant see their bad history.

I also sell stuff on eBay and sellers take great pride in keeping a good rating in order to keep selling stuff. I recently bought a rectratable antenna for my cell phone and the seller didnt pay the entire shipping...so I had to drive across town to the post office and wait in line for an hour and then pay for it...all that trouble for a $2 antenna. Needless to say it was my 1st terrible experience with buying something....BUT the seller had a 99.something% satisfaction rating and he didn't want to get a negative rating from me so he offered to give me free car and home charger.

So make sure you buy from a reputable seller.

[Baldie]

Yeah I'm a constant shopper on ebay myself. I havent really paid attention to car audio equipment in years since I got out of the whole car fixing up phase. If I was still into that stuff ebay wouldnt even be an option, I'd go straight to a local dealer. I'll definitely do my research though. 1000watt amp for $100....that beats anything...only if the quality is great. Thanks for everyone's advice.

[brewster]

Ok first off don't buy any generic brand car stereo equipment, they may work great for about a week then they mysteriously stop working. I wouldn't buy Pyle, Lanzar, Profile, Sony... Anything that is 1000watts for $100 is BS. I know Sony is a brand name but don't buy their car audio stuff, they call it Xplod because it explodes, at least they keep their word. A good rule of thumb is $1 for every 1 watt at retail stores. But on Ebay some major brands are discounted up to 50% so about $.50 for every 1 watt on Ebay.

There are many great amps out there: MTX, Alpine, Rockford Fosgate, Audiobahn, Memphis, JL Audio and others. My personal favorite for amps is MTX, they have low THD and have real power ratings, they are also almost indestructible.

I've never seen an Eclipse amp but I know they make good cd players and subs.

[brownrt12684]

HEy. I know this is an old thread but for those that are lookin at this buying an amp that is advertised at 1000 watts isn't a scam, technicly. Lots of companys overate their amps by testing amps at their factories and guesstimating how much power the rest of the amps off the factory line are gonna push ESPECIALY SONY. These amps generally do push what ever they claim they are but only for extremely limited amounts of time. both those pyle and eclipse amps aforemention are actually about 250 watts RMS which means that you can SAFELY run these amps at 250 watts without fear of over heating or melt down. The Amps will hit 1000 watts but expect burnage. Rockford Fosgate is the only company to my knowledge that individually tests their amps and in each box they print a test sheet that states actual power. I bought a RF P6002 amp that list maxes at 1800 watts but tested at 2300. I havent had a trouble runnin my 3 15's off it and it was well worth the 500 bux i srung for it. DONT BE CHEAP WHEN IT COMES TO YOUR CAR AUDIO> IT MAY BE THE ONLY PANTY DROPPER SOME OF US HAVE GOIN FOR US.

[cwic]

kicker does the same.
Clay

[fiyahfibun]

i have an eclipse head unit and i will never buy some other brand. i had an older model for 3 years and only needed to buy a new one because i wanted one with sirius controls. as a former professional installer, i can tell you that i would recommend their products to anyone. high quality, great warranties.....you cant go wrong

[Joel_CA]

I've been a Rockford Fosgate follower for over a decade starting a trio of Rockford Punch amplifiers in my Acura (Punch 45, 75, and 150) moving up to a pair of Punch DSM (Punch 200ix and Punch 4080), and now currently running another pair of Rockford Amplifiers. The most recent set i purchased from a very reputable seller on Ebay. Each amp came with it's own "birth certificate" as well as a factory warranty. I haven't had a single problem with either amplifier since day one! Just be sure you're purchasing from a reputable seller that may even have a seperate website-

Good Luck!