tamatt27

Well, I was just wondering if the Profile California series amps were any good? For only like $190.00 for the best, it looked too good to be true. Anyone with any advice or not?

KicKeR

I have seen them before, and have heard of them. Heard one once and i don't think the kid never had any problems with it. - shrugz -

Jim85IROC

iTrader: (2)

They're junk, just like everything else that offers 800 watts for $200.

Doward

So you've never heard one then? All I've heard from them, they seem to be pretty decent amps, for the $$.

Check out EOpinions.com and the like..

Jim85IROC

iTrader: (2)

I've heard them. I owned one. My opinions come from experience, not from other people. I had a 400xl or whatever the hell the 100x2 amp was called. It was 100% pure garbage.

Here's a hint: If your amp is rated at 100x2 (or more) and it's got a 20 amp fuse... it's a paperweight.

I'd put a Kicker ZR120 (30x2) up against that amp any day.

The fact is, dollar for dollar, a brand name amp is usually a better value. Let's go back to that Kicker. That amp sold for around $200. The "400 watt" Profile I had, I bought for $150.

For an extra 50 bucks, the Kicker would play louder regardless of what the power ratings said, and it sounded better. It had substantially higher quality components and construction too. Well worth the $50 difference.

The Profile, boss, Kenford, Pyramid, etc. type of amps are marketed toward ignorant teens that get hung up on power ratings. I was one of them. I rode around with a Boss amp pushing 4 Urban Audio 12s and that profile amp pushing my 4x6 coaxes. I laughed at some kid that paid as much for his 40 watt punch amp as I paid for my 400 watt Boss. Then he turned it up and I realized who the chump was.

tamatt27

Well thanks. I have a sub box that can hold a pair of 12" subs. I need new subs, and an amp. Anyone suggest good ones for not too much $$? It won't need to be too loud, just enough to impress chicks. A combo for around $300? Is that possible?? hehe Thanks though.

Jim85IROC

iTrader: (2)

$300 for an amp AND subs is a stretch unless you buy cheap junk. $300 gets you a fantastic amp, OR fantastic subs. If your budget is tight, I'd suggest buying just 1 sub for now, and trying to scrape up a little extra cash to get a decent amp. When funds permit, you can buy a 2nd sub.

I hate to just throw a price-threshold out there, but the $300 range from a brand name (Kicker, Rockford, PPI, Orion XTR series, etc) will get you a powerhouse 2 channel amp.

I don't know if Kicker's new line still follows the same convention as their ZR series, but their ZR240 was around $300 and was a "sleeper". It was rated at 240x1 into 4 ohms, but into 2 ohms was capable of well over 500 watts of clean, RMS power. Over 500 watts for $300. That's a bargain.

Rockford and the other brand names will deliver similar quality per dollar. I'm not as familar with each specific product within their lines so it's tough for me to make the same type of comparison that I can do with the Kicker.

White Ninja

the Profile Clarus CL800 i have is nice though. $239.00. I'll stand by it until i die. It's a 200wx2, and it powered my Xtant A Series very well... they rattled my mirrors, license plate, sail panels, spare tire well AND the gas cap. I'm using it to power my Focal polykevlar 165Ks soon. 2 - 30 Amp fuses. Good amp. The california series i would go against, though.

- Andy

32Hz is my drug

I realize now after I already replied to one person and looked more throughly that 1 this is a very old thread & 2 most of these replies are just ignorant.. from people who really don't know at all what they are talking about. Some things they got right from a very general point of view. Meaning they have no idea why it's actually right. Just what they heard somewhere I would assume.
But most of it is just 100% nonsense & Misinformation.

Like the one guy saying he loved his profile amp but thinks the "California series" isn't very good..
Umm thats odd since California is the actual brand name not the series.

kicker used to make very decent amps. Depending on the model. Lots of power. Most amps back then though were distortion machines. Not many amps at this time put out RMS+ power & was clean power. Rockford Fosgate was and still is #1 when it comes to distortion free power and has always been done way over rated dynamically. But Noone mentioned Diamond Audio. I still run a old 600.4 Diamond audio even today with my rockford T600.4. Another is phoenix gold, witch is top of the line along with Alpine, JL Audio & Audiobahn. Audiobahn had VERY HIGH quality amps,competition speakers, and made some of the best EQs, crossovers ect period. Was betting on a old Audiobahn 30band in line EQ on ebay the other day. Another is MTX. Amps and subs. The 9500s are still some of best speakers you can buy 20 years later.

then another guy called kenwood a "non name brand and even spelled it wrong 🤦🏿‍♂️" actually was putting it in the same category as boss! It's just laughable.

Now time has passed. and guess whats sold right next to boss audio at at walmart?? Kicker of course.

32Hz is my drug

Wow🤣

32Hz is my drug

Like none of this is true.. to actual Audiophiles who know what they are talking about, know California is a "name brand" company.

And here's some facts from someone who knows what there talking about and is not biased to one specific company (like this guy & kicker)

So for a amp that says it's 100w X 2.. givin the rule of thumb used since the beginning of time witch is fuse amperage X 10 witch will give you a guesstimate of actual RMS wattage. A 20amp fuse would be exactly the fuse size you would want witch would give you a guesstimate RMS of 200w. However as someone who knows what they talking about the amp is a CA 400. It's rated 100w X 2 stereo & 300w X 1 mono bridged. And does over 400w dynamically in mono.
you also could not find a amp with this type of quality components & build in the same price range period! Also couldn't find a amp with these features even close to this price range. Like being a tri-mode Capable & able to run Stereo & mono Simultaneously run highs & a sub. Not even your kickers..
and for the record it actually had 2 - 20A fuses witch would make it around 400w witch is exactly on par with what it does.

Going by watch back then in general wasn't the smartest idea. Most of your higher end amps made "cheater" amps exclusively. Because in competitions back then you could only run X amount of wattage and no amps passed X amount. So companies like rockford, PPI (precision power), Phoenix goldp, JL made amps that said things like 50X4 when they really did 200x4 and 500x2 mono so they could be used in comps without any issues.

And telling people your biased opinion based on zero facts, costs people money and there chance at owning a very budget amp. Because they honestly don't know. So they take your opinion when you either never owned the amp or had no idea how to install it. Then tell people that ridiculous nonsense about 100x2 & a 20A fuse when it's actually the exact opposite 🤦🏿‍♂️

Abubaca

iTrader: (3)

Back then....Profile amps were marketed as the brand, with California, Baja, etc. etc. being the line of amps or series. ....now can I confirm that "California" wasn't legally the brand name? No. I don't know that, but you could absolutely buy a Profile amp that was NOT labeled as a "California" amp. I had one of each in fact.

32Hz is my drug

You know i went back then other day and looked at it as i was going off like 20yr old knowledge. But your right the profile, California's were one of profiles series amps based on California's west coast designs. I knew alot of companies did this like PPI w/ art, crome series ect but couldn't swore it was not one of them. Either way profile in anyway shape or form was a bad amp. They were always high quality inside &out.

Airwolfe

iTrader: (1)

Thanks for joining just to set everyone straight in this thread from over TWO DECADES ago that hasn't died from old age, cancer, heart disease, or COVID-19 about an inexpensive line of car audio amps that haven't been available for decades.