Im looking at 5 channel amps because i may want to put a video system in my car in the near future i would either get a dvd player(alpine DVA-5210) and a seperate screen (alpine TME-M770 6 1/2' screen) or a dvd player with built in screen that goes in the dash.. obviously i would need an amp to power 5 speakers so my main question is which amp between these 2 .alpine has a digital theater amp MRA-D550 and a regular 5 chan amp MRV-F450 how much better would the mra one be other than giving out more power?? it costs alot more is the reason.
Hey Mark S, those 2 amps aren't even the same type. One's a surround sound amp, and the other one is just 5 channel amp. If you want to experience DTS/Dolby Digital, then you have 2 choices. Get a separate DTS/Dolby Digital decoder and 5 channel amp or buy MRA-D550. I chose the first route cause you can get much better amp. Try this. Audiobahn sells a decoder that's DTS/Dolby Digital/Prologic II+ with optical and coaxial inputs for $299 (this unit comes with remote). Now get Zapco/Orion/PPI 4 channel amp that's around 85W-125W x 4, 1 sub amp. Now you'll have a setup that's 2-5x better and more powerful than you'll get from MRA-D550 amp. Remember, MRA-D550 is 45W @ 12v. Of course you could just buy MRA-D550 and keep it simple. That's your choice.
thanks isaac so even if i have a dvd played that as dts and all that stuff i still need a decoder for the amp? .. yeh id prolly get the mra d550 gotta keep it all alpine u know
thanks isaac so even if i have a dvd player that has dts and all that stuff i still need a decoder for the amp? .. yeh id prolly get the mra d550 gotta keep it all alpine u know
Yes, you'll still need a decoder for the amp. Think of it as your home dvd player. It comes with dts/dolby digital/prologic II etc... You still need home stereo that'll decode them to listen right? Same principle. If you truely want the highest sound quality, you have to buy a decoder and separate amps. You know how it is with a unit that's all built in. It's never as good as separate components.