Anybody have any experience with these amps? They're both about the same price at Best Buy right now, and are rated at the same output. But the Pioneer is, well, a pioneer, and stable down to 1 ohm (not like I'll ever need it) and has an adjustable bass boost. I don't really want to break away from my all-pioneer setup in my GT but if it's a bad amp than I'll take the sacrifice..

Thanks all!

I was gonna post this in o/t but I figured more people would see it here...

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I think I would tend to pick Pioneer over Jensen, especially if price was an equal factor. I'd suggest shopping around some on the net. though. Unless you want to pay for that extended warranty, you can save money. I ordered my Pioneer DEH-77DH and saved $100 off of list from www.competitionsound.com

I haven't been able to find the X522 on the net, and the newer X542 is usually around $130, the X522 at best buy is 89.99 and I won't have to pay shipping.. I never get that extended warranty, anyways. I skipped it when I got my deck, and the guy just got this astonished look on his face and was like "uhhhh... ok.." If the deck is built so poorly that it's gonna go out in a year or two, than pioneer is going to be getting some nasty e-mails... I don't abuse it or anything..

alright, i checked the price at that Competitionsound.com website, $98.65 shipped for the Pioneer GM-X552 amp. Not bad at all.

[This message has been edited by Standard (edited 02-20-2001).]

Nobody has any other input? I think I'm gonna buy whatever I can afford at Best Buy tomorrow..

I wished I would have been on the forum latly, but I have been busy. I saw in another topic that you have already bought the amp. Thank god you didnt get Jensen. Jensen is total crap, never buy Jensen if you can possible help it. Pioneer is much better is all aspects. You did however get a good deal on that amp. We sell it hear for $129.

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"It's always in the last place you look." Of course it is. Why would you keep looking after you've found it? Do people do this? Who and where are they?

Just exactly what's so bad with the Jensen? I'm thinking about finding a cheap amp to power my front 4x10's now, or maybe even a 4 channel if I can get one cheap enough...

It all depends on what year Jensen you get, there new line is, well frankly competetion quality and has had ALOT of high marks...I do agree there older stuff wasnt the greatest, but for some people who cant afford the Pheonix Golds or the Alpines it wasnt to bad.....

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Loki
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Dollar per dollar Pioneer is a better brand. Jensen's offer good value for it price. I had one for like 8 years moving an 8" sub and was OK. Usualy their THD (total harmonic distorion) was higher compared to others (.8 vs .05). Their latest units are better. If you don't play it loud they should be Ok for the 4x10s. But if you don't play it loud then you don't need an amp

I already got a Pioneer amp, the GM-X542 to power my sub. 85 bucks at a different busted buy Now I'm just looking for another amp to power my front speakers.. not super high powered, just around 30-50w X 2.. the Jensen seems like a really good deal, too. Specs from their website:
MOSFET Power Supply
Bi-polar Output Transistors
2 ohm Stable (Stereo Operation)
Tri-Mode Operation
Bridgeable Operation
Variable High Pass Crossover (40-240Hz)
Variable Low Pass Crossover (40-240Hz)
12dB/Octave Crossover Slope
6dB Fixed Bass Boost @ 45Hz
High Level Inputs
Input Level Control(s)
Pass Through RCA Outputs
Extruded Aluminum Heatsink
Top Mounted Controls
Thermal/Short Circuit Protection

'Bout the only differences from my Pioneer are that the Jensen is only 2 ohm stable where my pioneer is stable to 1 ohm (not that it really matters), and the bass boost is fixed on the Jensen. And the Jensen has variable high and low pass filters where my Pioneer is fixed...

for the people that say jensen is crap, get your head checked. so it's not a huge brand name. so what? that doesn't mean they suck. well, their cd receivers aren't the best, but their amps are nice and work as well as any other. i fine their amps easy to tweek and play with, having the controls up top. other brands tend to cost more because of their name and their fancy components. look at the specs/performance people, not the name.

standard, i seriously doubt you'll have your speakers hooked up in a 1 ohm load, so that's not something to consider. most speakers (excluding subs) are hooked up into a 4 ohm load, which is just hook the negative wire to the negative post and the same with the positive.
if you think the jensen is the better deal, go for it. unless you just want to keep it a pioneer family. not putting down pioneer either. they make good stuff.

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quote Originally posted by sqoach: standard, i seriously doubt you'll have your speakers hooked up in a 1 ohm load, so that's not something to consider. most speakers (excluding subs) are hooked up into a 4 ohm load, which is just hook the negative wire to the negative post and the same with the positive. if you think the jensen is the better deal, go for it. unless you just want to keep it a pioneer family. not putting down pioneer either. they make good stuff.

My whole system is going to be 4 ohms, unless I can somehow find some space to put in another sub so I can wire 2 in parrellel(sp?) for a 2ohm load, but that's not gonna happen anytime soon.

Doesn't really matter what brand I get, just looking for something cheap. Right now I'm winning an e-bay auction for a Sony XM-250 amp..

Jensen amps are trash! Get Rockford Fosgate amps youll notice a big difference in sound quality!

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quote Originally posted by Racer 1: Jensen amps are trash! Get Rockford Fosgate amps youll notice a big difference in sound quality!

racer, sounds like you either got an older jensen amp and didn't have much luck with it, or you're just making a stupid comment. i agree that rockford fosgate makes some kickass amps, but damn they are expensive. this guy's on a budget, so we're trying to help him out here. if you're not gonna help with the problem, then leave your comments to yourself.

I'd have to agree with Sqoach here... generalized comments not backed up with facts are worthless. I'm not building a competition system here, I just want a little more power all around.

Just got my GM-X542 hooked up, I'll put the details in my "sub box" thread..

sqoach, ya aint gota be a b**ch because I said jensen's trash. Thats my view and im sticking to it!

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racer, i'm not being a b!tch. just trying to help a brotha out. if money wasn't an issue, i would most likely get rockford fosgate, and recommend it. just remember, jensen is not crap. roadgear...now that's crap.
(personal experiences with that crappy wal-mart brand. never trying that again.)

Ohhhh... SNAP! Racer, now your frontin' to my Okie bretheren! That just won't do! Seriously, if price were no object, there are far better amps then Jensen, or Rockford Fosgate for that matter. I have a Phase Linear 150w amp (also made by Recoton, makers of Jensen.) It is by no means what I'd call competition grade, but it only cost $60 at Circuit City and it does a fine job of rocking my Pioneer 4x10s. I really don't see much reason to upgrade even if I did have the extra income. I'd just say if I had a do-over and had the choice between similarly featured Jensen and Pioneer (or RF) for the same bucks, I'd go for the Pioneer, RF, etc.