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Anyone familiar with Directed Amps?


BWS22

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I'm not a fan of the interior speakers in a recently purchased 2006 23 LSV (Kickers) and while I am thinking about replacing them, thought I should reconsider the entire setup.

There are 6 kicker interior speakers, 4 skylon tower speakers, a subwoofer (not sure what kind at moment), run by a Pioneer head unit, with a kicker and directed amp running things. I didn't attempt to see which amp is running which speaker, but wondering if anyone has any familiarity with Directed amps and if they are any good.  I don't have specs but snapped a couple quick pics before taking the boat back to storage today.

 

 

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When Directed was into audio, their amps were pretty good and had a reputation for being very reliable. At the time they had their own amp line they also bought up PPI, Orion, and a couple other brands so they had some big players and technologies in their pocket. They have since sold or killed the audio brands they bought up and are back to focusing on their remote start/alarm/convenience products.

I'd have no problem using it.

Edited by jk13
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If those amplifiers are fully functional then put them to use. One downside may be Class AB that consumes more current, which is a concern for long durations at rest. But use them until they fail.  

Directed (DEI) is still very much an audio importer with brands like Polk. 

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Now that you mention it, I do recall the Directed name around the car alarm brands from about 20 years ago when I was heaving into modifying cars, but haven't kept up on brands as well since then.  MB Quarts were a big name in speakers back as were I believe Soundstream amps, but a lot has changed since then.

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Yes, so much has changed over the years and decades, in the world of two-channel audio, in the music industry, and following with the 12 volt industry.

The real true product innovators are just about gone now. No more a/d/s, Zapco, Soundstream, Precision Power, MB Quart, Phoenix Gold, and so on. Those are just brand names now that have been sold and re-sold to importers. No domestic engineering talent. MB Quart was once a West German product. Soundstream began with the D60, D100, D200 Class AB amplifiers plus two Class A amplifiers, the A-40 & A-50. Initially simple circuitry licensed by Nelson Pass (huge in esoteric home audio). The Precision Power talent went on to Xtant and then onto JL Audio where they design products today. With very few exceptions (like JL Audio for example), there's just no connection between today's audio companies and their beginnings. Generally when the brand gets sold, the talent is instantly gone.      

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So, David, other than JL Audio, who in your opinion are currently the true product innovators?  Thanks!

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1 hour ago, CrystalSurf said:

So, David, other than JL Audio, who in your opinion are currently the true product innovators?  Thanks!

I'd like to say Alpine,bust not sure? What model kickers are in the boat? 

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14 hours ago, CrystalSurf said:

So, David, other than JL Audio, who in your opinion are currently the true product innovators?  Thanks!

Today, you don't see much in new product innovations from anyone. The industry has matured. Everything is moving toward commodity status. Consolidation happens. Brands get sold and become just a label. Not much risk. Not much innovation. The major changes come in smaller areas of cellphone integration, BT, integration, etc., with very little in new developments that would really impact audio.

There are fewer and fewer companies with internal engineering that make a true difference. JL Audio, as a good example, has internal electrical engineers, internal acoustic engineers, internal DSP engineers, and real engineering facilities. JL Audio builds half of their woofers and all of their marine speakers in the USA. They have proprietary designs, parts and circuitry. Focal (of France) has internal engineering which results in the fabrication of new speaker materials. Audison (of Italy) has internal engineering but there's nothing new and ground breaking. There are very few, if any, companies like Apple in the 12 volt audio industry. Sony and Alpine once delivered innovative products, like DSP back in the early '90s. In the '80s you saw ground breaking 12 volt products in mass. Same with home audio in the '70s.  

So today, just about every new product or idea has been seen before in one form or another. It's more a matter of refinement and re-packaging. The great bulk of today's products are the result of Asian engineering and quality differences get blurred. Most of today's 12 volt audio companies by recognizable brand names are primarily marketing companies that have no domestic or inside engineering, and simply import various existing platforms.         

    

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David, you sound pretty informed on all of this stuff.  What do you make of brands like Wet Sounds and Exile that I seem to read a lot about these days?  

They seem to be popular but I am curious if it's just good marketing or are they really making solid products?

 

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3 hours ago, BWS22 said:

David, you sound pretty informed on all of this stuff.  What do you make of brands like Wet Sounds and Exile that I seem to read a lot about these days?  

They seem to be popular but I am curious if it's just good marketing or are they really making solid products?

 

This makes for a good subject. Jensen made the first auto 6X9 coaxial in the early '70s. Craig started making decent Dolby cassette decks for the car just afterwards. Craig then starting making the first power boosters (2 X 12 watts). And the 12 volt industry was off and running beyond 8-tracks, dual cone (whizzer cone) speakers, and reverb units. Things really started to move in a more sophisticated direction in the mid to later '70s when AudioMobile, Zapco, Rockford Fosgate, Smegg, and a/d/s began making and selling amplifiers with AC to DC to AC high-speed switching power supplies that could now support really serious power levels. True bi-amping was available. Seemed space age at that time. Soon you had a 1 kWatt VW bug in southern California with 15" subwoofers. Mini-monitor speakers from a/d/s and Visonik brought the same SQ found in the better home hi-fi into the car. So as mentioned, Zapco was one of the early innovators in mobile electronics. In the '70s they had a 3-chassis amplifier that consisted of a separate power supply, separate capacitor bank, and separate Class AB amplifier. Robert Zeff was the Zapco owner and designer. Today, the same Robert Zeff, now as Nikola Engineering is the designer of Wetsounds Class D amplifiers. Wetsounds is one of the select few to have a domestically designed amplifier. That's one major distinction.

So you would have to include Wetsounds as one of the real innovators in marine audio. Wetsounds didn't invent the HLCD or even the first HLCD for a boat. But Wetsounds was the first to create a true production version that didn't look like it was hand made in the garage. Their tooling was all original. NVS and a few others also had early HLCD offerings. Most couldn't compete and are gone now. Wetsounds was not the first to use two EQs in a boat or to use a PA in a boat, but was the first to combine these leading edge concepts into a single chassis EQ....and it was an award-winning first. Plenty of knock-off products have followed, but for the most part Wetsounds has provided the template in marine audio.        

  

 

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  • 6 years later...

Hi I have run a Directed 1100 D5 for over 18 years, no problems!

Diamond 12 sub 500rms.

6inch Diamond mid high and seperate tops, external adjustable x over.  2 x 75wt rms.

2 x6inch JL Evolution coaxials and external x overs. 2 x 150+ rms.

As long as you take the trouble to solidly build in your mid highs and dyna mat  spkr boxs the sound is awesome 👌 

 

 

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This topic is why I've tightly held onto my old stuff.  Currently running old precision power art series in my boat.  Love 'em.

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On 5/31/2016 at 8:47 PM, David said:

Yes, so much has changed over the years and decades, in the world of two-channel audio, in the music industry, and following with the 12 volt industry.

The real true product innovators are just about gone now. No more a/d/s, Zapco, Soundstream, Precision Power, MB Quart, Phoenix Gold, and so on. Those are just brand names now that have been sold and re-sold to importers. No domestic engineering talent. MB Quart was once a West German product. Soundstream began with the D60, D100, D200 Class AB amplifiers plus two Class A amplifiers, the A-40 & A-50. Initially simple circuitry licensed by Nelson Pass (huge in esoteric home audio). The Precision Power talent went on to Xtant and then onto JL Audio where they design products today. With very few exceptions (like JL Audio for example), there's just no connection between today's audio companies and their beginnings. Generally when the brand gets sold, the talent is instantly gone.      

I agree with above post, I also run 3 Phoenix Gold amps 1x4 300rms channel bridged for front mid high.

1x2 chanel 300 rms rear mid highs and 1 x 500 2 channel bridged running Diamond 12inc sub and Phoenix Gold Line driver

20 years old still sound great.

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