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Car Forum / Driving, Maintenance, Tuning / Car Audio / November 2006Anybody tired Soundstream Picassa Amps
I was looking at the 1500D mono and the PCA2.760. Comments? > I was looking at the 1500D mono and the PCA2.760. > > Comments? Oh!! I thought from your header you were tired of the amps :-) My mistake.  SignatureI. Care Address fake until the SPAM goes away ;-} > I was looking at the 1500D mono and the PCA2.760. > > Comments? Yes, I am sick and tired of those Picassa amps! They should have just kept the old Reference line (which they are bringing back, BTW). So yes, I am tired of those amps. MOSFET And another thing, I am REALLY tired of Soundstream's use of "art" in all there amp names in the last 10 years. Like their Da Vinci amp and the "Picassa" amp (is that supposed to sound like Picasso, could they not actually use the real name Picasso?). And then they have the nerve to put sculptures like a screaming face on their amps. What the hell is that about?!?!? WHAT THE HELL DOES ANY OF THAT HAVE TO DO WITH SOUND REPRODUCTION? Sorry for this rant, but I am tired of Soundstream's marketing approach here. It is all VERY tiring, indeed. MOSFET > > I was looking at the 1500D mono and the PCA2.760. > > [quoted text clipped - 6 lines] > > MOSFET > Like their Da Vinci amp and the > "Picassa" amp (is that supposed to sound like Picasso, could they not > actually use the real name Picasso?). Don't speak from ignorance--looks bad. You can blame cmeredit for the misspelling, not Soundstream (http://www.soundstream.com/amplifiers-picasso.htm). > And then they have the nerve to put > sculptures like a screaming face on their amps. What the hell is that > about?!?!? Yeah, tell me about it. They used to be a respectable company that emphasized quality over marketing. As one guy in the industry told me, the whole industry has basically gone to pot--overrun with marketing gimmicks and little to no emphasis on *substance*. > WHAT THE HELL DOES ANY OF THAT HAVE TO DO WITH SOUND REPRODUCTION? And what does a big ol' daddy-long-legs spider have to do with *anything* even remotely audio-related? What a joke. The marketing genius who thought that one up should have been fired...it makes about 10x less sense than that horrible rubber mallet-wielding brute "Bruce" whom Rockturd Fosbreak used to feature in their ads about a decade ago. > Sorry for this rant, but I am tired of Soundstream's marketing approach > here. It is all VERY tiring, indeed. Now I know that the Dolts On Patrol are probably going to call me a flaming homosexual for this, but one of the things I really hated about the car audio industry was something I pointed out a couple of weeks ago--the insistent use of scantily clad women to appeal to a bunch of horny boys with more testosterone and money than brains ("Ohh look, that chick holding that subwoofer is *hot*--I gotta buy me some of them speakers!!!"). I went to a car audio show once and they actually had a *bikini* contest. Pathetic. Yeah, I kinda "dug" it at the time but even in the middle of it all I couldn't help but think how utterly foolish the whole thing was. This is one of the reasons why I was so proud to work with JL Audio when I did--they had to pull the "boner card" in any of their advertisements nor resort to gimmicks to sell their products; and to this day (and to the best of my knowledge) they *still* hold themselves to a higher standard, both in the lab and in marketing. -dan Picasso?). > Don't speak from ignorance--looks bad. You can blame cmeredit for the > misspelling, not Soundstream > (http://www.soundstream.com/amplifiers-picasso.htm). Oops, my mistake. it makes about > 10x less sense than that horrible rubber mallet-wielding brute "Bruce" > whom Rockturd Fosbreak used to feature in their ads about a decade ago. I always thought that was kind of funny. And he looked like such a dolt, that was a CLASSIC ad. > this day (and to the best of my knowledge) they *still* hold themselves > to a higher standard, both in the lab and in marketing. Yes, JL has ALWAYS been a class company from it's very inception. No glitz, no glitter, just quality products for years. Dan, were you one of the original 5 (along with Lucio Proni, of course) that started JL? Just curious. Nick > Yes, JL has ALWAYS been a class company from it's very inception. No glitz, > no glitter, just quality products for years. Although I got a bit embarassed last night. After I posted my response to this thread, I went to JL's site and started cruising through some of the photos they have online. There's a section there centered on competitions and as I got about 5 or 6 pictures in and there's a repro of a poster that JL had produced that had some professional something-or-other girl in a two-piece bikini. A couple of photos later, this same gal was signing said posters at the JL booth at a show. A few pictures later featured a half-dozen girls wearing far less than what, I'm sure, their mothers would be embarassed by with a caption "How'd [this picture] get in here?" *sigh* So, I'll have to revise my earlier statement to "better than the industry average" rather than saying that they never pulled the "boner card." > Dan, were you one of the original 5 (along with Lucio Proni, of course) that > started JL? Just curious. Nope, not even close. I'm not sure who the "original 5" are that you might be speaking of. JL = Jim (Birch) and Lucio Proni. I first became aware of JL Audio (and their sister company Speaker Warehouse) back when Car Audio Magazine did an article on a little red Civic coupe that Speaker Warehouse did. I drove all the way from Coral Springs, FL to Hialeah just to see the car and meet its owner (the manager of the store, whose name escapes me) and the installer (Hector Yanez). Shortly thereafter I started hanging around their Ft. Lauderdale shop every chance I could get ('twas about a 30 minute drive from my house), trying to convince them of giving me a job. A few months later, I wound up attending CMA (Creative Mobile Associates), a one-week car audio installation course that set me back about $1,500.00. When I came back with my certificate and told them that I'd just spent fifteen-hundred bucks to do this (and wound up with a final test average of 99.4%), they saw that as a pretty good sign that I wasn't just some punk kid looking for employee discounts on car audio gear, so they hired me. :-) I used to spend a lot of time at the JL Audio warehouse after work--Lou would be upstairs working on his next insane idea and I'd be down in the warehouse working on not-so-insane ideas to better my 1978 Honda Accord. Sometimes I'd go up to his office and we'd discuss things (usually me asking questions and him giving answers :-). There were quite a few nights when we'd walk out of there at like 9pm and he and his wife would take me out to the Outback Steakhouse. Both Jim and Lou always treated me like I was a son, and as a result of the relationships I formed with them, Steve Turrisi, Manville and some of the guys in the shop, I have very fond memories of JL Audio and its people. -dan > Nope, not even close. I'm not sure who the "original 5" are that you > might be speaking of. JL = Jim (Birch) and Lucio Proni. I first My recollection was that Speaker Warehouse sponsored seven cars at the 1989 IASCA Finals in Tempe Arizona (trucked them in from Florida, of course). These cars all did extremely well and garnered a lot of publicity at the time. The guys behind these cars then started JL. I thought there were 5 original founders including Jim, Lucio (JL) and three others. I don't know who the other three are (maybe Manville?). Anyway, that's very cool that you got to work at JL during their earlier days. That must have been fun as JL enjoyed EXPLOSIVE growth all through the 90's. They are certainly no small company now having branched out into amps, of course, and now home theater products like those ABSOLUTELY INCREDIBLE home subwoofers they build. Nick > My recollection was that Speaker Warehouse sponsored seven cars at the 1989 > IASCA Finals in Tempe Arizona (trucked them in from Florida, of course). > These cars all did extremely well and garnered a lot of publicity at the > time. The guys behind these cars then started JL. I thought there were 5 > original founders including Jim, Lucio (JL) and three others. I don't know > who the other three are (maybe Manville?). The order of events you describe couldn't possibly be true--all the cars that SW sent to the IASCA finals that year prominently featured JL Audio subwoofers. :-) SW and JL Audio were birthed roughly at the same time by the same two men (Jim and Lou). -dan > > My recollection was that Speaker Warehouse sponsored seven cars at the 1989 > > IASCA Finals in Tempe Arizona (trucked them in from Florida, of course). [quoted text clipped - 7 lines] > Audio subwoofers. :-) SW and JL Audio were birthed roughly at the same > time by the same two men (Jim and Lou). Well, it's been a long time, give me break. My memory isn't what it used to be. ;) I'm just remembering what I thought I had read when I worked at Phoenix Gold and was much more plugged into the industry and our "competition" as JL was at the time. Take care, Nick So you were originally from Florida. May I ask how you ended up here in the beautiful PNW? Sorry if you already mentioned this once. Again, my memory isn't what it used to be. ;) Thanks, Nick I'll respond to this via e-mail seeing as it's waaaaaay off topic. -dan > So you were originally from Florida. May I ask how you ended up here in the > beautiful PNW? [quoted text clipped - 5 lines] > > Nick > > Like their Da Vinci amp and the > > "Picassa" amp (is that supposed to sound like Picasso, could they not [quoted text clipped - 42 lines] > > -dan Used to see the bikini contest at some of the big regional IASCA contests, and at World Finals. Drew huge crowds. SignatureI. Care Address fake until the SPAM goes away ;-} And let me say, for the record, I would use NOTHING but JL speakers in my car if I could afford/find the right ones. I DO currently use JL midbass drivers (6.5" VR series) in the front and back. They pump out more crsip, clean midbass than ANY speaker I have ever heard (and I have used BA Pro series and high-end MB Quart midbass drivers in the past). I WOULD be using JL W7 subs if I could afford them, but I got an INCREDIBLE deal on some nearly new MTX MXS 12"s (2 for $80) and I just couldn't pass it up. I would also be using JL tweeters (the VR series again) as they are the best sounding tweeters I have ever heard (and I have heard PLENTY in my day). I had a pair but blew them due to a mistake in my X-over settings. I now use a pair of Infinities that I am actually VERY happy with and seem very close in SQ to the JL's. However, I am ALWAYS on the lookout for a cheap pair of VR series tweeters. You see, I have a family and a limited car stereo budget (when in my twenties, when I competed, ALL my money went into my car stereo). Anyway, yes, JL is an EXCEPTIONAL company. If you are looking for flash and chrome, go somewhere else. But if you want the very best sound possible in your car, JL is always at the top of my list of recomendations. Pictures of my car: http://www.sounddomain.com/ride/2359697 Nick "cmeredit" <cmeredit@bellsouth.net> wrote in news:Pwt7h.543$k6.138 @bignews8.bellsouth.net: > I was looking at the 1500D mono and the PCA2.760. I joined this thread a little late, by my experience w/ this brand over the last 3 years or so has been "STAY AWAY" No other brand I deal with has nearly so high a return rate on amplifiers. The woofers don't seem to be a problem. But the REAL Soundstream was first and foremost an amp company. Since the original owners fell into financial turmoil several years back, the name was purchased by the company that also markets Poweracoustic and Fahrenheit, and may a couple of others. The only resemblence the products have to the originals is the heatsinks. |
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