Boombox Using Old School Rockford Fosgate AUDIOPhile Speakers

Custom Old School Boombox using Rockford Fosgate AUDIOphile Speakers (est. 1995)

Now, here's a project I've thought about putting together for around 20 years...a portable stereo (aka "Boombox") made from car stereo gear. In this instance, I'm using all Rockford Fosgate gear from 1995 or earlier. A single Punch 45 amplifier will power the entire system, including 4" AUDIOphile component speakers with a 1" silk-dome tweeter and bass notes will be handled by an 8" AUDIOphile subwoofer. This subwoofer should work quite nice as it is designed for a very small 0.33cu/ft sealed enclosure. The "brain" of the system will be another Rockford piece, the PA-1 pre-amp. This unit will control 2 different inputs and provide overall volume, bass, mid and treble controls.


Here is the proposed gear (subject to change):

1. Military-Style Waterproof ABS Plastic Case
2. Rockford Fosgate PA-1 Pre-Amp (est. 1987)
3. Rockford Fosgate Punch 45 Amplifier (est. 1989)
4. Rockford Fosgate RFA-414 4" AUDIOphile component system (est. 1995)
5. Rockford Fosgate RFA-408 8" AUDIOphile subwoofer (est. 1995)
6. (2) 8Ah Sealed Lead Acid Batteries
7. Integrated iPod dock / AUX jack / USB port
8. 12V Battery Gauge
9. 12V Trickle Charger
10. 12V 25A Lighted Switch
11. ....more to come

I've worked on the boombox since the video below and found the case is going to be very limited in size for all of the proposed components. I may need to substitute a Punch 30 and use only one battery. Once I get the subwoofer enclosure completed (making sure to hit the optimal 0.33cu/ft internal air space), I'll have a better idea how much space I'll have for the other components. I could also use a PA-1HD or PA-2 as they are 1/2 DIN as compared to the PA-1's full DIN size, but the PA-1 just looks cooler to me!

I show off the power source(s), dual 8Ah sealed lead-acid batteries in the video. These batteries are around 4lbs each and should give us 2-3 hours of very loud playback. I'll test the playback time in an upcoming video. Again, due to space limitations, I may need to scale down to one battery.

Stay tuned for upcoming updates, the build process and the final result of my "OldSchool Boombox"


Make sure to Subscribe to my YouTube Channel to stay updated of my latest videos. You can also follow me on Twitter @oldschoolstereo.



See the video on YouTube in 1080p HD or embedded below:

Can The Orion Take The Punch?

Rockford Fosgate Punch 45HD and Orion 222 SX

The Rockford Fosgate Punch 45HD and Orion 222 SX....by today's terms would be called "tweeter amps". Go back 20 years to 1991 and people were using these amps not only to power subwoofers, but in some cases entire systems! Since both amps were rated at 45 watts or less at 4 ohms (both channels), people either had really efficient speakers or didn't require high volumes, right?

Well, many people were told and believe the old school amps are always "very" or "highly" underrated. Read on to find out if this is the case with either or both of these mini powerhouses.

First up, the Orion 222 SX appears to have a heat sink surface area advantage at 8.5 x 8.5 x 2.25 inches. It carried an MSRP of $329 US back in 1991 (reference - Car Stereo Review, July/August 1991) and included the following specifications from Orion:

222 SX Ratings at 12 VDC (both channels driven):

4 ohms stereo - 22 watts RMS
2 ohms stereo - 44 watts RMS
4 ohms mono - 88 watts RMS
(not rated to handle 1 ohm stereo or 2 ohm mono loads)


More Specifications:

• Requires external 15A Fuse, 20A provided by Orion (according to the manual)
• Stereo, Mono or Mixed-Mono operation
• Left and Right Peak Power LED's
• 0.005% THD at rated power
• Damping Factor - Greater than 500

On one side of the 222 SX are the power/ground wires (10 gauge), plus the 9-pin molex connector for speaker and turn on connections (See my Youtube Video on how to make these yourself!). The opposite end of the amp has input connections from both RCA and DIN connections. The DIN connection supports Orion EQ's and crossovers and provides phantom power for these devices as well. There are also two buttons, one for "EQ", providing a +15dB boost at 40Hz, -4dB at 200Hz and +6dB at 10kHz, in addition to a "Mono" button for bridging the amplifier. The 222 SX also has Peak/Power LED's and a single input gain control. See the connections below:

Orion 222 SX input connections, Peak/Power LED's, Gain control, EQ and Mono buttons

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Next up may be Rockford Fosgate's most well known amp from the mid-80's to early 90's, the Punch 45. In 1991, Rockford updated their vulnerable Punch 45 to the Punch 45HD, aka "Hybrid Design". Again, many competitors in the late 80's/early 90's used a single Punch 45 to compete in the 50-watt and under class.

The 45HD required spade connectors for the power and ground inputs. The opposite side includes; speaker/remote connections via 6-pin Molex plug, Bass/Treble knobs, Left/Right RCA Inputs and gain controls for both channels.

(Top) Rockford Fosgate Punch 45HD's 6-pin molex connector, bass/treble controls, left and right RCA Inputs and Gains

The slightly smaller heat sink of the 45HD measures 6.6" long  x 8.6" wide x 2.2" high and carried an MSRP of $275 back in 1991 (reference - Car Stereo Review, July/August 1991).


Punch 45HD Ratings at 12.5 VDC (both channels driven):

4 ohms stereo - 22.5 watts RMS
2 ohms stereo - 35 watts RMS
4 ohms mono - 70 watts RMS
(not rated to handle 1 ohm stereo or 2 ohm mono loads)



More Specifications:

• Requires external 15A Fuse, 20A can be substituted for "extreme" loads
• Stereo, Mono or Mixed-Mono operation
• 0-18dB Bass Boost at 45Hz, 0-12dB Treble Boost at 20kHz
• 0.05% THD at rated power
• Damping Factor - Greater than 200 at circuit board, greater than 50 at speaker leads

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Now you've read about the ratings and specifications, do you have a choice between the two for powering a single 8" subwoofer? I realize these amps may not be well suited to drive subwoofers, but this is OldSchoolStereo and I'm taking the test back to the old school!! Luckily, I have an early 90's JL Audio 8W1 (4 ohm) which will be the perfect test sub for these amps. In addition to the subwoofer test, I'll also test resistive RMS wattage output from both amps at several ohm loads.

Now, the question I'm sure many of you are asking....did I have a favorite before the tests? Well, I must admit I've tested the Punch 45HD before and knew what to expect from this little "punch". That said, I had high hopes for the 222 SX based on how well the Orion 275 SX fared against the Punch 150HD and Phoenix Gold MS-275. This is a CLASSIC shootout as I expected the results to be very close. I can't go without saying I broke the rule of my YouTube channel saying I wouldn't do "woofer flex" tests. I just couldn't resist seeing how these baby amps pushed the JL 8W1. I also used my Zoom H4 audio recorder for GREAT quality bass without distortion. Just make sure you use your headphones while watching the YouTube video to get the best experience (well, unless you are watching this on your home theater with an 18" powered sub...)

I put the Orion 222 SX on the bench first and connected up the resistor bank, 1000Hz test tone and Velleman HPS50 oscilloscope/true RMS Volt meter. Results are:

Vintage Fosgate Car Amps - PR 220 & PR-250 Pre-Rockford

Fosgate PR-250II and PR 220 Vintage Car Audio Amplifiers

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I decided to dig out some real dinosaurs in the car audio world....the Fosgate "The Punch" PR 220 and PR-250 Type II amplifiers. These amps were produced by Fosgate Electronics, Inc. in the late 1970's before Rockford joined Fosgate. I believe the PR-250 was 1978 or 1979 and this model was also produced in 1980 as a Rockford Fosgate PR-250II (logo was different than the one pictured above). The PR 220 was also late 1970's, found in the 1978 and 1979 Car Stereo Directory issues of Audio magazine, but not in the 1976 issue. I don't have the 1977 issue to see if they are listed there...

These amplifiers were state of the art at the time they were produced. Just think, in the late 1970's, many people were still rocking 8 tracks and a cassette player was "high-end". I don't believe there were many (if any) head units with pre-outs at the time. You definitely were lucky to have one of these back then. Don't forget, 3-way 6x9's were considered high-end at this time! Take your PR-250, power up the Sony tape deck and Jensen or Sparkomatic 6x9's and you were rockin'!!

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Another view of the Fosgate "The Punch" PR-250 Type II / PreAmp & PR 220 Amplifiers

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The Fosgate PR-250 Type II had a matching Pre-Amp, which controlled the unit's volume, bass and treble controls. The volume knob was a smooth rotating potentiometer, while the bass and treble controls had a "clicking" type potentiometer (meaning you had only a certain number of positions, by turning these knobs, it would click into position). The PR-250's pre-amp had only two connections, both DIN style plugs. One DIN cable would be integrated in with your head unit and the other would carry the signal from the pre-amp to the PR-250 amp. Then, you would need some speakers capable of handling 50 watts RMS per channel, not the easiest task in the late 70's...The PR-250 was also bridgeable or capable of handling loads more demanding than 4 ohms.

The Fosgate PR 220 was much simpler and less powerful than the 250. It was rated at 20 watts x 2 channels into 4 ohms, no options for bridging or lower ohm loads. It also came without a pre-amp, all controls (bass and treble) were on the amp itself by 3-way sliders. Your options were low/mid/high for bass and treble adjustments. Again, speaker level inputs were the only signal source allowed into the amp and since most head units were only good for a couple of watts, the 20 watt PR 220 was a decent upgrade and would drive efficient speakers to loud (at the time) levels, around 110dB. Fosgate had a warning in the manual, "Sound levels of 110 dB have been recorded inside a car using the PR-220 and High Efficiency speakers. This is loud enough to lead to permanent loss of hearing after long periods of exposure. So use common sense.."

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Photo (c) 2011 - Dereck Willis - OldSchoolStereo.com

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So, you know me, I'm good for putting up video demo's right? Well yes, I have posted an overview of the amps below. That said, don't get too excited about seeing these amps in action as I'm a little hesitant to power them up. The PR 220 at least needed to pull power from the head unit for the remote turn on.

Quote by tomtomjr, one of if not the US's largest Fosgate/Rockford Fosgate collector and radio/amp technician:

" ...ALSO, on the turn on remote wire (red) , you will need to draw power from it to turn on the amp. We used to use a 12V light bulb and a switch. Put the remote wire (red) to the positive of the bulb, then the switch between the 12V ground and the 12V ground of the bulb. Flip the switch, and it will come on. These have the power-draw on the remote wire rather than the power input like modern amps... Hope this info helps........Tom"


See the video demo in 720p HD or embedded below:

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HiFonics Vulcan and Thor VII - Old School Classics!

I'm SO glad there are other people out there who take good care of their old school amps! I recently ran across a local Craigslist ad where a person was selling a couple of classic early 90's HiFonics amps...the Vulcan and Thor (both VII series). I met the seller and ended up buying the amps...simply amazing to see these amps in such great condition to be 20 years old!

Early 90's HiFonics Thor VII and Vulcan VII in near MINT condition!

A friend of mine back around 1991 had a Thor VII, exactly like the one I picked up, and I always recall the amp being very powerful. Back then, his Thor powered (2) 15" subwoofers from a local speaker manufacturing shop. The speakers were 8ohm each wired in parallel and the amp was bridged mono putting out a rated 400 watts. This was a BIG power back then and to my ears still plenty of power for the right subs.

I recall each local stereo shop trying to best each other by saying how underrated the particular brand of amp they sold was. It was pretty evident to me, Autotek, Orion and Rockford Fosgate were underrated, but what about HiFonics? These amps were well regarded and were actually priced reasonable versus their power output ratings. For comparison, the Rockford Fosgate Punch 45 retailed for $275 US and was rated to deliver 22.5x2 or 70x1 at 4ohms. The HiFonics Vulcan VII was priced at $330 US and was rated 50x2 or 180x1 at 4ohms. A feature missing on the Vulcan causing me to decide on the Punch 45? Built-in Bass and Treble EQ's. I know it seems silly to think this would be a deciding factor, but it actually swayed my decision. The only "remote" bass controls we had back then was something like the Audio Control Epicenter (and they were pricey around $180 US).

With that said, let's work forward to 2011 and seeing how the 1991'ish HiFonics amps perform on the OldSchoolStereo.com test bench. Since I have the privilege of previously testing Zed Audio built amps, I had a preconceived expectation of the results....and I was pretty spot on!

Here are the results:

Vulcan VII
RMS Output Power:

4ohms stereo = (rated): 50w/ch / (actual): 59.44w/ch
2ohms stereo = (rated): 90w/ch / (actual): 104.4w/ch
4ohms bridged = (rated): 180w / (actual): 208.8w

***Max Output Power:
Max Output (hard clip) = (actual) 370.5w/ bridged at 4ohms

1991 HiFonics Vulcan VII

Thor VII
RMS Output Power:
4ohms stereo = (rated) 125w/ch / (actual) 157.0w/ch
2ohms stereo = (rated) 200w/ch / (actual) 252.6w/ch
4ohms bridged = (rated) 400w / (actual) 462.2w

***Max Output Power:
Max Output (hard clip) = 475.5w/ x 2 at 2ohms!!! (over 950w total!!)

***This MAX number is what most of the mfg's use today when rating amps

1991 HiFonics Thor VII

I did some basic SQ testing with some separates and a 10" Kicker Solobaric S10c sub and was VERY impressed by the power, clarity and control both amps offered up. I'm even considering using these two amps in my Old School Stealth Install until my RF Power 650 gets it's facelift.

Stay tuned in for more updates...

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Old School Crunch Amp - CR100

Over the years, brand names are sometimes passed along from one owner to another. Remember Polaroid instant cameras? It was only a few years ago when you may have noticed DVD players branded with the Polaroid name. Well, unfortunately in most cases, the same passing along of name brands happens in the car audio world. I myself, dropped out of the car audio industry for nearly 10 years and when I returned, the brands I knew once as high quality, "Made in the USA" were well....not what they used to be. Some people may argue the Internet forced many car audio companies out of business and although I'm not sure it is 100% the case, I'm sure it had an affect on the industry.

Now, why must I bore you with history of car audio brand names? Well, because the next amplifier I'm going to talk about is the Crunch CR100 from approx. 1992. This amp was one of several made by Zed Audio, regarded by many as some of the better old school amps. Other brands, such as HiFonics and Autotek (among others), had models of amplifiers made by Zed Audio. If you happen to visit or search eBay, you'll notice the Zed-built amps usually go for a premium.

Unlike most modern car audio amps, the CR100 has a harness for speaker connections. I'm not sure why companies continued to use these harnesses instead of barrier strips into the mid 90's?. As most of you know, these harnesses are usually lost over the years or have been cut so many times, the wires are too short! Luckily, the Crunch CR100 I picked up had about 8 inches of speaker wire and even more power/ground wiring length. An immediate problem I had was identifying the speaker and remote turn on wiring colors. Some old school amps used red for remote turn on, others used blue...this amp has both! I opened the amp to reveal the guts and it appeared the blue was the turn on, however I wanted to be 100% sure, so I confided in one of my favorite resources - diymobileaudio.com. Within a few minutes, a member posted the wiring diagram and even a link to the owner's manual. Wow, this is great!

Zed Built Crunch CR100 Guts

The CR100 also allows plug-in modules for crossover/EQ and the one on this particular unit has an M30 module - selectable high/low pass crossover, adjustable frequency and bass boost at 45hz. At the time this amp was new to the market, Crunch offered several different modules so you could customize the amp to your liking.

Crunch CR100 with M30 Module

Now that I have the wiring guide, let's hook this baby up and see what she'll do! Since I was unsure if the amp would handle realistic 1ohm loads, I kept my testing loads to 2ohms minimum (2ohms stereo or 4ohms bridged mono). I connected up the amp to my Audio Authority 100A 13.8v power supply to guarantee I had plenty of juice for the test. The manual suggests a 15A fuse, yet strangely enough says it will consume 14A at full power into 4ohms...what about 2ohms? 15A sounds a little small to me. This amp just has to be more powerful than a Rockford Fosgate Punch 45HD....doesn't it?

Crunch CR100 Wiring Harness

If you read some of the enthusiast forums online, you'll hear rhetoric like "extremely underrated" and "highly underrated" when referring to these old school amps. As my test have shown, in some cases this is accurate, but in most cases the old school amps are only slightly underrated.

Here are the ratings obtained from the Owner's Manual:

• 50w/ch @ 4ohms stereo
• 90w/ch @ 2ohms stereo
• 180w bridged @ 4ohms

And here are the official OldSchoolStereo.com test results for the Crunch CR100:

• 61.93w/ch @ 4ohms stereo
• 88.84w/ch @ 2ohms stereo
• 198.8w bridged @ 4ohms

For additional information on my testing methods, see my previous post: Testing Output Power from Old School Amps. 

In addition to the power output tests, I hooked up the amp to a few speakers including a JL Audio 8W1 and a 12" Rockford Fosgate Punch classic sub. I set the CR100's M30 module to low pass at approx. 120Hz. The Crunch CR100 delivered all the power the JL 8W1 wanted and kept great control of the sub during testing. I demo'd several songs including; Jazz, Pop, Rock and Rap samples from my BigD demo CD. The nearly 200 watts at 4ohms mono was ample power to shake items on the wall of the OldSchoolStereo labs (aka "my garage"). Not only impressive from a 200 watt amp, but also from a 8" subwoofer!

The Rockford Fosgate PCH-812 subwoofer is 8 ohms, so it was only seeing around 100 watts. It is a mid-90's subwoofer and only needs 100-200 watts for ample output. Again, the Crunch CR100 provided clean, accurate power allowing the Punch sub to stand up to it's name!

I'm not sure how good the Crunch CR100 would prove pushing late model, heavy magnet, inefficient subwoofers...but it does a great job powering similar age (mid 90's) subwoofers and would be a great amp for a modest system. I guess one day I'll have to get some newer subwoofers to use testing these old school amps. Yep, I'll do that just as soon as the donations help pay for some...

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Update: 6/26/11


I just located some Crunch amplifier ads from 1992 and 1993 Auto Sound & Security magazines. These ads show off the CR series amps and plug-in modules. With this information, I updated the post to note the amps were from the 1992 timeframe (not 1994) as originally stated. See a couple of the ads below:

Crunch Amp Ad from May 1993 - Auto Sound & Security

Crunch Amp Ad - November 1992 - Auto Sound & Security

Rockford Fosgate Punch 40i DSM Amp - Sound Quality Test - 1080p

Journey back to 1993...Rockford was to replace the VERY popular Punch 45 with a newer model and new design. How could they top the power, versatility and pure popularity of the Punch 45HD? Well, the entire Punch series saw a face lift. Gone were the HD series and out with the DSM series.

Here, I'm demonstrating a model with is unique in the DSM series. The Punch 40i DSM superseded the Punch 40 DSM and preceded the Punch 40ix DSM. It was released in the 1993-1994 time frame. Why did Rockford release only the Punch 40 as an "i" series? I'm not sure if this question has ever been answered. Maybe they thought the "entry level" DSM amp didn't need a crossover like the 60ix, 100ix and 200ix. It would become obvious if this was the case the decision was quickly changed and the Punch 40ix DSM would replace the Punch 40i.

Enough with the model number mumbo-jumbo, what's so special about the Punch 40i DSM? Well, as with most "oldschool" Rockford amplifiers, this one was VERY underrated. Yes, you may notice the 20x2 watt rating into 4 ohms and say, "why would anyone pay $300 for such an amp?" Well, there are several reasons, some referencing quality and durability. Most Rockford fans knew this amp would actually output 50-75 watts per/ch RMS into 4 ohms and around 200 watts bridged at 4 ohms mono. I don't have a birthsheet to prove this output but have seen some from these amps and these are the actual numbers.

In addition to providing more power than expected, these amps also exude top quality sonics. View my video below to experience the sonic quality of these amps. For best results, use high quality headphones. Enjoy the demo!




-BigDWiz

Rockford Fosgate Punch 45HD vs. Kicker 10" Solobaric S10c Subs

I've done several audio demonstrations with my old school amplifiers, but recently realized I haven't made a video of one showing off the P45HD! For this test, I hooked up a couple of old school Kicker Solobaric S10c subwoofers in parallel (4 ohms each sub, in parallel equals 2 ohms). I then bridged the P45HD using the orange for + and the brown for -. This gives an effective load on the P45HD as 2 ohms mono or 1 ohm stereo....isn't this a problem? Not at all my friends! Rockford didn't rate these amps to handle 1ohm loads, but anyone who knows these amps knows they were built to handle it without a sweat!

This particular demo shows off the ability of the P45HD to handle the "booty bass" tracks of the early 1990's. Most of the tracks are from Magic Mike and while this is not what I listen to now, it is what rocked my car back in high school.

Enough talk about the Punch 45HD, let's see it in action!




Here are also a few pics of the amp and it's beauty...

Rockford Fosgate Punch 45HD - Old School Cheater Amp!

The Rockford Fosgate Punch 45HD was one of the original "cheater amps". This amp was the king of the 0-50 watt competition class in the early 90's. Other notable contenders were the Orion 225HCCA and PPI ProMos 25 (which cost nearly 2x as much). The Punch 45HD originally retailed for $279 US and was rather difficult to find in stock. Many competitors used complex passive crossover networks and several speakers (10-12 or more) all powered by the Punch 45HD. By using the "tri-mode" operation, you could bridge the channels for subwoofers while retaining stereo operation for the mids and highs.

My Punch 45HD "birth sheet" stated 91 watts/ch into 2ohm loads. I can't remember if they stated 4ohm loads back then, but it should be around 50w/ch. My birth sheet is MIA (along with the original manual), but I'm sure I'll come across it someday.

Keep tuned in for a future test comparing the 1st Gen Punch 45, Punch 45HD and the "25 to Life" Punch 45....three awesome amps ranging from the late 1980's up to 2005.

 

Rockford Fosgate Punch 45 and Punch 150 Mosfet - Old School / Vintage Overview

Enjoy a demonstration of a first generation Rockford Fosgate Punch 45 and Punch 150 in FULL 1080p! These were originally produced in the late 1980's. In 2005, Rockford re-introduced the Punch 45, 75, 150 and Power 1000 as "25 to Life" anniversary edition models. Rockford, along with Orion, Precision Power, Soundstream, and others help boost the popularity of upgraded car audio systems beginning back in the late 1980's and early 1990's.

The Rockford Fosgate Mosfet series amps eventually transformed into the "HD" or "Hybrid Design" in the early 1990's. Hybrid Design was touted as more efficient an durable because of the surface mounted components. See future videos for more information on the "HD" Series of Rockford Fosgate amplifiers.

See the embedded video below or click the link to enjoy full 1080p video of these vintage amplifiers:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EOguOLc_lkg&hd=1