I need to buy a 4 ch amp. Speakers will be upgraded, but stock size, no sub, so I don't need a lot of power. I would really like something physically small... small enough to mount against the driver's side cargo bay wall between the fuel filler neck and the tail light access panel (I know... that's really small and I probably can't pull it off). I would do two 2 ch amps if that makes fitment easier.
The last time I purchased aftermarket stereo stuff, most of you probably weren't old enough to drive (damn, that's depressing). So I really don't know what's good and what's crap. Crutchfield.com has the brands I'm familiar with... they start around $130. I've seen sonicelectronix.com mentioned on this forum a couple of times... they have amps with similar specs starting at $45, but I've never heard of most of the brands...
I'm also open to mounting advice. I don't want to give up my spare tire, and I don't want to give up cargo space (I drive hatch's for a reason). So the spare well, back side of the back seats, under the back seats are all out of the question. I don't think anything will fit under the front seats.

thanks,
John

 

The sony xm4s is smallest one that looks good quality,
i ended up getting mtx 504x, but mounted on back seat back.
When researching, saw some Boss brand that are small, but
not sure about the quality of that brand, looks ok on paper (screen?).


peace

 

Boss, unfortunately, equals no good - and though I wouldn't recommend Sony car audio, the XM4S that phatclient mentioned IS small and may fit your needs just fine.

Sony XM-4S - Slim Series 4-Channel Amplifier • RMS Power Output: 4 ohms: 50 watts x 4 / 2 ohms: 60 watts x 4 • Frequency Response: 5 Hz - 100 kHz • Harmonic Distortion:: 0.005% • Built in Protection Circuit • Speaker-level inputs with high-level sens

I've not had a chance to really check into other amps and their sizes for you, but this Alpine amp could be another option - it's quite nice and at 7.5" x 10" is a very small footprint:

Alpine PDX-4.100 - 4-Channel Power Density Digital Amplifier • 100W x 4 chan. @ 4 Ohms • class D amp design • stackable installation design • MOSFET power supply • quick connect power connectors - , Car Amplifiers, Class D Amplifiers - Sonic Electron

Its listed price on sonicelectronix.com is marginally more than the Sony, with double the power and a trusted brand to boot. Some may say Alpine stuff is overpriced, though. In fact, $200+ for a low-power 4-channel is getting into high-price territory, but you can attribute some of that to the fact that they're stuffing everything into a small package. What's your price ceiling? How many watts per channel are you eyeballing? Even though the Alpine amp is 100x4, you can turn the gains down to mitigate any "excess" power that your speakers can't handle.

 

check out cardiscountstereos.com they have really good , and a big inventory to choose from you might find what you need just surfing... good luck

 

Thanks for the input. I had looked at the Sony... it's probably the route I'll take. The Alpine is more $ than I really want to spend, although it would fit.

 

Stay away from the sony and go with teh alpine.

 

x2 come to think about it my friend got one for his car and it was only a month or so old before it just died it was bad.