So a friend asked me about the possability of adding a sub to her car. Today I was looking inside her trunk when I noticed an amp screwed to her trunklid, and I was pleasantly surprised to see a Soundstream logo on it. I asked her about it but she didn't know anything about the audio system (which consists of a Panasonic casette headunit, MB Quartz components of indeterminant series, Polk coaxials in the rear deck, and the above amp, plus a CD changer), she says her brother put it in when he owned the car.

Anyways the amp is a Soundstream MC245, which looks to have been around a long time. I downloaded the manual from Soundstream's site, and they refer to it as "one of the finest amplifier/electronic crossover combinations made, a precision component capable of audiophile quality performance." I don't know if this is hyperbole or whether when this amp was made it was fairly high-end. What I DO know is the rated specs aren't too impressive:

(all @ 4 ohms)
90x2 + 100x1 or
35x2 + 90x1 + 100x1 or
35x4 + 100x1

THD: <0.1%
S/N ratio: 100dB

Now 100 watts to the sub channel doesn't seem to give a lot of options, and 35 watts really seems kind of low to power a set of front components as well, but I also saw this:

"The MC245 is conservatively rated at 240 watts....The design topology of [the amplifier] utilize multiple Darlington output devices with a total output capability five times the rated output of the amplifier"

I know nothing about this amp other than what I read in the manual. I am posting to inquire as to whether anyone has any experience with this particular product, and to find out if it is worth keeping. Are its stats underrated/ its performance better than I have been led to believe, or am I better off recommending the owner buy something new?

Thanks for all your help.

 

This amp is garbage and you should take it out and replace it with something else. Now I will leave you a address to dispose of that amp properly so I can use it ..lol just kidding. I have installed car audio from as far back as 1986. I have built cars for Sound Stream, Phoenix Gold, PPI and others I have had 12 cars that I have built featured in magazines. Six cars that were best of shows, most imports and they were cover cars for the magazine. All that aside, this is a great amp I had one that I used in my Nissan D21 king cab. The MC245 was running a pair of MB QUART COMPS 6.5 MIDS W/ TITANIUM TWEETERS. That were located in fiberglass kick pods and a pair of ALPINE TYPE R 6.5 COAXAILS. Left front kick pod and left front door was ran mono at a 2ohm load combining chnl.1&2 . The right front kick pod and right front door was ran mono at 2 ohm load to chnl. 3&4. Chnl.5 was ran to 2 ALPINE TYPE R DUAL 2 OHM 10's in a iso bandpass enclosure. I never Dyno ran the amp I would have liked to. However I was more then pleased with the performance and none of the gains were more then 3/4 I was using an ECLIPSE 5303R for my head unit. I have had plenty of cars over the years and in my line of work you can imagine I have calling into my share of high end equipment. I was once given as a tip a ZAPCO referance 1100.1 with ZAPCO referance 650. Also very nice amps but I miss my SOUND STREAM MC245. If you can manage speaker place ment in the front for maybe a 6", 4", get or even 8" sub in the floor/ kick panel behind the clutch and a 5.25" mid and tweet in the door but preferably kick pods with a 10" or 12" in the trunk that amp will amaze you with power and clarity.or like I said yank it and send it to me is always a good way to go also. Let me know what you decide send me some pics.