Renovatio P-1 dual mono linestage

October 28th, 2011

- hi-fidelity preamp for the most demanding critical music listener
- replaces your mcIntosh MX4000 and MX5000 preamp stage source unit

The Renovatio P-1  was designed to bring music lovers years of trouble free musical enjoyment at a real world price point. The  Renovatio P-1 is handbuilt by Audio Creations and provides high bandwidth, low distortion and musicality.

Here are some of the highlights that our P-1 dual mono linestage offers:
1. our power supply is a dual mono using premium Elna Capacitors with audiophile grade Blackgates NX-HiQ as decoupling caps
2. the analog board is a dual mono linestage with very low natural distortion
3. Vcap TFTF Tin Foil, Teflon Film Audio  capacitors 600V DC are used as high end powersupply rail decoupling.
3. fully discrete linestage for natural sounding character
4. DACT volume attenuator. The series resistor networks consist of 23 non-inductive, low noise, SMD metal film resistors. The layout of the PC board and the choice of SMD resistors have reduced the signal path to a minimum length. conventional attenuators using carbon pots have no match with this. The PCB design combined with the special resistors also account for the very low series inductance and the very low stray capacitance. The result is a bandwidth beyond even the most demanding audiophiles requirements. this is the ultimate solution…
6. comes with DACT stainless knob for volume control. these knob is made of “Audio Grade” materials. In terms of components that are not used directly in the signal path, but relatively close to the audio signals, Audio Grade materials mean:

* Non-magnetic.
* No non-linear dielectric loss (like for instance that of certain plastics).

The DACT CT knobs were designed with the right “feel” . as good as any home hifi preamp knobs feel. never before in car audio industry uses knob like this!!.. Therefore, of course, low cost plastic knobs were out of the question from the beginning. There is no way that a lightweight plastic knob can match the delicate mechanism of our switches.
5. JFET low distortion transistor is used throughout the analog stage
6. Signal path is connected via Mundorf Silver Gold 14awg wire and has been kept to a minimun length for low signal loss.
7. all premium caps using Vcap, Blackgates
8. High quality, very close tolerance precision 1% non-magnetic resistors and audiophile grade carbon resistors are used throughout the analog circuitry for an articulate presentation with unsurpassed extension, air and detail at the frequency extremes.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Interconnect & speaker cables

October 24th, 2011

Our bestseller cables!!..

Why van den hul?

Go Dutch! Okay, nothing of that sort. Van den Hul (VDH) is a dutch company that has been around for over 20years. The company began operations with a main objective, which still stands today to improve the quality of both phono-transfer and the quality of signal transmission in a broad sense.

Over the years, the company continues to apply new unique techniques, solutions and state-of-the-art technology based on their inventions, findings and listening experiences.  This experience is gained taking into account the consumers expectations, which include audio industry and professionals in the recording industry.

Selecting cables may seem like a basic task, but it is by no means simple. Cable companies are widespread and plenty. Many having to prove themselves as not being labelled ”snake-oil”. Snake oil meaning worthless (just like various liquid that are sold as medicine but medically worthless).

Cables themselves look like snakes and some makers make it so enticing by sleeving them into plastic snake skin jackets and thick rubber hoses. Therefore, when selecting cables it is best to focus on performance gains, towards a specific goal and take the looks with a pinch of salt.

Fortunately, VDH cables choose not to do dress up marketing. As important as marketing is to any company, VDH sticks to simple packaging, professional and non fancy approach. They focus on making the cable longstandingly durable,  clean/green from environmental influences and best of all, damn good sounding.

So, why does Audio Creations use van den hul for car audio? Car audio suffers the same fate as home audio and audio/video, but (even more) to a  harsher degree (because of reflecting surfaces in the car) in it’s battle against digital sources, digital reproductions and boringly clean and lifeless music. We find that VDH cables allows us to combat digital boringness more effectively by injecting more analogness in the music.

History of VDH itself proves that the company spends its time and resources making high-end cartridges, and you can’t expect any more analog than that. Analogness preserves musical quality and VDH does just that in a more outstanding manner. Outstanding in the sense that it balances out the need for lowest distortion possible, best detail and resolution possible, realistically solid imaging and control while preserving the realism and essence of physical fullness in the music. 

Make way for van den hul cables in your audio system, and discover how tuning can be less painful and snergy between your high quality or high-end equipment start to take form and perform optimally. You owe it to your equipment to try it out…

Interconnect/ RCA:
Van den Hul BayC5 Hybrid Interconnect
Large Crystal OFC with a dense Silver coating + Linear Structured Carbon ® saturated layer(s)

Van den Hul D300MKIII Hybrid Interconnect
High purity dense Silver coated high purity OFC + Linear Structured Carbon ® saturated layer(s)

Van den Hul D102MKIII Hybrid Interconnect
High purity dense Silver coated high purity Matched Crystal OFC + Linear Structured Carbon ® saturated layer(s)

Van den Hul Thunderline Hybrid (our favourite cable)
High purity dense Silver coated high purity Matched Crystal OFC + Linear Structured Carbon ® saturated layer(s)

Van den Hul The Second (our favourite cable)
Full Linear Structured Carbon ®
* this cable will never age

Van den Hul MC Silver 65G (our favourite cable)
Strands with a thin high purity Matched Crystal OFC core and a thick High purity dense Matched Crystal Silver layer; Screen includes a high purity Matched Crystal Silver ribbon

Van den Hul Sub Hybrid
High purity dense Silver coated high purity Matched Crystal OFC + FUSION TECHNOLOGY: amorphous Cu/Zn/Ag alloy + HYBRID: Linear Structured Carbon ® saturated layer(s)

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Speaker cables:

Van den Hul Skyline Hybrid @ 14awg
High purity OFC + Linear Structured Carbon ® saturated layer(s)

Van den Hul CS122 Hybrid @ 12awg
High purity dense Silver coated high purity Matched Crystal OFC + Linear Structured Carbon ® saturated layer(s)

Van den Hul Goldwater @ 14awg
High purity dense Silver coated high purity Matched Crystal OFC

Van den Hul Revolution Hybrid @ 8awg
Both centre conductor and outer groups: High purity dense Silver coated high purity Matched Crystal OFC + Linear Structured Carbon ® saturated layer(s)


Van den Hul Revelation Hybrid @ 5awg (our best speaker conductor)
Both centre conductor and outer groups: High purity dense Silver coated high purity Matched Crystal OFC + Linear Structured Carbon ® saturated layer(s)


Car Audio Speakers

October 24th, 2011

Our bestseller range

Vifa Cardio 6.5″ component speakers
Price: RM800.00

for more info,

http://www.vifa-audio.com/news-activities.php

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Rainbow SLX265 6.5″component speakers
Price: RM800.00

for more info,

http://www.rainbowcaraudio.com/slx265.html


Rainbow CSX255 6.5″ component speakers
Price: RM1,100.00
for more info,

http://www.rainbowcaraudio.com/csx265.html

DLS Performance B 6.5″ component speakers
Price: RM580.00

for more info,

http://dls.se/en/car/prod.html?produkt=en_50

DLS Reference R6A component speakers
Price: RM1000.00
for more info,

http://dls.se/en/car/prod.html?produkt=en_60

Premium Car audio speakers :

Scanspeak 2-way (made in denmark)
Price: RM1800.00

optional upgrade to Scanspeak 3-way
4″ midrange , shallow depth
* can install at the A-pillar, kick panel and door panel
Price: RM1000.00

mcIntosh car audio

October 20th, 2011

Mcintosh -USA
Specifications have often been the benchmark for choosing car audio amplifiers.  However, it becomes secondary if you find something that performs way beyond paper/technical specifications.

For a Mcintosh amplifier, the specification is rather meaningless. If you have heard a Mcintosh in action, you will immediately notice how ‘analog’ sounding it makes your sound system perform.

Analog (analogue) as described in simple terms mean it sounds more physical, somewhat organic and emotional. As opposed to other electronics that tend to sound more digital or some describe as clinical/cold sounding.  

At Audio Creations we carry both new and mint conditioned pre-owned units. We take pride in all our units, new and used alike.

Demo unit- mint condition(used unit)
*we do NOT take in crack and horribly scratched amplifier for resale!!.. all of them look great the way it should be
*all premium mint units are a 100% working condition

headunit/source unit and external digital to  analog convertor
1. mcIntosh MX4000 + MDA4000 (external DAC)
2. mcIntosh MX406 (standalone player)
3. mcIntosh MX5000 (flagship standalone player w option for external DAC)
4. mcIntosh MDA5000 (flagship external DAC)

* all high-end Mcintosh headunits come with an external DC-DC power supply.

amplifier
1. mcIntosh MCC404M
100RMS X 4
2. mcIntosh MCC404
100RMS X 4
3. mcIntosh MC431
100RMS X 4
4. mcIntosh MC443M
300rms@4ohm; 500rms@2ohm (Class AB monoblock)
5. mcIntosh MC420
50RMS X 4
6. mcIntosh MC420M
50RMS X 4
7. mcIntosh MCC444
110RMS X 4
8. mcIntosh MCC222
110RMS X 2
Brand new!! 1year warranty
headunit/source unit
1. mcIntosh MX406 local radio reception
2. mcIntosh MX4000 + MDA4000
3. mcIntosh MX5000

amplifier
1. mcIntosh MCC302
150RMS X 2
3. mcIntosh MCC404
100RMS X 4

* please call for price!!
* if you havent heard how analog with thick, full sounding yet revealing character of the Mcintosh amplifiers, please do not hesitate to drop  by for an audition.
Kindly call for a no obligation audition before coming by.
Thank you.

call victor 012 296 2799 for an audition

 

Why mod (modify) your McIntosh gears?

October 20th, 2011

Modification as a means of upgrade may not be a norm for everyone. Most people are used to replace their gears as a next path of upgrade.

More commonly seen in home audio, high-end modifications as a means of upgrade have widely been accepted over the years. This upgrade path is highly viable, more cost-effective in the long run and promises better performance gain compared to buying new and more expensive gears. Whenever, we sell or trade in our used gears, we lose a lot, which if you add up over the years is plenty of money thrown away.

When we explore mods, we are not referring to cheap DIY upgrades that people do to their equipment. It is not something to can pull out from websites or blogs depicting people’s experimentations with tweaks on their equipment.

Think about it… There is little point changing something you already like to something which may be better in certain aspect of reproduction, but takes away the essence or original quality that made you fall-in-love with the sound in the first place. The idea here is to use it and make it many times better, since it is already a superb platform to begin with.

In car audio electronics, modifications are even rarer in the consumer market. However, in very niche applications and often seen overseas in high-end car audio shows and competitions, more and more people are going to upgrades by means of mods to bring their audio system to a few levels above everyone else. 

The truth is however, many a times we do not see people openly promoting it, as it is hidden or kept a secret so that one will not lose their edge over competitors. If you have an edge over your opponents or perform a milestones ahead of your groupies with the same level of equipment, you might also do the same. 

After years of experience in mods and extensive R&D  of high-end options, we at Audio Creations knows what is best to elevate your McIntosh gears to ultra-high-end status. This mods will transform your premium gears to out of the world sounding, putting you on the pedestal above others. Alright, forget the pedestal, you’ll be at the highest point of the hill. The transformation is very prominent and worth every penny.

mcIntosh MX406/M4000/MX5000 Head Unit

Low Jitter Correction Clock Upgrade
We add a reference quality jitter reduction circuit, this a major improvement in overall sound! This replaces the master clock and offers much lower jitter rate than the stock cmos type oscillator.
Lowering jitter simply results in more lifelike sound. Increased musicality, resolution, dynamics, soundstage,…you name it…everything improves.
More focus and detail into the presentation, Wider/Deeper/Taller Soundstaging, Better inner resolution of instruments and guitar plucks (for example) have the texture and liveliness and presence. Overall resolution increases and Bass/Dynamics are tighter, deeper and more refined and controlled. now low level information can be heard!
Price:
Level 1 upgrade
Level 2 upgrade
Level 3 upgrade

Burn-in time: 50hours

Dedicated Digital Power Supply Upgrade
We add a discrete ultra low noise wide bandwidth power supply that adds another level Of performance to the clock  by removing any reflections from the clock power supply to the digital SMPS power supply. When clean power is supplied to the rest of the circuit, your equipment will perform to their full potential. You will have overall improvement that is not limited to any particular section of the sound spectrum. Increased dynamics and resolution is what is to be expected. The clock power supply is needed to truly have a matched package.

mcIntosh MDA4000/MDA5000 external DAC
Power supply upgrade
replace the stock smoothing caps with ‘audiophile grade’ low ESR capacitors
replace power reservoir with ‘audiophile grade’ low ESR capacitors
replace power decoupling caps with ‘audiophile grade’

Analog Output Stage
Upgrade to fully discrete high resolution analog output stage opamp

Listening Impression:
a very listenable and engaging performer. It will bring pure music to your soul, without listening fatigue to your ears. provides a fuller texture with morerefined detail. At the same time the bass is well controlled and very punchy.

Burn-in time: 100hours
DC-DC Converter
Upgrade smoothing stage, power reservoir, power decoupling caps to ‘audiophile grade’ low ESR capacitors
Level 1 with Mundorf Supreme decoupling
Level 2 with Vcap TFTF Teflon Film decoupling

Listening impression: xxxxxx…plug and play..simply cant lie!!
Burn-in time: 100hours +

DC-DC Harness
Level 1: Custom made van den hul high purity dense Silver coated high purity OFC using mundorf silver gold solder
Level 2: Custom made van den hul high purity dense Silver coated high purity OFC using mundorf silver gold solder + 6N OHNO pure copper in teflon jacket

Listening impression: xxxxx…plug and play..simply cant lie!!
Burn-in time: 40hours
Digital coaxial output on mcIntosh MX4000/MX5000
custom modded to replace stock digital coaxial with 75ohm SPDIF format. The inner conductor is made with pure silver, while the dieslectrics are foamed Polyethylene and microporous PTFE Teflon. This cable is triple shielded and uses copper/mylar foil.
This is the ultimate upgrade for any digital coaxial 75ohm cable!!

Burn-in time: 100hours

 

 


High-fidelity capacitors – custom passives

October 18th, 2011

Mundorf M-Cap Supreme Capacitor

Listening Impression:

The M-CAP SUPREME introduces affordable high-end sound to any quality speaker drivers. It delivers a very spatial sound with plenty of depth and gives good reproduction of the musical nuances. Detail and depth from the high treble right down into the low mid-range becomes more distinct. This is your first step into high-end crossovers. The Supreme is a clear and transparent sounding cap with a good sound stage, providing a good improvement in clarity, focus and dynamics. The degree of improvement is comparable to upgrading to high-end cabling. We were definitely very impressed when we first auditioned them.

Mundorf M-Cap Silver Oil Capacitor

Listening Impression:

Mundorf states: “…wonderfully spacious and detailed sound reproduction …an even fuller and smoother tonal richness and diversity. This capacitor’s ability to bring out the finest nuances and the subtlest distinctions make the music sound more alive and “juicy”, yet without unnatural emphasis of any individual effects. …Wonderfully spacious music reproduction… ”. Yes, exactly what we felt when we first sampled the Supreme Silver/Oil capacitors. The air, bloom and the high-end feel just became more apparent. The cap gives heighten attention to music detail and depth throughout from top to bottom. The music presentation is very smooth and liquid. The only drawback is the extremely long burn-in period and the rollercoaster performance while waiting. To overcome this teething problem, we offer a 100hour, 200hour or 300hour burn-in service for a minimal charge.

Mundorf M-Cap Silver/Gold Oil Capacitor

Listening Impression:

The Silver/Gold in Oil is Mundorf’s current highest offering and they are among one of the best and most exotic capacitors available in the market. They are expensive but honestly, it is worth it. Compared to the Mundorf Silver/Gold, they have better layering and sound even more airy. The spatial soundstage window is opened wider and deeper. They are richer tonally and better layered than the Mundorf Silver/Gold. The Silver/Gold/Oil excels in refinement of highs and micro-details like the like the Mundorf Silver/Gold but takes it a few levels ahead in extension and creates more depth and width as if you have a larger area beyond the confinement of your room or car. Install it and you may never want to remove it.

Duelund VSF Aluminum Capacitor

Listening Impression:

Calm as a sleeping baby. The Duelund VSF capacitors give you that smile the minute you press the play button. The chocolate bar actually tastes better than it looks. One is tempted to close the eyes (although it is not a good idea while driving) and relax in sheer peacefulness as the music flows from the speakers to your ears and down to your heart and soul. The VSF Aluminum is Duelund’s most entry level offering but it still spells high-end at an affordable level. It is has less flair and is leaner sounding than some of the other high-end capacitors but they sound very natural and has the tonal that most capacitors are dying to achieve. Compared to the VSF Copper, it sounds more forward and less layered. Nevertheless to say, if you own a really kick-ass high-end speaker driver, you ought to take a bite on these.

Duelund VSF Copper Capacitor

Listening Impression:

We were charmed by this capacitor. The VSF Copper comes across very natural, smooth, clear, open and keeps everything in place in an extremely calm and controlled manner. One may think that this is a boring capacitor like some analog sounding capacitors in the market but we term it very natural for its ability to deliver dynamics whenever the type of music calls for it. The tonal balance and harmonics is a definite win-win and we love how it sounds with both instruments and human voices. It does not have the depth and wow factor like the Mundorf Silver/Gold/Oil but it makes up for it with its awesome tonality. We were extremely happy with how the imaging and separation of every individual instrument is portrayed with precision rather than cluster. And we just have to stress again, the VSF Copper is exceptionally natural sounding. This is a definite must have for any serious audiophile or music lover.

 

Duelund Cast Copper Capacitor
the king of the capacitors!

Listening Impression:

The Duelund CAST Capacitor is our no holds barred flagship capacitor. The construction builds on the foundation of our Virtual Stack Foil design but does so with the addition of a proprietary WPIO dielectricum which necessitates several days of impregnation under high pressure. We will spare you the technical details but as complicated it may seems, wait till you have heard how it sounds. The cast design helps music flow effortlessly with utmost presence and palpability. The background is pitch black, quiet and extremely calm. Music is delivered in a timely and high-end fashion. It is a seriously no games, just music and the best that money can buy when it comes to capacitors for passive crossovers. It is available as pure copper or pure silver.

Updated new look – CAST cap


Vcap Reference Grade Teflon Capacitor
TFTF Reference – teflon film tin foil audio capacitors
CUTF Elite Reference – copper foil teflon film audio capacitors
A high-end capacitor use on our general modifications equipment and customized passives as coupling cap
Kindly call in for further information.
or view the link : www.v-cap.com

Year-End Special Pricing

October 7th, 2011

Year-End Special Pricing

audio creations is always dedicated to bring you premium brands at affordable price. now everybody can own premium car audio gears and enjoy hi-fidelity music reproduction of car audio….

Package
*comes with 4 channel amplifier, subwoofer, front components (complete setup)

1. Hertz HE4 power amplifier, 100% original brand new in box

Class AB 4ch power amplifier
70W RMS X 4@ 4ohm
70W RMS X 2@4ohm + 200W RMS X 1@4ohm(bridged)

highlights of the amp
* DIE-CAST HEATSINKS, robust built hence thermally optimized.
* based on a robust power supply stage and a powerful output stage. Multiple winding transformers and high current 105°C Electrolytic capacitors are employed, along with low RDS Mosfets, selected to ensure high efficiency and current capability.
* equipped with SANKEN TO3P output transistors resulting in a Signal/Noise ratio of up to 100dBA.

2.Morel Tempo 6″ front speakers, brand new
* excellent midrange front components.
* morel is widely known for producing the finest in home hifi speakers

3. JL Audio WX 12″ subwoofer, brand new
* needs no introduction, as JL Audio has been known to produce best car audio subwoofers… period!!
Package price: RM2400.00 (hardware only)

note:
* limited sets only

installation:
* we provide full installation with a minimum charge

 

Happy New Year 2011: A GOOD YEAR TO PIMP YOUR RIDE!!

January 1st, 2011

We at Audio Creations wishes our customers and friends a healthy, prosperous and most importantly a happy year. In 2011, our goal extends further than making your sound system awesome.

We have expanded our services to put a bigger smile on your face by pimping your ride - offering services of premium automotive paint jobs, premium detailing, matching bodykits which exudes class, large sporty wheels, classy leather interior etc.

Have a great year ahead. Happy Year 2011. Make it count!!

JL Audio Subwoofers: Loud and Live Sound Quality Bass

December 17th, 2010

 

JL Audio Subwoofers

JL Audio advertisements in the local and foreign magazines never fail to impress me. It is often featured with r&b celebrities etc. At first glance, it is just another good looking subwoofer in the sea of subwoofers available in the market place. Then we started experimenting with JL Audio subwoofers in our own rides and in customer’s rides using various enclosure configurations in varying vehicle dimension (small-large) and shapes (convertibles-hatchback-sedans-MPVs).

It is by far the most linear sounding subwoofer we have used in our installs. It sounds great at low volumes, medium, high and insane volumes with very good dynamic range. Rich sounding, hits hard when required and is not lazy sounding nor quick and lightweight sounding like aluminium ones. There are some monstrous subs that may sound louder but subwoofer to us is not entirely about how loud it can go. It needs to sound good and not be intrusive or missing at low volumes. Most importantly, to achieve the desired lows, we feel that subwoofers must be fed with the right signal in the first place to harness the best out of them. At Audio Creations, we know how to condition the signal that is fed to your speakers, and in this context in particular, to the ultra-low transducers – subwoofer. Power itself is not the only factor.

JL Audio subwoofers are well engineered and we rate its performance simpy as  ’low distortion’. It doesn’t give us any more loudness or lows that we really need or lack of any. It gives bass a good foundation!! Hard to fault. Bass delivered is clean, powerful and unobtrusive. It may not be the most accurate sounding subwoofer I have encountered over 12 years but it doesn’t colour the sound in any way. It just blends in well with a tuned front stage. Many subs simply cannot keep up with the front. There were numerous cases we found their 8 or 10s sound better than many 12 inchers.

We like JL Audio. The company takes the trouble to make sure the product line improves and improves further over time with newer models. Look at the amount of new patents that go into their designs. Well, okay it may be a little commercialized but it sure doesn’t look bogus. By the way, check out their Phantom subwoofers for home audio and home theatres. Clearly tells us they are serious about subwoofers and not just another over commercialized brand name. It is rugged enough for our installs; built quality is good and most importantly they sound great and does not break your wallet.

Furthermore, the documentation between the website, http://www.jlaudio.com, and the owner’s manual is one of the best most of us have ever seen. Not only did the owner’s manual provided technical information, it has well-illustrated enclosure recommendations and an easy to understand power handling reference chart. In you are building your system for Loud Sound Quality in mind…  Go linear sounding, Go JL Audio!

Stinger Deep Cycle Battery For Your Car Audio

December 17th, 2010

Stinger SPV44

Power Series 660Amp Dry Cell Battery

The Power Series SPV44 is a valve regulated, sealed lead acid (AGM) battery utilizes dry cell technology  with an absorbed glass mat. The SPV44 is excellent deep cycle battery in a compact size, which is ideal for car audio applications.

SPV Series Batteries are good for over 300 full discharge cycles. SPV44 includes removable brass battery posts for installation flexibility and excellent connectivity.

Internal resistance: <5mOhms = Ability to quickly deliver power. The lower the number the faster the delivery. Part or most of the loss in charging and discharging batteries is due to internal resistance. This is converted to heat, which is why batteries get warm when being charged up. The lower the internal resistance,  the better.  Slower charging and discharging rates are more efficient. Much of this loss of efficiency is due to higher internal resistance at higher amperage rates – internal resistance is not a constant – kind of like “the more you push, the more it pushes back”.

Typical efficiency in a lead-acid battery is 85-95%, in alkaline and NiCad battery it is about 65%. True deep cycle AGM’s like the Stinger Power Series can approach 98%.

An important fact is that ALL of the batteries commonly used in deep cycle applications are Lead-Acid. This includes the standard flooded (wet) batteries, gelled, and AGM. They all use the same chemistry, although the actual construction of the plates etc. varies.  Stinger batteries are built solidly to last.

Constant discharge capacity at 77 degrees F (-25 degrees C) to 10.5V

20 hour rate: 2.2A/44.0Ah

5 hour rate: 7.48A/37.4Ah

1/2 hour rate:55.0A/27.5Ah

5 Second Cranking Amps (Burst): 660A

CCA:550A

Watts: 1320

Peak Discharge: 725 Amps 5 Second Burst

Weight: 36.52 lbs.

Dimensions: (6.75H x 7.75W x 6.5D)

Comes with black powder finish protective steel case for extra protection and great cosmetics

Sealed design and can be mounted in any position. Stinger SPV Batteries are safe to be used in the car cabin without fumes.

A little about Deep Cycle Technology

A deep-cycle battery is designed to be regularly discharged to most of its capacity. In contracts, regular starter batteries (the ones that come with the car and sold everywhere) are designed to deliver sporadic high current for cranking the engine, and to be frequently discharged of only a part of their capacity. While a deep cycle battery can be used as a starting battery, the lower “cranking amps” imply that an over-sized battery may need to be used. However, in Malaysian local hot weather and high temperatures, there is less need for high cold cranking amps for firing up your vehicle’s engine… explained later on. Furthermore, most Malaysian cars are built with smaller capacity engines between 1500cc-2000cc and current production cars are designed to be very efficient and use smaller battery for cranking purposes.

The structural difference between deep cycle batteries and starter cranking batteries reside in the lead battery plates. Deep cycle battery plates are thicker, active plates, with higher-density active paste material and thicker separators. The thicker battery plates resist corrosion through extended charge and discharge cycles. Capacity of a new, maintenance free, or sealed, deep-cycle battery is designed to be limited by the amount of electrolyte in the battery, which protects the plates. This means that when it is end of life, it is end of life… similar to regular maintenance free batteries.

Regular starter batteries are not made for deep discharge. The lifespan decreases significantly on deep discharge. Deep cycle batteries are made for that purpose but due to the hefty price tag, we must be wondering how long it lasts. The lifespan of a deep cycle battery will vary considerably with how it is used.  There are so many variables, such as depth of discharge, maintenance, temperature, how often and how deep cycled, etc. that it is almost impossible to give a fixed number but on typical use for deep cycle services (use of aftermarket car audio and electronics), we expect it to last much longer than a regular starter battery, perhaps 2 to 2.5 times longer.

This is an indication of battery type and lifespan, taken from a technical website:

Starting: 3-12 months

Marine: 1-6 years

Golf cart: 2-7 years

AGM deep cycle: 4-7 years

Gelled deep cycle: 2-5 years

Deep cycle (L-16 type etc): 4-8 years

Rolls-Surrette premium deep cycle: 7-15 years

Industrial deep cycle (Crown and Rolls 4KS series): 10-20+ years

NiFe (alkaline): 5-35 years

NiCad: 1-20 years

Using a deep cycle battery as a starting battery

There is generally no problem with this, providing that allowance is made for the lower cranking amps compared to a similar size starting battery. With modern engines with fuel injection and electronic ignition, it generally takes much less battery power to crank and start them, so raw cranking amps is less important than it used to be. On the other hand, many cars, boats, and RV’s are more heavily loaded with power sucking “appliances”, such as megawatt stereo systems etc. that are more suited for deep cycle batteries. I have personally use Stinger Deep Cycle AGM batteries my previous VW Golf mkIII 2Litre Gti and another friend on his Toyota Wish with no problems for many years and could still sell them for ½ the price rather than dispose them after a few years. In short, it will not hurt a deep cycle battery to be used as a starting battery, but for the same size battery they cannot supply as much cranking amps as a regular starting battery which is not particularly important in a warm climate (the warmer it is the higher the amperage).

User Comments/Reviews:

-    This battery does a much better job than the stock battery. I used to get horrendous head light/interior light dimming when the bass notes hit with the stock battery. With this battery that was almost eliminated. If I really look I can detect a dim when the bass really hits but for the most part the battery performs. Only thing is I probably should have spent the extra money & stepped up to the next size Stinger battery. (we recommend adding a second unit, which adds up to much higher capacity compared to stepped up models)

-   Great battery. Great price.. The battery is totally sweet. My stock battery was lacking in juice but not this battery. With the stock battery my car’s built in electronic compass display would just shut off (probably not enough power to run my amps plus all my car’s electronic systems) but I’ve had the SPV44 installed for 2 weeks now & the compass display shows up on every crank. This battery also reduced my interior light dimming problem. Now I’m thinking maybe I should add another.