Trinirides.com - T And T Most Advanced Online Auto classifieds

We recently started a series on slim subwoofer reviews and that got us thinking about pairing them with amps that also make installing (and saving space) easier. Everyone thinks of Alpine and JL Audio for compact car audio amplifiers, but even companies that once used to make behemoth products for powering your speakers and subs have gone small. Although that is not to say they're not powerful. And there are manufacturers that have been making terrific little amps for a while, but haven't really hit the car audio mainstream. In this survey we take a look at various options for adding an amp, while avoiding the addition of oversized products and the subtraction of car interior space. Some of the products, you'll notice, are linked to reviews. Some of the newer amps, we plan to review as soon as we can get our hands on them!

Alpine
Alpine PDX amps have been one of the best selling series of amps over the last few years. They perform well, look great and are compact and easily stackable. The new PDXs are now available (we should be receiving our sample soon) and product guru Jason Kemmerer of Alpine has made some improvements to this popular model. If you haven't tried the older version, you can read about that here. The PDX-4.150 measures a mere, 10-1/8 x 2-7/16 x 7-1/2. That's about .8 watts per cubic inch. Contrast the figure to what you might get with some large amp with comparable power. It's not bad at all.



The new PDX-F4 measures a similar 10-1/8 x 7-9/16 x 2. See the video here for more info. Of course, you could go with Alpine's best-selling amp, the MRP-F300, which is more affordable and measures a measly 8-17/64 x 2-23/64 x 9-33/64.



JL Audio
We're hearing a lot of good things about the new XD amps from JL Audio. In terms of compact-ness, it's pretty incredible. The HD amps are small, but the XD400/4 is 33% smaller, if you can believe that. It's 8.52 x 7.09 x 2.05.



Read more about the amp here. Of course, the HD600/4 was already near tiny at 10.74 x 8.29 x 1.93. JL Audio also now has the HD900/5, a 900W version (100W RMS x 2 @ 4Ω and 75W RMS x 2 @ 1.5-3Ω), in the same chassis, making its watt per cubic inch figure very attractive indeed, especially given the options you have with it being a 5-channel amp.



Kenwood
A little late to the party but making a very fine entrance is Kenwood. Their Reference Fit XR-4S amp is a slight 9-1/4 x 7-9/16 x 2-1/16. Amp expert Bob Norvelle reviewed this last year. Read the review for his opinion. Kenwood has recently released a 5-channel version of the amp.



Arc Audio
As if the above weren't already small enough, there's Arc with its mini series amps, designed by the legendary Robert Zeff. The KS 125.4 measures 11.625 x 5.125 x 1.75, barely over 100 cubic inches. And if you think there's no way that it can supply enough power then think again. We heard a well-equipped Mustang with a system built by the very talented Chris Merrill. The little amp that could was more than enough for the woofers in that vehicle. Arc also has the XXD, which measures a comparable 9-1/4 x 7-1/8 x 1-7/8.



Genesis
Not as popular, but much loved by audiophiles, the Genesis line of amps combine diminutive size with grandness of (sound) quality.



Read our review of the Dual Mono to get an idea of Genesis' approach to amp making.

The 4-channel version, the Compact 4 is 2-3/8 x 8-1/4 x 11-4/5. They also have the Profile 4, which is a feathery 1-1/2 x 8-1/2 x 11-3/4. The drawback with their amps isn't size, it's the price. They are on the expensive side.



Pioneer
If you want to sacrifice slightly more space in your vehicle and not sacrifice a lot more money, then you might consider Pioneer's GM-D9500F. This is a Class-FD 4-channel amp that costs an enticing $269 and only measures 8-7/8 x 2-1/4 x 7-7/8. I recently did an install utilizing these amps and really appreciated being able to tuck the product in any number of places—not that you want to hide this amp with its slick industrial design. But moreover, what I liked even better was the overall value.



Kicker
When I think of Kicker, I think, well, "loud". I think Warhorse, a truly extreme high power amp that requires two people to lift. But Kicker can make powerful little amps as well. The DX200.4 is a good example. It's 2-1/8 x 8-5/16 x 10-1/4. More info on this line is available here.



They also have the higher end IX500.4 if you want more power and a cosmetically superior design, at least in our opinion. The amp measures 11-3/8 x 2-3/16 x 7-7/8 and is not only easily stackable, Kicker allows you to customize them with attachable artwork. We are currently testing the amp now and the review should be published on our site next week. So stay tuned for that.



Rockford Fosgate
Rockford's another company we tend to associate with gargantuan power. They've also built a statement amp—about the size of a sub-compact car. But they've also been able to deliver what their fans want in a lot smaller frame. The Punch P400-4 is rated at 50W x 4 @ 4-Ohms RMS, 100W x 4 @ 2-Ohms RMS and 200W x 2 @ 4-Ohms bridged RMS and is 2.25 x 7.625 x 13.02. It's a little larger than some of the others on this list, but it's in the ballpark.



Audison
This next amp is also larger than most of the compact amps on this list, but it's a very handsome, high quality multi-channel amp solution. The SRx 4 measures 8-1/2 x 14-9/16 x 2-1/4. If you haven't experienced Audison products, then this review of an LRx amp will give you an idea. This 4-channel has by-passable crossover sections and speaker-in hi-level inputs, plus PRE-amp by-pass outputs.



Alto Mobile
This company is no longer around, at least not in the States. And their old website is not active anymore either. They did try to enter the U.S. market several years ago. We reviewed the ADP102 (there was also the 4-channel version, the ADP204). It was a class D rated at 50 watts x 2 into 4 ohms and had a switchable 12dB/octave highpass/lowpass crossover, selectable from 50Hz to 500Hz. And it was probably the smallest amplifier at the time, at 7-1/2 x 9 x 1-1/2. The review is not in our archives, but we will post the story soon. It tested well, was fairly inexpensive ($260 for the 2-channel) and operated at 90% efficiency.



Blaupunkt
The THA 475 was a very useful upgrade amp with the right dimensions (11.3 x 6.3 x 1.6), and was designed to be seriously easy to install. Blaupunkt marketed it as their plug and play car audio amp. Read our review from a few years ago. It wasn't a bad idea, given that it was already clear then that the aftermarket needed simple solutions to be able to integrate with OE systems. But unfortunately Blaupunkt could not afford to stay in the U.S. market.

< Prev		Next >