Alpine MRP-M500 review

[darcness]

Amp in question: Alpine MRP-M500 Mono Class D.
Purchased from: Ebay
Time Owned: 2 weeks
Stats: 300x1 @ 4ohms, 500x1 @ 2ohms, Class D
Price Paid: $145 shipped

Initial Impression:
This amp is TINY. For 500w RMS of power, it's VERY small. This was one of the reasons I bought the amp in the first place. I needed ~ 500w in a small, reliable package, at a budget price point. The amp looks great, with nice clean simple lines and no bling to speak of. The power LED is a nice small square blue in the center of the amp. A nice touch is the side "covers" that are simple to install and hide most of the wiring. Overall, a great looking little amp.

Installation:
Installation was simple. 4 holes for mounting, and then 4 more screws for the end caps. The only thing I don't like about it is that the adjustments, like 90% of amps, are on the sides. Oh well, more of a personal preference than anything else. Also another minor annoyance is the +12v and ground connections. They call for 8gauge wiring, but trying to get 8gauge under the screw and plate is a pain. I wouldn't go smaller wire with 500w, but if you have some sort of interface for the wiring (ie, those crimp on terminal plate things) they will help a bunch.

Adjustments:
The amp has all the essential adjustments onboard. The low pass filter, gain, subsonic filter, and bass boost (50Hz) are all adjustable via the classic Alpine flat head screw driver knobs. These are recessed into the amp. I believe the low pass range is 20Hz to 200Hz, but don't quote me. Subsonic I'm fairly certain does 20Hz to 50Hz. Do keep in mind that the low pass filter is NOT defeatable on this amp. That is really my only gripe with the adjustment controls.

Operation:
This is really where this little amp shines. Sound Quality with my single Pioneer 305DVC is great. The lows especially sound much better than my previous amp (Visonik V500HC). The punchy bass sounds a little less than my previous amp, but I was using 2 subs with that, as opposed to now. The fact that this amp with 1 sub, sounds nearly as good as my previous amp with 2 subs makes me very happy. It seems to be very efficient, barely dimming my lights (my fault for weak electrical) at full volume. For the money, it's a great sounding amp.

Overall:
8/10 Aesthetics
6/10 Hookups (low marks for 8 gauge hardly fitting)
7/10 Adjustability
7/10 Power (I'd say it's slightly under rated or right at 500w RMS)
9/10 Value

Overall: 7.5/10 Great amp for some one looking for a nice mono block, that isn't too flashy and just gets the job done.

[03KingRanch21811]

Nice review, glad you're happy with the amp. I have one myself, along with the F450 4ch., that is going into my Supercrew. I am using a single JL 12W3v3 2ohm sub. I can't wait to get it installed but my fiberglass projects are taking forever!