[JohnnyOhh]

Has anyone worked with this amplifier before? Is it real? Does it do what it claims? What's the catch?
The DSP included features on this amplifier, combined with it's price, seem like a great deal.

Any input would be appreciated. Amplifier - - Power Acoustick "RZ4-2000DSPB"

It advertises having these features integrated into a 4ch amplifier:

• 6dB - 48dB crossover slopes on ea ch.
• 20Hz-20kHz freq rang for crossovers
• HPF,LPF,BPF for ea ch.
• 10 band eq on ea ch.
• Time delay on each ch. in 0.5mS steps, up to 20mS
• Phase adjustability on ea ch.
• Bluethooth control of DSP features.

RZ4-2000DSPB | PowerAcoustik

2000W 4-Channel Amplifier with Built-in DSP Max Power (watts) 2,000 RMS @ 4Ω Bridged, 14.4V 2 x 500 RMS Power 2Ω, 14.4V 4 x 250 RMS Power 4Ω, 14.4V 4 x 190

poweracoustik.com

 

[SkizeR]

Wouldn't touch their regular amps with a ten foot pole. I cant even imagine what kind of disaster their dsp amps are

Sent from my SM-G975U using Tapatalk

 

[Ge0]

I haven't looked inside a Power Acoustic amp in 10 years. It was pure crap back then. I assume it hasn't changed much now. It's just a name these days. Ownership has probably changed hands a dozen times. Their generic Chinese supplier has probably changed just as many times. As SkiZer said, not with a 10 ft. pole. It's like shopping for car audio gear at a flea market.

Ge0

 

[JohnnyOhh]

hahaha, ok thanks. i personally don't have any experience with them. I figured I could reach out to the experts here and get your feedback's.

I think the amplifier hardware part maybe might perform okay maybe...., but not sure on the DSP software part and user interface software part....? I say the hardware maybe okay because of some reviews/tests I have seen on Power Acoustic amplifiers from "Williston Audio Labs" and "Budget Gem or Budget Bust" on youtube. the amps generally seem to turn on and work.

But, that's my only frame of reference. Your experienced views are appreciated.

Wouldn't touch their regular amps with a ten foot pole. I cant even imagine what kind of disaster their dsp amps are

Sent from my SM-G975U using Tapatalk

 

[JohnnyOhh]

Thanks for the feedback also.

Here's a some pictures of similar 4ch amp from power acoustik. i grabbed these screen shots from a youtube video from from "Williston Audio Labs "

I haven't looked inside a Power Acoustic amp in 10 years. It was pure crap back then. I assume it hasn't changed much now. It's just a name these days. Ownership has probably changed hands a dozen times. Their generic Chinese supplier has probably changed just as many times. As SkiZer said, not with a 10 ft. pole. It's like shopping for car audio gear at a flea market.

Ge0

 

[RatesTrader]

Wouldn't touch their regular amps with a ten foot pole. I cant even imagine what kind of disaster their dsp amps are

Sent from my SM-G975U using Tapatalk

I actually could not have come up with a better answer than this. ^^^^

 

[JohnnyOhh]

hahaha, o.k. another nail in the coffin.

have you guys actually used them and they broke on you or just general industry knowledge that the company's products are not that great?

i am really checking in to see if anyone has used the specific amplifier with the DSP onboard (Power Acoustick "RZ4-2000DSPB" mentioned above). but i am also interested in general experience with products from this company. so all feedback is appreciated.

I actually could not have come up with a better answer than this. ^^^^

 

[Ge0]

hahaha, ok thanks. i personally don't have any experience with them. I figured I could reach out to the experts here and get your feedback's.

I think the amplifier hardware part maybe might perform okay maybe...., but not sure on the DSP software part and user interface software part....? I say the hardware maybe okay because of some reviews/tests I have seen on Power Acoustic amplifiers from "Williston Audio Labs" and "Budget Gem or Budget Bust" on youtube. the amps generally seem to turn on and work.

But, that's my only frame of reference. Your experienced views are appreciated.

While I do appreciate some of Willistons opinions. He is only checking to see if the amp can produce its advertised ratings. He doesn't go too far into quality of the piece. I've never seen him address quality of a DSP.

That's my frame of reference. If you want to be a pioneer and chart the unknown that would be great. But, you would be doing this on your own dime. I still remain skeptical...

Ge0

 

[Ge0]

I have experience with their products burning up in peoples cars. Folks would send their amps for me to fix. Not much you can do with a crispy circuit board. But then, that was ten years ago. Your mileage may vary with a newer generation of product. For me, its worth an extra $50 to $100 to buy a well known brand which has a decent warranty to back it and is known for quality performance. But, that's just me...

Ge0

 

[Ge0]

Thanks for the feedback also.

Here's a some pictures of similar 4ch amp from power acoustik. i grabbed these screen shots from a youtube video from from "Williston Audio Labs "

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While nothing "red alert" is obvious from these photos here is what I see.
1.) I see a lot of un-activated solder flux residue on the circuit boards. If this amp will ever see high temp and high humidity situations it will be a disaster. The solder flux will turn into a corrosive and cause short circuiting issues.

2.) The generic capacitors on the power supply primary are rated for 105C. This is good. However, the generic capacitor bank of the power supply secondary is only rated to 85C. This is not good.

3.) The main power supply transformer has a little bit of silicon underneath it to help secure it. But, no silicon on any of the capacitors or the output filter inductors. The inductors may whine ans squeal.

4.) I see only a few very small semiconductors mounted on the board. If it does have a DSP it ain't powerful enough to do much. Here is a good point of reference.

This photo is from a middle of the line Bose OEM amp I dissected. The DSP inside this thing is over 5 years old but is capable of doing basic filtering and EQ tasks. The chips I see inside the PA amp are a fraction of this size / pin count.

If I can say one thing ggod about this PA design, at least there is not a rat nest of wires connecting this and that circuitry inside like I have seen in their earlier amps.

Ge0

 

[JohnnyOhh]

@Ge0 Thanks for your comments. It sounds like you have a lot of knowledge and experience.

I 100% agree with your thoughts on Mr. Williston. Although, I do figure his testing does give some validity to a product's capabilities and design robustness. As he does beat up the amplifiers during his testing, albeit for a short amount of time. And I agree he doesn't really test frequency response, crossovers, etc. But it is all we got these days..... man I wish CAE mag still existed 😢

Your past experience repairing PA amplifiers is a super good frame of reference for sure. I'll def keep that in mind. The pictures I attached are not from the amplifier with the DSP I was originally asking about, those pictures are from a similar amp from PA with no DSP. I think that IC is probably a switching power supply controller not a DSP. Sorry if I added confusion there. I couldn't find any test info or reviews on the new amplifier with the DSP. So I just grabbed those pictures to show you guys the probable build quality would be like. It looks decent to me, generally speaking.

Anybody else out there? Anybody else use this Power Acoustik amp with built in DSP (RZ4-2000DSPB)? Does the DSP do it's thing? Or is it a crock? Is the amp legit?

 

[Jroo]

Power Acoustik is still a big flea market amp. We have one locally and they still have about 3 car audio booths there. All sell PA and have a lot of buyers. I dont know if I saw a price point listed. It would have to be pretty cheap for me to try. Like under the Dayton audio dsp and cheap class d pricepoint. I see some decent class d amps for sale under 200 bucks and can find the dayton for 150 sometimes less. Those combos work and I just dont know how good the PA dsp actually is? This may be one that you just have to buy and test and report the results.

 

[JohnnyOhh]

Thanks for the thoughts. I might be in that boat, exactly. This specific amp with DSP is newer, their website says new for 2020. Maybe it's also too new for a lot of experiences to exist yet.

SE is selling this PA 4ch amp + DSP for $170 currently. So it seems like it is in that pricepoint you referenced.

I figure there could be some people using them with direct experience, but maybe not too many on diymobileaudio.

Very generally speaking..... not specific to PA..... I have caught wind of people having issues with software and hardware on DSPs, where DSPs loose their settings or the DSP introduces noise into the audio system. So I am generally cautious when it comes to DSPs. Also, I think that the software interfaces to control the DSPs are clunky and not really nice to use. Just kind of a pain, they get the job done, though. Maybe some of these DSP devices are not very mature yet, they might need more development and testing time.

So anyways, that's why i was seeking any feedback if anyone has used the PA stuff yet. I'll keep checking back in here, to see if anyone posts.

My personal situation is that I have ~$200 credit at SE.... and the amp I originally purchased is out of stock, so SE is trying to get me to purchase an alternative amp. This PA looked like it had nice features. So I figured I would see if anyone uses.

Power Acoustik is still a big flea market amp. We have one locally and they still have about 3 car audio booths there. All sell PA and have a lot of buyers. I dont know if I saw a price point listed. It would have to be pretty cheap for me to try. Like under the Dayton audio dsp and cheap class d pricepoint. I see some decent class d amps for sale under 200 bucks and can find the dayton for 150 sometimes less. Those combos work and I just dont know how good the PA dsp actually is? This may be one that you just have to buy and test and report the results.

 

[Petererc]

PPI ION, Soundstream PN, and Power Acoustic Razor use the same boards. Not sure what other amps have the built in dsp, but I gots a feeling it aint just Power Acoustic.
Some say the PPI and SS are good amps, i bought an PPI I1000.4. It sounds ok on midbass and mids. Got it bridged now to two ten inch subs independently. Gets hot causes a ruckus and hasn’t burned up. Yet!

 

[JohnnyOhh]

Cool and interesting. Thanks for posting. I am guessing that the PA RZ4-2000D and also the newer DSP version amp are maybe similar to PPI Ion i520.4, maybe even i320.4.... There is a i520.4 version with Bluetooth on it. No DSP though. It might be similar. Thanks for the info, I see the likeness of the PCBs between the brands. They are all Epsilon brands, so that makes sense. Good to know your PPI I1000.4 is a solid performer. Appreciate the info.

I personally have a set of the PPI Phantom P900.4 amplifiers in my car, and they have been solid. I really like the built-in crossovers flexibility. That's what attracted me to the Phantom amps in the first place. Similar to this PA amp.

PPI ION, Soundstream PN, and Power Acoustic Razor use the same boards. Not sure what other amps have the built in dsp, but I gots a feeling it aint just Power Acoustic.
Some say the PPI and SS are good amps, i bought an PPI I1000.4. It sounds ok on midbass and mids. Got it bridged now to two ten inch subs independently. Gets hot causes a ruckus and hasn’t burned up. Yet!

 

[lankfordcodi]

This is the same as the older razor models with a half ass crap DSP added to it, please don’t waste your money on that. If you want cheap gear get like a pioneer amp and a minidsp or Dayton dsp. Or I’ve personally had good luck with the Skar class A/B amplifiers. But don’t buy power akoustik. It’s a bad unreliable brand. I’ve seen other videos where they did not meet their rated power and just because it puts out rated power does not mean it’s clean good sounding power.

 

[JohnnyOhh]

No love for PA. Rough go at it for Epsilon brand. The trend continues. I'm starting to loose hope that anyone has used this amplifier or has any experience with its DSP. Eh well, might just be that way. 🤨

The unknown of this amplifier kind of makes me want to try this thing out, just too see if it's a gem in rough.... hehe. But also makes me want to steer away at the same time. Still holding out hope for a user of the RZ4-2000DSPB to pop up maybe. 🥺

@lankfordcodi I have to call you out a little bit, ...because of your comment directly...., what classifies this device as having a "half ass crap DSP"? What does that even mean? Do you know what DSP hardware or software is used in this product? Is it really a low quality DSP? I might be I dunno,..... but you know? If you do know, please share some details, very interested in fact.

This is the same as the older razor models with a half ass crap DSP added to it, please don’t waste your money on that. If you want cheap gear get like a pioneer amp and a minidsp or Dayton dsp. Or I’ve personally had good luck with the Skar class A/B amplifiers. But don’t buy power akoustik. It’s a bad unreliable brand. I’ve seen other videos where they did not meet their rated power and just because it puts out rated power does not mean it’s clean good sounding power.

 

[SkizeR]

@lankfordcodi I have to call you out a little bit, ...because of your comment directly...., what classifies this device as having a "half ass crap DSP"? What does that even mean? Do you know what DSP hardware or software is used in this product? Is it really a low quality DSP? I might be I dunno,..... but you know? If you do know, please share some details, very interested in fact.

i would normally agree with you, but its power acoustic. Their business plan is to sell the cheapest **** in mass volume. There is zero reason to beleive that anything they have is of even halfway decent quality, let alone their DSP's

 

[lankfordcodi]

No love for PA. Rough go at it for Epsilon brand. The trend continues. I'm starting to loose hope that anyone has used this amplifier or has any experience with its DSP. Eh well, might just be that way. 🤨

The unknown of this amplifier kind of makes me want to try this thing out, just too see if it's a gem in rough.... hehe. But also makes me want to steer away at the same time. Still holding out hope for a user of the RZ4-2000DSPB to pop up maybe. 🥺

@lankfordcodi I have to call you out a little bit, ...because of your comment directly...., what classifies this device as having a "half ass crap DSP"? What does that even mean? Do you know what DSP hardware or software is used in this product? Is it really a low quality DSP? I might be I dunno,..... but you know? If you do know, please share some details, very interested in fact.

Skizer is right, I'm giving them too much credit. But seriously, I was looking at Power akoustik when I was building a budget setup. There are so many red flags you are kidding yourself if you think youre going to get a DSP for that cheap. There are a few amps like this with "DSP"s in them. They are just cheap electronic crossovers like this, added in. Read the reviews for this dual and tell me if you would buy it.

Dual DSEQ505BT Smart Equalizer

Control tone and balance via your Bluetooth® connected smartphone

www.crutchfield.com

Axxera BEQ25BT Smart EQ

Control tone and balance via your Bluetooth® connected smartphone

www.crutchfield.com

Its NOT a real dsp, To get an amplifier with an actual DSP, not just a electronic crossover, the amp will be about $1000 with a few exceptions around $600

Dont be an idiot, we are trying to help you out. If you want the cheapest 4 channel dsp/amp combo you can get i will spell it out for you here...

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[hella356]

It's a pity that this piece of gear appears to be more or less junk - if it merely met the level of a decent, so-so amp/DSP combo it would be (helped by substantially simplified wiring) a no-brainer for budget systems at this price, even with the obviously overblown wattage claims. I have a couple friends I could probably talk into going active if this was the ease and price of admission. If it seems too good to be true....