Looking for quality 5 channel amp...with bass knob

4690 Views 35 Replies 10 Participants Last post by steelwindmachine, Apr 28, 2022

AWilliams

Discussion Starter · Oct 11, 2021

What amp do you guys like in a solid sounding 5 channel amp? I have a nice Aunex amp but I'm finding myself wanting an amp that has a bass knob so I can make subtle changes in the bass on the fly w/o getting into the HU settings....I know, 1st world problems. I've looked at Kenwood Excelon xr901.5, NVX vad1100.5, Polk ???, JBL Club???, etc... Anything else??

Just wanting a solid performer that sounds good, is quiet and does around 60w x 4 @ 4ohm and about 300w to the sub @ 4ohm...more is better. I only have 6.5 coax at the moment but may do 2 way components. Class A/B on the fronts is a bonus... Budget is around $350??Thanks

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FAUEE

· #7 · Oct 11, 2021

street.terror said:
People may cringe but I have ran 4 different amps from this line and never had an issue. I've ran the 1000W mono block the 650 mono block and 2 of the 4ch amps. still have the 650 and a 4ch in my wifes car. they are a touch overrated but good none the less. grab a universal 'bass knob' and good to go

Soundstream Picasso Nano PN5.640D

Compact 5-channel car amplifier 60 watts RMS x 4 at 4 ohms + 350 watts RMS x 1 at 2 ohms

www.crutchfield.com

The PPI,/Spundstream/Power Acoustik amps that share this board are amazing values. The PPI and Soundstream do rated power. The Power Acoustik do what the others are rated for, lol.

Oh, and Power Acoustik has one with built in DSP. For 200 bucks. Not a ton of power out of the sub channel, but they have a mono block for 90 bucks at Walmart that does 600 at 2 ohm, and it actually does rated (thanks Walmart).

I have 2 power acoustik razors in my c4 running a dy audio setup, and am putting 3 more in my TBSS for a 3 way active setup. Theyre great, reliable, and sound good, and are TINY. Never overheated in the tiny sealed cargo bin they live in either. You can spend more, but you won't really get more.

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FAUEE

· #13 · Oct 12, 2021

You can brag and post about how much money you spent so it must be better.

Confirmation bias, it's why you buy a rx350 over a kia Telluride.

FWIW, most of the epsilon amps are made in South Korea vs China for most other ones.

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FAUEE

· #14 · Oct 12, 2021

street.terror said:
I dont think you'll beat the SS at your price point when buying new.

I'm partial to the power acoustik versions. I don't like spiders. The PAs look a little cleaner. I like how the PPIs look too, but they don't match the a esthetic of anything I've ever owned.

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FAUEE

· #15 · Oct 12, 2021

AWilliams said:
I noticed there is no rca's on it....

They come on a plug. Less than ideal for a clean install, but you can just hide the whole Rca mess this way, so I guess it's OK.

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FAUEE

· #17 · Oct 12, 2021

420tabbycat said:
The rca’s on a plug are constantly problematic on my nvx 2 ch. But, when it’s not making noise it’s seemingly a good amp.

Whats wrong with them? They shouldn't get signal interference or anything at that level. You're stuck with an extra mechanical connection, but that "shouldn't" cause issues.

I'd go with the ppi ion or power acoustik razor personally, they have rca inputs on the amps.

My razors were noisy at first, but that was because I had my Gaines jacked up way too high because I started off my tuning not realizing my Bluetooth audio volume was turned way down. Backed the gains off and the power acoustik are silent for hiss, whine, etc. Not that you could hear it if the car was running anyways, because the car they're in has muffler deletes and a v8, but you know, it's quiet engine too, lol.

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FAUEE

· #22 · Oct 12, 2021

420tabbycat said:
It’s the little connection on the amp. It isn’t snug and I usually have to route it under the amp so the weight holds it somewhat in place.

Man, I'd just secure it right and put a few dabs of hot glue or gorilla glue or something to keep it in place.

But yeah, that's what sucks about harnesses, lol.

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FAUEE

· #24 · Oct 12, 2021

420tabbycat said:
I bought my JL 900/5 off my brother and I would like to think that the thousand dollar price tag buys more than just the name.

JL makes quality gear, and it holds up. I'm not gonna knoc their stuff. But you definitely pay a premium for it.

Back in the day I worked at a rockford shop. We were near the JL shop. Quite the rivalry if you can imagine. The rockford stuff was just as powerful, just as reliable, and sounded just as great - often better, and was cheaper. But some people still went for the JL. The best comparison was my buddy who said "you can buy a yukon Denali, or an escalade. They have the same engine, trans, 95% the same interior and exterior, will be the same reliability, speed, mpg,.... They're equivalent. But the escalade is gonna drop more panties because it's an escalade and not a GMC". JL is like that escalade.

Funny part about it all was he had a silverado Ss, which shared a ton with the escalade as well and hot got no respect for it, and it always bothered him, lol.

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FAUEE

· #29 · Oct 12, 2021

street.terror said:
I'm not saying these are be all end all amps. They just suit the OPs needs. Or did you miss what he was looking for?

as far as quality goes. The two in my wifes car are now going on 7 years of daily use and I haven't had to touch them since the day I put them in. I've changed everything else with cars setup but those two amps just keep going.

To be honest, amps should last indefinitely IMO.

My power acoustik amp, one is about 6 years old, no issues. The other is only about. A year old, but still, no issues.

I have a pair of rockford amps that are 12 to 15 years old, I've used them in multiple cars for multiple systems, and they're still working perfectly. If they weren't a little on the big side, I would have used them in my tbss, but I ended up getting more power, less space, built in dsp, out of 3 amps for less than it'd cost for a dsp408 and a used rockford mono block to match. I do still want to do that one day, I think it'd be cool to have period correct amps and such in the tbss.

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FAUEE

· #31 · Oct 12, 2021

Jroo said:
thats great to hear. I am putting together something for my son in his trailblazer. Need a pair of cheap amps that will live in the cubby in the hatch. I found another hatch cover in the junk yard and will drill some holes and place a mesh grill under for protection but was worried about heat until that is completed. I am actually going to look at the DSP razor as well.

I don't know if they will fit in the side panels in the hatch area, but you can easily fit 3 of the razors in the one in the floor. I have no concerns about heat there, but it's also sort of a nice place for a slim sub.

You can fit 2 or 3 of the razors where the the jack tools go too. I'm hesitant to put mine there because I feel like I will end up needing them if I do.

I will probably end up with a wicked CAS box for mine, it looks like the stealth box from JL but you can use whatever you want with it. 400 bucks though, so not exactly priced well. I've considered a box that goes inside the rear passenger panel (where the big cubby is), but frankly I'm not skilled enough to make a cover for it that would look good, lol.

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