SQ in Cars - PART 6 - What amplifier to get?

[@csj9619]

A note on "us yanks": the reason most Americans don't like it when amps can't meet rated power is this: We're tired of being ripped off by greedy corporations that inflate specs, mislead the consumer and overprice thier products. Myself, I now purchase home hifi or pro-sound drivers because I'm not overpaying for marketing hype, specs are accurate and generally speaking, they sound better. That being said, I personally like your channel, outlook and approach concerning car audio and consider you a top-level installer.

[@pssound9749]

Thank you! 🔊🔊

[@grominwithrob1339]

Yeah, there are so many, crap audio companies in the states that advertise only if lighting strikes type ratings. Many of the conservative rating stems from the late 80's into early 90's competitions. It allowed you to use what were nicknames "cheater amps", push way more power but compete in a lower bracket.

[@836dmar]

More often it’s the greedy consumer who thinks they can get more for less. 30yrs ago we were buying Sound stream and Phoenix Gold. It wasn’t over priced and the kids were looking for a hack for more even then. We got more than you needed back then for the money and now they call them “cheater amps”. Blame others if you must but it’s always been up to the consumer to be informed and looking at brightly painted wattage numbers on equally gaudy amps isn’t research.

[@dandelacruz9433]

Nice install

[@MAYDAYDEEJAY]

Peter, in my experience 30W / channel (of measured and clean power with loads of headroom) is more than enough to not being able to hear Your own voice. Class A amplifiers, as much as I love them, not every electrical system can accept them as they are very much current demanding... a little bit of simple maths: assuming we have 4Ohm speaker, we want to have 50W of music signal at this speaker, the output Voltage needed would be 14.2V RMS (/4Ohm=3.5A) and assuming a good quality class A amp would have Rail Voltage of +/-50VDC, therefore the total dissipated power within the amp output stage would be about 125W ! Giving us a whooping 28.5% efficiency! Topping that up with the efficiency of a typical DC-DC converter within the amplifier, oscillating around 85-90% we're getting a total amplifier efficiency of 25% !! ie. 50W OUTput equals to 200W INput (luckily typical music has a crest factor of 3 to 8) helping the electrical system to relax a little bit in the moments of quietness :) But 200W INput at 14V system gives us 14A of current, and that's per channel of 50W. Please keep them videos coming :)

[@cooltechno360]

As a practical car, I would worry about something from the grocery shop leaking in the boot and damaging the amplifiers. I know this is very unlikely but still possible. I mounted to the backseats with a removale think acrylic shield in front of all the electronics to prevent things getting scratched up. I do really like the asthetics of the way you have everything installed though. Thanks for the videos.

[@gkk2001]

This is the kind of advice I need to hear. Hands on experience can't be beat. Why would anyone not heed this knowledge and recommendations? A video on speaker design specifics and selection would be great if not already done.

[@stevegillatt8731]

Another amazing informative video in the series, I’m in the exact dilemma you speak of. I have Jl Xd amps purely for size but also Focal FP amps, I think the small size will win as space in a BMW convertible is tight.

[@julianridi6014]

This advice is SPOT ON!

[@BriscoeDesign]

This is awesome Peter. I was finishing your sentences watching it the first time. People around were like, whoa!!.

[@pssound9749]

What what what?? 😃

[@patrickmiller4987]

Braggard

[@juanrivera8526]

Peter, awesome video. I enjoy learning or refresher information. I like the straight forwardness of your videos. Keep it up.

[@836dmar]

As you have seen in the comments we in America are entitled. We think we deserve the most for the least and anything less is someone else’s fault. Even 30 yrs ago we had the Phoenix Gold M25 for less than $300. Superb amp with great sound and high bridgeable output. Most of us were completely self-taught and didn’t have KZbin influencers or Amazon reviews to push junky products on us. It wasn’t and still isn’t hard to learn for one’s self what is quality but one thing Americans do better than think “bigger is better” is blame others for their own decisions. Awesome content and great channel showing the lost art of quality work even when it isn’t visible.

[@jaydawg116]

Been pushing class AB for the longest time, or higher quality class D. Specifically loving Mosconi amps, focal, been playing with audiocontrol and Musway recently. Newer zapco leaves a lot to be desired, but Zeff went to Arc audio, so there’s that. One I haven’t been able to get my hands on because my shop is in another’s territory is audison, but I hear good things. No worries, I have focal, morel and audiofrog.

[@duczmal]

I have the Audison m12 and its a killer, perfect amplifier its bridget to 6 CHANEL 4 doors + 2x 200mm subwoofers in the back

[@jugdhiss]

This guy speaks real common sense with car audio. 60 watts RMS for my front components is exactly what I have in my daily beater, and I'm going for ~300 rms for the trunk DVC sub... perfect.

[@ksavage681]

50 watts and 400 sub for mine. Right on the money.

[@BLAZEPSI]

THIS! Most Video I watch is just to Market a certain brand. Very few talk about SQ, more talk about high numbers of AMP and etc.

[@MonsterHouse22]

imagine walking past him in his car and he is just sat there yelling at no one. lol

[@pssound9749]

MonsterHouse22 hahahaha i’m sure someone could witness it! 😂😂

[@Brian1.]

You are right Peter. Good teaching

[@Brian1.]

@David Drake 👍🏾

[@GZee011]

nice and clean on the amp rack, i have a 2016 Accord and im stuck on how to do a clean install like this but functional at the same time.

[@krysisn]

Thank you for the knowledge! Definitely changing my perspective on sound quality!

[@highrev90homemechanic67]

You are soooooo informative. Good education. Mine is fairly cheap. Not even $800 for everything. Sounds pretty good for the price but dfntly some hiss. I am happy with it for a poor person on a budget but the hiss is a bit annoying. I can lower it with my in dash EQ but it is always there. Interesting stuff. You are very well knowledged. Awesom

[@timothytegtmeier7997]

Great video from here in America! Thanks!!!

[@aundraymitchell8578]

Hey peter, I don’t know who would 👎 any of your knowledge filled content, but I love it all. Your builds are awesome and only exceeded by your passion and know how. I’ve viewed all or your videos at least three times. Thank you for taking the time to do your videos and please keep it up. 👍👍⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️! P.S. this is my fourth time today watching this one.

[@pssound9749]

Aundray Hihi, brilliant! 😃 That way you definitely remember every single word! 😎 I’m not too bothered about the nay sayers, but still, I’m interested in what they think too. Thankfully there’re 100x more supporters! 🙏💪👌

[@paul7000]

Success will always bring haters. It's the laws of physics on this planet, Peter. Let them hate and do not worry about them because you know who whey are... anyway, another great video. thank you, man!

[@Miklethun]

Love your vids. I've been into car audio since the 90s and always learn something new from you.

[@ebrahimjassat4599]

Pssound: My reasoning for giving you a thumbs up is that when you were talking about what to look for amps you mention signal to noise ratio which opened my method of thinking when buying amplifiers. I am glad you mention that because Americans [Guilty] would just mention brand names and their reasoning would be the more expensive the amplifier is the better it is. I would love for you to a video on how to choose speakers for you front stage at some point. Thank you.

[@leandrozacovichi5537]

I just noticed the same thing thanks to this video.

[@mattroadfeldt9012]

Look forward to hearing more about it

[@munak992]

true to the point. Initially I have plan for a USD5000 setup in mind. with Focal KX3 3 way as speaker. With Class AB amp, high end cable, etc. Didnt know 3 way system needs wayyy more budget,space, and wiring than initial thought. My budget swell from 5000USD to 8500 USD just because 3 ways system. landed on Helix M series Class D amp, + 2 unit of 10 inch sub, but all budget goes to speaker and a good Helix DSP Pro mk3. lesson learnt the hard way, knowing if 3 way cost so much i should sticks to 2 ways setup. thumbs up

[@brettbrassard7959]

Peter you know us Americans too well! lol Brett from Alaska here, Peter keep them videos coming! Awesome info you are sharing. Glued to the screen for more.

[@IvanToman]

The thumbs down are given by competition in attempt to lower your audince reach. Don't worry, videos are great and on point!

[@stavura]

Fantastic info.... More of these videos please.

[@gary991]

Another great video! Thanks for making and sharing with us 👌👍

[@phizzle24]

I was totally surprised when I heard a Pioneer Stage 4 PRS 3 way system in a Toyota 86 being run with a 50wrms amp. Until then I was always a subscriber of more power = more sound. For example, I wouldn't consider anything under 100wrms for front stage. Different story now. Plus I'm older 😂

[@johncrochet8508]

This is great and right on time. I've been trying to route out the problem with my car audio system not sounding the same as at home or testing in my garage test system. Even though I'm using the same drivers. The goal was moderate spl, but super low extension, super clear vocals and hi frequencies that go well beyond normal. Head unit was adding distortion. Cut out the head unit. Phone to DPS. Now to a low price 4 channel class D amp... My ears heard the difference from my home system. Confirmed this with a real time analyzer. Yes the cool temperature running bargain class D amp fell off quickly below 40hz! And 12khz ! What is that a high power midrange amp? Junk. And yes this amp was tested on a KZbin test channel. It put out more power than it was rated. What about sound quality ? And no frequency response specs to be found anywhere on the Net ! You don't say buy Zapco, but you show us Zapco. Frequency response is 15hz-30k, that's great. Just installed a Zapco ST-4X P 4 channel class AB amplifier. The highs and lows are powerful and better than i could have imagined. Let me cut this short, I'm buying and recommending Zapco amps as long as Zapco keeps the sound quality up. I guess Zapco needs to sponsor PS sound. Thanks Peter.

[@pssound9749]

John Woww, you have proper hands-on experience then! 💪🤘 Well, they don’t need to sponsor me as most people know that I distribute the brand in UK and i took it on for a good reason. 👌🙏🔊🔊

[@grandhubert]

I realise that with global negative feedback any given amp driven within its limits should sound the same, but they simply don’t. A fair Amount of this may be to do with how well the topology drives the particular load in case but it also comes down to component quality. At the end of the day it is what sounds good to you, with your system components.

[@speedpros]

Much respect to your knowledge and I'm a amateur I dig car stereo alot and I'm still kinda in the dark about the whole dsp thing. I mean when I got into it in 90's here in MD suburbs it was get a in dash eq and you was good nowadays it is dsp this and that I mean crazy sometimes with all the stuff on the market right now

[@tedtan6449]

A 35 watt per channel for front stage is enough. One very good old school amp is COUSTIC. It's design is hexfet, though not as efficient, it's got a very tube like, robust mids presentation. Parasound had a winner in home audio using the hexfet design by John Curl. For subs, JL audio or Arc Audio.

[@mikestivers8302]

i've been looking at those AudioFrog amps. beautiful products!

[@brianvarnes6174]

Sir, I agree with your take for sure. Amplifiers are the most important piece of equipment. The best speakers will only put out what's put into them. Simple enough?

[@pssound9749]

But speaker installation and tuning are way way more dominant and difficult in a car. You can’t fix poor location choices and applications for speakers with an amp upgrade, let alone the lack of tuning, speakers out of time and phase with uneven frequency response like a rollercoaster! 🎢 Sort out these difficulties in our first, then worry about magical amp selection. Simple enough?

[@barryvanrijswijk7270]

Good music at first glance already! Classic Limp Bizkit stuff!

[@tammyforbes2101]

I always buy a big name brand then turn it way down that’s how you get the good sound! And install is everything to! Planning and follower through usually gets you half way the other half comes from testing and adjusting!

[@ilkkak3065]

Back on days I did run two way passive front end and 12" sub (sealed enclosure) by Soundstream Rubicon 204. Amp is rated 4x25w/2x100w RMS. If I remenber correct IASCA Champion used same amp Back then. It wasn't loudest system on town, but you could listen all weekend and didn't got your ears ringing.

[@mannine99]

I had reference 405 back in days, they are not so powerful amps. Now im running three amps, best of bunch is dls sa30 running 8ohm tweeters, all my 7 drivers are 8ohm. My system barely hits 100db i think. System draws 8amp idle, i have just 6mm2 positive cable which is enough for normal 80db listening

[@hydrocrab74]

Great video's, appreciate your time...

[@lordsagat2503]

Hey! My amps are bolted to the back seats...looks good too,😁 keep up the work man!

[@chrislee4946]

Very good info sir! Thanks! I’m running JL audio HD 600/4 rated for 110db s/n ratio & JL audio XD700/5v2 amplifiers with twk 88 dsp

[@9summers393]

I have a JL audio RD 1500 is that a good amp haven't hooked it up yet

[@BLAZEPSI]

Subscribed on this GEM.🙏

[@rts100x5]

unfortunately the budget is going to be the limitation for most car audio enthusiast .. Fortunately I was able to afford a Zapco AB 6 channel for my system midbass and midrange ... So far with Dirac tuning its all coming together very nicely ... I still have alot to learn about tuning so Im greatly inspired by your knowledge and experiences... I knew from the planning of my system that it was going to require a very good upgrade to the electrical so - two XS3400 batts / Mechman260 alt / 0g wire front to back as well as some very nice RCAs between components ... Even with all the right electronics and electrical - the system is only going to sound as good as your source - a great system cannot improve a nasty MP3 source....

[@pssound9749]

Yes, source was a topic in previous parts in this playlist. 👍

[@RAMON20IES]

I’m American and asking permission to use the word Bonkers. 😂 Great video! Keep up the good work👍

[@pssound9749]

Brian 😂😂

[@idiocratease]

You talk a great deal of sense ! Cheers alan

[@danielramirez837]

Hello, Peter. This is Daniel from medford Oregon, in the U.S . So, just wanted to say love ur videos and especially this one . I want to say thank u for sharing ur knowledge of car audio with all of us and letting us know what works and what doesn't. I recently bought 2 steg audio k series amplifiers. One is a K4.02 and a K2.02 . what do u think about these amplifiers? I'm building a SQ system in my 01 gmc yukon . Thank u again and much love from the U.S

[@pssound9749]

Steg K series is awesome! You should be fine with them! 💪🔊🔊

[@danielramirez837]

@@pssound9749 ok! Perfect 👌 thank u very much Peter. Keep up on the amazing videos and may u have a wonderful day !

[@adaboy4z]

I agree my factory amp pushes 4 aftermarket JBL 6.5 speakers very loud.

[@trevorw1984]

Ditto 2019 Honda insight with stock 6.5s gets plenty loud but not plenty clear thou

[@AADmrstangerbanger]

JL HD amps 3 , Mosconi processor, Hybrid Se speakers and custom A pillars with JL zr800 in custom kicks vented. Dialed... Less about amps and equipment more about speaker location and install and tuning more then equipment IMO. Zapco and Mosconi amps are amazing but way to big

[@neogeo9965]

It is good to have some one to share the truth about car audio and the realities about how to achieve proper sound . You show how to incorporate more pro audio or stage sound . 99 percent of the people have never heard music in this way . They will re experience all of there music the way it should be enjoyed .

[@fghanem]

i don't understand the thumbs down, LOL, but back to the point about amps, there's a Richard Clark(Buick Grand National fame) Amp challenge from back in the day, $10k to whoever could discern what amp is what, and to this day no one has ever won, go figure!

[@DouBLeTapP81]

I went a bit overboard, 3 way up front, 500 watts on tap for each. I did this because I could afford huge a/b amps, and because I like stupid amounts of headroom. You definitely don’t need a ton of power, but from my experience, going from 150 watts to 500 watts, even on a 4” midrange made a huge impact , as far as dynamics and transient response goes

[@uroszeleznik5144]

Which 4inc mid can "eat" this power?

[@Chris_Wolfgram]

All absolutely true ! But then, is it "what we need" ? Or "what we want" ? ;) A car doesn't "need" to go 300mph in quarter mile either.... But its quite cool when they do :)

[@Chodykin1]

Nice job this is a great video full of good advice. I'm an American and I have to tell you that there are tons of people like me here. But ya know there are always dumb people right. Thre are also people who cant hear or cant focus on the sound. I do not think D class amps can produce high frequencies yet. they are rough and harsh well before clipping. Also I use all AB call or pure class A amps and I never overheat just let the heat sink do its job and they can get hot but I have only had a sut down one time and that was after 4 hours at peak volumes. anyways nice job keep spreading the word.

[@leedrakeley8583]

Thanks for another great informative video Peter. I read somewhere that doubling your wattage you gain only 3db.. is that correct?? Thanks

[@pssound9749]

Lee Drakeley yes, indeed, it’s logarithmic, so it’s like 1 2 4 8 16 32 64 128. So in reality there’s not a huge difference between 32 & 128 watts.

[@justkiddin1980]

@@pssound9749 Maybe a question...i now have 4 pioneer prs-d800 amps...my fullrange Mark Audio pluvia 7.2 hd' only need 20 watts....should i turn the gain down to match the 20 watts? Or should i tune to 125 clean watts rms from the amps and turn it down on the processor?

[@neogeo9965]

@@justkiddin1980 always use srong signal then amp volume down .

[@maqupaqu]

Great video! It would be nice to hear your favourite equipment in these videos as well. I see lot of Zapco in your videos.

[@pssound9749]

Just watch what equipment i use...although quite often i have to use what the client brings! 🤷🏻‍♂️

[@audiojunkie8085]

TRU technology 💪💪

[@Banshee421x]

We have people hear in the states that think full bridge amplifier have good sound quality. Just a simple mono d amp for subs to full bridge amp is a big difference in sq but people think I'm nuts and say I can't hear distortion at low frequency. I hear a big difference

[@williamprice4269]

I have to agree that rated power over here in America is overrated. The internals of the amp(s) is key

[@stormyyoung6344]

I'm from America so all you need is more power then maby a little more power. Lol. Keep up the good videos. Btw nice zapco amps.

[@ericperry72]

Add just a little more power to that and then your almost set...lol

[@pssound9749]

Eric Perry all the powaaaar 😆😂😂

[@MAYDAYDEEJAY]

@@pssound9749 ...and all that electro-acoustical efficiency of a typical mid-range speaker of 1% :) 100W of electrical signal applied to the speaker and ONE Watt of sound waves produced..

[@uptobatentertainment]

I have Audiofrog 2 way GB series on 2 JL audio 10W7AE on 2k and the balance is 💪✅ the Audiofrog GB60 are something else! Newer EDM, Pop, and rap has some serious tones in the bass lines and synth patches that can imitate sine waves at time. I upgraded my alt, front battery, and songs that clip bad are the only time voltage drops into low 13. I believe I can tune it better to remove this. The hertz DSP amp OEM head unit is the weak point. If I could integrate after,armed head unit while keeping my OEM head unit I would. My system: Hertz h8 DSP Audiofrog GB60 & GB15 doors and a pillars Zapco 150.4 AP & Zapco Z2kDII Soundskins everywhere

[@pssound9749]

Up To Bat Entertainment Get a DAP with digital output straight into the DSP & forget OEM HU. Check out the PART 3-4 in this series. 👌

[@uptobatentertainment]

Pssound ok that sounds good, i will ( re ) watch the 3 & 4th episode and pay more attention, thank you Peter! I have had to go thru the whole system and re do everything. I run my iPhone into the aux in ( using a 3.5 mm to rca LOC ) I know janky as hell, I didn’t set it up that way. I have had to teach myself watching you and car audio fab!

[@xTinBenderX]

Don't always thumbs up a vid, but for the info I've never heard put together on this website before I did. You're definitely doing great work here Peter!!! Wish you weren't competing and could share some tuning secrets. ;-)

[@pssound9749]

Mikie Peters that’ll be part 9 of this series. We’ll do the basics! 😉

[@resonantevol]

I understand the argument of not needing more than 60-80w for components, and I would agree with the word "need." However, for great sound quality my ears tell a different story. Rated power on my 1.2"+6.5" set is 80w rms. I was using a nice 150w/ch amp on the components for a couple years. Then I picked up the 85w/ch amp of the same brand and series for the components, planning to put the 150w amp on a new pair of midbass speakers and ended up just giving the 85w amp to the midbass because I couldn't handle the loss in detail that happened switching my components down to 85w/ch. I can't describe it and I can't prove it, but more power sounds better at all volumes in this particular setup. There is definitely a diminishing return, particularity, or ceiling with this. Home audio I haven't noticed a difference moving up in power when already overpowering my towers, just less volume needed for same loudness. Seems like there is perhaps a threshold of excellent driver control that is not met without a certain amount of power with some speakers? Again, I have nothing to offer to defend my case, just my personal experiences.

[@nickfountain8420]

How to determine S/N ratio's between different manufacturer's. I see some manufacturer's S/N ratio (A-wt Ref), where some manufacturers do not have the additional (A-wt Ref). Which I've discovered means A weighted, but how to determine the S/N ratio differences between manufacturers that show A weighted and manufacturers that do not use that specification for the S/N ratio?

[@avrajsamra4548]

Whats more important, the signal to noise ratio at full power, or at 1 watt? Im assuming 1 watt since you said that first watt is really important.

[@uptobatentertainment]

Class A and AB amps are not efficient so it takes more current / amperage to make the power vs Class D/ G / H ! I love the vids build logs etc Those RCA are sexy 💪

[@ASSOpid]

But those amps A and A/B are used for SQ because they are more linear.

[@knuckleuprambo]

D g q. Lmao rookie award

[@uptobatentertainment]

knuckleuprambo current draw & efficiency doesn’t affect SQ. Class A & AB pulls more current & takes a bigger reserve to make RMS power. I said nothing about SQ or that a D, G/H was better sounding than Class A, AB. That is opinionated. Most ppl cannot hear a difference in a level matched A/ B / X comparison between a Class A vs Class D amp, nor reliably pick the Class A amp in said comparison. I still run Zapco AP Class AB amps tho. Bring some intelligence to the convo next time instead of trying to offend me saying I’m a rookie. Your opinion of me is not important & isn’t the topic.

[@emersonmayeaux2482]

Hertz, Audison, Focal. Can't go wrong with those.

[@MrGABRIELCUBERO]

In America we have now a bunch of garbage amps .... Boss, Rock series, Tarams etc.... etc , and unfortunately people chose power not quality

[@ahahaa1602]

Exactly like quality over quantity

[@XCRiders]

Clean install

[@sergeylyutik528]

Music on the background is just epic ! Love it the best of the LB !

[@ericperry72]

Love this video. Would love a video on your opinion of is it worth spending the money for class A/B vs a really good class D amp. MAybe discuss using both topologies within 1 system and the advantages and disadvantages of both.

[@Chodykin1]

AB is the way for your mids and tweets and D works well enough for your subs. I have not yet heard a D class work well for the higher frequencies not even my Zapco. The best gear was made in the 90's and I really dont think its even been rivaled for SQ or DB if you have a low IQ and bad hearing lol. Just playing I'm just a SQ guy

[@ericperry72]

@@Chodykin1 you really need to check out some really high end class D amps then. Esp in the home audio market. And this is coming from a guy who competed in the early 90's with a PG M44, pair of MS 2.125, and a PPI art series 600.2 power Canton RS 3 way pull man components for my front stage, So I'm aware of the advantages the class AB amps had back then. Currently I just removed my pioneer stage 4 amps and going with 6 Pioneer PRS-D800. The reason for so many is the one inherent issue with really good class D is stereo separation and slew rates which helps determine the audio resolution. This amp has a high slew rate so that isn't an issue so to better the stereo separation each amp will run either Left or Right. For example 1 amp will power left tweeter and left midrange, a 2nd amp will power right tweeter and right midrange. Sonic performance will not be an issue. Now these amps are not on par with say a Mcintosh amp but will definitely be on par or better than the avg class AB amps out there.

[@Chodykin1]

@@ericperry72 I fully agree with you about that, I think my Zapco class D full range amps are better then the average AB on the market today but not the high end and definitly not the amps from the 90's you named The Amps I just replaced with a old JBL USA MADE 4-channel cheater amp 25w x4 RMS @4ohms LOL I was using my PPI Art Series A404 with a little Soundstream Reference 300 Bridged to a cheap Sealed Cerwin Vega 12 DVC I just like to play and study the small performance differences of as much gear as possible so it more like a rolling laboratory. None of the old gear did I buy new its all old used stuff off ebay and I somtimes have to have small repairs made but most or the trime the stuff still works perfect. I think people get lost in the numbers to often I love this video for that. Your ears are the judge and it will get loud enough. I think class D in a home system is a totally different animal you really cant even compare the two, Clean stable well gronded 240v AC and 14.4 fluxuating, Loud, floating grounded DC on a rolling metal box with a high voltage ignition system running just feet away from your + / - power source right. Home gear makes my sad when it does not have great sound. here is the states we are basically being dumbed down to the quanity has a quality of its own. stream everything meaning compress everything so the audio source goes back and forth between just ok and please unplug everything and cry myself to sleep. soffy so much rambling. I use .WAV uncompressed music almost 100% Thanks for geeking out with me.

[@ninjatheory7846]

So who's king when it comes to car audio manufacturers ?

[@thenotoriousrvh6091]

Another point about S/N is how does the mnfr rate it ? Some rate it at 1 watt others rate it at full power. Damping factor is very important. Dynamic range to me is a huge factor. I'd rather have an amp rated for 100 watts rms but be able to have some gas left over to hit 180 on dynamic burst. A lot of amps now just run full throttle with nothing left for dynamics. If watching a dyno test I look closely at the certified power vs the dynamic rating. I'm looking for at least a 30% difference.

[@MAYDAYDEEJAY]

Damping Factory, as much as it is very important parameter, it is very misleading. EDF (effective damping factor) is more pronounced as it take into account the actual load including given size and length of a cable. DF given at the amp's terminals makes no sense at all. The "amp dyno" heap of sht is absolutely garbage ! It does not measure current, but only calculate it based on the provided resistance and measured Voltage. The resistance used has "J" tolerance (+/-5%) Vs temperature. The voltage measuring circuitry uses 8bit ADC... And many more errors just adds up to the final result. If the ratings were averaged to let's say 10% from the start, I would shut my mouth,but because every test is literally +/- 1W.... I mean, really !?

[@73kokitch]

Hey Peter do you think if you’re using a really good high quality shielded cables for the signal you have to separate them from the power cables, thanks mate. Oh and thanks for sharing all your knowledge bro it really helps a lot, good video!

[@pssound9749]

B_G_ FLAT separate power & signal no matter what! They can cross each other, but never run parallel.

[@funnytoe]

Great information. Is the signal to noise ratio > for choosing an amplifier more important for your mids and highs vs your bass amplifier ?

[@pssound9749]

funnytoe Yes, should have mentioned that in the video! For a sub 80-90dB can be fine too, but obviously the higher the better.

[@bubbawubba2307]

I would need a lot of power then. The louder the better, never heard too loud as long as it is clear and sounds good.

[@ksavage681]

Two words: Old School. I run a US Acoustics and a Boston amp. Made in USA, still work great.

[@ccvideotech]

Drawbacks of Class-A? High power draw, high heat production... what else?

[@pssound9749]

Pretty much that’s it.

[@davidperry4013]

The Sony XM GS4 amplifier is 100 dB SNR and %0.05 THD making it the budget SQ amp money could buy. I also really like the new Sony mobile ES speakers.

[@pssound9749]

Yes, those are great little amps! 🤘

[@milesbautista6303]

What model zapcos are you using? Btw nice video sir!

[@chrislee4946]

Very informative and appreciate it!

[@aundraymitchell8578]

Why are Mosconi amplifiers so highly revered if their S/N ratio is only 85db? (AS series )

[@hifiman4562]

Class A has that special distortion. Adds flavor to the sound, buttery warmth. Tube amps are the same way.

[@danixsc]

What would you mount on factory locations, at least sub+front 2-way, for less than 1000€? In my case, in a Renault Talisman. I was looking for Focal Flax on the front, Focal amplifier and Focal Bomba BP20 sub. Cost for wiring and insulation is not included in the 1000€, and installation isn't too

[@Gabriel-rn9qx]

Hi Peter! Congratulations for how you do all you do! Do you see issues if for 3-way front + 3-way back + 1 sub I would use only a Helix V12 DSP MK2 + 1 Monobloc? Or if you see better option for DSP + more amps, please some details. Because Audi, also a TV Zen V would be there. For sure, in the future I will book tuning with you. Thank you!

[@ronnieroopchand9439]

hi Peter i love your videos. what's your opinion on genesis amplifiers?

[@pssound9749]

They are nice when they work without any issues. Personally I wouldn’t touch the new ones.

[@Phahel7]

Nice music choice!

[@NonPremiumID]

I like a true 50 watts continuous wattage to my Focal beryllium tweeters, not just one watt.

[@cb89127]

just wondering about the processing between DAC to digital sound processor? If the dac is converting digital to analog then the processor converts it back to digital to process it. what's the point of a DAC if it just gets reprocessed? I hooked up a Bluetooth receiver to my sound processor via fiber optic cable so sending a digital signal it only coverts once through the processer.

[@pssound9749]

chris89127 You did that just fine! Indeed, keep AD/DA conversion to minimum and signal flow simple.

[@felixrentas78]

Nice job,,,,, how can I get my system installed like that around springfield ma…

[@danielwilliam9018]

Hey Peter-do you have an opinion on Zapco DC Reference amps with built in DSP? They are from 2010 or so. I have several that I would like to use in a system. Getting back into car audio and your videos are partially to blame. lol.

[@pssound9749]

Hi Dan, Unfortunately they are from an earlier age when i had no chance to use them. Only started using Zapco in 2015. DSP is definitely a bit dated, but you can still get a great system with them. Speaker installation and tuning matter the most!

[@lawr3nc3mann84]

I have a Zaco DC360.4 i plan to run some focal k3 or hertz pro... Posible audison for front stage. Any feed back is welcome. MBz e350 cabriolet ..or 09 silverado crewcab

[@bugsysiegals]

@7:00 ... they have a saying here ... garbage in ... garbage out ... but I like hearing you say it's shit!! LOL :)

[@chadgardee1496]

What you think about the KENWOOD exelon xr400.4

[@pssound9749]

We haven’t used it, so can’t comment on that.

[@sholtodepuma]

Hi, Great informative vid! I have some dynaudio 242s, wanting to run passive and I have a genesis dual mono and a genesis four ultra, Which of these 2 amps would you recommend to run the 242s? I heard they like a lot of power. Cheers

[@pssound9749]

Limepizzaphoenix no, they don’t like it, they are just fairly insensitive, so they NEED it! Give them the dual mono. 👌

[@sholtodepuma]

@@pssound9749 Haha ok awesome! I also have a peerless 12" sub with sealed enclosure powered by a genesis profile sub amp to compliment the 242s. Can't wait to hear them all together! Thanks!

[@yngve6640]

I just bought a demo used Zapco st 6x DSP amplifier to run a 3 way front speaker system. This Zapco and 3way system will replace a Phoenix Gold Xenon 200.2 and SEAS Lotus 2 way system. Will add a front 10" shallow subwoofer buildt in the passenger feet compartment. I have two 12" JBL p1222 with two 12" slave GZ in the back of the car. I have two Solid Audio F15 mono amps for the subwoofers. My car is a VW T5 Caravelle. Do you think the Zapco 6 * 100w pr channel 4 ohm is a good SQ amplifier for a 3way front system ?

[@eduardkirin387]

Hi Peter, great video again and right in the middle of my amp/dsp dilemma. I'm getting a new car, Skoda Karoq, and would like to get as best audio quality i could for daily usage. I was thinking getting AudioControl d-6.1200 dsp amp. What is your opinion on that one if you had a chance to work with it?

[@pssound9749]

Eduard Kirin AudioControl is not on the plate in UK, so i can’t comment anything on their products. We use Zapco & Helix with great success, that’s something i can say. 🤷🏻‍♂️👌

[@rowboyto156]

how good are these zapco amps. ive been told that the older versions were better and these are just a shell of what they were

[@pssound9749]

Many people say many things. I use all the new ones and they are great, way better than most amps in same price range.

[@trevorw1984]

does owning a honda hybrid affect amplifier selection? As for power needs and minimal power consumption and such?

[@pssound9749]

Trevor Wright Yeah, forget A-class amps and multiple AB class amps. Rather get a good D-class or get more batteries and look after them with weekly, regular charging at home.

[@shakeelfaris7623]

@@pssound9749 Speaking of D-Class, what is your opinion of the JBL GTR 7535 5 channel amp? It does 4x75@4ohms and 1x350@2ohms. Have you had experience with it at all? Thanks

[@yongsangtwo2911]

GRRRREEEAAAT Info!

[@TheDarryledmonson]

You were saying 60 watts in front for SQ. On a 3 way component is that on a passive crossover or 60 watts on each component with an active crossover?

[@TalonPro]

He said per channel, not per side.

[@pssound9749]

Darryl check out the previous video in the playlist, so you get more info about you want to run an active system.

[@lowridingtrucks88]

Good job on video 👍