Showing posts with label amps. Show all posts
Showing posts with label amps. Show all posts

7/01/2012

GLOW Voice One Loudspeaker (pair) Review

GLOW Voice One Loudspeaker (pair)
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Finally, a small speaker for my office that sounds really good.
I've been looking for a LONG time.
I'm in my office most of the day and have tried numerous small speakers in hopes of getting good sound where I actually do most of my listening. Tried various computer speakers (barf), and small speakers from Bose, Orb and others, but they always sound extremely compromised. Even slightly larger bookshelf speakers I've tried don't cut it; too big for the office space and not necessarily very good sound or imaging, especially bass and midrange.
I don't think there is another small speaker as good as the Glow speakers. Certainly not in this price range. Simple but brilliant design. They are only about 9" round with a tiny 3" speaker, but put up a gigantic sound stage. If you want a small speaker that gives you truly great hifi sound in an office, studio or bedroom, this is it. It sounds better than the better known Tekton and JB3 small speakers, which are both very good, by the way. And for you non-audiophiles, way better than the mass market Bose or Orb speakers you may be more familiar with.
Maybe it is because of the enclosure. The speakers sound very natural. They image better than speakers I've heard that cost in the thousands, probably because they are point source drivers, and the speaker doesn't have a large front surface, like most speakers in a box cabinet. The sound is not gimmicky. Very smooth, and very neutral. The speaker cones are made of hemp and bamboo, instead of metal or polypropylene, which may explain why they sound so natural.
These are great performers, and for a small to medium room at normal listening levels they are hard to beat. With a sub they sound nearly as good as my much larger and much more expensive B&W monitor speakers, which take up way too much room.
Even without the sub, the GLOW speakers make an impressive amount of bass, given the physical limits of the 3" driver. Again, I think the enclosure has something to do with it. I have a pair in my office with the GLOW subwoofer, which it matches perfectly. Some of my clients are musicians, and they freak out when they hear this stuff in my office, coming from my computer. I use another pair in a small room at home with no sub, and they crank out a surprising amount of bass. People ask me where's the sub? But if you place them right, they put out really good bass. Solid, just not deep.
As far as fit and finish, I have a pair in silver and also natural wood finish. They really look great, very artsy, never fail to receive admiring comments from visitors, even before they hear them. I've used them with transistor amps, T-amps and tube amps (the GLOW amp sounds unbelievable, by the way), and they do well with any type of amplifier. You don't need much power to drive them.
If you play them too loud you will soon reach the limits of the 3" driver. These are not for super high sound output levels, so don't get them for disco or hard rock. These are great for classical, jazz, and just about anything played at moderate levels.

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5/31/2012

HeadRoom Micro Amp Review

HeadRoom Micro Amp
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I've had the headroom dac and amp since about a year and love it. I run AKG-701s, Sennheiser 650s and Denon 5000s with it. I use it with the matching Micro DAC.
Just recently, I stuck both the amp and the dac directly into the wall socket (and later, into a Wiremold ($60) powerstrip that does not have any filtering, spike control etc.). It's like I have a totally different product. Unconditional 5 stars. Just don't starve the poor thing of electricity.


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11/16/2011

JL Audio Slash Series 500/5 - Amplifier - 5-channel Review

JL Audio Slash Series 500/5 - Amplifier - 5-channel
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Well, I began about 10 years ago piecing my car stereo together. Within 4 years my stereo was complete. Oz audio component matrix speakers (amazing) on the floor (kick panels) and in the doors. Cerwin Vega's in back (decent). JL audio 12" sub in the back and finishing the job was this JL 5 channel amp running all the speakers but the vega's. Head unit was a uber nice nakamichi in-dash.
Thru the years this amp. has never overheated, never caused me any battery problems and just plain sounded astonishing. I've not had a single issue for six years. Coupled with my competition speakers the sound was out of this world. More than plenty clean powerful bass and the SQ of the fronts are just pure as a white dove. I've looked around for other 5 channel amp's but I just don't think anything really compares to this one.
If you want something to run a couple of 15's this probably isn't what you are looking for but if you want a GREAT all around system to sound perfect I would suggest giving this a whirl.

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11/13/2011

Blaupunkt THA-555 PnP 5/4/3 Channel 840W Amplifier Review

Blaupunkt THA-555 PnP 5/4/3 Channel 840W Amplifier
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I installed this system to my BMW 530D E60 and it does improve the stock stereo (which was poor) performance noticeably, but still not up to my other car installation (cost similarly) performance. To be fair, I did not rule out if it is due to the (poor?) stock speakers or the head unit itself (but too bad BMW dictate the type of head unit...).
Pros:
* No wire cutting, just connect (using an optional compatible wire hardness) to the stock stereo.
* Remote bass boost feature is useful.
* Noticeably improve stock stereo system.
Cons:
* You need to search for the compatible wire hardness (sold separately) yourselves according to the vehicle's year and made and I think you would need to buy from other sources. Go for the 5 meter version to install the amp at the trunk. Installing the amp under the carpet as recommended is a bad idea. I tried it: the amp will thermal-shut within 15-30 minutes of play and your front passenger won't like the bulge of the carpet.
* Not really a DIY job. Be careful when disconnect anything from the head unit. Make sure you connect back all the wires that do not "relate" to speakers. In my case, I did not connect back the bluetooth wiring, thinking it was part of the job of "disconnecting everything".
* Even set to low pass 40Hz, the sub bass is obviously not low enough, maybe still around >100Hz judging from my other car installation. You will feel a stronger "boom" then stock though. Maybe due to the stock speaker response??
* High is not high even set to the highest high pass. Some slight improvement if a passive high pass filters are added to the twitters. I have tried several brands of twitters but of no help.
* Be careful with the input level setting. Too high will introduce whining noise to the system.
* Overall sound is a little muddy. The frequencies are quite mixed up, unlike my other installation, where you can clearly sense output from low, mid and high. Staging is OK though.
* The Aux input design is flawed, or is there a reason they did it that way?. If you are connecting your MP3 player to Aux, you will not get bass boost (sub not responding). You will have to connect to the RCA input with parallel connection to the front, rear and sub using your own cable & 2-1 connectors - really messy looking wiring.
I am yet to experiment, but here are what I think anyone else shall be doing:
* Buy the 5m wire hardness from Blaupunkt since you don't want to mess around with the stock wiring. The wire hardness is well labeled so connection to other brand amps won't be a problem.
* Buy one mono amp to drive the subs and one 4-channel amp to drive front/rear speakers. Both amps must support high level (speakers wire) input. Best if the amp support or include good active cross-over.
Or, if you want the original look of your car (without something hanging in the trunk etc)
* The stock system already have amps driving all the speakers. You just have to locate them (your mechanics shall be able to tell you) and replace them with better amps.
I will update if I ever try other amps but I feel it shall be the better option from my previous experience.


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10/30/2011

Dared SL-2000A Review

Dared SL-2000A
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The Dared SL2000A has gotten plenty of positive reviews, and I can see why.
It is solidly well-built, physically attractive, and -- most importantly -- it sounds really good.
The latest version has two inputs and two outputs, as well as a wooden remote volume control.
This compact, versatile unit is a great way to add some tube warmth and liquidity to your system at a reasonable price. It is often available on the used market for about $300, which is what I paid for mine.
My only minor quibble with the unit is a minor aesthetic one: there's a large unsightly engraving of the Dared logo, model number and -- bizarrely -- a toy-like line drawing of tube etched into one side of the chrome body. IMHO, it is an unfortunate aesthetic blunder on an otherwise classy chassis.
That tiny gripe aside, this little preamp has quickly become one of my favorite pieces of audio gear. I find myself listening to the budget system in which I have it more frequently than some of my more pricey systems.
In short, this little Dared is highly recommended -- especially with some nice NOS tube substitutions!
PS - When I first wrote this review, the retail price was in the low to mid 400's. Now I see it has gone up again to 519. At that price, I'm not sure that it is such a bargain. My advice would be to keep an eye out for a used one in good condition.

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10/10/2011

Phoenix Gold TI900.7-FR Multi-Channel Amplifier Review

Phoenix Gold TI900.7-FR Multi-Channel Amplifier
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This is an awesome amp. I used it to power my whole system. This amp ran 4 full range speakers and a sub. This amp is rated at 900 watts RMS and can be configured for any system. This amp has the rare capability to run 5.1 surround, 50w RMS x5 and 200w RMS by 2, 100w RMS x 5 and 400w RMS x1. This amp is also stable at 1 ohm stereo. You can easily hook up an LPL remote bass boost knob and a RMD remote voltage display meter. The amp is competition quality and is kept cool by large heat sinks and two variable speed fans. The amp is huge; 25L x 10W x 3H and requires 80 amp fuse.

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9/20/2011

PDX-10K - Precision Power 1 Ch 10,000 Watt Amplifier Review

PDX-10K - Precision Power 1 Ch 10,000 Watt Amplifier
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I bought one of these about 3 months ago, not from amazon same people who ship it, and let me tell u what holy hell yeah this amp rocks total control and no over heating at all so worth it, I have 2 12in and 2 15-Inch Power Acoustik MOFO Competition Subwoofer in 2 boxes with 2 Boss Audio Cap20 20 Farad Power Capacitor,and 2 Pyle PBAT1000 1000 AMP 16V Battery Capacitor, also ran back to my tahoe battery. all four subs r seriesed thats Zt = Za + Zb..Zt = Za + Zb Zt = 4 + 4 Zt = 8 ohms that boosts ur subs to their max and beond with out messing them up, so less power more clean more boom, well 10,000 watt amp, the 15s at 3800 watts each and the 12 r 3500 each so I am running over my limit by bridging and series the subs my tahoe shakes so hard I am talking hard window flexin and I also have 1 10 in power acoustiks in my door of my 4 door with 3 6x9s in each door and 8 tweeters in each door so combined I am running all togeather 20,000 watts.... here in da AK 907 that CID llc style
.


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8/03/2011

Polk Audio Pa1100.5/Aa1100-A 5-Channel 1200 Watt Stereo Amplifier Review

Polk Audio Pa1100.5/Aa1100-A 5-Channel 1200 Watt Stereo Amplifier
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I had a feeling I would be pretty happy with this thing when I saw how big it was and heavy it is. This thing is a beast and it doesn't disappoint. Much like the longer reivew written above, I've never heard such crisp clear highs and solid bass in a car system until I put this in mine. I am running this with Focal 6 1/2 components up front, 6x9's in the rear and a 10" power coustic sub in a ported box. I have the gain (amp volume) on all the channels at just under half and it's already incredibly loud and clear. I would definitely recommend this amp, I acutally never write reviews but I'm so impressed with this that I just have to. GO BUY IT NOW< TRUST ME lol, you won't regret it. Just make sure to get speakers that can handle the juice this thing can pump out....and Enjoy!!

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7/23/2011

Lanzar OPTI500X2 Optidrive 2000 Watt 2 Channel Competition Class Mosfet Amplifier Review

Lanzar OPTI500X2 Optidrive 2000 Watt 2 Channel Competition Class Mosfet Amplifier
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this amp is the best if you are in comp or riding around this thing is crazy loud sounds good and is goodlooking for the 2010 comp season this amp hit 150 all summer long never once did it clip if you want a good amp this is the one.............

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6/26/2011

Alpine PDX-5 - Amplifier - 4-channel plus Mono-power Review

Alpine PDX-5 - Amplifier - 4-channel plus Mono-power
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I felt compelled to write a review after owning and playing with this amp for a month.I read alot of reviews before buying and they were mostly positive with a few sub power complaints.I've been a car audio fan for more years than I like to mention,and tend to stick with JL,Boston,old Kicker or MB Quart speakers and Alpine or old Blaupunkt amps.
First off, if you want power to blow away your buddies with a bass competition,will be bummed by not not being able to listen to body panel flex outside or blow dry your hair,look for something else.
The front and rear sections of the amp are more than enough for most anyone, but the sub section has it's limitations. It came with a factory output sheet of 94x4 and 400x1 RMS. Nothing needs to be said about the 94x4 as it is quite good all the way around. The sub section is 400W RMS but really hits more like 200W RMS. I replaced an old Blaupunkt 5ch rated at 50x4 and 150 RMS. The Alpine 4ch section is twice the juice of my old amp as rated, but the sub output is not much more powerful.
I have spent much time making numerous adjustments and have come to the conclusion that the sub section on the Alpine amp is ok, but not for a kickdrum slam worshiper. I have a Peerless XXLS 10 in a sealed box.It is 2ohms and rated at 175W RMS. It sounds very good and accurate, yet seems to run out of steam. I swapped it with a $250 JL 10 and it made no real difference.This is in a standard cab full size truck.This amp does well and is accurate for subs rated at similar wattage, but dont expect it to throttle your 1000 watt RMS competition sub. For efficient enclosures/ported boxes I feel it would likely be much better than my setup being a sealed box design takes a bit more juice to ramp up.
**listening to a rap or what I will call "hanging bass" cd the sub appeared louder and cleaner. I listen mostly to hard rock though and like a hard kickdrum hit. My matched sub and sealed box volume was chosen for the purpose.It is rated at 175W RMS so pushing to capacity yet not overdriving is not a problem.I am happy with the performance of the amp in this system because I had realistic expectations,though I was hoping to be surprised.
For sealed designs It appears it should be ok for most.Overall I do like the amp and the headroom I now have for the other channels. The adjustability/versatility of this unit is well done in a small all-in-one solution that won't have your alternator crying for mercy. Was it worth spending $350 over what I already had? Yes for the size and power efficiency,yes for the 4ch headroom,a wash for sound quality (the old Blau is quite good) and a marginal yes for the sub output. I am not trashing this amp. It is a very good 5ch solution that performs well with an ample,yet not powerhouse sub section.

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