More Muscle Than A Pro Wrestler!!
Written: Jul 20 '00 (Updated Aug 29 '00)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Clean, quick, accurate power; Effective, ergonomic EQ; Burly chassis, HUGE heat exchangers
Cons: I'm not thrilled with the color
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| AVaddict's Full Review: Sony XM-405EQX Car Amp |
Introduction
The external component amplifier is probably the least bought of all components for a car stereo, including speakers, subs, head units, and CD changers. Why is this and why is the external amp important? The answer to the first question is easy. The amplifier tends to be the most expensive part of the whole car stereo, even in mid-grade applications. By comparison one should be able to buy a headunit, speakers AND a powered sub or cheap CD changer for the price of the amp that should drive it. That simple fact alone can be daunting when it becomes apparent to the consumer that after spending $400-$600, that they will have to spend another $300-$700 for an effective, high power amp. And why get an external amp when the amp in the head unit already produces 45x4? This ties us into the second part of the question, why they are important.
The head unit that you bought, whether Pioneer, SONY, Kenwood, JVC, whatever, may be capable of putting out a PEAK of 45 watts and may list its RMS (RMS is essentially average power) as 19-22 watts, but there are few realities the manual won't talk about. That, lets take the high side, 22 watts is only going to sound like 22 if your speaker efficiency is in the neighborhood of 120 db, that's not going to happen. That 22 watts is EXTREMELY low current and as a result is going to sound like a constant 13 or so watts and when you do turn it up it will clip quickly. Now most people may not desire those sound pressure levels, so the head unit alone may be enough. But do a simple comparison and look at the fuses. The fuse in the 405EQX would probably actually handle 35 amps, whereas the average tape/CD deck has a 7.5 or 10 amp fuse. Do the math, if they both say they produce 30 watts RMS, based on the fuses, which do you think will actually deliver at reasonable current and wattage levels. Think of it this way, you may have bought that big Ford truck cause it was comfy and gotten the big engine because it was on special yet you don't plan on towing anything, but won't you be glad that you have all that extra torque from the bigger engine when your buddy asks you to tow his 34' boat to the lake. . . .up great big hills. My point is you may not need the power, but its nice to know you've got it available to crank Barry Manilow as loud as it can go. And even more important it won't distort, it stays clean even when loud.
Build Quality
I have to say when I took this unit out of the box I was surprised that it was so light. To say the least, this wasn't confidence inspiring. Naturally the first thing I did was to open it up so I could check out the internal circuitry and components. I don't really recommend this action to any one else out there, it would undoubtedly void any warranty on the unit. I was pleasantly surprised. Fortunately the heat sinks run the full length of the amp, about 18". Possessing large, effective heat exchangers is a feature that many models out there just flat don't have. The power supplies are big enough so as not to make me nervous about clipping, but they could be bigger. The transformers are large as are the caps. All of the internal welding, tack or otherwise, looks strong, neat, and firm. The poly/circuit boards on which the internal components are mounted are thick, stiff, and rattle-free. All of the various hookups are wired about as well as they might be in a home unit. The RCAs are strong and free of any movement as are the spring clips (SPRING CLIPS BAAAAD!!) and compression links which feature gold plating over thick plates to begin with. The RCAs are plated as well. A lot of people still think the gold plating is fluff, it's not, and is essential to getting good, clean signal transfer now and 3 years down the line. Corrosion is a nasty thing, and even if you think you trunk is clean and dry, rust never sleeps, and that gold is your protection. Overall it appears to have been well manufactured, and is without rattles or squeeks.
Features and Performance
This amp is stocked to the rafters with features. Right off the bat it's got plenty of power, 40x4 RMS with 100 watts RMS for a sub. Looping in a simple multi-meter and then turning it up loud, I showed a visual average of about 34 watts with peaks of, in one case, 61 watts. I didn't measure the sub channel, I didn't have time, but it sounds fine so I'm guessing its close to its own rating. The amps sub channel is driving an Infinity Kappa Perfect 12" (see my review) in a small enclosure, .91 cubic feet. I don't yet have a component capacitor, but i am going to get one soon, I just need to get off my lazy. . .well you know. I strongly recommend caps to everyone building their own system, because, at about $100, they tend to be cheaper than new batteries or alternators. This amplifier is the single largest draw on my entire electrical system, by about 10 amps. With all that said, I am happy to say that this amp has two forms of redundant shut down; thermal protection (the unit gets too hot), and direct current shut down. In addition to both of these there's always the fuse as a last resort. I am blessed, because on top of all of this my head unit (Sony XR-C900ES, see my review) also features a form of thermal protection, so I am thoroughly covered against catastrophic failure like fire or chemical leak from the cap. Just in case you aren't the sharpest knife in the drawer and bleeding eardrums don't tip you off, there is also an LED on the top of the amp giving you a visual representation of system status; green-> amber-> red.
Mmmmm, speaking of the top of the amp, that's where all the goodies are! Under a small acrylic plate on the top of amp are all the various adjustments one can make to the way you hear the sound, and which frequencies go where. You have a great EQ at your fingertips with logical frequency choices (50, 200, 800, 3.2k, 12.8k) to help really tailor the sound. You also have the choice of which speakers you massage; front, rear, F+R, and a separate adj for the sub. This unit does feature a phone jack type of connection for remote sub level control, fortunately my SONY head unit has this feature already, as most SONYs do at this point, but it would be helpful if your deck was a different brand. I didn't buy this JUST because its a SONY, but the synergy between their own components is seamless, which is a big selling point. The boost/cut on all of these is 12 db either way, so you have a lot of room to play. The high/low pass on all channels is a real boon to protecting the integrity of speakers that may not be well equipped to handle low hz at high wattage, say 6.5" trying to squeeze out 40hz with an RMS input load of 40-50 watts at high volumes. So, I just don't send them out at all. Everything below 80hz is cut in front, everything below 50hz is cut in back, and my sub gets everything below 200hz (with a 10db boost at 75hz and a 7db boost at 50hz, thanks to my head units loudness and sub controls). The channel separation could be better, but I didn't have the money to get the ES unit at almost $800!! The frequency range is phenomenal, though much of it is outside the range of 'normal' human hearing. The key thing is that it does go down to 5hz. Now, this is well outside a humans range, so how can this be a selling point? Lemme tell you. My sub, supposedly, is capable of reproducing 16hz with an SPL of 113db, so with that in mind, if there IS info on the play source below 20hz, you get a thump like somebody slapping your back, ooooooh yeah!!
Summary
I installed this unit myself and had no problem doing so. This may not be the case for you, but even if you get it installed professionally, you will probably be happy beyond words. This unit is extremely versatile, with more features than, probably, most people will use. It has got tremendous power for the front and back pairs and still has 100 watts more dedicated to the sub. The crossovers are easy to use and implementing audible changes is also very easy as well. The high/low pass filters are easy to use as well and offer a new level of adjustability to this unit; no more need to get a separate "active" crossover to make the sound what you like. Though I felt the whole thing should have been bigger and weighed more, I am none the less blown away by the sound, I guess size doesn't matter. Its not just the sonic clarity which will floor you, it is the sheer sound pressure levels this unit is capable of, wow, especially from the sub. Thanks to the sub, every rattle in my vehicle has come out to play, thank god for Dynamat! This amp is physically large, about the size of a home component, about 17"-18" wide, almost 3" high, and 12" deep, so in other words, you'll want make room. I have never heard of an amplifier failing, except in tha case of one friend of mine, but being that it was competition it doesn't really count, the application is too different. The long and short of all this is that this is an outstanding amplifier packed with features. Most of the retail stores I went to had it for $399.99 - $429.99, I got mine on the net for $319.99 plus shipping. My only point is that if you look around, you'll find a better price. If you're looking, give this a listen with speakers similar or identical to the ones you have or want to buy and I think you'll find it to be the diamond in the rough, happy hunting!
Oh yeah, the only con for me was the shape and color. I was a much bigger fan of the design aesthetics of the older silver/champagne "1-ohm drive" series of ES amps. Oh well.
Recommended:
Yes
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Location: Texas
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