In an effort to get rid of a whine that has bothered me for years, the only item I haven't replaced is my Zapco 6-channel Z150.6.
I need plenty of power, at least 250 watts at 2 ohms for my midbasses. Now, I'm running HLCDs, so those don't need much, but... I don't want to do with 2 amps, say a large 2-channel and a small 2-channel.
So I decided after much looking around to try something that looks interesting. I've looked at some of the newer, more inexpensive large 4-channels from Sundown, Skar, Wolfram and more. I realize they're not the build quality of the Zapco (probably), but like I said, I've been living with this whine for years and I'm finally just... over it. It's fine when I have it turned up, it gets drowned out, but at low volumes, it's inescapable. It varies with RPM but has never gone away, in spite of changing - quite literally - almost every single piece of equipment in the system and even going to digital from HU to processor. Even batteries. Even alternators. The ONLY pieces that have remained unchanged are my 2 Zapco amps and my Stinger 5Farad capacitor. RCAs have been changed and re-routed, although I guess power and ground wires are still the same. Although playing with multiple new ground points and ground loop isolators, etc., has been done.
So I saw a review done by Big D Wiz on YouTube on the Down4Sound JP234 4-channel amplifier. This amp is rated at 234w x 4 @ 4 ohms and sells from the D4S website at $340. Sounds like it could be a Boss or Pyramid style rating, right? Expect 80-100 watts per channel?
Well, Big D did a dyno test on it which was actually pretty impressive, to say the least. Here are the output numbers - note he only tested 2 channels at a time. Frequently in his videos he will say if he hooked up channels 3 & 4 to a dummy load or something, but this time he did not.
Certified 1%THD @ 4 ohms/40Hz
334W & 338W
Uncertified to clipping @ 4 ohms/40Hz
338W & 340W
Dynamic power @ 4 ohms/40Hz
282W & 291W
Certified @ 2 ohms
425W & 433W
Uncertified @ 2 ohms
350W & 449W
Dynamic @ 2 ohms
490W & 481W
Bridged 2 channel mode
Certified @ 4 ohms
678W & 683W
Uncertified @ 4 ohms
758W & 821W
Dynamic (burst) @ 4 ohms
860W & 909W
Here's Big D Wiz's video review, which I've watched a couple of times now.
So I went ahead and ordered the amp. I thought, I need something to get me through while I have my Zapco out for repair (assuming that's my problem) and this looks like quite a powerhouse. It would make a nice 3-channel for someone running just components in front with a passive crossover and a sub. But as a 4-channel, 300W+ at 4 ohms at a sub-$350 price point sounds almost too good to be true. And maybe it is. Maybe it's a one-hit wonder that will only run for 90 days and then crater, but I thought it was worth a try.
No cooling fan, that's about the only downside I can see to it, honestly. I'm kind of excited to see how it performs, and even more to get rid of this GD'd whine... I'll be honest, I've been embarrassed to attend any meets or anything because of it. In a field of SQ oriented guys, and with as much as I've put into my system over the years - I was frustrated as hell to have ongoing whine and I didn't want to get rid of my Zapcos, which have been my pride and joy for many years. I've gone through a number of super power amps in the past, from the RF Titaniums to PG Xenons and eventually when I got my Zapcos I figured I was finally set for the "life" of my truck. But somewhere along the way, when I was messing with stuff I got the polarity reversed on the Z150.6 and got a spark, that's the only place I can figure it might have gotten damaged. So if this solves my problem, I'll probably send it off for diagnostics and repair. Probably.
When it comes in and I get it installed, we'll see how things sound then.
<edit> And for those who are wondering why the hell I need so much power for my midbasses, this is why. I gotta have plenty of output to keep up with 6.5kW of Zapco power to my low end.