Car Audio Buff

Type-R Series 12″ Subwoofer

There is not a single thing wrong with this sub. The sound quality is perfect and when you want it to, it will blow you away with smooth powerful bass. I have it wired to an alpine MRP-M650 amp and it sounds perfect. It’s actually better than the two twelves I had before. The best thing about this is the price, you can’t beat it. Trust me, I did a lot of shopping before I picked this one. I listen to a lot of rock, techno and some rap. This sub sounds great with it all. I highly recommend it. The bass is deep and is definitely clean. Don’t get me wrong, this thing does have the power to bring the apocalypse but that is why you can adjust your amp to your preference. Tyler – Detroit, MI

The Alpine Type-R. Where do I begin? I’ve been in the car audio scene before I could legally drive. I am now 30 years old and still enjoy it. Don’t get me wrong, there are a few subwoofers that outclass the Type-R in my opinion. The Kicker L7s and the JL Audio W7s, but for the price… they can’t be touched. I can’t believe someone would put these under Audiobahn. The Alpine Type-R will not fall apart, blow, or distort if matched with the proper amp and wired correctly. I was so impressed that now I am now curious if something for a $100 sounds so good, what do the Type-Xs sound like? Might have to buy a pair and find out. If you seriously want a great and powerful system for under a thousand dollars, go with the Type-R as your subs. Don’t cheap out and go Audiobahn, Lanzar, Soundstream, Sony, or any other cheaply priced and manufactured subs. Those subs are priced under 50 dollars for a reason. Elena M. Allen – Amazon.com

Alpine SWR-1242D

1-Channel Mono Subwoofer Amplifier

The Alpine MRP-M500 mono amplifier drives your subwoofer system with up to 500 watts RMS — enough to satisfy the hungriest bass setup. The low-pass filter puts you in command of the frequencies that reach your subs, while the variable bass boost is armed with plenty of low-end punch. A subsonic filter prevents wasted energy by eliminating ultra-low bass, putting all the power where you need it.

Preamp and speaker-level inputs allow you to connect this amp in almost any vehicle. Let a V-Power amplifier transform the sound of your car’s audio system.

Sample Reviews

I just recently had this installed in my blazer along with a Boston Acoustics G1 12″ sub in a sealed box. I am highly impressed with the amount of power this puts out and the fact that it’s black blends in perfectly with the color of my cargo area: much harder to see thru tinted windows. Mounted on the rear passenger cargo area, it was wasted space but not anymore. The only item that had me leaning toward the JL Audio Amp was a remote bass hookup, which the Alpine doesn’t have. My installer, wired one up with RCA Plugs, and I have never looked back. Would buy another in a heart beat. Great stuff at a great price.

buhusky2000, Scranton, PA

This is really where this little amp shines. Sound Quality with my single Pioneer 305DVC is great. The lows especially sound much better than my previous amp (Visonik V500HC). The punchy bass sounds a little less than my previous amp, but I was using 2 subs with that, as opposed to now. The fact that this amp with 1 sub, sounds nearly as good as my previous amp with 2 subs makes me very happy. It seems to be very efficient, barely dimming my lights (my fault for weak electrical) at full volume. For the money, it’s a great sounding amp.

darcness, Grand Blanc, MI

Alpine MRP-M500

Features

5.8-inch touchscreenMap data on flash driveVoiceBox for voice control of iPod and BluetoothMSN Direct (with subscription) Satrad (Sirius or XM) and HD Radio ready. Steering wheel control compatibility (optional, requires separate interface)DVD playbackSix-channel preamp outputs (front, rear, subwoofer).

Navigation

The main selling point for most consumers, of course, is going to be the navigation. The map data covers the U.S., including Alaska and Hawaii (and Canada) on a 2GB flash drive. That contains the usual list of POIs as well. The graphics are fine and the lane departure indicator is terrific, but the voice guidance could have provided faster alerts to turns on surface streets and exits off freeways, for example. But the bigger problem was that accessing data can test your patience. Searching for a POI “around the current GPS location” requires a wait of a few seconds to get to the next menu window. Also, I looked for Nixon’s library locally as a tourist attraction, but it wasn’t listed on the search result. When I typed it in on another search I finally got the address. So there are some things you might think should be more intuitive than it is; however, I should add that I find this kind of problem a lot with various nav devices. What compounds the issue of an already slow system is something more fundamental: I counted anywhere from 30 to 60 seconds for the system to load when I started the car. The only thing I could do during that time was insert a CD and adjust the volume. Whether or not this is a big deal will depend on your level of patience. I just don’t happen to have a lot of it.

There are issues such as the above that make what was potentially an amazing product a decent product instead. The lesser-than-average visibility of the monitor, especially during the day, the average touchscreen responsiveness and the flat, difficult-to-use volume knob also detract from what was a great concept: a multimedia navigation unit priced for the masses. Early adopters of the AVIC F-series have encountered problems with the Bluetooth, iPod functionality, and the system loading time. On the F900BT, I experienced dropped calls as well. To address the different problems Pioneer released a firmware update. You can go to the company’s website, pioneerelectronics.com and go to the navigation section. There are explicit directions for downloading the firmware and for loading it via SD card to your F900BT or other F-series unit (the F500BT is excluded). You’ll find that it will improve the performance of a product, making it that much more worth the price. And ultimately, at this price point (and that is the point) there isn’t another product with as much to offer and that is as easy to use while being so feature-rich. The question is: How much is too much for a product with great and various capabilities that are countered by some functionality issues? There are always value or quality trade-offs when you buy things. I would suggest you go for your own testdrive to determine if the new AVIC is worth it for you. I should note that the latest shipment of AVICs have the firmware included, which should make your decision to buy a little easier.

General

The double-DIN AVIC-F900BT unit with a 5.8-inch touchscreen has map data (from TeleAtlas) completely contained on a flash drive. A lot of nav users will be glad to hear that DVD-ROMs are no longer necessary. So, you have navigation, DVD playback, and music galore via disc, iPod, a thumb drive, or an SD card, not to mention HD Radio and satellite radio with adapters, which have to be purchased separately. Conveniently, there’s also a mini-jack connection on the face of the source unit. The 3.5mm mini-jack aux input is a great feature, but that too requires Pioneer’s CD-RM10 cable in order for you to connect an A/V device to the unit.

The AVIC also has Bluetooth. You can connect three phones and the F900BT will store 400 contacts; it allows you to be totally hands-free. That applies for accessing music from your iPod as well. The F900BT has voice recognition software (called the VoiceBox Conversational Voice Search Platform) that makes it possible for you to select music folders and tracks by voice command. As with a lot of voice command systems, it can have problems understanding your requests. Be it the Ford Sync, the AVIC-Z3, or a separate aftermarket Bluetooth kits-I’ve yet to find a product that works as advertised in terms of the voice recognition quality. In theory, you can make calls, select tracks off your iPod, and even make some navigation commands just by using your voice. It’s not perfect, but it’s better than not having the option. Caveats or not, the above features are a pretty amazing collection of options. They may be found on other pre-existing (and separate) products, but at $1,100, this seems to be a real steal.

Add the option for MSN Direct for traffic information, movie time listings, and a list of the gas stations with the best per gallon prices and more, and you can see why I say that the F900BT is the complete package. MSN Direct is a must-have. And the GOOG-411 service is a nice add-on feature. You can use it to search for and connect to local businesses via a toll-free number. The only thing that is important to me that the unit lacks is the ability for DVD-Audio or, say, SACD playback. But then when was the last time you actually bought a disc in one of those formats? OK, not big misses there. On the audio side, the F900BT takes care of business, and will probably be robust enough for most music fans. There are seven preset EQ curves; and you can make a couple of your own custom EQ settings. There’s also a three-band parametric EQ that allows you to select the Q factor, a highpass filter, adjustable loudness, and SLA (source level adjustment) to keep your volume settings consistent over different sources.

Pioneer AVIC-F900BT

The Arc Audio 4200SE is a medium-sized 4-channel amplifier, measuring approximately 19 1/2″ x 8″ x 2 1/2″. The power connections are on one end and the signal connections, on the other. This arrangement allows for maximum isolation of noise by keeping the noisy power and ground cables as far away from the signal and speaker conductors as possible. Throughout the amplifier were similar thoughtful details, dedicated to the minimization of noise and maximizing the sonic performance. The amp is relatively plain looking, finished in a low-sheen black and brushed aluminum, but it is nicely put together, with panel-mount RCAs and very good fit and finish. The Arc Audio emblem on top illuminates when the amp is turned on: in blue if everything is working correctly, and in red if there is a problem. The manual even explains how to remove the illuminated logo and custom paint it to match your install, and then how to sand off the paint to make it light up again when you’re done! The logo’s illuminating background can also be changed to over 200 shades of color using a sequence of events using the remote bass control knob. Nice!

The top-mounted controls are hidden under a brushed aluminum panel, which is removed by taking out four small Phillips-head machine screws. Lifting off the panel, (complete with Mr. Zeff’s signature laser etched onto the brushed aluminum) you find a great assortment of switches and knobs. In fact, there are no less than 28 separate controls, enough to satisfy even the most avid tweaker.

This is one of the few amps in recent memory that uses individual gain controls for each channel, something I feel is missing on many “would be” high-end amps. Sure, one control is easier to set up, but having the extra control of independent pots allows you to finesse the installation and provide a little compensation for things like speaker proximity. You can’t do this stuff with a balance control without affecting all the other channels, not to mention that in many cases a single pot is not always well matched left to right throughout its range of adjustment. Chalk up another point for the legendary Zeff attention to detail, and his understanding of the application for the product he’s designing. Here’s a guy who clearly does not take the train to work… I’d bet a lot of money he drives a car with an audio system in it, and like the rest of us enthusiasts, he “gets it.”

The 4200SE has some of the most comprehensive crossover capabilities in any amp at any price. Each pair of channels has the usual highpass and lowpass settings, but the range of adjustment is from 30 to 550Hz, which is wider than most, plus there is a x10 switch allowing for those frequencies to be multiplied by 10. In other words, you could set either crossover anywhere between 30 and 5,500Hz!

And, the preamp section control doesn’t end there. The crossover slopes can be set individually for 12dB or 24dB per octave slopes, or even set to a bandpass setting with a different slope on each end if you prefer! I’ve seen some digital crossovers that were not this flexible and well thought out.

Additionally, there are controls for bass boost level and frequency, allowing up to 18dB of boost, ranging from about 20 to 80Hz. Then there are special signal steering switches for using the amp in bridged mode that allow the user to select whether the left or right signal is used when stereo bridging, or the sum of the two for subwoofer applications. Still other controls allow the remote level control to adjust the level of all four channels, or just the rear channels so it can be used as a subwoofer volume control with an adjustment range of approximately 60dB. There is also a pair of RCA outputs for routing the rear signal to a subwoofer amplifier.

The controls and configuration of the amp are extremely flexible, allowing for virtually any conceivable installation requirement, and were obviously designed by someone who “gets it” when it comes to high-performance car audio.

Verdict

The Arc Audio amplifier is sonically excellent. Plus, the included features are among the best thought out and most useful of any amplifier I have tested in recent memory. But, this performance and flexibility does not come cheap. At a retail price of $1,399.00, this is not an amp for everyone.

If you merely considered the amp in terms of watts per dollar there are quite a few amps that will provide almost double the power per dollar spent. However, very few of those have the attention to detail, flexibility of features and sonic excellence of this one. So, the choice is yours. If money were no object, this would be a pretty easy choice… but I have to wonder how many $1,399.00 4-channel amps are sold… even great ones like this.

Arc Audio 4200SE

If your bass sounds weak or garbled when you hook it up as a 2 channel system, try using the balance control on the head (all system speakers playing). First, balance it left and note the output. Then balance it right and note the output again.

If the system sounded worse (meaning weaker bass output) when centered or faded to one side versus the other, that sub is out of polarity with the rest of the system. Reverse the wires on that sub only and you should be good to go.

If running a mono bridged amp and 2 or more subs, the same idea applies: turn down the gain to the sub amp then disconnect all woofers. Now, connect 1 woofer and note the bass. Reverse the polarity and note the bass. The polarity that sounds fullest when the rest of the system is playing, is the correct choice. Now, match all woofers used with the known good one. All cones should move in the same direction at the same time. Readjust your gain to obtain the bass you desire. That’s it! If you got it right, now you have full, clean and unadulterated bass, in phase.

Then again, this should not have happened if you just took the time to look at all the labels, and or are organized, right?

A lot of people think that they can just buy whatever size amplifier and electronics they want to, stuff it in the car, and it will all work out.

Not true.

For example, when you put a 1200 watt amplifier into your car, your car’s charging system has to be able to power it. To find out how much power (or current) is required, divide the RMS of the amplifier by the voltage of the electrical system (with efficiency factored in) which would be about 12v. 1200/12 would be an extra 100 amps of current that your alternator needs to accommodate on top of the every day electrical needs of the car.

To find out if your alternator is adequate for your system, look at the hot rating on the alternator, if you cannot find it, contact the dealer and find out.

A common mistake in this area is buying a 50 farad or whatever capacitor – this will not help if you are underpowered.

If you find out that you only need about 10-12 extra amps of current and do not want to buy a new alternator, you could get a new, larger battery (like Optima Yellow Top), and a stiffening cap (1 or 2 farad) – this should get the job done, but that will not solve everyone’s problems.

A proper charging system makes all the difference.

Product Feature

• Auto-EQ and Auto-Time Alignment
• Dual (L/R) 16-Band Graphic EQ
• Burr-Brown DACs for the purest sound
• Hi-Volt (5V) Pre-Outs

The DEH-P880PRS uses an exclusive White OEL (Organic Electro-Luminescent) display. This creates a clean, easy-to-read display that easily fits in with any dashboard.

For extra convenience, selected OEL models now come with a multi-language display, which can show information in three different languages-English, French, or Spanish. Using the Rotary Commander, allows the user to change default language for all screen displays and menus.

Pioneer DEH-P800PRS

First Look

The JL Audio 8W7 is a single voice coil, 3 ohm subwoofer. The cone is black plastic dish with a cool “W7” logo. When you first look at this subwoofer, you realize that it is something different and special. The most obvious are the dimensions. They are almost square. Even the 2.25 inch voice coil is out of the ordinary. From the front of the woofer you realize something is missing: the mounting flange. It’s hidden behind the oversized large surround.

Closer Look

Nine patents. In the world of “me too” engineering, JL Audio’s 8W7 has nine things unique enough to be granted patents. (Eight application patents and one design patent) The most obvious is the OverRoll™ surround (U.S. Patent #5,687,247 and #5,949,898). In most “large roll surround” woofers, the actual cone area is reduced to accommodate the huge surround. In the 8W7, the surround actually goes over the mounting flange right to the edge of the basket. The result is more cone area for a given size basket. The rest of the patents can be grouped into two different areas: structural reinforcement and thermal stability. Patents #6,496,590, #6,501,844 and #6,118,884 refer to the cone and spider assemblies and accounts for the excellent control the 8W7 has over its massive linear excursion (1.5 inches peak to peak linear excursion to be exact). Patents #6,243,479, #D472, 891, #6,219,431 and #6,229,902 refer to the pole piece and basket which maximizes the thermal power handling by directing cool air more effectively and efficiently over the voice coil. Detailed information about all the patents is available on the JL website.

Sound Quality and Performance

The enclosure used for testing is the recommend vented enclosure from the owner’s manual. The enclosure volume is a modest 1.0 cubic foot tuned to 32Hz. In a minivan, the 8W7 generated an impressive peak SPL of 106dB, 127.1dB and 129.2dB at 1 watt, 250 watts and 500 watts respectively. These performance figures are on par with most of the 12 inch subwoofers I have tested. (The 12 inch woofer enclosures were also about twice the size!) I then placed the subwoofer enclosure into my RX7 and, as you would expect, the numbers went up. The 8W7 delivered a whopping 107.6dB, 129dB and 131.3dB at 1 watt, 250 watts and 500 watts respectively. Most woofers I have tested do not gain any significant SPL between their “rms” and “peak” power ratings. This is not the case with the 8W7. In fact, the SPL was quite consistent 2dB increase between 250 watts and 500 watts. Did I say this was an eight inch woofer?

Don’t think the 8W7 is just a “one hit wonder.” In fact, the JL Audio is one of the better woofers I have heard. I listened to a variety of music on the JL Audio 8W7. No matter what type of music I played, the JL woofer accurately reproduced what was recorded. It did not color the sound in anyway. On one track, I had to check to see if the woofer was even on. It blended so smoothly with my front 3-way set-up it disappeared. Never did I think, “Not bad for an eight inch woofer.” The truth is the JL Audio 8W7 is a great woofer regardless of size.

Summary

Simply put, the JL Audio 8W7 is the best damn 8 inch subwoofer ever made. Yes it’s expensive, but who cares? What is so amazing is that it doesn’t sound like an eight inch woofer. In fact, it performs like a great sounding 10 to 12 inch woofer. It also has the performance numbers to back that up. If I could give any criticism, it would be the woofer is too accurate. Bass heads wont like that it doesn’t make everything sound like an SPL track. But, if you are looking for big audiophile sound in a package that requires a small amount of power and space, the JL Audio 8W7 isn’t a good choice, it’s the only choice.

JL Audio 8W7

First Look

Like its predecessor, the Eclipse AVN5495 is an “all-in-one” audio/video/navigation system. It has the ability to play CD/MP3 and DVD combined with the power of navigation. Replacing the CD drive, the AVN5495 swaps in an internal 30 GB hard drive that stores the immense data now required for navigation (gas stations, restaurants, hotels etc.). For its new bag of tricks, the AVN5495 6.5-inch tiltable TFT touch screen reveals accesses to a single slot for DVDs and a memory stick slot rated to accept up to 128 MB of MP3s. The real beauty of this unit is that it performs all of these functions in a double DIN area without the need for additional external boxes.

The Eclipse AVN5495 has front, rear, and non-fading RCA outputs. The much-needed improvement over the AVN2454 is the big increase from 0.8 volts RMS to 5 volts RMS on its RCA outputs. The speaker outputs have been re-rated to a respectable 15 watts per channel into 4 channels. There’s still a maximum rated output voltage of 50 watts per channel. The AVN5495 can also control a couple of CD changers, accommodate a rear view camera (a proprietary piece from Eclipse), and accept and aux AV input. Basically, this unit will play everything except the less common DVD audio format.

A Closer Look

The biggest change to the Eclipse AVN5495 is the addition of a hard drive. Space not used for navigation is available for the Music Juke. According to Eclipse, the Music Juke can allow up to 3000 songs to be stored. When a CD is inserted into the AVN5495, it can be ripped and stored on the hard drive. Song information is available via the Gracenote CDDB, which contains information for over 230,000 songs. This is a cool feature that has its quirks. While it does record as promised, it does not allow you to listen to the stored music while it’s recording. Also, the recording happens in real time instead of faster read speeds that you’re accustomed to with your
computer.

The new AVN5495 is a significant upgrade in performance. The AVN5495 navigation is based on hard drive instead of DVD. This allows a significant increase in information and speed at which the information is displayed. The real benefit of the AVN5495 is the ability to play DVD while using the navigation. (Even though it’s only viewable on the external monitor.) The audio performance has drastically improved over the AVN2454. Using a high-performance 24-bit DAC (digital audio converter), this allows the AVN5495 to keep all of the signal processing, like the nine-band EQ, Circle Surround, and DSP sound field processing in the digital domain. Combine that with high RCA output voltage and impressively low 55-ohm source impedance, the results are a higher signal-to-noise ratio and better sound quality.

Looking a litter closer at the signal processing will impress you. The nine-band graphic EQ with six preset memories is adjustable in 1 dB steps up to 10 dB. Also, the AVN5495 includes DSP sound settings that simulate sonic signature from cathedrals to theaters to clubs. The AVN5495 lets you fine-tune the acoustical center of the listening space. The new Circle Surround II is an audio technology that is designed to generate multi-channel sound from any conventional CD or MP3 two-channel source. With it, the stereo sound field can be changed to sound higher and more up front, like two-channel home audio systems. The TruBass feature is designed using psychoacoustics to allow smaller speakers to generate seeming impressive bass without the need for larger subwoofers.

Ease of Use

The Eclipse AVN5495 is very easy to control. It will only take you couple of minutes to familiarize yourself with the controls. (Do this while you’re in your driveway, please!) The menu driven software is understandable and well written. Unlike the AVN2454, the volume control is located on the left-hand side. Thank you. Access of all the different audio and video formats is a snap. The only thing that I didn’t like was the clock — it only appears when the controls of the CD and Tuner are displayed. When the navigation map is on, the clock was nowhere to be found. Even searching the set-up menus didn’t give the clock display as an option. On the plus side, setting the time of the clock is as simple as choosing whether or not to use daylight savings.

Installation

The Eclipse AVN5495 is an installer’s dream. Without external boxes to install, only additional wire connections and its GPS sensor make this unit different from a standard CD player. For additional assistance, the basic wiring diagram is located on top of the AVN5495 chassis. Most Japanese and American vehicles can accommodate a double DIN radio, but you may have challenges from some European vehicles due to the different mounting standards used. As much as this unit is easy to install physically, it does require care and knowledge to install it properly. Interfacing the AVN5495 wires with the vehicle speed sensor, parking brake, and reverse lights makes this install better suited for the experiences installers at Authorized Eclipse dealers.

Sound Quality and Performance

The sound quality of the AVN5495 is excellent. Thank you Eclipse for the increased voltage (5 V rms) to the RCA outputs. With an impressively low source impedance of 55 ohms, the AVN5495 should be able to function even in the most demanding of audiophile systems. Add the digital 9-band equalizer to the mix and you have a system that can correct for small frequency response problems without adding additional noise. The lack of a fixed-level audio output for headphones is disappointing. On the plus side, DVDs look outstanding.

Of course, the real reason that you buy this unit is for the navigation, and it’s here that the Eclipse AVN5495 really kicks ass. While showing an enthusiast how fast the navigation works, we plotted a course from the depths of Florida to British Columbia. It took about three seconds. Cool. When following a route, you can take different roads and the AVN5495 immediately re-routes you to your destination. Also, when driving, you can display points of interest based on restaurants to gas stations to hotels. The navigation system works seamlessly.

Summary

The Eclipse AVN5495 is a extremely competent upgrade over the AVN2454. With more database information, the ability to play DVDs and navigate at the same time, and the new signal processing and performance capability, the AVN5495 is a worthy successor to previous models. The AVN5495 would be complete if it incorporated a fixed-level output with dual zone capability. The bottom line is that the AVN5495 is impressive, and with its improved sonic capabilities, a real sound performer. Add its simple user interface and you have an all-in-one navigation, DVD, and audio unit that’s hard to beat.

Eclipse AVN5495

First Look

The ARC Audio KAR 400.4 is a Class AB, 4-channel amplifier housed in a sleek clear anodized aluminum chassis. The understated style looks classy and refined. The front two channels include a 12dB per octave fully variable crossover from 55Hz to 550Hz. The front channels also include a 45Hz bass boost that allows up to 18dB of maximum boost. The rear channels include a 12dB per octave fully variable crossover from 55Hz to 5500Hz via a “x10” frequency multiplier. The RCA connections and signal adjustments are located on one side of the ARC Audio KAR 400.4 while the power and speaker connections along with the 40 amp fuse are located on the other side. The gold plated power and speaker screw terminal connections can easily accept either bare wire or fork terminals.

A Closer Look

What you can’t see in pictures is how solid and sturdy this amplifier feels. All the connections are positive. All the controls feel precise. For those who are familiar with amplifiers the ARC Audio 400.4 may seem a little different. Typical amplifiers generally assign the front channels for midrange and tweeters and the rear channels for subwoofers. In the KAR 400.4, it is exactly opposite. When looking at connecting the amplifier, this makes sense. I generally hook up the midrange and tweeter first. (The rear channels are on the bottom level of connections) and tune them. Next I add the subwoofer and blend them with the midrange and tweeter. The different configuration of the KAR 400.4 made this easier. Another nice feature is the ability to bridge the front channels to the right RCA and the rear channels to the left RCA. This make it easy to transform the KAR 400.4 into an extremely power two channel amplifier for satellite speakers.

Installation

The installation of the ARC Audio KAR 400.4 is simple. The metal mounting tabs are solid and placed at the four corners of the amplifier. The connections are well marked and easy to use. The ARC Audio KAR 400.4 gives you the right amount of controls to extract the best sound from the amplifier. If you are unsure about your installation capabilities, it is recommended that you have an Authorized ARC Audio Dealer perform the installation.

Sound Quality

This performs as well as it looks. On the test bench, the ARC Audio KAR 400.4 delivered 70.2 watts x 4 into 4-ohms with less than 1% distortion. Into 2-ohms, the KAR 400.4 delivered 107.5 watts per channel into four channels. This KAR 400.4 exceeded is rated power around 40%. Very impressive. Into 4-ohms bridged, the KAR 400.4 delivered a respectable 248.5 watts per channel into two channels for a total amplifier power of 497 watts. At peak power the ARC Audio KAR 400.4 average slightly above 70% efficiency drawing 27.8 amps at 4-ohms stereo and 47.7amps at 4-ohms bridged. At one-third power the amplifier’s efficiency dropped to 32%. This level of efficiency is typical of a Class AB design. Only in one category did the ARC Audio fall short of its rated performance. Using the CEA-2006 standards, I measured the signal-to-noise ratio at 92 dBA. This was 3 dB shy of its rated 95dBA.

When auditioning the ARC Audio KAR 400.4, the sound was smooth, detailed and crystal. There were no audible noises during turn-on or turn-off. On bass tracks, the KAR 400.4 delivered good impact and control. While the amplifier did run warm, never did the KAR 400.4 sound strained or thermal.

Summary

The ARC Audio KAR 400.4 is a solid performer. This amplifier has enough power and is flexible enough to drive your complete system. Or, you could use it as the beginning to a high-power, high end system of sonic goodness. If you are looking for a great sounding amplifier with the ability to grow, the ARC Audio 400.4 would be an excellent choice.

ARC Audio KAR 400.4