Good Amp

[Shane21]

I'm in the market to add an amp to my stereo system. I found a 1000W x 4 channel Pyle for about $120. Has anyone installed one of these? Price sounds a little too good to be true. If not, does anyone have any other recommendations for a good marine amp in the $100 - $200 range?

Thanks!!!

[Wake2wake]

that is actually the amp that i installed this past summer, and i am very happy with it. but i have also never had anything else hooked up to my speakers so i really have no comparison to say its as good as anything else. but It powers 4 Rockford Fosgate tower speakers that i installed on the tower this last summer with it. I am very happy with the results of that setup, but like i said, I don't have anything to compare it to. and since i am one of like 4 boats on my lake that even has a tower, there's not even really anything for me to compare to even on other boats that i see on a regular basis.

[JimN]

Originally Posted by Shane21

I'm in the market to add an amp to my stereo system. I found a 1000W x 4 channel Pyle for about $120. Has anyone installed one of these? Price sounds a little too good to be true. If not, does anyone have any other recommendations for a good marine amp in the $100 - $200 range?

Thanks!!!

Does 1000W x 4 even sound reasonable at that price? Look at the fuses, add them up and that's the worst case current draw. P=IE, so at 14.4VDC, 4000W=277.78A x 14.4V. At 12V, it's 333.33A. Assuming 50% efficiency, double these numbers.

The rating isn't even close to the real output.

[Shane21]

Actually what I meant was that it's a 1000W amp (250W x 4). That would give you 1000W = 69.4A x 14.4V. And at 12V, it's 83.3A. That should make more sense.

But it sounds like someone has already had good luck with it. Wake2Wake is the sound quality good? Is it pretty powerful? I plan on putting it on 2 wakeboard tower speakers as well as 2 5-1/4" speakers in the boat.

[jamisonsbrodie]

FYI, that power number that Pyle is using is the MAX output #, and these are nowhere near the RMS/continuous power #. Actual power is probably more like 50 watts x 4 RMS at most.

[JimN]

Originally Posted by Shane21

Actually what I meant was that it's a 1000W amp (250W x 4). That would give you 1000W = 69.4A x 14.4V. And at 12V, it's 83.3A. That should make more sense.

But it sounds like someone has already had good luck with it. Wake2Wake is the sound quality good? Is it pretty powerful? I plan on putting it on 2 wakeboard tower speakers as well as 2 5-1/4" speakers in the boat.

OK, add up the total of the fuses, calculate the power from that and take 50%, unless it's some variation of Class D. Class AB is about 50% efficient and unfortunately, car audio amp manufacturers are notoriously "optimistic" in their specs. I have heard of one amp that's pretty reasonable, puts out good power, I think it has Mos-Fets and doesn't get hot. My friend who has a business updating old car radios with clean-up, fresh innards, iPod inputs, line outx4 + sub, etc sells them and he's actually impressed by these- which takes quite a bit. He has been in electronics for a long time and has actually checked current draw vs output at various voltages and he said it meets spec. I'll talk to him and find out what it was.

Post the model number of the Pyle, if you can. I'll see if it's the same one. My comments come from 25 years of car audio, so I'm generally skeptical of claims like this but they have been coming up with some interesting small amps that really get up and go.

[brucemac]

jim whats your take on the wetsounds amps? class h, regulated ps, etc. just curious. planning on adding one or two. i respect your opinion.tia.

[JimN]

Originally Posted by brucemac

jim whats your take on the wetsounds amps? class h, regulated ps, etc. just curious. planning on adding one or two. i respect your opinion.tia.

I have no experience with them. When I stopped doing car audio, I don't think they existed, or maybe they were just starting out. Class H isn't new, but it works.

[Shane21]

You guys are getting way over my head in terms of these amps. The model I bought was a PLMRA420. I just wanted to make sure I wasn't buying a "Pyle" of cr@p.

[TX.X-30 fan]

Originally Posted by Shane21

You guys are getting way over my head in terms of these amps. The model I bought was a PLMRA420. I just wanted to make sure I wasn't buying a "Pyle" of cr@p.

I'm with you that name is lame.