Do Crunch Amps equal bad distortion?

[porksoda 10+ year member]

Well I was talking to a friend(a car audio shop owner) about buying a amp for my single RE SRi10.

I said I want to get this amp:

Crunch PZT1100.2 (pzt11002) - 2-Channel Car Amplifier Power Amp - Sonic Electronix

# PowerZone Series 2-Channel Class A/B Car Amplifier# Max Power Rating (@ 14.4V):

* 4 ohms: 275 watts x 2 chan.

* 2 ohms: 550 watts x 2 chan.

* Bridged, 4 ohms: 1100 watts x 1 chan.

# RMS Power Rating:

* 4 ohms: 137.5 watts x 2 chan.

* 2 ohms: 275 watts x 2 chan.

* Bridged, 4 ohms: 550 watts x 1 chan.

# Total max power output: 1100 watts

# MOSFET PWM power supply

# DC, speaker short, thermal, and overload LED power indicators

# Tuned Bass EQ (0-12 dB bass boost at 45 Hz)

# Slow un-mute turn-on enables a safe soft start

# 2/1 Channel operation for speakers or subwoofers

# Full range RCA line output connections

# Adjustable voltage level (0.2-6V)

# 1 Pair of preamp RCA outputs

# Stereo and mono switch

# Crossover switch for low-pass filter, high-pass filter, and full

# Illuminated Crunch embossed logo on the face of the amplifier

# Power and protection LED diagnostic indicator

# Adjustments and controls conveniently located on the front of the amplifier

# Aluminum alloy heatsink for efficient heat dissipation

# Nickel-plated RCA level inputs

# Nickel-plated screw terminals

# Variable high-pass filter (60-1,200 Hz)

# Variable low-pass filter (30-250 Hz)

# Frequency response: 10-45,000 Hz

# Dimensions: 13-7/16"L x 10"W x 2-3/16"H

And he was telling me that Crunch amps have bad distortion and can damage my RE SRi10.

Will bad distortion really hurt my subwoofer if the amp is really that bad?

Is that so or is he just trying to sell me a different amp of his own?

Can someone help explain what he is meaning buy bad distortion?

I called Maxxsonics and they said that the PZT series is the newest Crunch Amps that have been release. So I dont know if that will make a dfference since they are new.

I know this is a cheap amp but I am building a budget build, so I am trying to find the best deal for a amplifier. This is right in my budget for a amplifier.

Any help will be appreciated!

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[nateberrier 10+ year member]

Clipping kills subs, distortion sounds like piss. if your broham sets the gains right it will be fine. hes probably trying to talk you into an expensive amp

 

[whitedragon551 5,000+ posts]

That amp wont do rated first of all. Second of all where is the THD spec and the signal to noise ratio or did they intentionally leave those out?

 

[DD_Dave 10+ year member]

real Crunch amps are made by ZED //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/fyi.gif.9f1f679348da7204ce960cfc74bca8e0.gif

 

[porksoda 10+ year member]

That amp wont do rated first of all. Second of all where is the THD spec and the signal to noise ratio or did they intentionally leave those out?

I figured since it says it rated at 550w RMS that it may be decent enough for my RE SRi since it is a 300w RMS sub.

On the other specs page had that info. Here it is:

Signal-to-Noise Ratio---90 dB

THD at Rated RMS Power---0.05%

What does this stuff mean?

 

[n2audio 5,000+ posts]

The crunch is fine in the short term.

Distortion at 300w will be well below the 1% threshold.

Most logical people can accept that any THD below 1% is not going to be audible.

Clipping is controlled by properly adjusting the amp. Not the label or the price tag.

I would expect it to have no problem doing 400 if you want it to, probably close to 500, but I think it would fall short of its 550w rating.

IMO, the biggest issue with an amp like crunch is any guarantee of a long life.

It's a low cost amp, lower quality parts, lower quality control. Could last 10 yrs, could last 10 weeks.

Sound quality and its ability to power a sub like that -- not a problem.

 

[Spooney 10+ year member]

Current Crunch amps are cheap for a reason. Most of them are a little over rated . They have lower quality circuit boards in them. They have lower quality components in them. They will give acceptable performance for most people. If you don't abuse them they will do what they are supposed to do for a reasonable amount of time. It's no Sundown but it isn't a pyramid or rockwood either.

 

[Bob Saget]

real Crunch amps are made by ZED //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/fyi.gif.9f1f679348da7204ce960cfc74bca8e0.gif

^^^^^^^^

 

[Bullet03 10+ year member]

i had one, the powerzone 1100.2 actually, and i bought it beginning of last year, still have it, personally never heard a bit of distortion, had it playing a cvr and also had it as a trial on my front stage at the time and did decent on both. its not bad at all for budget. but dont expect rated power.

 

[RAM_Designs 5,000+ posts]

I'd bet it does close to rated, and at a reasonable distortion level. The main thing with cheap amps is they are made from cheap parts, which don't last as long.

 

[Vossy 10+ year member]

The crunch is fine in the short term.Distortion at 300w will be well below the 1% threshold.

Most logical people can accept that any THD below 1% is not going to be audible.

Clipping is controlled by properly adjusting the amp. Not the label or the price tag.

I would expect it to have no problem doing 400 if you want it to, probably close to 500, but I think it would fall short of its 550w rating.

IMO, the biggest issue with an amp like crunch is any guarantee of a long life.

It's a low cost amp, lower quality parts, lower quality control. Could last 10 yrs, could last 10 weeks.

Sound quality and its ability to power a sub like that -- not a problem.

This, although I wouldn't give it 500

 

[Bob Saget]

i had one, the powerzone 1100.2 actually, and i bought it beginning of last year, still have it, personally never heard a bit of distortion, had it playing a cvr and also had it as a trial on my front stage at the time and did decent on both. its not bad at all for budget. but dont expect rated power.

Maybe you couldn't hear the distortion from the Crunch amp due to the higher distortion level of the Kicker CVR? //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/crap.gif.7f4dd41e3e9b23fbd170a1ee6f65cecc.gif

 

[miker 5,000+ posts]

I don't see why that would be a bad amp if you're trying to get 300w rms.

 

[Bullet03 10+ year member]

Maybe you couldn't hear the distortion from the Crunch amp due to the higher distortion level of the Kicker CVR? //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/crap.gif.7f4dd41e3e9b23fbd170a1ee6f65cecc.gif

also a possible. but either way for a budget, as long as gains are controlled it should be just fine.

 

[n2audio 5,000+ posts]

Maybe you couldn't hear the distortion from the Crunch amp due to the higher distortion level of the Kicker CVR? //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/crap.gif.7f4dd41e3e9b23fbd170a1ee6f65cecc.gif

By their nature speakers produce a lot of distortion. The best, most precision engineered speakers available would contribute to distortion many times that of the cheapest amplifiers.

Which only reinforces the point that 1% for an amp is acceptable, and the standard where power measurements are taken.