Water Bear
Senior VIP Member
So I've been looking at class D sub amps around the 1k-1.2k watt mark. I've looked at everything from Zed and Zapco to mainstream brands. (BTW Zed has some really great articles on his blog).
So here's the JL Audio HD series (yes I know they are way over priced):
HD 1200 watt amp
The relevant specs:
S/N @ rated power: >110 db
S/N @ 1 watt: > 79 db
Damping Factor @ 4 Ω: >500 / 50 Hz
Damping Factor @ 2 Ω: >250 / 50 Hz
THD+N @ Rated Power:
And then there's the Alpine MRV-M1200:
MRV 1200 watt amp
The relevant specs:
Signal to Noise (Rated Power into 4 Ohms): >105 dB
Signal to Noise (1W into 4 Ohms): >85 dB
Damping Factor (10W into 4 Ohms at 100Hz): >750
Now the THD is not listed, but it's
So please explain to me. Why would I pay $584 more for the JL when the cheap-o Alpine has incredibly similar specs. And don't say balanced inputs, because Stephen Martz says that doesn't matter much in car audio.
So here's the JL Audio HD series (yes I know they are way over priced):
HD 1200 watt amp
The relevant specs:
S/N @ rated power: >110 db
S/N @ 1 watt: > 79 db
Damping Factor @ 4 Ω: >500 / 50 Hz
Damping Factor @ 2 Ω: >250 / 50 Hz
THD+N @ Rated Power:
And then there's the Alpine MRV-M1200:
MRV 1200 watt amp
The relevant specs:
Signal to Noise (Rated Power into 4 Ohms): >105 dB
Signal to Noise (1W into 4 Ohms): >85 dB
Damping Factor (10W into 4 Ohms at 100Hz): >750
Now the THD is not listed, but it's
So please explain to me. Why would I pay $584 more for the JL when the cheap-o Alpine has incredibly similar specs. And don't say balanced inputs, because Stephen Martz says that doesn't matter much in car audio.