JL 500/1 good amp? efficiency?

[godisanatheist 10+ year member]

I need a new amp I can get a slightly used JL 500/1 (v1) for about $280. is this amp good? It does 500w rms as long as you have a 1.4-4 ohm load and battery from 11.1-14.4. I think this is awesome but i heard reviews where this is not efficient for a D class amp and takes about same power as an a/b amp. But im confused because if it can produce 500 rms at only 11.1 and the amperage is 50A (i believe) then how is it unefficient. I had an old PG ti 600.2 amp before and it took a lot out of my electrical. My battery would give it almost 13 volts but on heavy bass notes the voltage would drop below 11 temporarily. i know that amp is not very efficient but would I have a problem with my stock electircal and this Jl amp? Im gonna be connecting a 2nd gen type r at 4 ohms in a 03 toyota matrix.

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[Bettr n' Revrse 5,000+ posts]

I dont even know where to start...

 

[Bosstradamus 10+ year member]

Those are real nice amps but very inefficient,i have had 1k rms amps that don't **** as much power as those. But like i said the amps are real nice.

 

[godisanatheist 10+ year member]

shed some light please

 

[zerosktr111 10+ year member]

The amp has a regulated power supply. That means that the amp will try to put out the same power regardless of input impedance or enen input voltage. That is a good thing for most people, but there are some negative side effects. One of those being that these amps are not very efficient. It will still put out rated power and all, but it will **** in alot of current for an amp that size.

 

[godisanatheist 10+ year member]

would a clarion dpx11500 be more efficient if I ran it at 4 ohms? i could get it for the same price. puts out 800 rms at 4 ohms supposedly.

 

[BASSMEKANIK89 10+ year member]

What is your main concern with the efficiency of the amp. Are you concerned with the current draw of the amplifier? What type of car due you have? Most amplifiers have a Unregulated power supply. They work great for power if you can keep your voltage at 14.4 range(which is difficult in most cars while slamming your system). The downfall of the unregulated power supply is that as your voltage drops, so does your power output. An example would be if your amp puts out 800watts @ 4ohms @14.4v it might only put out 535watts @ 4 ohm @ 12.9v. The JL will not do that because they use a regulated power supply. With a regulated power supply you need a good current flow more than a high voltage to make it perfom good. Also if you have a cap, you won't need it anymore with the JL. As long as you have a good ground and a good run of real copper 4-gauge(not CCA wire(40% efficiency of real copper)) you should be golden. I have put in hundreds of the JL500/1 amplifiers and never had a voltage/current issue from a vehicle unless the vehicle had a problem before the amp was installed. They are VERY reliable and clean. The have great control of the woofer even while being driven hard. Yes you can buy a amplifier like the clarion that you listed above for about the same price, but it will be hard to get it to sound as good. Im sure i'll get roasted for supporting a "non underground" amp company, but I have customers that have moved the slash series amps from car to car to car and the love them. If you do purchase the JL make sure the seriel number sticker is still on the amp(located on the bottom),that will ensure that if it is still under warranty and something should happen to the amp JL will fix it for you without a hassle. Hope this helps.

 

[godisanatheist 10+ year member]

thanks it is in a 2003 toyota matrix.

i'm buying it used.. ill check if the seriel sticker's still on it.

yeah because I saw drops in voltage with my pg ti 600.2 and i didnt think that was healthy. I have a 1 farad cap btw. So if i'm aiming for 500w rms at 4 ohms? what would be my better bet, the JL or clarion (with gains set lower). My issue is I don't want it to draw too much power and not get enough power and lose output and/or go into protect mode (my PG did that when I had it set up at 2 ohms, 4 ohms didnt have too much of a problem). yeah another thing is my power wire is ****** quality. i was stupid i didn't think this stuff mattered it's a no name brand 4 gauge wire.. hopefully i wont have too much of an issue with this?

 

[BASSMEKANIK89 10+ year member]

You should have no issues with that car. I would go with the JL if it was me. You can get more out of the Clarion based on specs, but the JL is consistant. You can lose the cap with the JL as it could choke the amp. Think of power like a river. Your depth would be your voltage and the speed that the river moves would be your current. A cap keeps the water deep, but slows the pace of the river. With the JL's regulated power supply it needs current more than high voltage. The wire is a BIG issue with any system. When the price of copper went up a lot of companies came out with inexpensive power wire called Copper Clad Aluminum(CCA). It is great for meeting a pricepoint, but is horrible for high current applications of any kind. CCA wire has roughly 60% more resistance over a given length than copper wire. So if your 4 gauge that you were using with your PG amp was CCA you would have to run a second 4 gauge CCA wire to get anywhere the current flow of a single run of true copper wire. Look around for bulk power wire kits or check with your local shop to find out what they would charge you for the 4-gauge and swap it out. No matter what amp you go with, if you don't have good power getting to your amp it wont matter how efficient your amp is.

 

[godisanatheist 10+ year member]

ok thanks i think i will go out and buy the jl amp tmrw. then i'll install it with the cap first and see how it runs. in the 500/1 manual it says minimum wire length size is 8 gauge so hopefully there isnt an issue with my crap 4 gauge. really don;t want drop more money on this set up right now.

 

[wone 10+ year member]

that little amp is a little monster for its size, i had 4 of them in my car and it did well on my stock electrical, so im guessing you will be more than fine you will be happy.

and just throwing this out there i have a fresh JL 500 i can do $200 on. if interested pm me

 

[godisanatheist 10+ year member]

this amp is ill. gain only half of what i had it on my pg ti600.2 and its just as loud. i misplaced my DMM so i will buy a new one then set gains properly. excited. *knock on wood*

 

[#45 10+ year member]

i had the 450/4 which is ab class though, but killed my stock electrical system till the battery would no longer even charge up. had the change the battery and get rid of the amp, though the 500/1 being class d i'm sure wouldnt be as bad but personally i didn't think their all that anyway.

 

[WhyUmad 10+ year member]

great amp, $280 for a v1 is kinda expensive. Would have to be mint and from someone you know

 

[godisanatheist 10+ year member]

well im in canada.. retail prices are inflated here anyways. locally the lowest ive seen for this amp is $300. this guy had it orig. listed for 360 i got him to give it up for 280. there weren't any used one listed on ebay either. new ones were more than $400.

and cosmetically its mint