Kenwood amps?

[ARK_SWAMP_RIDER 10+ year member]

I know a lot of amps don't perform as advertised. Do Kenwood amps generally put out the specified power? I'm looking at one, it's rated at 150 watts RMS at 4 ohms. This is the amount of power I need, but if their power rating is overrated I'll need to step up to a larger one. Thanks!

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[groundpound4200 5,000+ posts]

I believe they're rated at 14.4 which isnt that big of deal but in my experience Kenwoods have a higher than normal failure rate. Check out those MBQuarts everyone's using right now

 

[ARK_SWAMP_RIDER 10+ year member]

Hm, I've had some Kenwood stuff in the past and have had no issues. I need a solid amp that'll run 150 watts RMS at 4 ohms, any advice (preferably under $100 new). Thanks.

 

[kr15 5,000+ posts]

they will do rated at the optimal voltage, but no more than that. Still, they are better than flea market brands and other brands in class such as sony.

with some astute shopping, you can find something better

 

[ARK_SWAMP_RIDER 10+ year member]

It's about $50 more, but I've found a JL mono amp that puts out 250 @ 2 ohm and 175 @ 4 ohms. This'll pair up with the JL sub I'm getting, so worth the extra IMO. Thanks!

 

[CarAudioNewbie9 10+ year member]

I wouldn't use a Kenwood amp. They make good head units and speakers. What kind of amp do you need? Mono, 2 channel, 4 channel?

 

[kr15 5,000+ posts]

JL amps are quality, and if only 50 more than the kenwood and a bit stronger, I would go with it.

 

[ARK_SWAMP_RIDER 10+ year member]

I took the advice, and I just made a purchase on a JL Audio amp from Crutchfield. I was able to get an open box item, and so that helped as well and made the price competitive to other retailers. It's big enough I can upgrade subs later or possibly add a second. I also purchased a JL 8w1v2 to mount in the stock sub location. It's SVC 4 ohm, and if I'm right adding a second later on would put it at a 2 ohm load, so I should be good to go. Thanks guys!

 

[Louisiana_CRX 5,000+ posts]

which jl amp did you get ?