Which Amp would you choose?

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Alrojoca
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Hi, I have a simple project, I have already both of these amps. They will be driving and set of components to be determined, and a set of coax for the rear fill, or 6.5 mid drivers.

In any case this is what I have now, what they will drive it is not an issue except know a set of components for the front.

Both 5 ch amps, one is 6 ch but bridgeable to 5 and Full full Class AB. Another one is a 5 ch full class D. Specs given do not represent much since they are from 2 different times when ratings were given differently and some companies were modest on their specs or they still may be modest since it is made by the same company. Room is not an issue, it will be driving a 10 inch 280 watt RMS sub at 4 ohms. Power consumption not an issue either, just SQ and RMS power comparison. Perhaps someone already used both, heard or know someone having either one.

Here 2 links for the 6 ch class AB amp this one uses two 30 am fuses

JBL Grand Touring Series GTO755.6 II 6-channel car amplifier 60 watts RMS x 4 + 107 watts RMS x 2 at Crutchfield.com

JBL GTO755.6 (gto7556) 4 Channel Amplifier | Four Channel Amp

And here 2 links for the 5 ch class D amp. (this one uses two 40 amp fuses

Infinity Kappa Five 5-channel amplifier — 50 watts RMS x 4 at 4 ohms + 300 watts x 1 at 2 ohms at Crutchfield.com

Infinity Kappa Series 5-Channel Amplifier - Sonic Electronix

Thanks and I will appreciate any opinions and suggestions. I guess I have the option to try both, I know but if you had project you needed to finish soon and you were familiar with both, which one would be your choice. Many SQ oriented people tend to like class AB amps, not that I am answering my own question but any extra opinions are welcomed.

 
I have heard good things about the Kappa's. I understand SQ is pretty good. I like the specs far better than the JBL.

JBL-1% THD at rated output, S/N of 79 db.

Kappa 5 - .1% THD at rated output, S/N of 85 db.

pretty much a no brainer as far as stated specs go, the JBL is not even in the same league as the Kappa 5...

 
I honestly doubt you can hear the difference between 0.5% and 1% THD. They're both made by Harmon Kadon so they are both quality amps. The infinity def. looks better IMO
Oh yea..through decent tweeters, 1%+ can be detected... but still, being that the JBL has a THD level 10X that of the Kappa, not to mention a lot lower signal to noise ratio...I mean, come on now, 76 Db...that is down there in AudioPipe class D territory...I would gladly trade off 10 watts/ch for the superior SQ ability.

 
Oh yea..through decent tweeters, 1%+ can be detected... but still, being that the JBL has a THD level 10X that of the Kappa, not to mention a lot lower signal to noise ratio...I mean, come on now, 76 Db...that is down there in AudioPipe class D territory...I would gladly trade off 10 watts/ch for the superior SQ ability.
The THD is at rated power so honestly if you were to run the JBL at a lower gain level then you would also see a lower THD, so in that respect the two amps are close enough when making 50wpc. S/N ratio, I can't really see the Kappa being that much better at 85, granted that that is still better than the JBL. However, in real world applications the specs are pretty much tossed out the window when they are close enough. That's just how I see it, not really arguing for the JBL since to me they're both good amps made by a good company.

OP, just try both and see which you like better

 
The THD is at rated power so honestly if you were to run the JBL at a lower gain level then you would also see a lower THD, so in that respect the two amps are close enough when making 50wpc. S/N ratio, I can't really see the Kappa being that much better at 85, granted that that is still better than the JBL. However, in real world applications the specs are pretty much tossed out the window when they are close enough. That's just how I see it, not really arguing for the JBL since to me they're both good amps made by a good company.
OP, just try both and see which you like better
True, but when they are that close, specs rule..I am with ya though, if it were me, I would hook them both up and go with which one sounds better, or is more efficient, or has better add ins like x-overs and what not....whichever sounds the best and "Git's er Done"

 
Thanks guys! from what I remember going back to 2005- 2006, the specs given by some manufacturers back then were modest and under rated, or using a different method to test them. The THD, s/n ratio even the power were just numbers given to give a number since back then they were not restrictions like these days with CEA etc.

I think the JBL was made by Crown back then at least the GTO line. One advantage with the Kappa is the sub amp can handle 2 ohms and 300 watts. The JBL with 6 channels once the last 2 ch are bridged, 300 but at 4 ohms. The dynamic power out put on the JBL is given at 800 watts, peak is not given, while the peak power on the Kappa is given at 1200 watts. This is what is confusing since adding just the RMS for both at 2 ohms and max sub power the JBL seems to have 20 watts more than the Kappa. I guess since I decided to install the amp in a very accessible area, I could try them both and report later on this thread but as one of you guys said I may not notice the difference. The only difference is the JBL will put out 300 w bridged to the sub and the Infinity 200 w to the sub since it is a 4 ohm sub.

 
Thanks guys! from what I remember going back to 2005- 2006, the specs given by some manufacturers back then were modest and under rated, or using a different method to test them. The THD, s/n ratio even the power were just numbers given to give a number since back then they were not restrictions like these days with CEA etc.
I think the JBL was made by Crown back then at least the GTO line. One advantage with the Kappa is the sub amp can handle 2 ohms and 300 watts. The JBL with 6 channels once the last 2 ch are bridged, 300 but at 4 ohms. The dynamic power out put on the JBL is given at 800 watts, peak is not given, while the peak power on the Kappa is given at 1200 watts. This is what is confusing since adding just the RMS for both at 2 ohms and max sub power the JBL seems to have 20 watts more than the Kappa. I guess since I decided to install the amp in a very accessible area, I could try them both and report later on this thread but as one of you guys said I may not notice the difference. The only difference is the JBL will put out 300 w bridged to the sub and the Infinity 200 w to the sub since it is a 4 ohm sub.
I doubt you will hear an actual 100 watt difference on the sub, but the JBL may be more controlled...or not. Please do try both and keep us posted, heck, do a mini-review/vs. comparison.

 
Reporting back on this thread. I tried both, I had the JBL for a while and loved the power, decided to install the the Kappa, tried the gains in different settings. I noticed the Kappa had a brighter sound, I would not say quite crisper sound but the power was not nearly close compared to the JBL.

Any thoughts? the Kappa being a class D should be significantly better. That is why I mentioned the Specs on the JBL are way under rated. Just thought I would share this, any comments are appreciated. Also someone using a JBL amp like mine said he got better power with one of the newest cheaper Rockford's 5 ch $250 amp. I seriously doubt it. And yes I had the last 2 ch on the JBL bridged at 300 watts, and played with the gains on the kappa set it to max and never reached the power I had dialed in with the JBL. I am very surprised, and I may repeat the test again but I played quite a bit after being disappointed.

Due to room/space issues I am considering an Alpine MRV 70 or PDXV9.

 
Reporting back on this thread. I tried both, I had the JBL for a while and loved the power, decided to install the the Kappa, tried the gains in different settings. I noticed the Kappa had a brighter sound, I would not say quite crisper sound but the power was not nearly close compared to the JBL.
Any thoughts? the Kappa being a class D should be significantly better. That is why I mentioned the Specs on the JBL are way under rated. Just thought I would share this, any comments are appreciated. Also someone using a JBL amp like mine said he got better power with one of the newest cheaper Rockford's 5 ch $250 amp. I seriously doubt it. And yes I had the last 2 ch on the JBL bridged at 300 watts, and played with the gains on the kappa set it to max and never reached the power I had dialed in with the JBL. I am very surprised, and I may repeat the test again but I played quite a bit after being disappointed.

Due to room/space issues I am considering an Alpine MRV 70 or PDXV9.
Nice, I actually didn't see this thread was old and was getting ready to point out the errors in some specs. Namely that 6db of s/n that isn't even an apples to apples comparison isnt going to make a difference. Also, thd has almost no bearing on amp specs. However, your real world knowledge backed me up lol. JBL makes some good amps, for a budget setup they are always one of my first choices, especially if I can get some ebay special factory refurbs. The pdx arent' bad, if you have the money for it or can find them for a good price the HD line from JL wont' dissapoint. I've messed with both in different install albeit, but the HD's were ALOT better. The PDX weren't as effecient, did seem to have a bit of noise that was amp related.. Only thing that the PDX really did as well as advertised was be small..

 
Nice, I actually didn't see this thread was old and was getting ready to point out the errors in some specs. Namely that 6db of s/n that isn't even an apples to apples comparison isnt going to make a difference. Also, thd has almost no bearing on amp specs. However, your real world knowledge backed me up lol. JBL makes some good amps, for a budget setup they are always one of my first choices, especially if I can get some ebay special factory refurbs. The pdx arent' bad, if you have the money for it or can find them for a good price the HD line from JL wont' dissapoint. I've messed with both in different install albeit, but the HD's were ALOT better. The PDX weren't as effecient, did seem to have a bit of noise that was amp related.. Only thing that the PDX really did as well as advertised was be small..

Yes I hear you, thanks for posting here, I would say there is a coloration and power trade between the 2, I was just so used to more shaking power than less coloration, although with a better HU and more EQ bands and perhaps bi amp or active, the JBL may still be my choice. A couple of years ago some great deals could be found on Ebay on JBL amps, that is how I got mine. Based on my needs now, I may just hook up a Kappa 4 that I already have, since my sub is small and handles only about 250 watts, that way I will have at least 100/ch for the front and 200-240 with the rear bridged channels for my sub and have the rear coax speakers driven by the HU.

 
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Alrojoca

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