First things first - I never realized how technical and complicated a decent car sound system can be. Matching components is a daunting task, and even though I relied on a salesman at first, I went back to the shop three times - first replacing a subwoofer, then finally the amp before I was happy. I know enough to be dangerous, but am by no means an expert. I do not have the ability to install a full-fledged system as noted below. It should also be noted that while in the shop, I worked with the installer to tune the amp to my liking. I do not expect to change the settings of the amp - I fine tune the music with the flexible setting of the Alpine head unit (includes sub level adjusting).
In rating any one component, it's important to know what the entire system is, so here's mine (installed in a 1997 Town Car):
Alpine CDA-9807 MP3/CD head unit
Boston Acoustics Pro-Series 5.5 Component speakers (front)
Boston Acoustics NX-97's (rear)
JL Audio 12" W3 dual 2-ohm sub in custom box (in trunk)
JL Audio 500/5 Amp (in trunk)
Ones listening style is also critical in choosing the proper component. If you want to impress people with thumping bass from a half mile away, you should have a separate monoblock 1000-watt amp driving at least a pair of 12" subs, and one or two multi-channel amps driving the main speakers. If you're like me, and the music is the most important, you want a system that mixes the highs, mids, and lows. You want to impress people inside the car only - you want your music to be clean at all listening levels without distortion. And finally - budget is important. Multiple amps can get pretty expensive, and you may have to alter your cars electrical system to handle all that power. I ended up spending around $2,000 for the system (including installation). Since I was limiting my budget, I needed to consider each piece separately first, then consider the system as a whole.
When I had the system originally installed, the amp was the Alpine MRV-F450 5-channel amp. Immediately, I was having problems with the amp going into protect mode when the head unit was at a volume of 24. The amp was over-heating because my normal listening volume was pushing the limits of the Alpine amp. Once I stepped up to the JL 500/5, it's a whole new ballgame. My ears basically bleed at a volume of 17, with very little if any distortion.
The JL Audio 500/5 amp is considered a hybrid amp. It's a class A/B amp for the four main channels, and a class D amp for the sub. Class D amps run cooler that class A/B amps, and since the class D portion is driving the most power hungry piece (the sub), it is configured the best so as not to overheat. It's a fairly large amp, but since my Town Car's trunk is huge, this is a non-issue. If you are good at adjusting amps, the controls are conveniently placed, so that once installed, you can adjust levels without much difficulty.
One important feature of the JL amp is it's power ratings. One thing lesser car audio systems suffer from is that larger speakers are mounted in the rear, thus, most of the sound comes from the rear. Many amps run equal power to the front and rear speakers. When you're listening to music, whether at a concert or at home, the soundfield originates from the front. In a decently configured car system, the front speakers are the most important, with the sub being second. The rear speakers should only be used for filler. The JL Audio 500/5 pumps 100-watts to the front speakers, 250-watts to the sub, and only 25-watts to the rear speakers. To me, it's obvious JL Audio considered the importance of the front speakers. The Alpine amp I originally installed ran 50-watts to each of the four main speakers. I chose the component speakers for the front because I wanted them to carry the load of the music, and they use every bit of the 100-watts the JL 500/5 provides.
The 250-watts to the JL Audio 12" sub is more than enough for my taste. I can really feel the bass - actually, it pounds me at decent volume levels. Even at a lower volume, I still can feel the bass, something I was really looking for. I ran the system for over an hour at a 4-window open highway driving level (loud). When I got home, I felt the amp - it was warm, but not unbearably hot like the Alpine was. I guess the Class D amp for the sub really does keep the heat away (as well as the general design of the heat sinks).
Since I ran the Alpine amp for a week before exchanging, I can compare the two amps. The JL Audio packs much more wallop. With the head unit being balanced left/right and front/rear, it's like I'm listening to a concert with the artists in front of me, not behind me. The 100-watts the JL amp provides to the front speakers really shines with the component speakers. The Alpine just couldn't push the sub to the extremes the JL 500/5 can.
Final notes: the salesman was all excited about the ambient mode on the amp. It's like the Yamaha proprietary soundfields - supposedly echoing to the rear, and filling out the sound more. To me, it just took away from the sound, not enhanced it. Also - this amp regulates power even if the cars electrical system varies. I've "heard" that an amp that regulates power loses sound quality, but it's not something that is evident to me.
In closing, if you are looking for a single amp to drive your entire system, I personally feel you can't go wrong the the JL Audio 500/5. It makes my music come alive, and my ears give out before the amp does. The true audiophile will probably consider separate amps, having one exclusively for the sub channel. From my experience with the 500/5, I don't see the need, unless you have a bottomless pit of money. And remember, the amp is just one piece of the puzzle. Do your homework - putting a decent car audio system together is not a cakewalk - as three trips back to the shop proves so. Decide on how you listen to your music, and what you want out of your system.
For your information:
Specifications:
Front Channels: 100 W RMS x 2 @ 1.5 ohm-4 ohm (11V-14.5V)
Rear Channels: 25 W RMS x 2 @ 1.5 ohm-4 ohm(11V-14.5V)
Subwoofer Channel: 250 W RMS @ 1.5 ohm-4 ohm (11V-14.5V)
THD at Rated Power: less than 0.03% @ 4 ohm (F&R), less than 0.05% @ 4 ohm (Sub)
S/N Ratio* (F&R): greater than 108.5 dB below rated power
S/N Ratio* (Sub): greater than 95 dB below rated power
Frequency Response (front and rear): 5 Hz-30 KHz ( 0, -1dB)
Frequency Response (sub channel): 5 Hz-500 Hz ( 0, -1dB)
Damping Factor (front and rear): greater than 200 @ 4 ohm/50 Hz
Damping Factor (sub channel): greater than 500 @ 4 ohm/50 Hz
Input Range: switchable from 200mV-2V RMS to 800mV-8V RMS
Dimensions: 19.7"L x 9.25"W x 2.36"H
Features:
Differential-Balanced Input Topology: (3 pairs of inputs)
Front Crossover: fully-variable (50 Hz-5 KHz), selectable-slope BP or HP (12 or 24 dB per octave)
Rear Crossover: fully-variable (50 Hz-5 KHz), selectable-slope HP (12 or 24 dB per octave)
Sub Crossover: fully-variable (40-200 Hz), selectable-slope LP (12 or 24 dB per octave)
Preamp Output: 2-channel (full-range or LP)
Bass EQ: Variable boost up to 15dB. Remote bass boost control optional.
Infrasonic Filter: defeatable 24dB/octave at 30 Hz
Left minus Right Ambience Circuit: ambient effect for rear channels
Front and rear speaker output connections: accept up to 8ga. wire
Dual mono subwoofer output connections: accept up to 8ga. wire
12V and Ground connections: accept up to 4ga. Wire
Front Channels:100 W RMS x 2 @ 1.5 ohm-4 ohm(11V-14.5V) Rear Channels:25 W RMS x 2 @ 1.5 ohm-4 ohm(11V-14.5V) Subwoofer Channel:250 W RMS @ 1.5 ohm-4 ...More at Buy.com Marketplaces
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