Why spend more?
Written: Feb 07 '03
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Pros: No one (not even teenagers) needs more. This does the job!
Cons: Some of the specifications/advertising are misleading.
The Bottom Line: If you only need five amplifier channels, this is the one to buy!
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| philipabel's Full Review: Alpine MRP-F320 Car Amp |
I own a 1992 GMC Suburban (also reviewed with epinions.com), and wanted to improve the oem sound system. The factory system sacrificed sound quality to get sound volume. The original speakers were efficient in the midrange, but severely lacking at both ends of the sound spectrum. I knew I needed new speakers and an aftermarket amplifier.
Most home stereo systems have about 100 watts of power in the volume of a room; I could see no reason to even consider that amount of power in my truck; how would I ever hear an emergency vehicle approaching?
I decided to include a subwoofer in my system; I wanted concert-hall sound, and did not want to spend a fortune. I installed new speakers (front and rear). I then bought a suitable subwoofer and installed it in a sealed enclosure in my Suburban center console, and began looking for a multi-channel amplifier. The Alpine MRP-F320 stood out immediately. With 40 watts per channel for the front and rear stereo speakers, and 60 watts for the subwoofer, the $200 price tag seemed perfect. Lots or amplifiers are available with 50% more power, and most are priced hundreds of dollars higher.
I purchased my amp from an online supplier, and had it professionally installed under the driver's seat. The gains to all five channels are set to about 50%, and even that is more power than I will ever use. My tastes include both jazz and classical music, and the MRP-F320 really does the job! The sound is clean, there is no discernible noise, and the unit barely gets warm during normal use. The high-pass filters for the stereo channels and the crossover frequency adjustment allowed me to easily adapt the amplifier to my Suburban.
The available advertising, and even the published Alpine specifications are a little misleading, especially for non-technical consumers.
1. Alpine recommends using #10 wire for the +12V lead, and every supplier offers to sell "wiring kits" which include #10 multi-strand wire. The owners manual plainly states that #8 wire is required, and the autosound dealer who installed my amp flatly refused to do the installation unless he could use #8 (or larger) wire.
2. The sales literature and the owners manual note that the four stereo channels (1 & 2 for the front speakers, 3 & 4 for the rear channels) have a high-pass filter. Turning ON the HP switch passes everything from 80 Hz to 20 KHz to the speakers, and attenuates everything below 80 Hz at the rate of 18 dB/octave. Turning OFF the HP switch passes all frequencies from 20 Hz to 20 KHz to the speakers. What is NOT stated is that only channels 1 & 2 supply low frequencies to the subwoofer amplifier and higher frequencies to the stereo speakers. Channels 3 & 4 have absolutely no connection to the subwoofer channel at all. When the "head unit" (the radio) fade control is used to switch to the rear speakers, the subwoofer is no longer active. Anyone who wants to have the rear speaker channels also drive the subwoofer must purchase a 6 channel amplifier and use either a dual-coil subwoofer or a second single-coil subwoofer.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 200
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Epinions.com ID:
philipabel
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Reviews written: 2
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