Nice entry level amp
Written: Jul 21 '06 (Updated Jul 21 '06)
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Pros: Powerful enough, doesn't strain charging system, quality, price, does what it claims... well.
Cons: Small transformer, RCA's are too close
The Bottom Line: If you want an entry level amp that won't disappoint you this is one of your best bets. Best paired with a single 10" or 12" high end subwoofer.
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| shillbra's Full Review: Alpine MRP-M350 Car Amp |
The Alpine MRP-M350 is a great amp for entry-level sound systems.
Power
It actually delivers slightly more then the advertised 200 watts rms at 4 ohms (12 volt), keep in mind however that as voice coils heat up their resistance changes and this ultimately affects the output of the amplifier. If you increase the voltage to 15 volts you are looking at around 300 watts RMS at 4 ohm! It is rated for 350 watts RMS at 2-ohm load which is fairly accurate.
The amp is stable at 2 ohms, actually stable down to about 1.53 ohm and I have never had any problems with stability at 2 ohm. At a 1 ohm load the amp puts out around 410 watts rms but will go into protection mode. To increase stability a 14-volt power supply will do wonders. The amp's power supply features a pre wound transformer which is in my opinion the only weak point in its design. The mosfets are 4x "IRFZ44N" and 4x "IRF5305" rated for a vps(v) of 55 and are paired with a superb heat-sink design, each rail ( /-) is on opposite sides of the amp and the mosfets are spaced far enough apart that heat transfer between them is not an issue. http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y34/shillbra/MRP-M350.jpg is a pic of the internals to show you what i am talking about. What all this means is that you have an amp that is extremely efficient at dissipating heat and runs cool. I have never had one of these amps go into thermal protection even under extended play at maximum volume.
All this said this amp is an entry level amp and I can not in good faith recommend it to those looking to power huge subs, or multiple subs. It will deliver the best results when paired with a single 10"-12" sub rated at a rms of less than 500. It works well with Alpine's 10" type R but I find it to be a little underpowered to deliver the full potential of this sub. It also works well with a JL 10w3 but again you wont be getting the full potential from your sub.
Sound Quality
Alpine is known for their attention to sound quality, which is why their head units are so successful and this amp is no exception. At 4 ohms the amp sounds tight and clean with no of the boomy sound created by lesser Class D amps. The digital stepping is very accurate and a 15hz Subsonic filter ensures that your subs won't be damaged by inaudible subsonic frequency. It offers a bass boost that kicks in at 50hz which while a bit high for sound reinforcing 15" woofers is adequate for enhancing "musical" bass. In essence it will boost the lowest tones used in 95% of music, excluding reggae and pipe organs. At 4-Ohm load clipping is nonexistent even at full gains. The only unsatisfactory results in sound quality at 4 ohms have occurred due to the subs becoming unloaded, this occurs when you do not have enough power to the sub to keep load on the voice coils and is a characteristic of all lower powered amplifiers. This is also the reason I don't recommend this amp for large subs or multiple sub systems.
At 2-ohm load the amp is almost as clean as it is at 4 ohms with the added benefit of increased power. I highly recommend running this amp at 2 ohms to get the most out of it. The bass is still tight and accurate and is still within the less then 1% THD range.
At less then 2-ohm load the amp will go into protect mode and become unstable, however I have run this amp at 1 ohm load daily with out damaging it which proves that the fail-safe circuitry works flawlessly. At 1 ohm the amp puts out way more power then it was marketed as producing with an rms of 410 watts at 12 volts and around 500w rms at 16 volts. These power ratings are dangerously near the envelope of error the amp was designed within and hence extensive modification is required to make this amp 1 ohm stable, including a rewound transformer replacing and or adding additional mosfets and replacing some of the boards components. I do not recommend running this amp at 1 ohm load, it isn't stable and will turn off frequently, which is annoying. The sound quality also suffers at 1 ohm, though not much. The amp sounds a little too boomy and is not as accurate as it is at 2 ohms. Over all however this amp is one of the nicest sounding entry-level amps.
Other Features
At 9-˝"W x 2-5/16"H x 10-˝"D it is one of the most compact "high end" amplifiers on the market. The small size means more flexibility in mounting options. You can mount this amp under your front seats without worrying about heat issues. It is an attractive looking amp as well, conservatively styled, that you won't be afraid to show off.
The amp isn't the most powerful and you defiantly wont be winning any spl competitions (save for less then 250 class) but it is a very nice sounding amp that out performs most of the entry level equipment out there. If you are on a limited budget and are looking at a legacy, pyramid, Sony xplode, pioneer, bolt, lightning, or any other cheap amp consider this one. Those amps make nowhere near their claimed power. This little guy will out perform most 1000watt versions of those cheaper amps, though it wont touch respectable companies 1000w amps, like U.S. Amps, Hifonics, etc. A good way of judging the quality of an amp it to look at their fuses, you aren't going to see 1000watts from a 30a fuse. This amp uses 2x 20A fuses for a total 40a. You can get a "rough estimate" of the max rms of an amp by taking this rating and multiplying it by the input voltage. (respectable companies rate there amps around 40-60% of this to allow for overhead needed for lower independence's) Aside from making the advertised power this amp sounds great. The RCA inputs are a little close together for my liking however. and make using large high end cables challenging.
I was sad to see this amp discontinued but it can still be found on ebay and some other auction sites. It is a steal at less then $60 and a good deal at less then $85. This amp is best matched with a single quality sub but will preform well enough when paired with 2 entry level subs, such as 2x 10" or 12" Alpine type E, Kicker comp's etc.
Tips for getting the most out of this amp
1. Use as short of a run from the battery to the amp as possible.
2. Use heavy power wire. this amp doesn't draw a whole lot of current so you can get away with a light gauge wire, though i recommend 4g or heavier for best performance at 2 ohm.
3. Use heavy gauge speaker wire for subs, I like a minimum of 12g but prefer 8g.
4. Use an external capacitor.
5. Upgrade your alternator to keep a consistent current supplied to your amps and battery.
Overall this amp is a great value for the money.
http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y34/shillbra/MRP-M350.jpg, to see the internals of this amp.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 146
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Epinions.com ID:
shillbra
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Member: Bradley Shilling
Location: Allentown, PA, USA
Reviews written: 3
Trusted by: 0 members
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