Arc Audio 4150 XXK 4-channel High Performance Car Audio Amplifier
Written: Mar 16 '04
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Pros: Absolutely beautiful sound quality, design aesthetics, and performance. Fantastic speaker control.
Cons: Expensive. Once you listen to it, you will want to buy your own.
The Bottom Line: If you are fanatical about sound quality, you owe it to yourself to audition this amplifier.
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| wk446's Full Review: ARC 4150-CXLR Car Amp |
*** Please note: This review is on the Arc Audio 4150 XXK amplifier and NOT the 4150 CXL.
SPECS:
The 4150 XXK is a 4-channel car audio amplifier rated to produce:
80 watts x 4 @ 4 Ohms, 14.4 volts
160 watts x 4 @ 2 Ohms, 14.4 volts
320 watts x 2 @ 2 Ohms, 14.4 volts
Rated THD: < 0.03%
S/N ratio (A-weighted): 105 dB
Separation: > 75 dB
Dampening Factor: > 2000 @ 1 Khz
Max Current Draw: 82 Amps
Dimensions: 16.5 x 8 x 3.35"
Key Features:
- microprocessor controlled power supply and protection circuitry
- fully regulated power supplies produce full power output with battery voltages as low as 12 volts
- discrete power amplifier circuitry
- two separate variable crossovers (12 dB & 24 dB/octave)
- remote bass boost control
- designed, engineered, and assembled in the USA
BUILD QUALITY:
The 4150 XXK has a extremely sleek, industrial look to it's design. It's black finish and beefy heat sinks are functional and very stylistic. It's relatively small size allows it to be installed in a variety of locations. The controls and inputs are arranged very logically with less used controls located on the bottom (high pass/low pass switches). The input connectors are gold plated and very rugged. The screw-down type speaker connectors appeared dated looking compared to other amplifier designs. There is a small cooling fan located at the bottom of the amplifier. The included sub bass controller is small and well constructed. It connects to the amplifier via a long telephone jack type cable.
MANUAL:
The manual is well-written and logical. There are several diagrams outlining various system configurations.
QUIRKS:
To utilize the 24 dB/Octave low pass crossover, the front channels have to be bridged mono. In my case, both Image Dynamics subwoofers are wired as a mono load connected to the front channels bridged. Also, do not mount the amplifier until the crossovers are set up properly (on the bottom of the amp).
ADDITIONAL EQUIPMENT INFORMATION:
Front Stage:
1 pair a/d/s 325is running off rear channels of the 4150 (full range)
Rear Stage:
none
Subwoofer:
1 pair of Image Dynamics IDQ10 V2 D4 subwoofers, wired for 4 Ohm mono load running of front two (bridged) channels of the 4150, low pass 24dB/Octave @ 83 Hz. Each sub is in a sealed fiberglass enclosure with 0.7 cubic feet of volume per sub.
SOUND QUALITY:
I have owned several higher end amplifiers including Rockford Fosgate Punch Series ("Old School" versions) and Arc Audio's own 2100 XXK. My evaluations were done over a number of weeks with a variety of music consisting of well recorded jazz (vocal and acoustic) as well as pop, and R&B.
Turn on and turn off thump is non-existent and the 4150 XXK is extremely quiet. The amp appears to draw quite a bit of current when needed. The Arc 4150 XXK is extremely revealing: palpable definition, spaciousness,
warmth, ultra low distortion, and top end sparkle are characteristics. The amp has extremely good speaker control whether it be for the front stage or bridged
mono for subwoofers. It allowed subwoofers to produce low bass notes in quick succession, with precise control, and great extension. It is very obvious that the 4150 has a very high dampening factor. I had previously connected
both subwoofers to a Rockford Fosgate Punch 225.2 bridged to 450 watts mono into 4 Ohms. The difference between the Rockford and the front channels of the Arc 4150 bridged mono was quite staggering. I would not have believed the difference if I hadn't heard it with my own ears.
Comparing the Arc Audio 2100 XXK and two non-bridged channels from the 4150 XXK was also very interesting. Both amps have a smoothness that could be classified as a sonic characteristic of Arc amps. However, the 4150 had a wider
sound stage, more detail, tighter speaker control, and noticeably higher headroom. This was also noted by "untrained" listeners who did not know which amp was installed at the time. Even though the 2100 XXK is rated at higher RMS power, the 4150 sounded just as loud with gain settings lower than the 2100 XXK.
If I had never heard the 4150 connected to my own setup, I could be very happy with the 2100 XXK as my front stage amp. However, for audiophiles, there is a never-ending search for sonic perfection.
- Dennis
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 550.00
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Epinions.com ID:
wk446
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Member: Dennis
Location: Vancouver, BC, Canada
Reviews written: 2
Trusted by: 0 members
About Me:
I am a self-professed audiophile. I enjoy communication, fine food, automobiles, technology, and photography.
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