Autotek's 5 channel Powerhouse!
Written: Jun 25 '02 (Updated Jan 20 '04)
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Pros: Excellent sound. Plenty of power for your entire system. Reliability
Cons: Not class D on the sub channel
The Bottom Line: Great value, the SX-5750 can power your entire system and a very good price. It's as reliable as you can get, you won't need another amp for a long time!
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| cspu's Full Review: Autotek SX-5750 Car Amp |
Autotek... "Auto who?" was my first thought. It must be cheap because it has "tek" in it's name. I'd never heard of Autotek, it's another brand name that kept coming up in the forums on Soundomain. Everyone was saying things like "heavy duty", "powerful", and "reliable". I bought it without hearing it and I can ad "crystal clear" to the list of descriptions.
Autotek SX-5750
The SX-5750 is the only 5 channel amp that Autotek makes (yes 5 channel, epinions description has it wrong, it should be 75W X 4 + 200 X 1 (4 0hm specs)). It's in the "Street Machine" series which is the mid level for Autotek. It boasts features like MOSFET circuitry, regulated power supply, high current, true one ohm stability (more on this later) 0-18db bass boost and a few more bells and whistles. Complete specs are available at www.autotek.net, in my configuration the specs are 100X2 (front), 75X2 (rear), 380X1 (sub). Max power from the SX-5750 is 750 watts total at 2 ohms. The SX-5750 isn't a small amp, but it takes up much less room than a two amp setup would. The shiny chrome heatsink is an eye catcher, you'd better make sure the amp is hidden from view!
Autotek backs the SX-5750 with a 3 year warranty, HOWEVER, the warranty is only 90 days if you install it yourself.
Installation
The biggest obstacle is finding a large enough flat spot to mount the amp. I chose to mount it on the back of my rear seat (1991 Honda Civic HB). Wiring is a straight forward process, the SX-5750 accepts 4ga power/ground wire and 8ga speaker wire. All of the wiring is secured by screw in type connections, each connector is plainly marked, but Autotek chose to mark them CH1, CH2, etc. instead of Right Front, Right Rear, etc. for some reason. There are 3 sets of RCA inputs so that the sub channel can be controlled individually. There is also a selector switch so that all the channels can be used from one set of RCA cables.
Since the SX-5750 was a replacement amp, all I had to do was upgrade my power and ground wires and run two extra speaker wires. Installation took almost no time. If you can put in a head unit, you should be able to install an amp.
Adjusting the amp to your listening preferences may take some time since you will be changing your entire sound stage with the SX-5750. The Stereo channels (1-4) have a swtich for Hi/flat/low pass. They are continuously variable from 40hz to 750hz depending on the switch position. Channels 3 and 4 also offer a "bandpass" option so that you can allow "mid-range" within that frequency range. The sub channel has an adjustable cutoff and 0-18db bass boost.
How's it sound?
Excellent! The SX-5750 was even better than I expected. For $325 I got a single amp that can power my ENTIRE system adequately and still sound VERY good. I'm powering Orion HCCA 5s components in the front at two ohms, 6.5" Polk Audio coaxials in the rear at four ohms, and an Image Dynamics IDQ 12 at two ohms. I've got more than enough power to "run me out" of the car, even at very high volume levels the SX-5750 refuses to clip and spits out ultra clean music. It's truly an excellent sounding and powerful amp!
Reliability
As of this writing, I've been using my SX-5750 for 18 months. It has NEVER gone into thermal protection! My Autotek has performed flawlessly in all temperatures. Even extended periods of "too loud" the amp barely gets warm, that big chrome heatsink is doing it's job.
Power Consumption
Autotek claims the SX-5750's max current draw is 54 amps. My stock Civic alternator has no trouble keeping up with it and I've only had very slight dimming of my lights and usually at very high volumes.
Things I don't like!
The Autotek logo looks too much like the Chrysler logo! I know that Autotek had it first, and they aren't identical, but I couldn't tell you how many of my friends have commented on my "Chrysler amp".
False advertising! The SX-5750 is a fine amp, but Autotek needs to stop overhyping it (and all their amps) on www.autotek.net. (UPDATE - Autotek has updated their site and now the specs are more reasonable)
"True One Ohm Stability" The Autotek website claims that all the Street Machine amps are one ohm stable. They even list one ohm specs for the amp on their website and they are very impressive! A quick call to tech support and I found out that they don't recommend it for everyday use at one ohm and that the sub channel should not be run at one ohm at all!
The sub channel is an A/B class amplifier, it would me much more efficient if the sub were powered by class D circuitry.
Summary
The SX-5750 has got to be one of the best 5 channel amps on the market. There are more powerful 5 channel amps (not many) but they are way out of the SX-5750 price range and they are much bigger. This amp can be easily found online for around $300. You will be VERY hard pressed to find a more complete amp at that price. Autotek has earned my respect with this 5 channel powerhouse!
Update 1/20/2004
I've had this amp for just over 3 years now. It is as "set it and forget it" as anything could ever be. This amp has proven to be one of the best I've ever owned. Not one single problem in 3 years of daily use. Great job Autotek!
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 325
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Epinions.com ID:
cspu
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 in Electronics |
 - Top 500 |
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Location: The Island of Misfit Toys (Alabama)
Reviews written: 116
Trusted by: 97 members
About Me:
Sarcastic car audio enthusiast, motorcycle rider, and hunter... and I make NO apologies for it!
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