Great Amplifier!
Written: Jan 11 '04
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Pros: Great Value, excellent sound, built-in crossover
Cons: n/a
The Bottom Line: If your price range is around this area, buy this one for sure. You won't regret it.
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| smc1377's Full Review: Audiovox LXA400 Car Amp |
I purchased this amplifier from Best Buy about 3 years ago. I bought the extra protection plan with it. I had previously owned the previous model of this amplifier and was very happy with it. So happy that when it got stolen and time came again to buy another one, I could have spent more, but went with what I was already happy with and sure about the quality.
I know that Jensen isn't anywhere near the top of the line, but for the average user, this is plenty. This particular model can be used as a one channel amp as well as a two channel and a four channel. Peak output is 100 watts per channel, and when bridged into one, it peaks at 400 watts to the one speaker.
I installed this particular amplifier into my 2000 Dodge Intrepid ES. Though the car already came with a 240 watt Infinity Sound System consisting of 11 speakers, I wanted a little more "bump". Most people already thought the Infinity System had a subwoofer standard, but it did not. I tapped into the "hot" feed that was going from the head unit to the Infinity Amp (this is not the line level feed, but the actual hot feed coming from the head unit's internal amp). And in doing so, I lost some rear amplification through my stock amp but gained plenty of sound through the Jensen Amp.
I am currently powering just the cheap, cheap MTX Thunders that I purchased from Circuit City (2 for 1 sale @$90 for both). I have them installed in some Yamaha Stage Monitor Speakers with the airports sealed off.
When it comes to sound output, most can't believe that I only have a cheap 400 watt Jensen Amp in the car powering two 10" MTX speakers. The sound output is phenomenal. I've put my sound system to the test against my friends who have twice the amount of wattage from more recognizable name brand amps and speakers, and mine either fared just as well, or better in some cases.
I think it produces a very clean sound. That's the comment that I get the most about my system. A lot of my friends' cars just make noise whereas mine would play music. Though this amp certainly will make heads turn from the tremendous amount of bass it can reproduce, if all you want is a head-turner, you're better off buying something else. This will turn heads, but it won't knock people's socks off, but then again, I don't think anything with 400 watts peak will knock any socks off.
What's nice about the amplifier is that there are many on-board controls that are very useable. There's a built-in crossover as well as levels and bass boost. The amplifier can be set in three different modes, full amplification, amplification of just the high noises or amplification of just the low end noises. And I should note there are two sets of controls, one for channels A+B, and one for channels C+D. And with each set of speakers, you can set each set's type of amplification independently.
In other words, you can set channels A+B to only amplify the high pitched noises (as if you're sending the signals to only your tweeters). You can then set channels C+D to only amplify the low pitched noises and send the signal only to the subwoofers. Also, within each of those sets, you can set at what khz the cutoff should be.
For example, in my current setup, I am only using 2 channels, so the peak output is rated at 200 watts per channel. Then on top of that, I set the gain on full for maximum amplification, as well as set the crossover cutoff at 80 khz. So the amplifier doesn't send a signal to the subwoofer over 80 khz, which makes for a very clean bass signal. Also, on top of that, I turned on the bass boost as well, so needless to say it gets rather loud.
As to my previous installation, I had the previous model in my Eclipse Hatchback where it drove 2 15" Cerwin Vega Subwoofers. And in that application, it was the loudest car in the neighborhood. With only 400 watts pushing the speakers, you can't even hear yourself think when it was turned up halfway.
I know that I'm supposed to write something that I dislike about this amplifier, but I can't think of anything. It is used daily and in 3 years it has never failed me. For the money I spent on it, it has outperformed itself by far. It produces the perfect amount of power for my liking, it sounds great. I guess maybe my biggest complaint is me wasting $20 for that protection plan that I won't ever use cause this amp is bulletproof.
Note: Be sure to follow the instructions on how to hook up your speakers when you use it in the 1 or 2 channel setting. The wiring is kind of weird, but follow it for the best sound output. If you don't happen to have the manual, simply download it from Jensen's website.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 125
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Epinions.com ID:
smc1377
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Reviews written: 12
Trusted by: 2 members
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