Outstanding sound, power, and value
Written: Jul 21 '03
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Pros: Power, clean, cool running, and of course the price
Cons: Not stable in bridged mode at 2 Ohms
The Bottom Line: Buy this amp, and go out to dinner with the $ you'll save (Outback special 12 oz Sirloin, Bloomin' Onion, and Shrimp on the Barby... :)
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| nhspike's Full Review: Kenwood KAC-7201 Car Amp |
After running my front speakers off the Sony CDX-CA810X head unit for a few weeks, and my rear speakers and sub off my MTX 4x50 amp, I decided it was time to run all four interior speakers off the MTX, and get a dedicated subwoofer amp.
Well, the next question was price, since I can't afford to break the bank... so I did some homework, first looking at mono-amps, then, at the recommendation of some friends at the-12volt(dot)com, I looked at 2-channel amps that I could bridge.
I narrowed it down to the Kenwood KEN KAC7201 2-channel amp, and the Bazooka BAZ ELA3001 single channel amp.
I read every review I could find on both... and a common thread emerged... the Bazooka tends to overheat, and the Kenwood does not.
Perhaps this is due to the fact that the Kenwood has a built-in cooling fan... and the Bazooka folks want you to buy the liquid cooling unit and add that on to their product... not sure.
Anyhow, powering my 4 speakers with the MTX and just running the head unit as a preamp was the first big improvement. I don't care what they say about 52 watts per channel peak power coming out of that Sony, it just doesn't compare to the 50 watts per channel coming out of the MTX.
The second, and most impressive improvement was the huge power this Kenwood amp puts out.
I've tested it on 90 degree days, that must be pushing 100 in the trunk of my Lincoln, at high volume, thumping output, and the amp is almost cool to the touch.
To call it over-built would be an understatement.
It really brought my Kicker Comp 15" subwoofer to life.
My buddy bought the Bazooka, and is powering 2 ten inch subs in a sealed enclosure, and there is no comparison.
Built quality, output, and sound, the Kenwood rules.
Buy it, you'll like it!
:O)
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 199.00
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Epinions.com ID:
nhspike
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Reviews written: 2
Trusted by: 0 members
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