$1200 SQ Amplifier? Zapco Z-150.4LX Review and Amp Dyno Test
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- Опубліковано 31 гру 2017
- Zapco is an old school car audio company for sure. They have been around since 1974 and recently contacted me about testing one of their amplifiers. I agreed under the terms the amp would be given away to one of my lucky viewers. See the giveaway video here: • Zapco Z-150.4LX $1199 ...
Zapco provided one of their high-end SQ amplifiers, the Z-150.4LX. The LX series are no compromises, no frills, serious SQ amplifiers. You'll find Elna and Nichicon caps, Analog Devices op amps and other truly audiophile components inside. Also, there are no built-in crossovers, bass boosts, remote level controls, etc. to alter the sound...just a pure "gain block" (much like old school amps of the early 90's).
Let's take a look at this amp and find out how much power it puts out to the SMD/D'Amore Engineering Amp Dyno!
Thanks to Zapco USA and Atrend USA for offering up this amplifier for the giveaway! Congrats Nick of Memphis, TN!
See Zapco online: goo.gl/HNYJx5
My Favorite Screwdriver Kit: amzn.to/2x0VzcE
Send me a few bucks if you want to support: paypal.me/BigDWiz
Test Your Own Amps! SMD / D'Amore Engineering AMM-1:
Amazon - amzn.to/2u2EgKV
WCCarAudio - goo.gl/CVCgU3
Full disclosure: Amplifier was provided by Zapco USA and Atrend USA for the purpose of the test and giveaway. All of the opinions in this video are my own and the content wasn't reviewed by anyone prior to posting. Affiliate links are provided for your convenience. I receive a portion of the sales from these links, which help me bring you more unbiased content for this channel.
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MUSIC BY: UA-cam Artist free for use on UA-cam video - Наука та технологія
Thanks to Zapco USA and Atrend USA for offering up this amplifier for the giveaway! Congrats Nick of Memphis, TN!
See Zapco online: goo.gl/HNYJx5
My Favorite Screwdriver Kit: amzn.to/2x0VzcE
Test Your Own Amps! SMD / D'Amore Engineering AMM-1:
Amazon - amzn.to/2u2EgKV
WCCarAudio - goo.gl/CVCgU3
Full disclosure: Amplifier was provided by Zapco USA and Atrend USA for the purpose of the test and giveaway. All of the opinions in this video are my own and the content wasn't reviewed by anyone prior to posting. Affiliate links are provided for your convenience. I receive a portion of the sales from these links, which help me bring you more unbiased content for this channel.
Thanks BigDWiz for this amp!!! You're awesome bro!
Could you do a test on the Rockville db15 or db16?
Hey Big D. Love the vids. Can you do a MB Quart XA1-1500D1. They are about 100 dollars now and They are wicked. I'd like to see what they push.
Can you give us review on kenwood kac-8106d
Lol didn't miss the Vega just do a video on that as well DERECK ?
I fell in love with Zapco gear as a 15 year old kid when I saw my first real system in a little Nissan truck. I have never strayed from my love for Zapco amps and more than 35 years later if you look behind my rear seat in my silverado, you will find 3 Zapco amps. I also went to HS in Modesto Ca, the home of Zapco back in the day!
👌😬👍
Never knew these new Zapco amps are so well built. Great results. Should sound amazing on a good set of comps. Great video BigD!! 👌
I’m actually most impressed by the fact it did within 1 watt difference between the channels when tested. I typically cringe when amps are Dyno’d and 1 channel reads much higher than the other. That fact alone tells me it’s a high quality amp. Thanks for the testing.
That amp is sexy as hell. I’m a big fan of zapco
MyTruckinLife ACE = Bbuster 3600GL China kkkkkkkk
Congratulations Nick and as always great video big D!
Thanks brother John 🤙
BigDWiz 2018 you will reach 100K subs!
Great video BIG DWiz!!! Thats a pretty nice looking amp, it did good on the DYNO!!! 👍👍👍
Great test. I am looking to redo my SQ setup and 3 of these are at the top of the list. Your video dropped with perfw t timing for me.
I love the simplicity in the construction and the quality of the components and construction. The old school is present and it means to me that you can expect pure experience of power sound. Like like like!!!
Honest listing of the specs by Zapco and thoroughly testing methods by BigD, great work 👏🏻👏🏻
👌😊🤙
I love this amp. I have always loved Zapco's stuff. I'm planning on getting this amp for my next build actually. :)
Nice test. Happy New Year.
Big D ain't wasting no time bring in the New Year! Thanks bro :)
😊👍
WOW did not know they still made amps,, Impressive!!!!
happy new year 2018 and thanks for your nice video!
Zapco has always been my goto other than mmats . always top quality.
which u prefer zapco or mmat?
Hey BigD Awesome video as usual am a big fan of zapco we have the Z series 3K (Z3K) they are rated at 3000 rms but man the guts are neat it kicked our SAZ-5000 Away i hope Zapco can give you a chance tp test their beast i hope so.
Happy New Year BIG-D! Man I could've used that amp on my current build. I have a 4 channel amp that I'm going to use but that Zapco would've been perfect. No future upgrade needed with that bad boy running my mids and highs 😂
Another great video D! keep em coming!
Great video Big D. I was expecting a little bit more from that amp though. I guess I let myself down. I think that the end caps could've had a little more thought put into them considering that it's a sound quality amp that's compared to the home amps. Looks like any other amp on the market. Hopefully it makes up in sound quality though. By the way, I love the old guy "No expense spared" part. Funny as hell. 😂😂😂
That was John Hammond from the first Jurassic Park 🤣...God rest his soul 🙏
There are a lot of hi end brands out there that claim to put out massive numbers with the price tag that is in the clouds and no proof that they actually do what they say but a sheet that comes from them! Its nice to see a company step up with a big dog abd have it put to the test!
Thanks again Big D keep them coming we can watch them guts all day!
Thanks for watching and commenting 👍
Very impressive. Not sure of the cost just yet as I haven't checked but this amp is very impressive. May check into getting one myself to run my miss and highs! Thanks for the video big d.
Thanks for watching and commenting!
Nice video Big D with close power output per channel this must have fully regulated power supplies very nice amp and bet it sounds great
Yessir, she is tightly regulated! Thanks for watching and commenting
Thank you Big D! Gonna buy this amp soon and sprinkle some Helix on it!
Thanks for watching and commenting!
Great video! I love some Zapco!
Gratz Nick.
BIG D hope you sign it for Nick!
Very cool video! Been curious about Zapco for a while now, but there is not much info out there.
I can't wait to see how an old Audison amp would fare on a Dyno some time in the future.
Congrats Nick.
I recently just purchased a zapco amp because of this video
Ive always loved Zapco amps..... I used to pair them with Goddfather M&M subs!!!!!
Congrats. I know I would love to have one.
It's an amazing amplifier sounds great and if you want if on cheap I'm selling mine on eBay right now in a auction
Excellent video.
👈😬👍
Great video as usual! Have you tested any ARC Audio amps? Specifically would like to see how their Signature line does. Cheers!
No Arc yet
Need to get your hands on the Soundstream Van Gogh line.
I have had a number of amps but the one amp I have and will never let go is my zapco amp ..... It's a beast and sounds much better then any other amp I had ( sundown, ctsounds,fosgate,skar,imagdynamics)
i loved my zapco amps sold them and bought cadence amps made by zed audio night and day the zed audio blew the zapco away with clarity and bass punch
@@bobsyouruncle8052 what zapco line are you comparing because i run the Zapco Z150.6AP which is there newest high end made for audiophiles... Most SQ builds run the AP line for its pure sound with no built in crossovers
@@bennyblanco14 had studio and ag line dont get me wrong they soung good and plenty of power my ear prefers the zed audio not the new crap 1990's stuff
Looks like Korean stuff???still awesome contest congrats Mr.Nick👍
Wow what a beautiful amp guts !!! Big d did you just put some music on and kick back and listen to that amp for a few hours to get a good feel for the quality was it just amazing ???
Oh yeah. Sweet sounds fo sho. I really wanted to demo, but no good way to portray over UA-cam video...except maybe showing me smiling 😊
@@wal how you compare the zapco amps vs audison amps
Hey big d do they get hot. I'm planning on getting two six channels first series the one before this one looks the same. Its easy to put little fans inside or just have the shop put a quiet fan on each
damn. If only i had that kind of budget. Id settle for just one of those for my truck!
ZAPCO, a/d/s two best ever, with the early (Pre Circuit City), Soundstream Reference Series a close third!!
Actually, Circuit City carried Soundstream since PRE Reference series! I had two small Soundstreams from CC I bought in 1992.
I just picked up a Zapco Z-150.4 (SP) same specs. How would you compare the LX to the SP? It’s supposed to be closer to the AP as far as internals.
Amp does well! Thought there would be a higher dynamic
I would like to see if the dyno shows any difference with running the zapco symbilinks compared to the RCA's with their amps? Especially with clipping and/or distortion
Good video! Just ditched my JL XDs for a Z-2KD. Great stuff!
Hows the 2kd? Im about to buy one soon was there really a sq difference? Kts damping factor is only 350 which is good but amps like alpines have about 1000
Nicely done, are these US made? Did you do any listening tests? $1200 is a little steep, no? Awesome video brother.
Since there was no direct mention of these being made in the US, I highly doubt it. Amp sounded great in my sound tests, just not easy to portray over video, so I didn’t even try. As with most high end stuff, people who buy amps costing this much usually are not concerned with the cost
BigDWiz, yeah, just wishful thinking on my part. Still a sweet piece though especially the gut shot.
Sweet amp thanks
Wow man really makes me want to make my mids and highs top notch beauty I say
😜👍
Thanks BigD!
Thanks for watching and commenting
I love the way this amp looks. Hey man do you have a system in your personal vehicle and if so why don't you do a video of your personal setup? I'm sure you subscribers would love to see your setup. I know I would. Curiosity makes me ask this but the different content would be welcomed. I also have a technical question with regard to a 12 volt system in my truck. It's an 1989 chevy and I can get an alternator that with push 250 amps and it has variable voltage that I can set to 12 ,14, or 16 volts. Do you think if I got a 16 volt battery for my truck that the rest of my vehicles electrical system could handle the 16 volts? Have you ever considered tinning the end of your power wires for the amps. Making the ends solid with solder could make the connections better.
I have very basic systems in my cars. I’m not the best installer/fabricator, so I prefer to spend my time playing with car audio stuff and testing amps. I did a vid a few years ago of my Scion xB. I like stealth systems with enough punch to rattle the mirrors, but not to break things in the car
Very Nice Amp
what exactly does 50% efficient mean in terms of usability ? thanks
Congrats Nick! That said I’m really hating on you right now lol.
That amp is crazy! too bad I bought a P600X4 already.
--How is the quality of sound from that amp and/or Zapco in general compared to something like thr RF P600X4??
--Are Zapco amps good in general?
I don't even see those speakers moving. Maybe something to do with camera FPS?
one of the heads on the allen screws looks like it's already rusted on that $1200 amp
C W
LOL...@ $1200 they could have at least had gold plated ones.
As i spent a lot of time working on cars (and being a heavy handed chimp!) that's not rusted, its rounded off.
Hate gold plated give me aluminum any day.
I have 2 questions.....I just recently got a clamp meter, and wanted to know what is the conversion method to figure out the wattage you're getting out of your amp? And what to set the meter on....
Second question, is how do you figure out the efficiency with the clamp meter?
See this video, it should help answer your question ua-cam.com/video/qwxlnSDv9wY/v-deo.html
Love the videos bigdwiz
Thanks for watching and commenting. Really appreciate the support!
BigDWiz I tried looking up before I'm asking this question, but have you tested a Lanzar VCT 2610 a so called 6k watt amp for less than 200 bux on eBay?
Nope. Rest assured it doesn’t do anywhere near rated.
BigDWiz if I took a zero off would I be close lol
I see that rusty allen screw...lost one didn't you ;)
Happy New Year
4K video resolution shows all the imperfections 🤷♂️
Hi there!
Can you please test C2K amps? Thanks a lot.
i like the look of them and the brand. i have never owned one but i am thinking about it. i have noticed that they dont give over the top watt rating per their rated numbers from the mfg like orion. would these still blow away orion per se because for around the same amount of money orion has way more watt power.
Amps are made for different audiences. SQ vs SPL
Wow thats nice
would love to see a Orion xtr4k
Looking to run the audison lrx 2.9 on a single re sc 4 ohm sub i wish u had a video or could give me ur insights
JMO but, I think this amp represents about as far as class a/b technology can go. As you can see this amp is built with all high quality components and still efficiency hasn't changed a lot since the early 90's. With its SMD design, durability should actually be better and I do like the fact that the designers opted to leave all the bass boost etc. junk off.
Haven't personally heard it but, it appears to be a very nice design and well built amplifier.
The design is inherently inefficient and yeah, 60-70% is about as much as you can expect from A/B. The other thing to consider is the Class D amps run at ultra low impedances (0.33-0.5) are gonna be horribly inefficient as well. Doesn’t matter if they are 85% efficient at 4 ohms when many people who use them try to run as low as possible.
I know this video is 2 years old but I had to come back and comment 2 years later to say that i just purchased a zapco z150.2ap and a zapco z150.2lx ii ... upgraded from the st4xsq
👌😬👍
So how did you like the amplifiers? I just picked up a used z-150.4lx.
Big D can you make your next amp test the power acoustic 2500 D razor it’s $97 from Walmart
can you get a twisted 2k15 to test? (its an 700 dollar amp tho)
I remember one day when we would be hanging out at the cruise spot ( kids now a days are missing out ) and one of my buddies rolled up in his late 70's two door caprice ( car was Noyce!!! , had deep 14's daytons rocking the mustard/mayos vohges ....nice car) he says " yo dawg you gatta see this" pops the trunk and had a mono zappy and a four chan zappco ....the five of us in unison replied " daaaaaammmm!!!!" While trying to gather our selves .
His daddy was pretty well off so his son got a " bit " spoiled. I think at that time he had a top of the line eclipse deck and was running alumna pro subs and components that car sounded better than most of the clubs wed go to.
Congrats nick that amp is so nice its almost a shame to put it in a car.
Great story...noice!!
Musical demo on dyno? 585 & 578 watts respectively while playing “ Shake “ from the UA-cam library. Is this How much wattage the amp puts out playing the UA-cam library song ?
I just got an Orion xtr 750.4 and I have a feeling it does 500 x 2
I just brought a z-150.4 ll and a z1kd ll and have no idea what speakers and subs to go with them for SQ. Anyone have any suggestions, I’m all ears.
For Dropping Hertz Hotel Subs (12/15 inch), what amp should I consider--looking for more band for my buck.
Michael Aranda, I think the Orion xtr line is a fantastic bang for the buck.
Taramps best power per dollar for sure.
I don't disagree with anything you said :)
Buffalo Bill it HiFonics by the way.... the van in my avatar pic has a collection of series VII HiFonics amps,2-Zeus,2-Thor,1-Gemini,1-Europa,1-Jupiter
Look and Orion XTR series for your lows but for highs (if Orion) don,t buy any of their AB amps if its less tht 1200.4. Like say the 600.4 the highs sound muddy and it doesnt have the x10 feature and the cutoff fq seems to be at 8khz. Not high enough for my ears atleast.
I'd love to have these, but I have 1kdm and st4d they are alot lower line but I love them though.
How is the St sq series?
question.... so Zapco never sold out, they are still the same company as back in the 80's(my time)
No they did in in the late 2000s Robert Jeff was the original amp designer back in the 70s Zeff Advanced Product Co (Zapco) now he's designing amps for arc audio, everything was originally made in Modesto CA USA now it's all from china, so to answer your question no these are not the same amps or company from your time.
$1200 for this amplifier and there's a Ground zero reference 4xs for about £1200 also for SQ, would love to see how that one performs also
Whichone better 4xs or z150. 4ap
Since it can be bridged for subs, a quick 40hz run would have been cool.
Approx 440 watts bridged at 4 ohms, 40Hz, 14 volts
Since we're talking about SQ amps.....has anyone offered up a Mosconi AS series amp for Dyno thrashing? I have 2 x AS200.4's I'm not using right now, and I'm in NC.....
Why didnt you do 4 channel mode? You bridged the back channels at 4 ohms thats three channel mode for the first test.
You would need to add the resistor bank to each channel 3 & 4 at 4 ohm.
Hey can u do an amp test on the american bass vfl 4480
BigD, why dont you use ferrules on your wire? would look better and be easier to put in
I have them and use for installs, but would waste WAY too many if I used for all of the amps I test.
Sure, it's nice to get more power than you paid for, but it's nice to know exactly what kind of power you're getting out of the box.
Zapco or Rockford? For SQ ?
Where is the video explaining what williston audio labs is?
I will explain in a future video. Basically I’ll use Williston Audio Labs for the new amp tests and OldSchoolStereo for the old ones. I want to transition channel away from BigDWiz as this doesn’t make sense to a viewer who doesn’t know what I do.
Bryston makes the best affordable amps - affordable as in high end Audio
Do a review on critical mass amps please
yeah, those jokers are really expensive for some reason...
What’s the best sq amp ? Could you name your top two picks ?
Best is personal preference. From what I’ve heard Linear Power LP2250 and a/d/s PQ20 are at the top
Williston Audio Labs I was looking at zapco st w/dsp , audison, av or jl vxi .
Big D can you test the Banda 8k.10k or 14k it's a Brazilian Power compared to the Korean Power supply that is commonly used...
I know the brand and the different Brazilian brands. We’ll see what I can get in for 2018.
Big D Wiz Thanks Big D I appreciate my I'm looking forward to more of your videos keep the good work up as well as advice...
I'm sure we'll be able to work something out.
Congrats to Nick and special thanks again to BigD for putting this video together. If you guys have any further questions on this amp or anything other amp in Zapco's lineup please do not hesitate to comment below or reach out to us directly at 630-475-8046 or email marketing@atrendusa.com
Genial.
It’s weird cuz I though these amps are rated at like .05 % ( .0005 ) THD shouldn’t the amp make more power up to 1% which is .01 ???? Anyway these have been replaced by the AP series which is even more improved and has better SNR and ch separation! Still this amp is one of the better amps for audio 🔊✅
Can you test the Rockville rxd m3?
I tested the M4 a few years ago. In my experience, they do about 80-85% of rated power (lowest RMS power they post). The other 2 numbers are irrelevant
BigDWiz okay I was just wondering to make sure they'd at least do cea rated
Remember, CEA only refers to 4 ohm measurements. Just because an amp has "CEA Certification" does not mean they do rated power at 2 or 1 ohm. See my explanations in this video - ua-cam.com/video/yNaDpsK--8Y/v-deo.htmlm8s
Both links u provided to buy the hand held amp dyno, it says they are unavailable.
They sell out for every batch they make. I’ll post an update when they are available again
Thanks man. I'd like to own one myself and can never seem to find one. Hopefully I can get one around summer time.
These are sq amps so the efficiency wont hurt your car since your only using a tweeter .a midrange and midbass. And perhaps one 12 subwoofer. With approximately 400to 500 watts they have plenty of headroom so overheat I dont think so. They do get warm. Just like my home system. But I put fans on them.jesus we been putting fans on everything since we were kids in the 70s
Well this might sound like a stupid question but...
Since this is a SQ amp rated at .05% distortion at rated power and your doing a test for 1% distortion shouldnt the power output be greater at 1% then at .05% I just don't really get how they can rate a SOUND QUALITY amp at 150rms@4ohms with .05% distortion and you show that is barely hitting 150 @1%
This amp’s 1% THD and clipping numbers were very close as well, so very probable it hits a limit and goes straight into distortion/clipping. I could not test to 0.05% THD to verify my theory. Great question though 👍
If you ever get to see a graph, distortion rises very rapidly after a certain point.
Matthew Joseph Distortion doesn't tell you the whole story about sound quality. Amps all have a sonic signature just like speakers. You may hear someone say that is a really warm sounding amp or a really flat sounding amp or some other comment. You can take an identical set up and change nothing but the amplifier and make it sound drastically different. The total balance on high-end zapco has always been really good. The lower end stuff not so much. The old z220-2 was just a spectacular sounding amp. Same with the Phoenix Gold ZPA or audison thesis. You will probably also see speakers like dynaudio. High end morel etc. I've heard some very phenomenal cars over the years that sound very life like. It doesn't come cheap but it is one hell of an experience
Kyle Van Thank you for the clarification on this.
The whole "warm" amp thing I CONSTANTLY hear, is simply distortion.... anything other than the original audio signal will technically be a form of distortion.
Shame I can't afford to put Zapco in my car - but I know they are worth every penny. But then again, might be a way to appreciate it's 20 year old value. LOL
I didn't compare it to Audiopipe, Crunch or BOSS (etc, etc, etc). Believe me I care very much about SQ (more so then SPL). But $1000 (sorry, but I'm not 'merican) is out of the question given my financial dire straits (not that it's your business)... I'm running older (but not old school) Pioneer/Alpine equipment.
I have a Lower series of zapco the 1kdm and the st4d and I love them.they only run around 400 each.
Zapco makes great budget amps that are in competition and class d for less than 170dollars a four channel. 100 for two channel. Big d just teated one of the expensive ones. The cheap ones were made for regular consumer . Just like alpine mrv f300 but better sounding. For bass you can use almost anything.
Tested any Mosconi?
No, but I tested a Mosphoni? He he he ua-cam.com/video/tYgZeSLXXjM/v-deo.html
Plenty enough to power an entire system.
For many of us, yes indeed
Does rated; awesome.
I can find a Sundown 4 channel that also does rated for $300. So that means I’m paying an extra $900 just for “Sq”... I will have to give it a good listen and tell any difference in sound if I’m blinded but the common person would not tell much of a difference thus in the end, it also depends on the speakers used and how they are setup.
Some people are willing to pay $1000's for special speaker wire and interconnects. The SQ market is special and those who appreciate it are willing to spend more, if only for perceived sound differences. I don't test or make claims based on SQ as it's subjective and cannot be measured by tools. A Zapco representative contacted me to test one of their amps, I agreed only if it was allowed to be given away. Perhaps this was not the best test method for their product as it was just wattage numbers, but for now that's what I test.
BigDWiz
It’s impossible to capture the Tonal accuracies of an amplifier on video though. The only way is either buying one or being there to hear it. I agree with you 100%.
Special high-end op-amps and ultra high quality caps makes a huge difference if your speakers are of quality and your not playing low grade mp3's. This amp is for a person running 3 way active with drivers like audio frogs gb10,gb25, & gs60. Add in a helix pro dsp, a nice Kenwood ddx05 or the pioneer 4200nex and quality install and this amp will sing. This same setup will show you just how low grade your avg full range amps are. No transient response because of inadequate power supplies...meaning no real headroom, channel separation is bad, so you got crosstalk, and high noise floor...you know when you hear the hissing between tracks...yeah this amp is one of the top amps period for audiophiles like myself.
Nike and Rolex watches both tell users the time. Sometimes it's about function... Sometimes it's about fashion. Zapco amps are just some far off fantasy for "budget folks" like myself. But if I had millions or billions of dollars in my bank account, I'm sure I'd buy a Rolex and Zapco instead of Nike and Sundown. 🤷🏽♂️
Eric Perry these amps does not have the Best channel separation like 55db and the lx amps which have now been replaced by the AP line at CES 2018 have bad signal to noise ratio which are known to be noisy.. this amp is Made In China ad well if you care ( I believe high quality can be made anywhere ) have a good day oh and btw I own Audiofrog GB series