My Smart 5 has been putting in work since they 1st came out. My fans never failed, but I did replace them. It was super easy to replace. I was hoping new fans were quieter, but only slightly better.
Hi Raw-Cat, thanks for measuring this Amp! I recently bought one myself and was curious how it would measure. Maybe, take following thought into consideration when you listen to it. Yes, it's supposed to play bass below 50Hz or something, and will have a low-pass set accordingly. However, the low-pass does nothing to the distortion products, since they have their origin in the last stage, the power amp. The only thing that is capable of filtering down the distortion products, is the transfer function of the subwoofer itself, which drops of quite early as you already measured. So, while I'm 99% sure you won't be able to hear any of the distortion of the amp directly - let alone differentiate it from the distortion of the chassis and the car itself - I could imagine that the distortion and the noise has an impact on the acoustical localization of the subwoofer. E.g., you're listening at -20dB, and the subwoofer plays noise floor at 1kHz -80dB which is filtered down by the sub by -10dB. Will it allow the sub to be localized? I don't know... So, I'm looking forward to your in-car-review!
From quick listening, the sub is definitely not localised. It might be different with different sub and install, for example Acoustic Elegance in trunk baffle with sensitive cones facing the cabin. But in my case, the car filters out everything (if there is anything to filter out). And while driving , it's absolutely not an issue.
Now this is interesting content! By day 3 we could see Alpine amps are all pretty good... Let's see what these more common, affordable newer amps are like!
thank you for taking the time to look at this amp!! now I can have your professional opinion how do you think that graph will look at higher watts like 5000ish and from 70hz and lower? And how do you find out the damping factor of the amp
Well since the amp is rated 3000W, at 5000W it will be clipping to death. Damping factor can be found by measuring the output impedance of the amp, I have two videos about that.
Do you know how Sam disabled the Taramps 8Hz highpass? According to the manual it looks like it starts to roll off at 20, 8Hz is -3dB. I'd loke to disable it on my amp if it's easy to do. (if I was in the UK I'd send it to him for a "fix") I'm going to have a 3K running to two OA IB3 18's
@@Sql253Oh, it's been done before. Kicker tested a DS800x2 on their Audio Precision rig and the distortion specs were really bad. Much worse than this one.
Does the subsonic filter removal have anything to do with the myth that full bridge amps dont provide power for low frequencies as well as half bridge amplifiers?
That "myth" has to do with amplifiers construction and the power supply rather than topology. There is no difference between half and full bridge amps in that regard. Every manufacturer implements infrasonic filters diferent.
That looks like a good amp choice for your particular application. Your use case is very different from the typical person who buys that model amp. Was it able to handle the 4-volt input with no problems? Are you sure that infinite baffle sub is going to be able to handle that much power? Typically with infinite baffle you have to use quite a bit less power because there's no enclosure to help control the excursion.
Tested the amp with Helix DSP that has 8V outs. However, I had the Chanel gain -8.5dB in the DSP with gains at min so it's just ~1000W. The OA sub takes more than 1000W in IB, after tuning with a balanced response I couldn't bottom it out that sub even at 10Hz.
@@johnd5542No, not a good choice for most people. They are quite a low quality amp. They tend to suffer badly when pushed to their rated power. Plus a lot of other issues. Only this specific application do I think is a good match. Having the subsonic removed, not pushing it very hard, only being used on a sub, etc...
@@JasonWW2000Do you have one , or are you just reciting what you heard online? I run my Smart 5 on 2 12 Xv3s since they 1st came out. I push them hard for at least 3 hours a day, back and forth from work. There is a reason why they are so popular, and forums have way more positive then negative testimonies. They put out clean power and take a beating for $500. I also have a DD M8 that cost almost $2000. There is zero difference in sound, by ear or mic. I use to think (hear) the same thing. You are misinformed by the companys who lost a hugh chunk of profit and their shill minions.
@@johnd5542What I'm saying is based on in-depth reviews and test data from people extremely knowledgeable about amplifiers. I'm not a part of any forums.
Well, first of all it's $800 for 2 channels. I need 6 channels for my front end. That is very expensive. Just as a reminder I got my Alpine amps secondhand for a fraction of the price.
@@RAW-CAt I see your point, would be interesting though even if just for the treble. Also would like to know if you have any experience with mini DSP. The 2x4hd is pretty clean and impressive and many people use it in their car (just the RCA inputs and outputs, not the USB inputs). But the minidsp flex balanced is mind blowing good and clean for the house and maybe for the car too since it runs on 12 volts.
@@RAW-CAt sweet! I’ve been wondering how they do this is useful information. Hey do you know if it’s possible to connect 3-way set of components with only using 2 channels and no dsp or crossover networks? And this is just for experiment right now but I’m thinking could I parallel my front left kick panel midbass with right side midbass say on channel 2 ? Or would that be messing with the whole stereo concept of left and right channels and make the system sound bad? If that’s configuration is even possible to pull off, then I was thinking do parallel and series the the midrange and tweeter(in line cap bass blocker) to protect the tweeter obviously….. would this idea of mine work or it goes against the laws of audio 😅
@@onesikm3well, that way you won't have any stereo, just a mono signal. For SPL it doesn't matter much🤷 The only way to use different type of drivers on a single channel is with passive crossovers.
Well, people who like ported boxes may like the distortion. Acoustical, not mechanical. As far as the Taramps, they deliver the power but they fall apart. Knobs and switches fail, catch fire etc
@@milesbachelor8747 had my md8k for 3 years now and have ran it down to .35 it's been great. So many other builds with taramps running them for 5+ years any amp will fail under user error
@@milesbachelor8747been running taramps for 6 years. Have owned multiple smart3 and smart5 amd never had the issues you mentioned. A lot of yall never owned 1 but repeat what someone else says. Korean amps burn up too.
The ported enclosures you've had experience with may very well be crappy, but the one in my car is not crappy by any measureable standard. It's custom built to spec for the particular subwoofer driver I'm using and if I demo it for you, I bet you'd not only change your opinion, but likey change the enclosure in your car. I love blowing the minds of audiophiles/SQ guys when they hear it for themselves, then actually basing thier opinion on facts, logic and evidence, rather than what the "cool kids" or salesmen tell them.
eh.. it's an okay amp for your use. as for distortion, as the other guy stated, it happens from the pre stage to power stage. doesnt matter how you lowpass the signal on the dsp side, it's still there. but again, with the sub driver you got, i doubt you'll hear that much difference especially when we're talking about car environment here. the environment itself is far from perfect and the sub itself located far from your ears.
Please keep up this kind of content, we need more measurements of car amplifiers
I love the Taramps smart range, they play all day and have never let me down
They let me down in winter the fans always die and I’ve had shit short in winter and pop amps but I still run them 😜
My Smart 5 has been putting in work since they 1st came out. My fans never failed, but I did replace them. It was super easy to replace. I was hoping new fans were quieter, but only slightly better.
Had my md8k for 3 years+ and its still going even after being wired at .35
Hi Raw-Cat,
thanks for measuring this Amp! I recently bought one myself and was curious how it would measure. Maybe, take following thought into consideration when you listen to it. Yes, it's supposed to play bass below 50Hz or something, and will have a low-pass set accordingly. However, the low-pass does nothing to the distortion products, since they have their origin in the last stage, the power amp. The only thing that is capable of filtering down the distortion products, is the transfer function of the subwoofer itself, which drops of quite early as you already measured. So, while I'm 99% sure you won't be able to hear any of the distortion of the amp directly - let alone differentiate it from the distortion of the chassis and the car itself - I could imagine that the distortion and the noise has an impact on the acoustical localization of the subwoofer. E.g., you're listening at -20dB, and the subwoofer plays noise floor at 1kHz -80dB which is filtered down by the sub by -10dB. Will it allow the sub to be localized? I don't know... So, I'm looking forward to your in-car-review!
From quick listening, the sub is definitely not localised. It might be different with different sub and install, for example Acoustic Elegance in trunk baffle with sensitive cones facing the cabin. But in my case, the car filters out everything (if there is anything to filter out). And while driving , it's absolutely not an issue.
Now this is interesting content! By day 3 we could see Alpine amps are all pretty good... Let's see what these more common, affordable newer amps are like!
Excellent video! Thanks for doing the test and sharing your results!
thank you for taking the time to look at this amp!! now I can have your professional opinion how do you think that graph will look at higher watts like 5000ish and from 70hz and lower? And how do you find out the damping factor of the amp
Well since the amp is rated 3000W, at 5000W it will be clipping to death. Damping factor can be found by measuring the output impedance of the amp, I have two videos about that.
Do you know how Sam disabled the Taramps 8Hz highpass? According to the manual it looks like it starts to roll off at 20, 8Hz is -3dB. I'd loke to disable it on my amp if it's easy to do. (if I was in the UK I'd send it to him for a "fix")
I'm going to have a 3K running to two OA IB3 18's
Sam is extremely helpful, try contacting Barevids on FB and I am sure he will go through the whole procedure🙃
Finally someone did it. Thank you
Did what?
Test the distortion measurement and frequency response on a taramps. Its so affordable compared to some brands.
@@Sql253Oh, it's been done before. Kicker tested a DS800x2 on their Audio Precision rig and the distortion specs were really bad. Much worse than this one.
who has tested the taramps smart 3k and posted it publicly for everyone to see? @@JasonWW2000
@@JasonWW2000 i never seen that one. Gotta go look for that now. Thanks.
Wonder if it would preform better at 4ohm
Does the subsonic filter removal have anything to do with the myth that full bridge amps dont provide power for low frequencies as well as half bridge amplifiers?
That "myth" has to do with amplifiers construction and the power supply rather than topology. There is no difference between half and full bridge amps in that regard. Every manufacturer implements infrasonic filters diferent.
awesome video Thanks!!! I'm learning something !!
Very cool video! 👍I am very interested in the removal of the subsonic filters in the Taramps amplifiers. Does Sam have a video showing this process? 🙏
Not sure, you can contact him directly.
@@RAW-CAt Will do. Thanks
What is the best dsp for the money. Have you ever tried the Hertz unit? Helix is out of my budget as is the Audio Control. Thanks.
In my opinion a very good DSP for the price is Alpine. Robust and does what it supposed to do.
I took the same approach, dirt cheap nvx 3kw amp for a
How is this holding up ? Id love to remove my subsonic filter
No problems at all. Just need to disconnect the fans as they are making noise when starting up.
@@RAW-CAt replace them with noctua fans , thats what we do .
@@mazda2284 I really don't need the fans at all as they never turn od due to heat. Only when starting up.
tube amps were typically 3-4% THD and my decent solid state a/b amps are .01%
That looks like a good amp choice for your particular application. Your use case is very different from the typical person who buys that model amp.
Was it able to handle the 4-volt input with no problems?
Are you sure that infinite baffle sub is going to be able to handle that much power? Typically with infinite baffle you have to use quite a bit less power because there's no enclosure to help control the excursion.
Tested the amp with Helix DSP that has 8V outs. However, I had the Chanel gain -8.5dB in the DSP with gains at min so it's just ~1000W. The OA sub takes more than 1000W in IB, after tuning with a balanced response I couldn't bottom it out that sub even at 10Hz.
Its a good chose for any bass enclosure/IB. The best as far as price and performance.
@@johnd5542No, not a good choice for most people. They are quite a low quality amp. They tend to suffer badly when pushed to their rated power. Plus a lot of other issues.
Only this specific application do I think is a good match. Having the subsonic removed, not pushing it very hard, only being used on a sub, etc...
@@JasonWW2000Do you have one , or are you just reciting what you heard online? I run my Smart 5 on 2 12 Xv3s since they 1st came out. I push them hard for at least 3 hours a day, back and forth from work. There is a reason why they are so popular, and forums have way more positive then negative testimonies. They put out clean power and take a beating for $500. I also have a DD M8 that cost almost $2000. There is zero difference in sound, by ear or mic.
I use to think (hear) the same thing. You are misinformed by the companys who lost a hugh chunk of profit and their shill minions.
@@johnd5542What I'm saying is based on in-depth reviews and test data from people extremely knowledgeable about amplifiers.
I'm not a part of any forums.
I only use the original type (full range) I have 6x 15's running on 1 smart 5k and getting 152Db
Why don't you try running the topping LA90 discrete house amp in the car for PURE sound quality (not taking about bass here )
Well, first of all it's $800 for 2 channels. I need 6 channels for my front end. That is very expensive. Just as a reminder I got my Alpine amps secondhand for a fraction of the price.
@@RAW-CAt I see your point, would be interesting though even if just for the treble. Also would like to know if you have any experience with mini DSP. The 2x4hd is pretty clean and impressive and many people use it in their car (just the RCA inputs and outputs, not the USB inputs). But the minidsp flex balanced is mind blowing good and clean for the house and maybe for the car too since it runs on 12 volts.
How has this amp been serving you ?
No issues whatsoever. Cool as a brick, will need to disconnect the fans, as they have no use just turn on with ignition.
@@RAW-CAt sweet! I’ve been wondering how they do this is useful information.
Hey do you know if it’s possible to connect 3-way set of components with only using 2 channels and no dsp or crossover networks? And this is just for experiment right now but I’m thinking could I parallel my front left kick panel midbass with right side midbass say on channel 2 ? Or would that be messing with the whole stereo concept of left and right channels and make the system sound bad? If that’s configuration is even possible to pull off, then I was thinking do parallel and series the the midrange and tweeter(in line cap bass blocker) to protect the tweeter obviously….. would this idea of mine work or it goes against the laws of audio 😅
@@onesikm3well, that way you won't have any stereo, just a mono signal. For SPL it doesn't matter much🤷 The only way to use different type of drivers on a single channel is with passive crossovers.
Wow good to know
I didn't expect you to not be a basshead :))
Somewhere deep down everyone is a little bit of a basshead😄
now all the people that think they can hear the difference with their crappy ported enclosures can hush.
Well, people who like ported boxes may like the distortion. Acoustical, not mechanical.
As far as the Taramps, they deliver the power but they fall apart. Knobs and switches fail, catch fire etc
@@milesbachelor8747 had my md8k for 3 years now and have ran it down to .35 it's been great. So many other builds with taramps running them for 5+ years any amp will fail under user error
@@milesbachelor8747been running taramps for 6 years. Have owned multiple smart3 and smart5 amd never had the issues you mentioned. A lot of yall never owned 1 but repeat what someone else says. Korean amps burn up too.
The ported enclosures you've had experience with may very well be crappy, but the one in my car is not crappy by any measureable standard. It's custom built to spec for the particular subwoofer driver I'm using and if I demo it for you, I bet you'd not only change your opinion, but likey change the enclosure in your car. I love blowing the minds of audiophiles/SQ guys when they hear it for themselves, then actually basing thier opinion on facts, logic and evidence, rather than what the "cool kids" or salesmen tell them.
@@csj9619 lol just hush it you group delay loving soul
eh.. it's an okay amp for your use. as for distortion, as the other guy stated, it happens from the pre stage to power stage. doesnt matter how you lowpass the signal on the dsp side, it's still there. but again, with the sub driver you got, i doubt you'll hear that much difference especially when we're talking about car environment here. the environment itself is far from perfect and the sub itself located far from your ears.
Never thought id seen the day someone call a taramp cheap😢
You should look up how much an SQ brand amp of such power costs 😉
Taramps are stout. User error overblown.
These are not sound quality amps sorry not at all
Why is that?
@@RAW-CAt because he's a random and has an opinion 🤦♂️