Five recommended from previous videos and tests. All are around $200 or less. Everything from monoblocks, to 2 channel choices up to 4 and 5 channels as well. How do you like the list? 1. Rockville RXM-T2 - 2 channel, 1200W RMS amp - amzn.to/2ZswzgD 2. NVX VADM1 - 500W RMS monoblock mini amp - amzn.to/2zSgVjS 3. Kenwood KAC-M3004 - tiny 4 channel amp capable of 400W plus - amzn.to/3cVgBiA 4. Pioneer GM-D9701 - 1200W RMS monoblock - amzn.to/2ZmJmRH 5. Pioneer GM-D9705 - Class A/B plus Class D hybrid 5 channel amp - amzn.to/2zS0i7z Please note, prices may fluctuate from the ones I show in the video, I cannot help this! As an Amazon associate, I may earn from qualifying purchases.
hey big d i was wonder if u cant dyno test our amps nemesis brand korean amp will would swnd us our 1k amp and 12k amp so u can test them. thanks my info juan 4072741425 dallas tx us
Hey man...the GM-D9705 is fully Class D. The front/rear channels are named A and B but are Class D. Also the bass “remote” is bass boost, not level - so useless to those of us that just want to adjust the overall level and not one frequency. I own the amp and use it in my daily.
I installed one of the kenwood 3004's and it ran very hot. Had to switch it out for a different amp. The Pioneers in that series are beasts. One of the best bang for the buck you'll get. I run an 8601 and 8604 in my car. Great video and info as always.
That pioneer is nowhere to be found due to the pandemic. I literally went searching everywhere, and the only place that even said it was in stock was direct from Pioneer. I couldn’t even find it at a discount. I ended up paying the full 350 and they said it was in stock while others were listed as back ordered. Well, I go to check my order and now it’s changed from processing to back ordered… Looking at the end of August for a ship date. Now I’m just trying to keep my eyes peeled for a lower price if I have to wait anyway. Talking about the five channel by the way. Update: I’m impatient 😆😆. Went with an infinity Kappa Five. Awesome choice and I’m very happy. Amazon had it for 280 at the time. Glad I jumped on it as now it’s listed between 580-675 at most places including Crutchfield.
Yeah I remember a lot about those old skool amps. They do pretty good for what you spend on them. Much respect for looking out for our fellow bassheads. Exo is a pretty cool guy.
You totally missed a very budget amp that puts out rated power, Dyno'd power. Dual Electronics XPR84D. 80rms x 4, or 250rms x 2. I own two of these. Excellent value!@
I've got the 4 channel version of the nvx. Mounted behind dash. I am powering components in the front and coaxials in the rear, all NVX. I had to turn the gain way down because it has too much power. Sounds quality is excellent.
I am gonna get the D9705 for my family van. And I just ordered a Taramps DS800.4 based on your DS440.4 video. Thanks Big D you are such a major asset to our community!
I got the taramps 440.4 for my super tweeters and it sounds good. I'm going with the taramps 800.4 for my 6.5 componets and 6x9s. I'm just waiting for a price drop
I bought the Pioneer 2-channel version (model # GM-D9702) of the monoblock and 5-channel amps tested here. I am quite pleased with it. My guess is it's rated power is likewise, probably close to actual power. It seems to power (2) JBL 10 inch subwoofers well.
Took a gamble on a ignite audio R3000/1D from another video u did with that brand. Inexpensive and surprisingly powerful. Pushing 2 8's in a ported box (would push 18's 4 sure) . Gains all the way down, bass boost al the way down and still over powers mb quarts mids and highs. Thanks for the vedios. Love the budget builds. Easy to throw money at problems but that doesn't always fix things...
I got a Pioneer GM D8701 to power my Sundown E series 15” v3 D2 and I couldn’t have made a better choice. 800w rms and I got it for $152 tax included. I’ve also got the Pioneer A/B class GM5702 powering my Phoenix Gold RX 6x9 coaxials, a pair of Memphis Audio PRX10 1” polydome tweets with their own external crossover which also is crossing over some former 3way 6.5” pioneers that are now just midrange drivers. That is all my front staging. My rear stage is just some 5.25” coaxial Kicker DS models which are actually really clear and clean at high volume. They’re being pushed by an A/B class Dual brand xpr 520. Its a clean sounding amp that’s never failed me. I push all my equipment EXTREMELY hard on a daily basis and none of my choices have disappointed me yet.
Normally I don't comment but when you praised the "TAR-rible" smart 3K which I bought from your suggestions I felt I needed to speak up. Sound quality was less than expected especially since it was being pre-amped by my Kenwood xr600-6dsp which has DSP control abilities on the rca outs of the amp and even though a 24db LR crossover setup it was very muddy. But that's not even the worst part. When I went to re-install the amplifier after rewiring my subs from 4ohms{ I did this to break in the subs gently) to 1ohms for which I set the gain by ear so it was at high volume all of 5 mins, the amp gave up the ghost 10mins later while the system was at low listening volume. I double and triple checked everything, all connections (grounds, positives, everything), ohm load(subs checked out at 1ohm exact), and lastly I'm running approximately 285ah of AGM batteries so it wasn't for lack of power. So after a $300 loss I'll never buy nor endorse a taramps product.
Big D I chose the GM-D9705 for my Dodge Ram. Head unit is the excellent Kenwood DDX-396. I'm driving 3.5 inch new Kickers in the dash using the Kenwood front channel out with bass blockers - just for sound stage and ambience. Front doors have new Kicker 6x9, back doors have new Kicker 6.5 inch. Front and rear are being driven by the GM-D9705. Subwoofer is the Dodge factory sub enclosure with a Kicker 8 inch driver powered by the Pioneer subwoofer channel output. Signals are CLEAN, very low noise. PLENTY of power and that Pioneer 5-channel amp stays nice and cool! Thanks for your reviews and suggestions - you really helped this build! And with careful shopping I have an incredible sound system on a budget. I'm outta heeeere!
Another little amp worth talking about... I bought a Taramps DS 800x4 2 ohm recently and wow. I mention it because you tested the 440 not long ago. It's almost palm sized, looks beautiful and it's like a concert in my car. It's running a couple of infinity Reference component sets.
I got a rockville RVA-M2 2500w recently for my beater truck and I have been overly impressed. I have it paired with a single 12 kicker comp dual 4ohm wired at 2ohm at 400w and it beats.I'm familiar with the company and normally would never recommend them for anything else, but the amp is great for the price. I do appreciate they give you the legit output along with the BS max wattage lol
Taramps... Ive never had an issue and I own 5 of them even in convertibles and humidity... and they are tiny and take barely any juice... I love my DS440 and my TS400 as well as the Bass400 and Bass1200... and the 5th actually just sits in the shop lol... I have the TS paired to the Bass400 in a Rav4 and the DS paired with the 1200 in a sprinter van.. those pairings work amazing.. Ask if you want details for speakers and such.. Im always helpful where I can... I LOVE this channel.... Do more videos keep them up.. maybe more speaker tests or comparisons or box builds or systems for certain budgets...That would be awesome... Great Channel...Entertaining as heck..
@@wal I agree for the price they are hard to beat.. I have a pricey set up and its great but daily driver I dont need extreme clarity. lol or spend the money on a DSP system... I do however want it driving a speaker capable of putting out the best sound so the Bass1200 is wired to a 8" meso, it drives it amazing.. and the 440 is sent to a set of components.. (well 2 sets)
The kenwood versions are also excellent choices! I’ve installed 3 of the kenwood 5 channels lately. Great options for people who are on the fence about running a sub and gives them a prewired option down the road.
@@user-me8hc3bs7i how would you compare a 5 channel nvx to a kenwood...considering swapping my 5 channel nvx in the future...polk speakers cerwin sub..small hatchback kenwood deck.
I think another reliable semi budget Amp is the skar version or soundqubed s1-1250 is a good mono Amp, on sale can get for around $150 and has that clipping light on bass knob, small and puts over rated power, puts out almost 1500 watts @ 1ohm and was able to use it without any electrical upgades on 2 infinity 1200w subs without the big 3 on my 2013 Ram hemi and my truck has the premium alpine system Amp also running the interior speakers. I had a Rockville db15 and the soundQubed for sure puts out more power and has nice sound quality and more efficient. For a budget sound quality sub, I been buying the infinity 1200w subwoofers, for some reason Amazon has been selling them new for around $90, I ended up buying 4 and they sound clean and can handle the s1-1250 with no issues @ 1ohm.
Thanks for all the contributions to the channel. During quarantine I've gotten into car audio as a hobby. I went with a Kenwood 5 channel thanks to your recommendation. The only thing is I grabbed the XR901-5 refurb at a great price since I'm one of those weirdos who prefers allen key terminals vs spade style.
I have 2 svc 4ohm subs, bridged series for an 8 ohm load on the Rockville RXD-T2. I didn't know the difference of mono & stereo at first, so I thought I had to wire them to each individual channel on the 4 ohm 400RMS, but by just paying very close attention to your readings, I'm bumpin that 800+ which is what I was expecting when I first purchased the amp. Dick Riculous put me on! Lol
I used to have an old school Jensen amp 400 watts 4 ch and I had 2 12 in subs with 2 ch. 4 6x9 and 4 6.5 with the other 2 ch. And that amp just sounded really good.
Great vid mate as usual ... but I'm a bit confused: Pioneer Gm-D9701 putting: 500 rms @4 ohm 800 rms @2 ohm 1200 rms @1 ohm Now I'm getting a single RF T1 12" 800 rms (in sealed enclosure) available in both 2 or 4 dvc. Which one to pick for this amp? Should I get the exact matching sub with 800 rms and run it @2 ohm or should I get the 1 ohm load and adjust the gain for 800w? Any recommendations? (will adjust the gain with a voltmeter in either case)
Pioneer also has high-level input and auto turn-on with high-level signal, no need for remote wire. Works great with one amp, super buggy when connecting more than one amplifier
Love watching your videos man. Can't believe a Rockville amp made the list. I have Rockville junk. I'll never buy it again. Horrible products horrible customer service. Running Audiopipes APCLE30001.D and an APCLE20004
What's up Derek? Love all your vids very informative and awesome content.. it keeps me very interested in the audio world ..well appreciated sir..! By any chance could you test the nvx 1000.1 and the kicker pxa 300.4 if only you ever get around those amps. I'm sure you have a whole bunch of other requests I just thought I'd put it out there it would be well appreciated ...thank you once again for all that you do..yeeeeeeeeeew!💪🤘🤙🔥
Still running my Alpine MRP-M450 she runs like a dream to a Kicker ProComp 10” sub. Sadly her sister Alpine 4 channel lost it on the power side. Been running these for many many years (since 2006). 4ch powered my JBL 5*7 that didn’t die until they were 16 years old
do you remember G&S redline subs? from back in mid 90s subs with lightning bolt.. still have the 2 12 in subs but just the magnets , basket and voicecoil paper cones are gone .. It’s all I have left of my pimped out 88 Mazda RX 7 sold the car in 96 for 3,000 lol car was mint chrome wheels, black paint,blacked out tint. I remember having a phone antenna on the car.. but instead of a phone I had a CB attached..lol I was too cheap to buy a car phone... had 3 amps in the car zeus , for the subs, a sony for 4 mids and a small sony for tweeters, Built the false floor with plexy covers so u could see the amps, .. car was only a 2 seater so i had the rear area were seats would have went for a different model.. my model just had a cover area.. pretty cool .. my head unit was .what ever the highend kenwood was in 94 a 100 disc changer, Visual spectrum analyzer that used to talk and had all these light shows.. i forget the brand , Could’ve been pioneer I don’t even remember.. and a kewwood crossover
Alright not being critical but these are ALL Class D amps... While I appreciate the spirit of budget; specifically for the 2, 4, and 5 channels; how does SQ NOT factor in? There are some 2 channels from US Acoustics that may not make BIG power like this; but they are budget and are actually good sounding... I will say the pioneer 5 channel is Meh ok sounding at best... Also, the Rockville is also dead sounding... I know you always do a test with subs and I appreciate that man! but you should probably invest in some decent (yet relatively cheap) home monitor class speakers like Emotiva T2, T1, or T0... These all have SPL sensitivity of roughly 89-90 which is close for most car environments and they are 4 ohm impedance... This would allow for some critical listening tests which is honestly another dimension I think it would be awesome to add! Just a thought
I personally like the idea of the molex connector if you’re shoving the amp somewhere difficult to reach up in a trunk. I wish they’d go one further and put a deutsch bulkhead in and send loose pins and a connector. The deutsch are meant to be pinned and depinned easily and I like the idea of a good snap in connection that won’t rattle loose.
i have that kenwood amp and it blows me out of the water on my boat(pun intended)..I have it hooked up to two JL Audio Marine speakers and the sound is loud and clear all the way up till you cant handle it anymore..Insane amp for the price and size.
I'm pretty sure that the A/B is referring to the channel names, not A/B amp. I checked the manual and Pioneer's website, and both indicate that the 5 ch is a class D.
Great little power units. Not something id use for the bottom end. I still like older bitty soundstream units. I just can't use to Class D for my entire system😊👍
My only recommendation would be to put the date in the title. So maybe "BigD's budget amp picks for 2020" If you do more of these year after year, it can be nice to see the date in the title (at least the year) so the viewer knows which video is most relevant and doesn't watch a video that displays amp-models that are not longer available (new).
I had a NVX VADM4 and that little sucker pumped out some power for being just a little bigger than a dollar bill. When I opened the box I noticed it had some little bitty plastic plug in rca input leads which I instantly didn't like. So when I mounted it to my amp rack I made sure those chincy input harness were secured and I bragged on that little guy for about a year and a half until...I was driving along and all of a sudden there was loud engine noise coming through on my highs so I stopped and just basically touched the rca input harness and the noise stopped I drove about three blocks and smelled that awful electrical smell that we never want to smell. I stopped and laid down the back seat of my truck and that little guy was pouring smoke out of both ends so I pulled the fuse and when I later took it apart there was a row of small blue round things not sure if they were capacitors or what but they were melted into oblivion
Yup like I’ve been saying Stetsom,Taramps and sound digital (Brazilian amps) are a worthy choice. So far so good. Just don’t buy the knock off brands /;). Sup Big D!
I've been loving the results from my BOSS branded audio. I'm running 2x10" subs in my Super Duty crew cab behind the rear seats with the Chaos 2000watt monoblock good from 50hz to 200hz. Plenty for the cab. In my Supra I'm running their DVC12's in a modified prefab box that just Rocks! The setup in my truck was around $250 and my Supra was $350. That's all materials and parts. I have a video on my channel with the Supra.
i just got a Rockville DB25 in the mail, it was 20 days from order till derivery, i am from Belgium so overseas and all, pretty descent time. i bought it to power two 6.5 inch 300 rms watt subwoofers.
I bought the pioneer and after a year it caught in fire internally and started pouring out smoke! Luckily I was able to disconnect it quick enough before it turned into an actual fire! Long story, but it was replaced with the same amp and it hasn't caught on fire..... yet...
Hey I'm a new watcher of your channel! Love the amp dynometer. Pretty cool! I was wondering if you could recommend a budget class D 2 channel amplifier? I'm looking to build an efficient stereo for my van build. I'll be running off of solar so Class D is really important for efficient use of my battery.
woah...glad I stayed till the end of the vid! Wicked amp for when I start thinking about adding bass...after another battery and probably another solar panel!
I had a gm8601 for under 10 years, it always killed my subs, until 1 day it didn't want to come on anymore fuses are good, since then I've been running over 7 thousand watts with Wolfram and Skar, but I I still miss my tiny 800 watt amp
Hey Big D. Great video as always. Wanted ask about the pioneer 9705. I have the 9605 and it says it is a full class D for all channels. Did pioneer change this for the 9705. You stated it was a A/B for the front channels and D for the subwoofer. Just curious. Keep up the great work and stay safe.
Just found your channel. Great Stuff ! My Dream vid content (from You): SQ oriented Top 5 in ‘Modest’ price range (Better than Budget) in MULTI-channel (4… or 5). I get that Mono amplifiers are the Rage, but … not for Everyone. Please consider an ‘uptick’ vid to this one for $300-500ish in MULTI-channel (Class D, ideally). 👍🏼
The Kenwood M3004 50x4 is a Decent amp for its size. Had one in a 2016 Hyundai Tucson. Infinity Primus speakers. Wish it made a little more power. I like to ride with the windows down. I have a 2019 Hyundai Kona now. SE AWD. Had a shop install a Sony XMGS4 4 channel. Loud. Kicker KS series speakers. Future plans to put in a 12" Kicker CompR DVC (2Ohm each) to a Kicker 43CWR122.
just clicked the link for amazon on that 2 channel pioneer, you weren’t kidding about Amazons prices it’s now 275$ 😳 What i.m beginning to learn is you’re better off buying directly from the manufacture Or at least checking their prices first
Hey Big D, would really like to see you test one of the Zapco ST series mono amps. the 1350 to be specific. I know there is another video of that amp on Budget Gems that dint make rated power, but it was a "refurbished", and he later found out it was not done by Zapco. He teased about a redo, but he hasn't put out a video in quite a while.
What about those new stetsom eq3000, great budget amp with small footprint and does its rated power. I got the 1ohm series and its one of the best amps I've ever owned at far as budget friendly.. Great video by the way, your always making car audio way more fun than people even realized car audio can even be... 🔥
Be careful with those. I would underfuse it to be safe. Me and several other testers have had those go up in flames on the test bench. See the recent Timpano amp, it’s essentially a Stetsom EQ3k
@@wal wow, I've actually seen your video about the timpano amp. The stetsom does generate some heat in just 20 or 30 mins of being in use so I bought a small fan to help cool it off somewhat. I have 300 amp fuse in the front and 2 lines of power and 2 150 double fuses running to my back battery bank. What size fuses would you recommend instead of the ones I have now? Also have you ever thought about testing out those new sfb sundown amps, now that you informed me about the true credentials of these stetsom, I'm now leaning to only using my sfb2000 amplifier instead of the 230 dollar stetsom amp that I recently just purchased. My only complaint about the sfb2000 is that it tends to hit more of the higher notes instead of those 32 hertz and lower...thanks for replying to my comments, your content and info on car audio has really helped me over the years and your videos are some of the best if not the best around right now and plus you have the coolest Nick name around B D wiz...
I really wanna know if the human years can tell the difference between. A budget ab 4 channel and a $800 4 channel. Powering coaxials at like 50-70 watts a piece. Or are you just paying for premium components and reliability. I came to you tube for this answer a few days ago. Honestly I never found the answer.
When I went to " upgrade" my car I went with the 5 channel pioneer as space was a very real issue. So didnt want to run multiple amps for the full range and a sub that I added (12"dvc) no disappointment and I've been running it for over 2 years . Yeah the angles and the super little allen for the speakers are a draw back depending on how you do your installation.
Same here. Upgraded my toyota highlander. Running 6.5 components and 6.5 coaxial in the doors and a single 10" subwoofer. Also sound deaden the doors. Love it and the am so happy.
![How Much Power Does a $49 4000W Walmart Amp Make? [4K]](/img/n.gif)
Five recommended from previous videos and tests. All are around $200 or less. Everything from monoblocks, to 2 channel choices up to 4 and 5 channels as well. How do you like the list?
1. Rockville RXM-T2 - 2 channel, 1200W RMS amp - amzn.to/2ZswzgD
2. NVX VADM1 - 500W RMS monoblock mini amp - amzn.to/2zSgVjS
3. Kenwood KAC-M3004 - tiny 4 channel amp capable of 400W plus - amzn.to/3cVgBiA
4. Pioneer GM-D9701 - 1200W RMS monoblock - amzn.to/2ZmJmRH
5. Pioneer GM-D9705 - Class A/B plus Class D hybrid 5 channel amp - amzn.to/2zS0i7z
Please note, prices may fluctuate from the ones I show in the video, I cannot help this! As an Amazon associate, I may earn from qualifying purchases.
hey big d i was wonder if u cant dyno test our amps nemesis brand korean amp will would swnd us our 1k amp and 12k amp so u can test them. thanks my info juan 4072741425 dallas tx us
I'm like wow 129 bucks sweet.. but then i coverted it to canadian and it was 223 bucks lol
Can you do rockford punch 500.2 thanks
Hey man...the GM-D9705 is fully Class D. The front/rear channels are named A and B but are Class D. Also the bass “remote” is bass boost, not level - so useless to those of us that just want to adjust the overall level and not one frequency. I own the amp and use it in my daily.
Better get ready to hear a bunch about emfs most recent video talking shit about cheap amps
I put the rockville in my car and wanted to make sure it was marine rated so I drove my car Into the lake.
Shortly the amp stopped putting out sound.
darknature79 💀💀💀 lmao you big dumby
Yeah, but did the amp fail?
Driving your car into the lake pretty much just fried the radio and the car.
The test must be repeated. 😁
Lmao
Try it in the sea nex time. Marine means salt water 👍
The realest shit i ever heard
Hey Big D, how about some videos with the top 5 (or more) 1,000 watt amps, the top 5 2,000 watt amps, 3,000, etc?
This, really want to see the cxa1800.1 tested. Call kicker! Let’s make it happen.
That's what's up
Yeah, this
What he said
OMG!!! That is the most beautiful Haro Ive seen in years!!! Thanks for taking me back to the good ol days🚲
I installed one of the kenwood 3004's and it ran very hot. Had to switch it out for a different amp. The Pioneers in that series are beasts. One of the best bang for the buck you'll get. I run an 8601 and 8604 in my car. Great video and info as always.
That pioneer is nowhere to be found due to the pandemic. I literally went searching everywhere, and the only place that even said it was in stock was direct from Pioneer. I couldn’t even find it at a discount. I ended up paying the full 350 and they said it was in stock while others were listed as back ordered. Well, I go to check my order and now it’s changed from processing to back ordered… Looking at the end of August for a ship date. Now I’m just trying to keep my eyes peeled for a lower price if I have to wait anyway.
Talking about the five channel by the way.
Update: I’m impatient 😆😆. Went with an infinity Kappa Five. Awesome choice and I’m very happy. Amazon had it for 280 at the time. Glad I jumped on it as now it’s listed between 580-675 at most places including Crutchfield.
Yeah I remember a lot about those old skool amps. They do pretty good for what you spend on them. Much respect for looking out for our fellow bassheads. Exo is a pretty cool guy.
Excellent reviews Big D!!! We love budget stuff! Do more!
Man thanks for doing these amp dyno videos for the average Joe's that doesn't need or looking for 10k$ of audio and not trying to do 160DBs
You totally missed a very budget amp that puts out rated power, Dyno'd power. Dual Electronics XPR84D. 80rms x 4, or 250rms x 2. I own two of these. Excellent value!@
Thanks for all the videos by the way, you're a real champion of the people.
I am searching for a 5 channel amp right now so this was very timely for me. Thanks for taking the time to make these videos!
Same here rockville makes a 5 channel
@@diawaprolite7967 - lol, buy Rockville. Buying absolute junk
I've got the 4 channel version of the nvx. Mounted behind dash. I am powering components in the front and coaxials in the rear, all NVX. I had to turn the gain way down because it has too much power. Sounds quality is excellent.
Yea buddy I run (2) of those pioneer 9701's on my eight twelves and they still rock 7 years later!
Thanks for posting all these videos. they're good.
Thanks for watching and commenting!
I am gonna get the D9705 for my family van. And I just ordered a Taramps DS800.4 based on your DS440.4 video. Thanks Big D you are such a major asset to our community!
I got the taramps 440.4 for my super tweeters and it sounds good. I'm going with the taramps 800.4 for my 6.5 componets and 6x9s. I'm just waiting for a price drop
This ☝️ video deserves to be BOOKMARKED.
I bought the Pioneer 2-channel version (model # GM-D9702) of the monoblock and 5-channel amps tested here. I am quite pleased with it. My guess is it's rated power is likewise, probably close to actual power. It seems to power (2) JBL 10 inch subwoofers well.
Been waiting for some amp videos! Love my Pioneer gm-dx871!
Took a gamble on a ignite audio R3000/1D from another video u did with that brand. Inexpensive and surprisingly powerful. Pushing 2 8's in a ported box (would push 18's 4 sure) . Gains all the way down, bass boost al the way down and still over powers mb quarts mids and highs. Thanks for the vedios. Love the budget builds. Easy to throw money at problems but that doesn't always fix things...
Another top 10 budget amp!
Last time I was this early I could still leave the house
🤣👍
I got a Pioneer GM D8701 to power my Sundown E series 15” v3 D2 and I couldn’t have made a better choice. 800w rms and I got it for $152 tax included. I’ve also got the Pioneer A/B class GM5702 powering my Phoenix Gold RX 6x9 coaxials, a pair of Memphis Audio PRX10 1” polydome tweets with their own external crossover which also is crossing over some former 3way 6.5” pioneers that are now just midrange drivers. That is all my front staging. My rear stage is just some 5.25” coaxial Kicker DS models which are actually really clear and clean at high volume. They’re being pushed by an A/B class Dual brand xpr 520. Its a clean sounding amp that’s never failed me. I push all my equipment EXTREMELY hard on a daily basis and none of my choices have disappointed me yet.
Normally I don't comment but when you praised the "TAR-rible" smart 3K which I bought from your suggestions I felt I needed to speak up. Sound quality was less than expected especially since it was being pre-amped by my Kenwood xr600-6dsp which has DSP control abilities on the rca outs of the amp and even though a 24db LR crossover setup it was very muddy. But that's not even the worst part. When I went to re-install the amplifier after rewiring my subs from 4ohms{ I did this to break in the subs gently) to 1ohms for which I set the gain by ear so it was at high volume all of 5 mins, the amp gave up the ghost 10mins later while the system was at low listening volume. I double and triple checked everything, all connections (grounds, positives, everything), ohm load(subs checked out at 1ohm exact), and lastly I'm running approximately 285ah of AGM batteries so it wasn't for lack of power. So after a $300 loss I'll never buy nor endorse a taramps product.
Big D I chose the GM-D9705 for my Dodge Ram. Head unit is the excellent Kenwood DDX-396. I'm driving 3.5 inch new Kickers in the dash using the Kenwood front channel out with bass blockers - just for sound stage and ambience. Front doors have new Kicker 6x9, back doors have new Kicker 6.5 inch. Front and rear are being driven by the GM-D9705. Subwoofer is the Dodge factory sub enclosure with a Kicker 8 inch driver powered by the Pioneer subwoofer channel output. Signals are CLEAN, very low noise. PLENTY of power and that Pioneer 5-channel amp stays nice and cool! Thanks for your reviews and suggestions - you really helped this build! And with careful shopping I have an incredible sound system on a budget. I'm outta heeeere!
Awesome 👏
Another little amp worth talking about... I bought a Taramps DS 800x4 2 ohm recently and wow. I mention it because you tested the 440 not long ago. It's almost palm sized, looks beautiful and it's like a concert in my car. It's running a couple of infinity Reference component sets.
I got a rockville RVA-M2 2500w recently for my beater truck and I have been overly impressed. I have it paired with a single 12 kicker comp dual 4ohm wired at 2ohm at 400w and it beats.I'm familiar with the company and normally would never recommend them for anything else, but the amp is great for the price. I do appreciate they give you the legit output along with the BS max wattage lol
Thanks for watching and commenting!
Wow the Pioneer 9701 used to cost no more than $150. Now they are $300
I watched the HifiVega vid, too. Always find myself coming back for the Big D Wiz opinions.
...and similarities.
Taramps... Ive never had an issue and I own 5 of them even in convertibles and humidity... and they are tiny and take barely any juice... I love my DS440 and my TS400 as well as the Bass400 and Bass1200... and the 5th actually just sits in the shop lol... I have the TS paired to the Bass400 in a Rav4 and the DS paired with the 1200 in a sprinter van.. those pairings work amazing.. Ask if you want details for speakers and such.. Im always helpful where I can... I LOVE this channel.... Do more videos keep them up.. maybe more speaker tests or comparisons or box builds or systems for certain budgets...That would be awesome... Great Channel...Entertaining as heck..
Thanks! I added the Taramps Smart 3 after the credits. Great amp 👍
@@wal I agree for the price they are hard to beat.. I have a pricey set up and its great but daily driver I dont need extreme clarity. lol or spend the money on a DSP system... I do however want it driving a speaker capable of putting out the best sound so the Bass1200 is wired to a 8" meso, it drives it amazing.. and the 440 is sent to a set of components.. (well 2 sets)
Those Pioneer amps are so slept on! Just down right amazing amps for a budget build.
The kenwood versions are also excellent choices! I’ve installed 3 of the kenwood 5 channels lately. Great options for people who are on the fence about running a sub and gives them a prewired option down the road.
@@user-me8hc3bs7i how would you compare a 5 channel nvx to a kenwood...considering swapping my 5 channel nvx in the future...polk speakers cerwin sub..small hatchback kenwood deck.
I think another reliable semi budget Amp is the skar version or soundqubed s1-1250 is a good mono Amp, on sale can get for around $150 and has that clipping light on bass knob, small and puts over rated power, puts out almost 1500 watts @ 1ohm and was able to use it without any electrical upgades on 2 infinity 1200w subs without the big 3 on my 2013 Ram hemi and my truck has the premium alpine system Amp also running the interior speakers. I had a Rockville db15 and the soundQubed for sure puts out more power and has nice sound quality and more efficient. For a budget sound quality sub, I been buying the infinity 1200w subwoofers, for some reason Amazon has been selling them new for around $90, I ended up buying 4 and they sound clean and can handle the s1-1250 with no issues @ 1ohm.
Thanks for all the contributions to the channel. During quarantine I've gotten into car audio as a hobby. I went with a Kenwood 5 channel thanks to your recommendation. The only thing is I grabbed the XR901-5 refurb at a great price since I'm one of those weirdos who prefers allen key terminals vs spade style.
That’s a great amp I got one a while back, just haven’t tested it yet
@@wal I look forward to that!
Yessss this is what I needed
I have 2 svc 4ohm subs, bridged series for an 8 ohm load on the Rockville RXD-T2. I didn't know the difference of mono & stereo at first, so I thought I had to wire them to each individual channel on the 4 ohm 400RMS, but by just paying very close attention to your readings, I'm bumpin that 800+ which is what I was expecting when I first purchased the amp. Dick Riculous put me on! Lol
Pioneer gm series are really good. I think they are underated in power. Deff have more to give never get hot
I would love to see the 3 spare tire subwoofers reviewed. Rockville, jbl and cerwin Vega. I'm old now no more room for 18s and 15s !
Two 6.5 massive hippo xl64
There ARE smaller subs, you know.
I'll never get too old for 15's & up
I used to have an old school Jensen amp 400 watts 4 ch and I had 2 12 in subs with 2 ch. 4 6x9 and 4 6.5 with the other 2 ch. And that amp just sounded really good.
Great vid mate as usual ... but I'm a bit confused:
Pioneer Gm-D9701 putting:
500 rms @4 ohm
800 rms @2 ohm
1200 rms @1 ohm
Now I'm getting a single RF T1 12" 800 rms (in sealed enclosure) available in both 2 or 4 dvc. Which one to pick for this amp?
Should I get the exact matching sub with 800 rms and run it @2 ohm or should I get the 1 ohm load and adjust the gain for 800w?
Any recommendations?
(will adjust the gain with a voltmeter in either case)
Pioneer also has high-level input and auto turn-on with high-level signal, no need for remote wire. Works great with one amp, super buggy when connecting more than one amplifier
He remembered conformal coating..! YES!
👌😬👍
Love watching your videos man. Can't believe a Rockville amp made the list. I have Rockville junk. I'll never buy it again. Horrible products horrible customer service. Running Audiopipes APCLE30001.D and an APCLE20004
What's up Derek? Love all your vids very informative and awesome content.. it keeps me very interested in the audio world ..well appreciated sir..! By any chance could you test the nvx 1000.1 and the kicker pxa 300.4 if only you ever get around those amps. I'm sure you have a whole bunch of other requests I just thought I'd put it out there it would be well appreciated ...thank you once again for all that you do..yeeeeeeeeeew!💪🤘🤙🔥
I think you should do amps by the price best 100 buck
Best 200 bucks ect
Thanks for the recommendation
I have the pioneer gm d9701, rockville rxa f2, and the ignite 1600.1d. They are all good amps. I won't say great but definitely worth the money.
Still running my Alpine MRP-M450 she runs like a dream to a Kicker ProComp 10” sub. Sadly her sister Alpine 4 channel lost it on the power side. Been running these for many many years (since 2006). 4ch powered my JBL 5*7 that didn’t die until they were 16 years old
Great video as always, keep up the good work!
Thanks 😊
do you remember G&S redline subs? from back in mid 90s subs with lightning bolt.. still have the 2 12 in subs but just the magnets , basket and voicecoil paper cones are gone .. It’s all I have left of my pimped out 88 Mazda RX 7 sold the car in 96 for 3,000 lol car was mint chrome wheels, black paint,blacked out tint. I remember having a phone antenna on the car.. but instead of a phone I had a CB attached..lol I was too cheap to buy a car phone... had 3 amps in the car zeus , for the subs, a sony for 4 mids and a small sony for tweeters, Built the false floor with plexy covers so u could see the amps, .. car was only a 2 seater so i had the rear area were seats would have went for a different model.. my model just had a cover area.. pretty cool .. my head unit was .what ever the highend kenwood was in 94 a 100 disc changer, Visual spectrum analyzer that used to talk and had all these light shows.. i forget the brand , Could’ve been pioneer I don’t even remember.. and a kewwood crossover
You must be from Hayward!
Alright not being critical but these are ALL Class D amps... While I appreciate the spirit of budget; specifically for the 2, 4, and 5 channels; how does SQ NOT factor in? There are some 2 channels from US Acoustics that may not make BIG power like this; but they are budget and are actually good sounding... I will say the pioneer 5 channel is Meh ok sounding at best... Also, the Rockville is also dead sounding... I know you always do a test with subs and I appreciate that man! but you should probably invest in some decent (yet relatively cheap) home monitor class speakers like Emotiva T2, T1, or T0... These all have SPL sensitivity of roughly 89-90 which is close for most car environments and they are 4 ohm impedance... This would allow for some critical listening tests which is honestly another dimension I think it would be awesome to add! Just a thought
As usual, great video. I also got my shirt! Thanks!
Just subscribed new to your channel but been watching your videos every night
I have over 500 vids, so you have a lot of catching up to do 😬👍
Awesome unbiased reviews as always big D. Keep up the awesome work!
I personally like the idea of the molex connector if you’re shoving the amp somewhere difficult to reach up in a trunk. I wish they’d go one further and put a deutsch bulkhead in and send loose pins and a connector. The deutsch are meant to be pinned and depinned easily and I like the idea of a good snap in connection that won’t rattle loose.
Nice selection of budget bangers Big D 👍👍
Awe jeah!
Don't need to break the bank to beat down the block! Love how you included the 5ch in there as well 👍👍
Do it bump doe?🔉🔊
i have that kenwood amp and it blows me out of the water on my boat(pun intended)..I have it hooked up to two JL Audio Marine speakers and the sound is loud and clear all the way up till you cant handle it anymore..Insane amp for the price and size.
I'm pretty sure that the A/B is referring to the channel names, not A/B amp. I checked the manual and Pioneer's website, and both indicate that the 5 ch is a class D.
@Williston Audio Labs. what level are the gains set at when you do your testing ?
Great little power units. Not something id use for the bottom end. I still like older bitty soundstream units. I just can't use to Class D for my entire system😊👍
My only recommendation would be to put the date in the title. So maybe "BigD's budget amp picks for 2020"
If you do more of these year after year, it can be nice to see the date in the title (at least the year) so the viewer knows which video is most relevant and doesn't watch a video that displays amp-models that are not longer available (new).
Great idea and I’ll do this for sure
Taramps and NVX all day long. I wouldn't touch Rockville tried them out 2 years ago just for the sake of it. And protection mode right away at 2ohms
They sell a lot of cheap amps, bound to have a few bad apples
Budget is as budget does.
I’ve ran 2 of the rxm t2 beat the living hell out of them in a utv build for 2 years no issues . Had them on mids/highs though
Would like to see some testing of the orion xtr 2000.4 and orion hcca 2000.4
I had a NVX VADM4 and that little sucker pumped out some power for being just a little bigger than a dollar bill. When I opened the box I noticed it had some little bitty plastic plug in rca input leads which I instantly didn't like. So when I mounted it to my amp rack I made sure those chincy input harness were secured and I bragged on that little guy for about a year and a half until...I was driving along and all of a sudden there was loud engine noise coming through on my highs so I stopped and just basically touched the rca input harness and the noise stopped I drove about three blocks and smelled that awful electrical smell that we never want to smell. I stopped and laid down the back seat of my truck and that little guy was pouring smoke out of both ends so I pulled the fuse and when I later took it apart there was a row of small blue round things not sure if they were capacitors or what but they were melted into oblivion
NVX FTW! Yeeeeeeeew!
More old school BMX content please
Yup like I’ve been saying Stetsom,Taramps and sound digital (Brazilian amps) are a worthy choice. So far so good. Just don’t buy the knock off brands /;). Sup Big D!
I've been loving the results from my BOSS branded audio. I'm running 2x10" subs in my Super Duty crew cab behind the rear seats with the Chaos 2000watt monoblock good from 50hz to 200hz. Plenty for the cab. In my Supra I'm running their DVC12's in a modified prefab box that just Rocks! The setup in my truck was around $250 and my Supra was $350. That's all materials and parts. I have a video on my channel with the Supra.
I bought the boss 4000 and I'm not disappointed. Great recommendations. 109$ with all the goodies. Thanks big D
Great video. Was super surprised with the rockville.
Thanks for watching and commenting!
Big D Wiz I know you approved of the Alpine mono amp of 500 watts but didn't mention it......wat up with dat?
I probably had a list of 30 approved amps, chose the ones I got the most positive feedback on. That’s a great amp though
i just got a Rockville DB25 in the mail, it was 20 days from order till derivery, i am from Belgium so overseas and all, pretty descent time. i bought it to power two 6.5 inch 300 rms watt subwoofers.
I bought the pioneer and after a year it caught in fire internally and started pouring out smoke! Luckily I was able to disconnect it quick enough before it turned into an actual fire! Long story, but it was replaced with the same amp and it hasn't caught on fire..... yet...
Damn that bike is crispy
Hey I'm a new watcher of your channel! Love the amp dynometer. Pretty cool! I was wondering if you could recommend a budget class D 2 channel amplifier? I'm looking to build an efficient stereo for my van build. I'll be running off of solar so Class D is really important for efficient use of my battery.
woah...glad I stayed till the end of the vid! Wicked amp for when I start thinking about adding bass...after another battery and probably another solar panel!
Are mono block amps bridgeable? If not what a good budget bridgeable amp for bass? I want to add an epicenter too.
i've bumped the hell out of my GM-D9605. no complaints.
Are we talking RMS only when they on the dyno? For some reason, I hate to hear (xxxxx) watts/max
I had a gm8601 for under 10 years, it always killed my subs, until 1 day it didn't want to come on anymore fuses are good, since then I've been running over 7 thousand watts with Wolfram and Skar, but I I still miss my tiny 800 watt amp
Skar for the win!!🥳
Hey Big D. Great video as always. Wanted ask about the pioneer 9705. I have the 9605 and it says it is a full class D for all channels. Did pioneer change this for the 9705. You stated it was a A/B for the front channels and D for the subwoofer. Just curious. Keep up the great work and stay safe.
Just found your channel. Great Stuff !
My Dream vid content (from You): SQ oriented Top 5 in ‘Modest’ price range (Better than Budget) in MULTI-channel (4… or 5).
I get that Mono amplifiers are the Rage, but … not for Everyone. Please consider an ‘uptick’ vid to this one for $300-500ish in MULTI-channel (Class D, ideally). 👍🏼
Thanks for the suggestion 👍
Let's get an update on those Rockville's, they're pretty tough to find.
Because their cheap and junk. Never last.
@@kriptic22 How many have you had that have failed?
The Kenwood M3004 50x4 is a Decent amp for its size. Had one in a 2016 Hyundai Tucson. Infinity Primus speakers. Wish it made a little more power. I like to ride with the windows down. I have a 2019 Hyundai Kona now. SE AWD. Had a shop install a Sony XMGS4 4 channel. Loud. Kicker KS series speakers. Future plans to put in a 12" Kicker CompR DVC (2Ohm each) to a Kicker 43CWR122.
Fosgate prime mono block rocks great little amp
I put Rockville marine amps in my Boat amd my Jeep. They definitely are worth the money.
just clicked the link for amazon on that 2 channel pioneer, you weren’t kidding about Amazons prices it’s now 275$ 😳 What i.m beginning to learn is you’re better off buying directly from the manufacture Or at least checking their prices first
Nice video. Any chance of a test of the Alpine X-A90M? Alpine is really big on this one.
Hey Big D, would really like to see you test one of the Zapco ST series mono amps. the 1350 to be specific. I know there is another video of that amp on Budget Gems that dint make rated power, but it was a "refurbished", and he later found out it was not done by Zapco. He teased about a redo, but he hasn't put out a video in quite a while.
Best budget amps by far Taramps!!!!
Is there an update to this video? Or do you have a chart somewhere online that shows all your test results in one place? Thanks.
What about those new stetsom eq3000, great budget amp with small footprint and does its rated power. I got the 1ohm series and its one of the best amps I've ever owned at far as budget friendly.. Great video by the way, your always making car audio way more fun than people even realized car audio can even be... 🔥
Be careful with those. I would underfuse it to be safe. Me and several other testers have had those go up in flames on the test bench. See the recent Timpano amp, it’s essentially a Stetsom EQ3k
@@wal wow, I've actually seen your video about the timpano amp. The stetsom does generate some heat in just 20 or 30 mins of being in use so I bought a small fan to help cool it off somewhat. I have 300 amp fuse in the front and 2 lines of power and 2 150 double fuses running to my back battery bank. What size fuses would you recommend instead of the ones I have now? Also have you ever thought about testing out those new sfb sundown amps, now that you informed me about the true credentials of these stetsom, I'm now leaning to only using my sfb2000 amplifier instead of the 230 dollar stetsom amp that I recently just purchased. My only complaint about the sfb2000 is that it tends to hit more of the higher notes instead of those 32 hertz and lower...thanks for replying to my comments, your content and info on car audio has really helped me over the years and your videos are some of the best if not the best around right now and plus you have the coolest Nick name around B D wiz...
The Rockville amp went into protect mode at 2 ohms bridged? And its class d that's not good at all.
It’s a 2ch amp and meets ratings other than Rockville saying it’s 2 ohm mono capable. This amp is powerful for a two channel and at $130, it’s a steal
@@wal I've run the rxa t1 bridged at 2 ohms..
That's some bad bike Harry .Love your vids
No Taramps?
Thanks Big D cant wait for your videoooz
👌😬👍
I know this is old video but just wondered who told you this was a hybrid amp? Pioneer says it is class d all the way.
Wow that pioneer 5ch isn't a budget amp anymore lol. It's $500 now !
I really wanna know if the human years can tell the difference between. A budget ab 4 channel and a $800 4 channel. Powering coaxials at like 50-70 watts a piece. Or are you just paying for premium components and reliability. I came to you tube for this answer a few days ago. Honestly I never found the answer.
When I went to " upgrade" my car I went with the 5 channel pioneer as space was a very real issue. So didnt want to run multiple amps for the full range and a sub that I added (12"dvc) no disappointment and I've been running it for over 2 years . Yeah the angles and the super little allen for the speakers are a draw back depending on how you do your installation.
Same here. Upgraded my toyota highlander. Running 6.5 components and 6.5 coaxial in the doors and a single 10" subwoofer. Also sound deaden the doors. Love it and the am so happy.
Love the pioneer amps.. only thing I don't like about then are the speaker terminals. Too small to have the mounting angle that it has
Pioneer 9701 for $140???? When and where lol. I see 200. 9601 can be bought for that used and In great shape on eBay