I have the marine version of this amp and I beat the tar out of it. It never gets hot and has never shut off. Finally, I know how close to rated it is as well. Thank you.
I haven't seen a Soundstream Amp look like this one. Crazy amount of features and tuneability with the knobs on top of the amp is a surprise in this price range. This is a really cool Class D amp. I'm still more of a fan of Class A/B amps for speakers in the cabin, and using Class D with the subs. BUT, Class D has come along way, and it's hard to argue against the added efficiency Class D amps provide especially in cars because of most alternators offering less than ideal amperage output. Kinda impressed with the amp. Especially made in South Korea. Thanks for the video!
I had the Soundstream Reference 6.5" 2-way component set (RF-60C) and thought they were pretty darn good. The woofer is a Dynaudio knockoff (3" coil), huge passive filters and run-of-the-mill neo tweeters. I ran 'em active on an old-school PPI PC450 and it sounded awesome. Can't say if all the newer, corporate Soundstream stuff is as good, but I'd say the Rubicon Nano for a buck-fifty sounds like a good deal. Thanks.
Epsilon makes some good Korean made amps,the power class and atom are on sale now. They just have to stop throwing those big numbers on the box on some models.
I got one of these for free. I’ve had it sitting for around 4 years and listed it for sale. Just in the last few months while learning what signal to noise ratio ratings are, I saw this one was quite high and had decent rms ratings. I’ve been intrigued ever since. I have a 5 channel kenwood xr-5s i stumbled upon that also sat for years. I finally got something I could put it in and was very impressed with the volume and SQ. This kenwood has a lower rms rating but I’d imagine they are close in actual output however the S/N ratio on the kenwood is lower. I’m itching to see how the soundstream sounds. I just damaged the kenwood with water intrusion and hooked up a pair of Taramps 440/4s. They get down but have a dirty sound. They sounded great in my cargo van but now I can’t I hear that kenwood. If this soundstream sounds as good I’ll possibly try the 5 channel version in my BMW, if it can at least tie me over until I can afford a Rockford T100x5ad. Whatever I’ll get will be marine grade too, to cover me while I chase the water intrusion lol
@@Dingleberry1856 Unregulated power supply, USA quality, rated at 12 volt and 1% distortion... The OG USA Sounstream amps were savagely underrated in the 90's and 2000's.
please name a old school amp that was made in the usa but is now made overseas that has the same quality that it had....i don't think you can. maybe the new US AMPS???
The Precision Power I1000.4 makes a little more power I tested 131Wx4 at 4ohm 428x2 bridged, but what's interesting is the board is the same color and uses exactly the same components, the same mosfet clamp style, also made in Korea. I have the I520.4 on my Morel tweeters and they sound excellent. It would be interesting to see how it compares to the new Precision Power Atom series A700.4D it's only $94 on ebay, the 1800 is $129, that's crazy cheap.
Hey man on your armada did you get a 1/0 through the “RVC” on neg battery cable!? I’ve talked to mechman & js-alt and can’t get a definitive answer! I already have the big 3 1/0 kit and I was thinking I would just run 1 neg from batt to chassis/frame, the other from alt to chassis next to factory ground after the RVC!? Would that be considered bypassing it and would it throw code or cause any problems!? Any thing helps, thanks again!
@@HiFiVector I don’t have a High Output Alternator YET, But… I do already have the Big 3 “Wiring” just not installed yet bc can’t get/find a definitive answer!? I called mechman, they told me they don’t mess with Nissan and contacted JS they are looking into & suppose to get back to me bc they said their info didn’t show a 2013 Nissan Armada with a “RVC”, so they had me send pics but didn’t have a answer, so they are suppose to get back to me! I know you have an armada and said u had the big 3 done, so I was curious if you could help me out!? 🙏🏼🤦🏻♂️ I have a 2013 Nissan Armada Platinum
I do plan on getting a High Output Alt but holding off til I can figure this big 3 out bc I don’t want to throw a code/light etc… it’s my daily and bc I know once I get the HOA I would need to do the big 3 neways.
I disabled the ground sensor that controls the smart alternator function when I had a stock alternator. It’s been a while since I did that but I had to get into a harness and clip a wire and that’s been a long time so I don’t remember the specifics on the certain wire. I have a Autotech engineering alternator and I had them make a pigtail for the alternator to bypass the “smart” so alternator is just working like a normal one.
as a 100x4 it crushed it. still a good value. the brown board is kinda modern ppi 'ish my tn4.900d is a great soundstream amp sounds great and it smashes the ratings unfortunately it's no longer made for them however it lives on as a polk PAD4000.4. cheap or not the 900.4 beats out my oldschool fosgate 600a4 even after a trip to freemans with jason breathing on it.
Off subject, but some of may be curious to see you run your old setup on the same amp compared to the AD-1. There has been some talk that the Amp Dyno isn't very reliable with it's numbers.
As I told you before I am New to all this stuff so I'm kinda confused about soundstream I have seen some very nice equipment from them just like the amp you are testing and then I see the other products like the bass restoration processor They sell at Walmart and it looks really cheap are they a fully Korean brand or just Some Korean built products like the AAK line from deafbonce is Korean but the rest I'm unsure about and if so which of their lines are Korean made
Some Korean built, rest are china. There made by Epsilon which destroyed the brand along with a few others they purchased. This actual amp is surprisingly good when it come to the actual rms wattage it puts out.
When it comes to powered crossovers Clarion has one of the best, it costs a bit more (just recently the price went up) but if you want a clean signal to your amp it is one of the best Powered crossovers out there, and can also offer a signal boost for your bass.
BUT the best thing you can do for any system is add a Line Output Converter (LOC). Specifically a Recoil, Kicker or AudioControl LOC. As I've seen a number of these tested, and these 3 brands are the only ones I know that do not distort the signal to the amp. Instead they clean the signal, and boost the signal to your amps so they run cooler and sound better. Most Preamp outputs on head units are 1-3 volts, and ideally you want 5-7 volts. The Kicker is the only one you cannot adjust the gain, but it still boosts the signal quite well. Both Recoil and Kicker go for around $25, and are the best $25 you can spend on any car stereo. Using an LOC is a good idea regardless of the amps you use. Plus, it can allow you to keep the stock head unit in the car and get a much better signal to your amps. Hope this helps
Ancient Chinese Secret - use marine quality stereo components in your car for they are notches better, more durable, and must pass CEI testing to get the Marine designation. Think of how boats must traverse waves and chop without a suspension. Marine equipment is far more durable. So what's cool about Marine components is that even your budget brands make high quality Marine components (mostly) and must pass the same testing. For instance, I don't know if I would buy a Rockville car amp, but I have installed several of their Marine amps and can say really surprised at the quality because they are true Class A/B SQ amps and sound really good. I generally get the 6 channel so I can do 4 coaxials in the doors,and a pair of tweets up front. Only thing this amp cannot run subs very well, definitely for cabin speakers. And for the price hard to beat really. But the same goes with Marine speakers as well. However most car subwoofers are made pretty well and are fine to use. Besides, for some reason almost all marine subs have stupid LED lights on them. Speaking of subs consider going with a bandpass box for your subs. 1) It's unique and many consider it to be the best box design for subs. And in cars works especially well. 2) They just look cool too. Something different than everybody else. You can find them on Earthquake Audio and also on Amazon. (Just the Earthquake audio box come with rather cheap drivers included, and are best to replace. But still worth it as the box is generally on sale and cheaper than most regular sub boxes without subs in them.) And Poly Fill make make you feel better but add zero change in acoustical properties of sub boxes. A thin foam pad attached to sides or bottom and top (don't want it on all 4 sides, just 2 and you can use like a yoga mat to keep it cheap and cut it yourself and use contact cement) is a better way to go. The best thing is to go for boxes using thicker MDF but that can also get expensive. So the foam pad is a budget option if you are getting too much ringing out of your sub box. Especially the ported boxes. And probably the only budget amp I would trust is Belva audio brand which is the Sonic Electronix House Brand. They make their rated power and work as stated with high S/N ratio around 95Db. But with any budget brand adding some cooling wouldn't hurt, which can be done by adding a quiet 12V computer fan and connect the amp power to the remote signal wire. You don't even need to cut a hole in the casing to get them to work. Just always have the fan draw air, never blow air into the amplifier. Or even portable computer fan stands can be used (laptop). Having smaller and thinner heatsinks are the what enable companies to offer your budget amplifiers primarily. But iff you use an LOC as mentioned you may not even need to fan to have them run cooler. With a budget amp and LOC is a must! Belva also make (on paper anyway) what seems to be a really good quality 12 inch Marine subwoofer at an unheard of price. After that Skar, CT Sounds Tropo, and Sevard make some of the best subs for the price. When looking for amps for subwoofers, a "Damping Factor" >100 is suggested. If you can even find that number for the amp. Stinger makes rather good performing subwoofer amps that do have a high damping factor, but that is the only brand I know that does. That's a hard number to find with most amps. And always get an amp with 150%-200% more power you need for your speakers. 100W speakers get at least 150W or preferably 200W per channel amplifier so you can then turn the "Gain" knob back (only 50% Gain if have 200W) so the amp doesn't work hard and overheat. This will also help keep your amps running cooler like the LOC and thus lasting longer plus sound better as well. Heat is the enemy for amplifiers, but the new components and parts they are being made with continue to improve as well. And always always use OFC copper for your power wire! CCA heats up too much. But CCA can be used for your speaker wire with no loss of signal on lengths 8 feet or less. So if you go with a CCA 14 gauge wire you will be covered and get a very good signal to your speakers and save a few bucks. And consider some sound proofing as well. Ebay has some cheap option for soundproofing in cars with Dynamat being probably "the best" in the business. And is not as expensive as you would think. So often people buy expensive audio equipment with never considering the "room acoustics" they are putting their stereo in. It really can help alot so you don't need as much power to get loud and good sound quality. So there's my 2 cents, hopes that helps. Now go turn that shit up! lol
@@hifivector I love the look of this amp and with dyno results this would be great for my set up. However , what's your opinion on the 5000x1 version vs. A taramps smart 3 amp to power 3 soundstream R3 - 10's.. 2 of my major things I want is very clean power and really good efficiency. Thanks to anyone who wants to chime in.
The rubicon 5000 does around 2 k you can watch my dyno on it. So if you want to max out three R3 power wise then it’s not going to be enough then go smart 3 bass. The Smart Bass amps actually sound very good I have a lot of higher end Korean sub amps and I still love my smart3 bass and smart 5 bass.
@HiFiVector Thank you. If not mistaken, smart 3 is very efficient as well I think ? It's most likely what I'll go with. Do you have any experience with 'Trinity' amps ? They make an 8 channel that on paper looks really good for my setup as well. Thanks again for the reply
The trinity amps look likefull bridge amps to me but I haven’t tested on yet so I can’t personally say if they are any good or not. I don’t know of anyone running them either so I have no idea.
@@HiFiVector I have to say that they are very attractive amps. Today everything is so cookie cutter looking with a heat sink, input on one side, output in the other. I like the design of these. Reminds me of the old SS amps and the JL audio amps. Makes for a very clean install.
True but these amps last forever and quality is very good. Not sure how long recoil stuff will last haven’t been out long enough to really know yet. But they are a good bang for your buck for sure.
@@HiFiVector perhaps. As you know, it was your test which prompted me to do all 3 of my cars with Recoil-only systems. 9 months later, everything is rocking beyond solid. Those DIs are beasts.
I have the marine version of this amp and I beat the tar out of it. It never gets hot and has never shut off. Finally, I know how close to rated it is as well. Thank you.
I try to get the marine version we I can, I feel like it's built a little better and if not it at least has a coating on the internal, more heavy duty
How is the sound quality? I’m looking at the marine version for my boat.
@@Fochopz It is good enough that I ran it active off a DSP for mids and highs. It sounds pretty good to me.
@@Evilthx which DSP are you using? I’ve looked at a couple but not sold on any yet.
@@Fochopz I was using the RF 3Sixty.3 with that amp.
I haven't seen a Soundstream Amp look like this one. Crazy amount of features and tuneability with the knobs on top of the amp is a surprise in this price range. This is a really cool Class D amp. I'm still more of a fan of Class A/B amps for speakers in the cabin, and using Class D with the subs. BUT, Class D has come along way, and it's hard to argue against the added efficiency Class D amps provide especially in cars because of most alternators offering less than ideal amperage output. Kinda impressed with the amp. Especially made in South Korea. Thanks for the video!
Thanks so much!
I had the Soundstream Reference 6.5" 2-way component set (RF-60C) and thought they were pretty darn good. The woofer is a Dynaudio knockoff (3" coil), huge passive filters and run-of-the-mill neo tweeters. I ran 'em active on an old-school PPI PC450 and it sounded awesome. Can't say if all the newer, corporate Soundstream stuff is as good, but I'd say the Rubicon Nano for a buck-fifty sounds like a good deal. Thanks.
Epsilon makes some good Korean made amps,the power class and atom are on sale now. They just have to stop throwing those big numbers on the box on some models.
Agree
I got one of these for free. I’ve had it sitting for around 4 years and listed it for sale. Just in the last few months while learning what signal to noise ratio ratings are, I saw this one was quite high and had decent rms ratings. I’ve been intrigued ever since. I have a 5 channel kenwood xr-5s i stumbled upon that also sat for years. I finally got something I could put it in and was very impressed with the volume and SQ. This kenwood has a lower rms rating but I’d imagine they are close in actual output however the S/N ratio on the kenwood is lower. I’m itching to see how the soundstream sounds. I just damaged the kenwood with water intrusion and hooked up a pair of Taramps 440/4s. They get down but have a dirty sound. They sounded great in my cargo van but now I can’t I hear that kenwood. If this soundstream sounds as good I’ll possibly try the 5 channel version in my BMW, if it can at least tie me over until I can afford a Rockford T100x5ad. Whatever I’ll get will be marine grade too, to cover me while I chase the water intrusion lol
Nowhere NEAR the quality of Soundstream when they were made in the USA.
What’s not the same quality. Specifics or don’t bother.
@@Dingleberry1856 Unregulated power supply, USA quality, rated at 12 volt and 1% distortion... The OG USA Sounstream amps were savagely underrated in the 90's and 2000's.
Nowhere NEAR the price either....
@@girthquake9655 Yes. The Reference 500 I think was around $600
please name a old school amp that was made in the usa but is now made overseas that has the same quality that it had....i don't think you can. maybe the new US AMPS???
The Precision Power I1000.4 makes a little more power I tested 131Wx4 at 4ohm 428x2 bridged, but what's interesting is the board is the same color and uses exactly the same components, the same mosfet clamp style, also made in Korea. I have the I520.4 on my Morel tweeters and they sound excellent. It would be interesting to see how it compares to the new Precision Power Atom series A700.4D it's only $94 on ebay, the 1800 is $129, that's crazy cheap.
Would love to see the Precision Power A700.4D on the Dyno.
That's a nice 1, especially for that price.
😎👍👍
I would love to see the mono 3000 watt version.
Impressive! Good video.
Thank you very much!
did someone mention that the amplified may be internally regulated?
SSL , BOSS, and Planet Audio are heavy too, but it isn't a good sign 😂
Good point lol
Hey man on your armada did you get a 1/0 through the “RVC” on neg battery cable!? I’ve talked to mechman & js-alt and can’t get a definitive answer! I already have the big 3 1/0 kit and I was thinking I would just run 1 neg from batt to chassis/frame, the other from alt to chassis next to factory ground after the RVC!? Would that be considered bypassing it and would it throw code or cause any problems!? Any thing helps, thanks again!
So you have an aftermarket high output alternator? What year is your armada?
@@HiFiVector I don’t have a High Output Alternator YET, But… I do already have the Big 3 “Wiring” just not installed yet bc can’t get/find a definitive answer!? I called mechman, they told me they don’t mess with Nissan and contacted JS they are looking into & suppose to get back to me bc they said their info didn’t show a 2013 Nissan Armada with a “RVC”, so they had me send pics but didn’t have a answer, so they are suppose to get back to me! I know you have an armada and said u had the big 3 done, so I was curious if you could help me out!? 🙏🏼🤦🏻♂️ I have a 2013 Nissan Armada Platinum
I do plan on getting a High Output Alt but holding off til I can figure this big 3 out bc I don’t want to throw a code/light etc… it’s my daily and bc I know once I get the HOA I would need to do the big 3 neways.
I disabled the ground sensor that controls the smart alternator function when I had a stock alternator. It’s been a while since I did that but I had to get into a harness and clip a wire and that’s been a long time so I don’t remember the specifics on the certain wire. I have a Autotech engineering alternator and I had them make a pigtail for the alternator to bypass the “smart” so alternator is just working like a normal one.
as a 100x4 it crushed it. still a good value. the brown board is kinda modern ppi 'ish my tn4.900d is a great soundstream amp sounds great and it smashes the ratings unfortunately it's no longer made for them however it lives on as a polk PAD4000.4. cheap or not the 900.4 beats out my oldschool fosgate 600a4 even after a trip to freemans with jason breathing on it.
Off subject, but some of may be curious to see you run your old setup on the same amp compared to the AD-1. There has been some talk that the Amp Dyno isn't very reliable with it's numbers.
I have and it’s it’s been comparable but maybe I. An do that for a future video.
As I told you before I am New to all this stuff so I'm kinda confused about soundstream I have seen some very nice equipment from them just like the amp you are testing and then I see the other products like the bass restoration processor They sell at Walmart and it looks really cheap are they a fully Korean brand or just Some Korean built products like the AAK line from deafbonce is Korean but the rest I'm unsure about and if so which of their lines are Korean made
Some Korean built, rest are china. There made by Epsilon which destroyed the brand along with a few others they purchased. This actual amp is surprisingly good when it come to the actual rms wattage it puts out.
When it comes to powered crossovers Clarion has one of the best, it costs a bit more (just recently the price went up) but if you want a clean signal to your amp it is one of the best Powered crossovers out there, and can also offer a signal boost for your bass.
BUT the best thing you can do for any system is add a Line Output Converter (LOC). Specifically a Recoil, Kicker or AudioControl LOC. As I've seen a number of these tested, and these 3 brands are the only ones I know that do not distort the signal to the amp. Instead they clean the signal, and boost the signal to your amps so they run cooler and sound better. Most Preamp outputs on head units are 1-3 volts, and ideally you want 5-7 volts. The Kicker is the only one you cannot adjust the gain, but it still boosts the signal quite well. Both Recoil and Kicker go for around $25, and are the best $25 you can spend on any car stereo. Using an LOC is a good idea regardless of the amps you use. Plus, it can allow you to keep the stock head unit in the car and get a much better signal to your amps. Hope this helps
Ancient Chinese Secret - use marine quality stereo components in your car for they are notches better, more durable, and must pass CEI testing to get the Marine designation. Think of how boats must traverse waves and chop without a suspension. Marine equipment is far more durable. So what's cool about Marine components is that even your budget brands make high quality Marine components (mostly) and must pass the same testing. For instance, I don't know if I would buy a Rockville car amp, but I have installed several of their Marine amps and can say really surprised at the quality because they are true Class A/B SQ amps and sound really good. I generally get the 6 channel so I can do 4 coaxials in the doors,and a pair of tweets up front. Only thing this amp cannot run subs very well, definitely for cabin speakers. And for the price hard to beat really. But the same goes with Marine speakers as well. However most car subwoofers are made pretty well and are fine to use. Besides, for some reason almost all marine subs have stupid LED lights on them. Speaking of subs consider going with a bandpass box for your subs. 1) It's unique and many consider it to be the best box design for subs. And in cars works especially well. 2) They just look cool too. Something different than everybody else. You can find them on Earthquake Audio and also on Amazon. (Just the Earthquake audio box come with rather cheap drivers included, and are best to replace. But still worth it as the box is generally on sale and cheaper than most regular sub boxes without subs in them.) And Poly Fill make make you feel better but add zero change in acoustical properties of sub boxes. A thin foam pad attached to sides or bottom and top (don't want it on all 4 sides, just 2 and you can use like a yoga mat to keep it cheap and cut it yourself and use contact cement) is a better way to go. The best thing is to go for boxes using thicker MDF but that can also get expensive. So the foam pad is a budget option if you are getting too much ringing out of your sub box. Especially the ported boxes. And probably the only budget amp I would trust is Belva audio brand which is the Sonic Electronix House Brand. They make their rated power and work as stated with high S/N ratio around 95Db. But with any budget brand adding some cooling wouldn't hurt, which can be done by adding a quiet 12V computer fan and connect the amp power to the remote signal wire. You don't even need to cut a hole in the casing to get them to work. Just always have the fan draw air, never blow air into the amplifier. Or even portable computer fan stands can be used (laptop). Having smaller and thinner heatsinks are the what enable companies to offer your budget amplifiers primarily. But iff you use an LOC as mentioned you may not even need to fan to have them run cooler. With a budget amp and LOC is a must! Belva also make (on paper anyway) what seems to be a really good quality 12 inch Marine subwoofer at an unheard of price. After that Skar, CT Sounds Tropo, and Sevard make some of the best subs for the price. When looking for amps for subwoofers, a "Damping Factor" >100 is suggested. If you can even find that number for the amp. Stinger makes rather good performing subwoofer amps that do have a high damping factor, but that is the only brand I know that does. That's a hard number to find with most amps. And always get an amp with 150%-200% more power you need for your speakers. 100W speakers get at least 150W or preferably 200W per channel amplifier so you can then turn the "Gain" knob back (only 50% Gain if have 200W) so the amp doesn't work hard and overheat. This will also help keep your amps running cooler like the LOC and thus lasting longer plus sound better as well. Heat is the enemy for amplifiers, but the new components and parts they are being made with continue to improve as well. And always always use OFC copper for your power wire! CCA heats up too much. But CCA can be used for your speaker wire with no loss of signal on lengths 8 feet or less. So if you go with a CCA 14 gauge wire you will be covered and get a very good signal to your speakers and save a few bucks. And consider some sound proofing as well. Ebay has some cheap option for soundproofing in cars with Dynamat being probably "the best" in the business. And is not as expensive as you would think. So often people buy expensive audio equipment with never considering the "room acoustics" they are putting their stereo in. It really can help alot so you don't need as much power to get loud and good sound quality. So there's my 2 cents, hopes that helps. Now go turn that shit up! lol
@@hifivector I love the look of this amp and with dyno results this would be great for my set up. However , what's your opinion on the 5000x1 version vs. A taramps smart 3 amp to power 3 soundstream R3 - 10's.. 2 of my major things I want is very clean power and really good efficiency. Thanks to anyone who wants to chime in.
The rubicon 5000 does around 2 k you can watch my dyno on it. So if you want to max out three R3 power wise then it’s not going to be enough then go smart 3 bass. The Smart Bass amps actually sound very good I have a lot of higher end Korean sub amps and I still love my smart3 bass and smart 5 bass.
@HiFiVector Thank you. If not mistaken, smart 3 is very efficient as well I think ? It's most likely what I'll go with. Do you have any experience with 'Trinity' amps ? They make an 8 channel that on paper looks really good for my setup as well. Thanks again for the reply
The trinity amps look likefull bridge amps to me but I haven’t tested on yet so I can’t personally say if they are any good or not. I don’t know of anyone running them either so I have no idea.
Is there a good matching mono amp? I am weird about mis-matching
Yes this is same series you can check out my dyno on it.
amzn.to/4c2xEO1
@@HiFiVector I have to say that they are very attractive amps. Today everything is so cookie cutter looking with a heat sink, input on one side, output in the other. I like the design of these. Reminds me of the old SS amps and the JL audio amps. Makes for a very clean install.
@@ElectronicMusicUnderground ehhhh it's been shown so many times that low frequencies aren't direction or "stereo".
Made in Korea. My salt 3 crapped and bad to be replaced under warranty
What car runs at 14.51 volts?
Ones wired to do so for car audio
already down to 1 left in stock lol
👍👍👍...🍻💯
regulated power supply
Hm. For $125 bucks, the Recoil DI1200.4 is a better buy and much more power.
True but these amps last forever and quality is very good. Not sure how long recoil stuff will last haven’t been out long enough to really know yet. But they are a good bang for your buck for sure.
Seen some pretty in depth tests of both Id only use them for midbass. Bridged theyd be perfect. For tweeters and midrange id find something else.
@@HiFiVector perhaps. As you know, it was your test which prompted me to do all 3 of my cars with Recoil-only systems. 9 months later, everything is rocking beyond solid. Those DIs are beasts.
@@666nacirema666 I don’t know. I saw those tests but in real life, the DIs slam
They definitely bang pretty good and are a great deal!
Regulated power supply
125 you can buy something thats twice as strong. Name brand means nothing today, companies have all sold or cut costs.
Regulated power supply