Dr G

http://www.genesiscaraudio.net/amps/5ch/index.html

Any of you guys got any experience of this amp or opinions of it?

shortyjmg

what would you want a 5-channel amp for dvd in the car?
i have heard of them dont know anything bad about them.

Sitting Bull

Why wouldn't you?

Equal power to the four main channels and then one extra amp for the sub. Makes sense to me!

blyth18md

genesis makes good stuff

ScrapMaker

looks like a nice amp... but I wonder why they don't ever make these amps with 100+ watts @ 4 ohms per channel... thats why I haven't bought one of these combo amps... the subwoofer output seems fine, but it would be lacking elsewhere... 40watts IMO, doesn't seem like quite enough, but it all depends on what kind of speakers you are running, and what kind of filters you are using as well...

Dr G

I don't believe it is a dvd amp. It's certainly intended for car audio useage.

Any comments about this amp or of alternatives to it?

onebadwagon

get some 2 ohm components, 75 watts should be enough for almost any mids/highs.

genisis is supposed to be primo stuff, a buddy of mine i used to work with loved it.

Jim85IROC

iTrader: (2)

I have a 5 channel eclipse amp and I hate it. Most 5 channel amps just don't have enough power for the subs. If you're running a pair of 8" subs then fine, but if you want to push a W6V2 or a pair of them, you're going to want a lot more power.

For the same money or less you can get a solid 2 channel amp for your fronts, a stout sub amp, and you can always run your rears off of deck power. If you insist on amping your rear speakers, look for a 4x50 watt amp and a sub amp. Your investment will still be around the same as it would be for the 5 channel amp.

ddn69

ya your better off getting sepperate amps each designed for sepperate speakers... 40 watts isnt all that much more then your head unit prolly gives you. Granted itll sound better of course but still....Its your choice...

Nate

Gummie

Your average headunit puts out between 26 and 28 watts rms, so by adding a 40x4 watt amp, you will be looking at about a 45% gain wattage wise. It will also sound cleaner. I'm not advocating a smaller amp over a bigger amp (or vice versa), but keep in mind that some people don't require gobs of power like others do.

The reason I would stay away from a multi purpose amp is because I feel that you shouldn't skimp out on powering your subs, even if you don't use the power you have available to you.

ScrapMaker

Get some DVC 6x9's speakers for the rear and you can get twice as much power out of your deck... 50watts RMS normally... per speaker, then you can use an amp for your subs and one for the front... this being the cheapest method... or go with a 4-channel 2 for the front 2 for the subs...

NEEDAZ

I'll add that 20W RMS is even on the generous side. And a lot of the HU rate there power from 50-80Hz to 14-17kHz and at 5%THD. Most amps are rated 20-20kHz at 0.1% or less (usually less) THD. Most would say less then 1%THD is inaudible, some may say 5% THD is inaudible, I don't. Keep in mind that if they showed the THD numbers including lower frequency (under the 50-80Hz) that 5% would be MUCH higher. This is why, as a rule of thumb, a 50W per channel amp will be louder and sound better then the "50W" from your HU. The Alpine V12 in my truck is only 45W X 2 , and that's great for me. Louder and cleaner then the HU, perfect for BA comps. up front.

Jim85IROC

iTrader: (2)

When's the last time you saw a pair of DVC 6x9s?

Anyway, moving on. 5% THD at 20hz, 50hz, maybe even 100hz is almost inaudable. 5% THD at 1khz to 2khz is probably enough for you not to even be able to recognize the song you're listening to.

At the extreme ends of our audible spectrum, THD can be much higher without us recognizing it. In the most sensitive range of our hearing, we are VERY capable of discerning small amounts of THD. I would be willing to bet that at 1khz, anybody on this board could hear 1% THD. I'll bet that some of us could even hear .1%.

Anyway, all that crap aside, a good solid 4x50 amplifier will get SUBSTANTIALLY louder than any head unit. In theory, it should only be a 3dB difference between 25 watts and 50, but in reality, the power gap is considerably wider. Realistically, you're seeing a difference of 10-15 watts to 50-75 watts.

While a head unit might be able to push out 25 watts into a resistor at whatever THD and whatever bandwidth it's rated for, it falls on its face when it tries to drive the dynamic load that a loudspeaker presents to it. A better quality amp, like a good name brand 4x50, is less likely to suffer the same problems driving a dynamic load, and will make it's rated power.

The output from my girlfriend's Phoenix Gold T400.4 (rated at 4x50) is very, very impressive. I'm using 2 channels to push a pair of CDT components, and the other 2 bridged into a 2 ohm load (2 paralleled 8" subs). It pounds way harder than 200 watts has a right to.

ScrapMaker

I guess I didn't realize that DVC 6x9's are that rare... I have some in my car and I really haven't searched around much since then... my mistake

NEEDAZ

I didn't even what to get into things like damping and all. There's a lot that comes into play.
Basic: Internal amp not as good as external amp.

Justins86bird

What's the wattage stated on the certificate?

Jim85IROC

iTrader: (2)

I forget, but it was definately above the rated power. 260 watts comes to mind, but that was at 4 ohms too. This puppy is 1 ohm stable.

ddn69

hehe...I see all your points about head units crappy power....I agree that if your not looking for very loud bass out of your subs then go for it(the 5 channel.). But you might end up leaning towards another amp in a year and youll say to yourself. Why did I buy this 5 channel anyway...?

Nate

ScrapMaker

that pg puts out 260 RMS at 4ohms? I wonder what it puts out at 1ohm?

onebadwagon

it's a 4 channel, i THINK he means 1 ohm stereo, but maybe Jim will clarify.

ScrapMaker

if it was 1ohm stable x 4 channels... then wouldn't it be a total of 1040 RMS watts?

65 x 4 @ 4ohms = 260 RMS watts
130 x 4 @ 2ohms = 520 RMS watts
260 x 4 @ 1ohms = 1040 RMS watts

I would assume at 1ohm, that this amp would be highly distorted, but I've never used it... I've always heard its better to have 4 or higher ohm load, if you have enough watts at that ohm rating...

onebadwagon

the power doesn't exactly double when you decrease the load, the amplifier loses some efficiency, and yes, 4 channels driven at 1 ohms will put out some power.

onebadwagon

the power doesn't exactly double when you decrease the load, the amplifier loses some efficiency, and yes, 4 channels driven at 1 ohms will put out some power.

Jim85IROC

iTrader: (2)

The power only doubles for as long as the power supply can keep feeding the current, so eventually you will hit a wall.

Anyway, to clarify, the amp is rated at 50x4 into 4 ohms, but is 1 ohm stable per channel. I've got a pair of 4 ohm Tangbands paralleled on 2 bridged channels, so those 2 channels see a 1 ohm load each.

redcamaro83

i have a 5channel amp thats great planet audio
it has 100x4 for interior, 300for sub

planetaudiousa.com oh by the way, the specs are listed at 13.6volts dc

Justins86bird

Some amps like the PGs have current limiters in them so they dont smoke at low ohms. Course you can by-pass the limiter, just get a giant fan or liquid cooling:lala:

Saigon_Bob

iTrader: (2)

liquid cooling would be cool.

ScrapMaker

till it fails... being in such an intense environment could cause a number of problems with liquid-cooling systems

Saigon_Bob

iTrader: (2)

like vibrations?? becuase i kno the alienware alx comps run some serious power and have liquid cooling.. im sure tho it would suck to have ur coolant go into ur amp and short it out

ScrapMaker

with the horrible bumpy ride in the rear I would presume that liquid cooling would not be a good idea... but then again, maybe that's all been thought out before hand, I just wouldn't think anyone could fit a system that required liquid-cooled amplifiers in a thirdgen