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Amplifier - Class A

Fabiaman

By Fabiaman,
in In-Car-Entertainment

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Fabiaman

Fabiaman

1st Gear

Anyone can share their experience with Class A amps... and which brand is a good make for Class A amp?

 

Went to Autobacs last Saturday hoping to get a chance to see if there are any Class A amps on offer - was disappointed.

 

I am hooked to Class A amp at home with both amplifiers on Class A.

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Skoda_Man

Skoda_Man

Neutral Newbie

Friend, forget about the Class A. Go for Tude. IMHO, the one and only Amp to use. After hearing so many Amp (actually not a lot... [:p] ) Tude sounds the best, warm clear music and that's not too 'bright'.

 

I am still saving up to get a Tude.

 

But if you still want Class A, off-hand I can think of a few. Mac, SS, Cadence, MTX (not sure), and a few others. Class A amp not so easy to buy from those Mega Auto shops.

 

Anyone can share their experience with Class A amps... and which brand is a good make for Class A amp?

 

Went to Autobacs last Saturday hoping to get a chance to see if there are any Class A amps on offer - was disappointed.

 

I am hooked to Class A amp at home with both amplifiers on Class A.

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Seven11

Seven11

Neutral Newbie

Tube amps in the car? Got such thing meh? That will be interesting to see. That means when you take something from the boot, better be careful not to pit-cha the glass tubes man.

 

Is Class A Amps much more ex than norms?

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Corona92

Corona92

Neutral Newbie

all i noe my frd helped me purchased a 2/3/4 way clairon M[angelic] (currently installed in my father's corona[tongue])... not sure which model[unsure]... aniway the M gets heated up very quickly[angelic]... nid to turn on the aircon (fan == low, aircon==full blast)[tongue] to keep the M arnd normal temp[unsure]

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Skoda_Man

Skoda_Man

Neutral Newbie

Could be a class A or Class AB in this case as they are totall ineffient. i.e. a lot of heat (loss energy).

 

Serious not much help i can give you here.

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Prozac

Prozac

Clutched
all i noe my frd helped me purchased a 2/3/4 way clairon M[angelic] (currently installed in my father's corona[tongue])... not sure which model[unsure]... aniway the M gets heated up very quickly[angelic]... nid to turn on the aircon (fan == low, aircon==full blast)[tongue] to keep the M arnd normal temp[unsure]

 

Where did you install the amp? Is it placed behind the rear seats ? If u install it there, it tends to heat up pretty quickly cos low volume of airflow there. Best place to install, either in the boot or underneath the seats, but if your amp is thick design type, better to put in boot.

 

Car Stereo aka ICE and home hifi totally different concept as we use a 12V DC power supply for our juice in the car whereas at home, we have almost unlimited power to feed the amps with.

 

 

U can have the best products in the market, but in the end, u would need to have someone install it for you so that u can squeeze out every inch of performance from it.

 

I am also not an expert, just a hobbyist. [:)]

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Seven11

Seven11

Neutral Newbie

Wouldnt CLASS A amp require a lot of commitment from the car battery in terms of power current required? I suppose if you leave the amp under the drvr seat, you might have to turn up the aircon a bit more to counter for the heat build up in the cabin. Leaving the amp in the boot will give you a hot boot which is quite fine since the passengers would not be able to feel it.

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AutoS

AutoS

Neutral Newbie

Hey Guys there are amps and there are amps, there are class A amps and there are class A amps, there are class AB and class AB and there are just 2 brands of real car audio Tube Amps ie Tubedriver and Milbert, the rest claiming using tubes are just con job amps.

 

Regarding A and AB which is really not that important. More depends on the amp itself for the quality of performance. On the whole Class A Amps (car audio) are supposed to be (emphasis on supposed) warmer sounding. But set back is lack of power. The Soundstream Da Vinci is a gem but 4 figure Px. Other class A can also find lousy ones floating ard. Class AB plenty ard cuz they the most efficient design anyway. Good ones can also perform very well and lousy ones ...

 

Tube amps the Tubes are mounted W/ shock proof silicon mountings inside the heat sink. The Tubedriver Amps? For SQ they are the best period. They are designed and built by a genius Master amp builder who makes them specially for the mobile environment and U can go out and spend double the Px on those so-called more branded than Branded name ones but won't even come close.

 

Overheating for car audio amps really should not be a problem. Depends on the amp quality itself and on how the amp is being used. ie running at normal 4ohms or lower impedence? playing mid or doing sub duties? are amps being bridged? etc, etc.

 

The quality of the amp besides the performance in terms of SQ is also determined on how hard they can be driven. Most amps have auto cut protection when overheat. If the amp keeps on cutting even when run in a very non-straining way means it's lousy.

 

Now here's a piece of news for U guys. Some very popular amp brands, widely established in the minds of consumers as being hi quality or even perceived as the best are exactly the shitty ones that give lousy SQ and cut at every opportunity. One of our Bros here got one of these amps already regretting. Clever marketing can do wonders in the perception of the mass consumers.

 

As an installer I hate these amps cuz they make my job difficult but I see the bulk of the retail trade merrily recommending cuz they are an easy sell. Never use except when customer already aquire so bo pien.

 

Amps overheat can always add fan. This will help to a large extent.

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Prozac

Prozac

Clutched
Wouldnt CLASS A amp require a lot of commitment from the car battery in terms of power current required? I suppose if you leave the amp under the drvr seat, you might have to turn up the aircon a bit more to counter for the heat build up in the cabin. Leaving the amp in the boot will give you a hot boot which is quite fine since the passengers would not be able to feel it.

 

u wouldn't actually be able to feel that heat that much unless u touch the amp surface... properly designed amps come with good heatsinks which would suffice in most applications.

 

AutoS has given u a more detailed insight into the world of amps... [:)]

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Guyver

Guyver

1st Gear

Wah!! Expert "pull out sword"... really got power man..... really is "Got train, no train, can see the vein ah!!"

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Fabiaman

Fabiaman

1st Gear
  • Author

Anyone has any Class A second hand amp to spare/sell? Am looking to try out in my car but not willing to spend.

 

I have a Class A amp and a tube pre-power amp combi at home... trust me... if u r in to New Age or lightweight music, Class A is the way to go.

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Panda

Panda

Neutral Newbie

Class A...

 

On a car... fluctuations in supply... [shakehead]

 

Can supply in the 1st place champion liow... [sweatdrop]

 

We have a real purist here... [thumbsup]

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Fabiaman

Fabiaman

1st Gear
  • Author

Me hooked onto purist and clean amps long ago... eg. Audiolab, but when I tried Class A and tubes... no horse run.

 

As I am travelling on the roads more often these days... sending my infant son to and fro my in-law's place, am tempted to spend a few days' work pay on a decent amp - second hand set.

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