# Tiny Car Amps



## Car_Audionut (Jun 9, 2010)

Got a friend that wants to install an aftermarket stereo, but does not want to have amps under the seat or in the trunk. Told them to get a high quality powered head unit, but they were wondering about an amp under the dash or glove box.

I have a Soundstream D30 that I can give them, but I think they had reliability issues. I remember Linear Making one called the Runt and Harmon Kardon making a small one as well as Xtant 101 or something.

Any pictures of tiny amps?

Here's mine Soundstream D30 on left and a Class A 50 on right:


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## bmiller1 (Mar 7, 2010)

I know Arc and RF (and I'm sure others) make motorcycle amps that are pretty small.


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## SQ Audi (Dec 21, 2010)

I have a couple of Rainbow 25w Mono amps


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## Genxx (Mar 18, 2007)

You also have the Zapco STX and JL XD amps.


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## schmiddr2 (Aug 10, 2009)

http://www.sonicelectronix.com/item_34758_Rockford-Fosgate-PBR300X4.html


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## Coppertone (Oct 4, 2011)

I've had the Rockford one which I believe was called a PBR something. Depending on what type of car he has, this could be mounted in several places. Just has to be wary of cooling..


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## captainscarlett (Mar 15, 2011)

Massive Audio Nano


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## Coppertone (Oct 4, 2011)

I think that would still be too large based up his original application.


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## Car_Audionut (Jun 9, 2010)

Thanks for the info. I didn't realize how much newer stuff is out there. I'll have to research some of those amps mentioned.

As for cooling I think under the dash near the center will work for him. Took a look and there's plenty of space. Might even look at some cool running class d or class t amps.


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## SQ Audi (Dec 21, 2010)

Car_Audionut said:


> Thanks for the info. I didn't realize how much newer stuff is out there. I'll have to research some of those amps mentioned.
> 
> As for cooling I think under the dash near the center will work for him. Took a look and there's plenty of space. Might even look at some cool running class d or class t amps.


JL XD amps should for your bill then.


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## Chaos (Oct 27, 2005)

We use a lot of the PBR amps, and they fit almost anywhere. They run rather hot out of necessity, so I wouldn't worry too much about that (I have yet to see one go into thermal shutdown)

However, they cannot, do not and will not tolerate low impedance loads. (They don't even like running through passive x-overs)


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## Aaron'z 2.5RS/WRX (Oct 24, 2007)

So, you're going to install tiny amps for your friend, under the dash... 

Then, when he doesn't have enough power, because the amps are so tiny and they are over heating because they are being pushed too hard in an enviroment that's too hot, your friend isn't going to be very happy... which in turn, isn't going to make YOU very happy... 

Think...


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## cruzinbill (Jul 15, 2011)

Im sure Im being a dick but..... If the RF PBR series is "too big" for your friend then he doesnt actually want anything at all. You can install them behind a glove box and other creviceses. To say they are too big is basically saying I cant be pleased. 

Hell the lil Alpine addon amp thing is only half the size and nowhere near the power.


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## req (Aug 4, 2007)

lol this is true aaron. if it were me, i would get something like an arc XDi805.

oh wait, i did that. its for my wife. ch1+2\3+4 bridged @ 4 ohm for 150w x2 and ch 5 @2 ohm 400w x1. german meistro comp set and a shallow mount phoenix gold 10. thats what im talkin about.

thats a sweet stereo

Size: 11.25" L x 6.5" W x 2.25" H 









http://www.woofersetc.com/p-10310-xdi-805-arc-audio-5-channel-car-amplifier.aspx


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## analogrocker (Aug 1, 2009)

Aaron'z 2.5RS/WRX said:


> So, you're going to install tiny amps for your friend, under the dash...
> 
> Then, when he doesn't have enough power, because the amps are so tiny and they are over heating because they are being pushed too hard in an enviroment that's too hot, your friend isn't going to be very happy... which in turn, isn't going to make YOU very happy...
> 
> Think...


It still beats running off deck power.


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## req (Aug 4, 2007)

this is also true!


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## narvarr (Jan 20, 2009)

If you can find the 6 channel mini amp that comes with the Pioneer DEH P-01 it will fit under the dash but I don't think its bridgeable. The XD series from JL is another good choice as stated earlier. The Rockford PBR series is small enough but I had issues with the one I had.

-- Sent from my TouchPad using Communities


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## kyheng (Jan 31, 2007)

Nope, it can't run on bridged mode, but more than enough to run the entire front stage....


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## marvnmars (Dec 30, 2011)

NEW HARMAN KARDON CA212 HIGH FIDELITY 12W X 2 CAR AMPLIFIER | eBay

also

NEW ECLIPSE EUM-2204 25W X 2 STEREO POWER CAR AMPLIFIER | eBay

not great amounts of power but small and bnib...i bought one of the eclipse off of him, you can email them directlu and they will deal with you on price..


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## tyroneshoes (Mar 21, 2006)

Maybe the alpine powerpack will cover your needs (dont even need an alpine deck any more) 

Alpine KTP-445U "Power Pack" Upgrade any car radio to 45 watts RMS X 4 at Crutchfield.com

Also check out the ppi phantoms and personally, I like these a lot.

Pioneer PRS-D800 300W RMS 2-Channel Class FD Car Amplifier


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## Notloudenuf (Sep 14, 2008)

What about those tiny Kicker amps used in Chrysler cars?
Kicker 100 RMS Class D Amplifier Subwoofer 1ohm Sub Amp | eBay

They are for sub duty only so a high power head unit is a necessity.


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## Aaron'z 2.5RS/WRX (Oct 24, 2007)

analogrocker said:


> It still beats running off deck power.


Till things begin to fail due to overheating...


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## bbfoto (Aug 28, 2005)

There have been some great suggestions here.

#1. What is their budget for this amp? Consider also the cost for any installation accessories...power & speaker wire, RCAs, fuse holder, etc.

#2. How many channels do you need? I'm assuming 4+1 based on your suggestion of the Soundstream combo.

Just curious as to why they don't want to put an amp under the seat? What else are they going to put there, or do they want it under the dash just for the ease of power, speaker, and signal wiring?

Things to consider are if you need the amp(s) to have built-in HPF/LPF crossovers, and if they have a built-in fuse or if you will need to fuse them externally and separately. Also, will you need speaker-level inputs, or just line-level RCAs?

What year and model car is this for? Check reviews as some of these smaller amps have problems with radiated noise from the alternator/ignition system when mounted in/near the dash.

If you need 4+1, for ease of wiring & the least amount of "installed" space, I would go with a single-amp solution such as the Arc XDi805 or JL XD700.5 that were previously mentioned (if they are in the budget). The JL XDs can handle speaker-level inputs and they have a very well thought-out crossover setup...the XD700.5 has LPF/HPF/Bandpass crossovers. Makes life easy if you need them.

Also consider the Kenwood Excelon XR-5S. It's a bit more "square" in shape but looks comparable to the combined size of your Soundstream combo.


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## analogrocker (Aug 1, 2009)

Aaron'z 2.5RS/WRX said:


> Till things begin to fail due to overheating...


Pick your poison is the name of the game in this situation I guess. Either that, or step it up to a full size amp.


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## s60rguy (Feb 14, 2007)

The Rockford PBR's are pretty damn Small. I have 2 of them in where my Glovebox would be on my Wrangler and they Fit just Right.


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## sjr033 (Dec 30, 2011)

The Soundstream Picasso Nano are about the size of the Rockfords
Soundstream - Amplifiers - Picasso
and are availible at
Onlinecarstereo.com - Wholesale Car Audio/Stereo Deals At Bargain Prices


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## marvnmars (Dec 30, 2011)

this is in the classifides here .....not mine, but looks as if it would fit the bill
http://www.diymobileaudio.com/forum...3-fs-arc-audio-xdi804-mini-4-channel-amp.html


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## Aaron Clinton (Oct 17, 2006)

Coppertone said:


> I've had the Rockford one which I believe was called a PBR something. Depending on what type of car he has, this could be mounted in several places. Just has to be wary of cooling..


*PBR?*


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## Aaron Clinton (Oct 17, 2006)

*On a serious note, Stetsom (yeah I know DIYma members will have an allergic reaction) has a tiny footprint amp just released.*


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## [email protected] (Jun 12, 2008)

sjr033 said:


> The Soundstream Picasso Nano are about the size of the Rockfords
> Soundstream - Amplifiers - Picasso
> and are availible at
> Onlinecarstereo.com - Wholesale Car Audio/Stereo Deals At Bargain Prices


There not out yet. That place is notorious for putting stuff on the site they dont have, and wont for months still.


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## sjr033 (Dec 30, 2011)

BeatsDownLow said:


> There not out yet. That place is notorious for putting stuff on the site they dont have, and wont for months still.


Thanks for the heads up. I have been looking at those. That would also explain why Soundstream does not have the owners manual on their web site yet.


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## [email protected] (Jun 12, 2008)

sjr033 said:


> Thanks for the heads up. I have been looking at those. That would also explain why Soundstream does not have the owners manual on their web site yet.


NP, they had the Phantoms on the website months before PPI had them from overseas, same with the soundstream reference amps. ****ty thing is, they will let you order them, then just sit on your money without notifying you that they dont have them.


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## tyroneshoes (Mar 21, 2006)

This looks interesting too

Soundstream TN4.900D Class D Amplifiers at Onlinecarstereo.com

Soundstream - Amplifiers - Tarantula Nano

better crossovers


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## tyroneshoes (Mar 21, 2006)

BeatsDownLow said:


> NP, they had the Phantoms on the website months before PPI had them from overseas, same with the soundstream reference amps. ****ty thing is, they will let you order them, then just sit on your money without notifying you that they dont have them.


I always order through the phone for woofersect, onlinecs and sonic. They often give you better deals too if you call.


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## chithead (Mar 19, 2008)

Are you serious? I was about to pull the trigger on a pair of those Picasso Nano amps from them.

Well shoot... back to the drawing board.


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## Car_Audionut (Jun 9, 2010)

bbfoto said:


> There have been some great suggestions here.
> 
> #1. What is their budget for this amp? Consider also the cost for any installation accessories...power & speaker wire, RCAs, fuse holder, etc.
> 
> ...


Car is a VW Golf running an aftermarket head unit, up front is a pair of Hertz coaxials. They were wondering why their speakers don't sound so great. Mostly the HU runs out of power.

They give rides fairly often and don't want amps under seats being kicked around (I already asked about that option). 

They want an amp under $200 preferably for running the fronts and the HU for the rear stock speakers. No sub as of yet.

That Harmon Kardon unit looks like it might work. I had a friend back in the day install one just under the glove box and it worked well.

I could also have them look at some full range Class D amps that run cool, but from what I have seen they run quite a bit more than they might want to spend.

I think they just want the amp to be out of sight.


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## stuartb (Jan 30, 2011)

If it's a Golf, some of the small amps shown above will fit under the front part of the seat. No chance of being kicked and space not used for anything else. Probably the best bet. The Vibe Lite range maybe worth a look, but I think you have more options in the US than over here. 

FWIW I have an Alpine KTP-445 in my wife's Miata. It's running some DLS comps. It helps (and we managed to stuff it into the dash without any overheating issues), but is obviously not the same as getting a proper amp and the speakers are crying out for more. Not sure which Hertz speakers they have but surely worth getting something semi-decent for those.

Stuart


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## Notloudenuf (Sep 14, 2008)

BeatsDownLow said:


> There not out yet. That place is notorious for putting stuff on the site they dont have, and wont for months still.


I have to disagree. I went to NC Sounds and Security in Goldsboro NC today and they had both a 4 channel and mono Picasso Nano amp on their display board. The salesman told me they had had them for about a week and a half.


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## 94VG30DE (Nov 28, 2007)

I don't know the Golf very well, but is there space for a false-floor or a hidden cubby or something in back?


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## ragnaroksq (Mar 14, 2006)

i vote for arc mini's
Arc Audio KS 125.4 Mini

Arc Audio KS 500.1 Mini


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## tyroneshoes (Mar 21, 2006)

You can hide the rockford behind a rear trunk panel with some double side tape (color red) and everything is hidden. Ive hidden a larger amp in there for a friend.


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## narvarr (Jan 20, 2009)

The Rockford amps are about the size of most factory amps but with more power. I only question thwart reliability of them. I had my PBR300.1 installed where my factory sub amp was but it started to cycle in and out of protection mode after about 3 weeks on a 4 ohm load.
Here are some pics:

















Sent from my SAMSUNG GALAXY NOTE using Tapatalk 2


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## evo9 (Jul 6, 2005)

here you go! call your contact in japan. 
?????? PRS-D700 ?? | ??????? | carrozzeria


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## narvarr (Jan 20, 2009)

evo9 said:


> here you go! call your contact in japan.
> ?????? PRS-D700 ?? | ??????? | carrozzeria


The PRS-D800's were on sale at sonix a few weeks ago. Looks to be the same amp...not sure about the power rating on the 700 model.

Sent from my SAMSUNG GALAXY NOTE using Tapatalk 2


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## bbfoto (Aug 28, 2005)

^ I picked up a few of the VERY SIMILAR Pioneer PRS-D800 amps at sonicelectronix just to give them a try. $150 for 125w x 2 @ 4-Ohms. One of these will definitely fit under the seat of the Golf with no issues with it being kicked or damaged. Will probably fit under the dash/glove box and the behind the rear quarter panel trim as mentioned, too.










Pioneer PRS-D800 300W RMS 2-Channel Class FD Car Amplifier

I've been out of town so I haven't had a chance to hook them up yet, so I can't tell you if they get hot or not, sound decent, etc.

They do not have any type of crossover however, so if that is something that is needed it's probably not the best option.

Does their aftermarket head unit have Front & Rear (and/or subwoofer) preouts, or will you need to use the speaker level outputs? Also, does this HU have any X/O's built-in, even a LPF for the subwoofer if they want to add one later on?

FYI, I have always had decent luck with Pioneer's amps as far as reliability goes. But it sounds like too many people have had problems with the Rockford PBR amps...plus they run hot, and I know there have been a lot of dealer returns on the Arc KS mini amps as well.

Before they throw money blindly into an amp to fix the lack of output with their Hertz coaxials, are they properly mounted in the door? Even stock/OEM speakers will sound heaps better if they are mounted properly, i.e. seal any gaps or holes in the outer door sheet metal where the speakers are mounted in order to completely seal off the front sound waves of the speaker from the back sound waves of the speaker to minimize cancellation. Midbass and clarity will increase dramatically if this is done, and also use foam weatherstripping or something similar around the front perimeter of the outer speaker frame to seal it to the door panel's speaker grill opening so none of the speaker's energy "spills into" the area between the door panel and the door's sheet metal.

Good luck with this. Let us know what you come up with.


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## Car_Audionut (Jun 9, 2010)

bbfoto said:


> ^ I picked up a few of the VERY SIMILAR Pioneer PRS-D800 amps at sonicelectronix just to give them a try. $150 for 125w x 2 @ 4-Ohms. One of these will definitely fit under the seat of the Golf with no issues with it being kicked or damaged. Will probably fit under the dash/glove box and the behind the rear quarter panel trim as mentioned, too.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Their head unit does have a HPF and Sub out with built in x-over. The Hertz are properly mounted with Dynamat. Tweeters on the A-Pillars.

I'm going to look at the back and see if there's space somewhere and I'll check under the seat for proper clearance. If I recall, some of these VW's had Monsoon amps, I'll try to locate this and see what can be replaced.

Thanks for the info.


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## evo9 (Jul 6, 2005)

narvarr said:


> The PRS-D800's were on sale at sonix a few weeks ago. Looks to be the same amp...not sure about the power rating on the 700 model.
> 
> Sent from my SAMSUNG GALAXY NOTE using Tapatalk 2




250 W×2 （4 Ω）/600 W×1 （4 Ω）

125 W×2 （4 Ω）/150 W×2 （2 Ω）/300 W×1 （4 Ω）

（10 W、1 kHz）

0.004 %

SN比

105 dB

10 Hz～30,000 Hz（+0 dB、-3 dB）


23 A（定格出力時、4 Ω）


負荷インピーダンス

4 Ω（2 Ω～8 Ω）

入力レベル

400 mV～6.5 V

外形寸法

255 mm（W）×50 mm（H）×104 mm（D）

質量

1.6 kg


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## Victor_inox (Apr 27, 2012)

JL XD can be easily fitted under glove box or instrument cluster in any car even fiat 500 or smart for two. i know I installed it there. no need to go under the seat or trunk. xd600.6 can be enough to power every speaker in the car, fronts rears and a sub, but I guess you friend will be against sub box in the trunk.
in any case good luck.


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## Rushnerd (Jun 2, 2012)

I also have the Alpine KTP-445u tucked under my dash. I have experienced no overheating. If you are going to use the hu for the rears, the alpine can be bridged to 90W.

Of course I'm ready for bigger now!


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## BrianAbington (Jul 27, 2012)

Back in the early 2000's Blaupunkt had some mini amps that were about 4 or 5 inches square. 

And I remember sound stream had one that was about 4x6 but it put out insane power for it's size. 

The blau's will probably be much cheaper if you can find them.


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## ellocojorge (Sep 30, 2009)

Aaron Clinton said:


> *On a serious note, Stetsom (yeah I know DIYma members will have an allergic reaction) has a tiny footprint amp just released.*


Haven't seen those before . Are they missing a heat sink?

Sent from my LG-MS910 using Tapatalk 2


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## bbfoto (Aug 28, 2005)

Victor_inox said:


> JL XD can be easily fitted under glove box or instrument cluster in any car even fiat 500 or smart for two. i know I installed it there. no need to go under the seat or trunk. xd600.6 can be enough to power every speaker in the car, fronts rears and a sub, but I guess you friend will be against sub box in the trunk.
> in any case good luck.



Yep, the JL XDs are great little amps. But their budget is <= $200 so he would have to find a deal on a used one. At the moment it looks like they just need 2 channels of amplification, so the Pioneer PRS-D800 fits the bill and it is within the budget as well.

EDIT: Looks like the JL Audio XD200/2 is on Amazon.com for $220. It's half the power of the PRS but it does have built-in crossovers.


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## shnitz (Jun 13, 2011)

The Alpine KTP-445u or the PRS-D800 is probably your best bet if you want a non-traditional install location, and they will both give him a good bit of power to the front speakers. Run the rear speakers off of head unit power, they're just for fill anyway.

However, don't be so quick to dismiss an underseat install. With all of these amps mentioned here, such as the Rockford Fosgate, there is no way an underseat install has a chance of being kicked. Go to your friend's Golf, for example, and measure out a 7"x4" square from near the front of his seat with masking tape. Then, tell him to sit in the back of the car, and to try to get his toe to touch that square you've fleshed out. It's impossible. Your friend's fear is unfounded. See the farthest that he could "accidentally" kick, give him a 20% margin of safety, and you'll have the maximum size amp that you can fit. Plus, if you have the wiring and cabling transverse in the car (pointing left-and-right instead of front-and-back), even if someone did kick the side of the amp it wouldn't do anything.


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## Toslink (Aug 19, 2012)

BrianAbington said:


> Back in the early 2000's Blaupunkt had some mini amps that were about 4 or 5 inches square.
> 
> And I remember sound stream had one that was about 4x6 but it put out insane power for it's size.
> 
> The blau's will probably be much cheaper if you can find them.


Yea...they were the first car audio amplifiers to use the Tripath full-range class D amplifier "chips". They were smartly packaged, but they had serious reliability issues due to rushed engineering of the supporting cicruitry. I bought a 4 x 100w one and it was in the shop a number of times. When it developed problems after the third visit to a Blaupunkt repair facility I boxed it up and promptly threw it into a dumpster (seriously). Just to be clear about the Tripath chip, it was a winner and it's been used in dozens of quality home and commercial stand-alone amplifiers, HTIBs and powered subwoofers. If the supporting circuitry is designed right, the amplifiers can sound truly excellent.

That being said, if you could find a Blaupunkt amplifier today, I'd steer clear and opt for a different amplifier.

--david


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## Car_Audionut (Jun 9, 2010)

Funny you mentioned the Blaupunkt Class T amps with the translucent plastic housings that mimic the early Apple iMac CRT G3 computers.

I actually picked up a PA275 up on CL for $30, used it for 2 days running A/D/S componenets and just could not stand it. Bright sounding, poor sound stage, ran out of steam early (rated at 75 wpc, but more like 50 wpc), sounds better at lower to moderate levels but distorts badly at higher volume (like someone turning up the highs and turning down the bass), etc... Also ran it on a sub and it did better. Did run cool. You can remove the plastic housing for a smaller foot print. It's actually sitting on top of a trash can at my parents house. I might use it to run some speakers on a bike.

I figured it was a bad implementation by Blaupunkt as I've heard rave reviews of home audio gear with the Tripath chips from other manufacturers. Might give that a shot someday just out of curiosity.


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## Toslink (Aug 19, 2012)

Can someone tell me definitively that the 4-channel PBR Rockford Fosgate amplifier sounds materially different than a standard car audio amplifier with a switch-mode power supply? If so, what difference are you hearing? If you're able to articulate what you're hearing, I'd greatly appreciate knowing your thoughts. The reason I ask is because I'm considering using one in a friend's system later in the year and want to make sure the system has a good chance of sounding, well, good.


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## req (Aug 4, 2007)

in the trunk of a mk4 (1999~2005) golf, there is an access panel with the monsoon amplifier. take the monsoon amplifier out, rewire things for the new amplifier, and you should have loads of space to work with if you are an installer worth anything.

i dont know why this is such a crazy topic. there are tons of small form factor amplifiers on your plate. pick one that fits in that location that meets your customers requirements and report back to us with pictures of your install and what you think of the product.

jeez.


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## shnitz (Jun 13, 2011)

Toslink said:


> Can someone tell me definitively that the 4-channel PBR Rockford Fosgate amplifier sounds materially different than a standard car audio amplifier with a switch-mode power supply? If so, what difference are you hearing? If you're able to articulate what you're hearing, I'd greatly appreciate knowing your thoughts. The reason I ask is because I'm considering using one in a friend's system later in the year and want to make sure the system has a good chance of sounding, well, good.


You don't hear materially different sounds from an amplifier; that's not how it works. An amplifier just gives you more power to send; if it's distorting the signal enough that it's undoing the work of that expensive head unit and/or sound processor that you paid good money for, then you need to find the salesman that sold you the amp and give him a nice swift kick in the family jewels for recommending you such a horrible product. The only thing you need to worry about with an amplifier is safe load, size, and efficiency. The PBR amp's downside is not that it sounds different than any other amplifier; its design, while allowing it to be very small and very efficient, only allows for a 4 Ohm load. For the way that most people use 4 channel amplifiers, to drive regular 4-Ohm cabin speakers, this is an immaterial shortcoming.

I agree with req; people are making this much more difficult than it needs to be.


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## kobiejohn (Jan 17, 2009)

Coppertone said:


> I've had the Rockford one which I believe was called a PBR something. Depending on what type of car he has, this could be mounted in several places. Just has to be wary of cooling..


I picked up the 4 channel pbr as a temporary amp and I have it just sitting behind the radio/ dash location in a 96 prelude. I rarely drive the car but on a couple a trips this summer it has never shut off on me.


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## shnitz (Jun 13, 2011)

kobiejohn said:


> I picked up the 4 channel pbr as a temporary amp and I have it just sitting behind the radio/ dash location in a 96 prelude. I rarely drive the car but on a couple a trips this summer it has never shut off on me.


Would this be "summer" in Alaska? :laugh3:


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## SaturnSL1 (Jun 27, 2011)

Good luck finding one lol


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## Toslink (Aug 19, 2012)

I remember these from the early/mid 90's. The company used to take out full-page ads in _Car Audio & Electronics_ magazine. Ahhhh....the days of my car audio youth, when everything was new and there were so many fundamental truths to learn.


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## steffanan (Dec 9, 2010)

Lol, looks like a crossover


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## tyroneshoes (Mar 21, 2006)

Ive actually had good experience with these Blau tpaths. My whole car was powered by them for a year.

Really good deal here

New BLAUPUNKT PA4100 4 Channel x 100 WATTS RMS T-CLASS SMALL Car Amp | eBay


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## Flyinbanana (Feb 2, 2008)

Love my PRS-D800; I've seen very few reviews online. Very clean and drives my SPX PROs well...


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## Brian Steele (Jun 1, 2007)

Aaron Clinton said:


> *On a serious note, Stetsom (yeah I know DIYma members will have an allergic reaction) has a tiny footprint amp just released.*


That looks pretty small, though I'm not really liking the clear colour. Where can it be purchased, and what's the MRSP?


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## ChrisB (Jul 3, 2008)

Aaron Clinton said:


> *On a serious note, Stetsom (yeah I know DIYma members will have an allergic reaction) has a tiny footprint amp just released.*


Have they ever tamed the fan noise on those little amps? The last one I dealt with had a super LOUD and high pitched fan noise that could be heard above the Borla Stingers in my 2006 Mustang GT. There is NO WAY that thing could have been put in the passenger compartment without annoying me even more.

Edit: Oh and another question... Have they fixed the 14.6 volt shutdown problem? That was another source of my issues with Stetsom since I spent a small fortune having an alternator purpose built to idle at 14.5 volts at operating temperature while providing between 200 and 250 amps of current at highway speed. All said and done, I had close to $1,500 in that alternator alone!


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## tyroneshoes (Mar 21, 2006)

Picked up a soundstream picasso Nano pn4.520 for a friends car. Amazingly small but heavy for the size.

100x4 or 260x2

No dual power supplys but for the price, its promising.










9x4.75x1.5


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## videsh (Apr 16, 2009)

Is it possible for you to post a gut shot of that amp? I was thinking of buying one for my GF`s car.


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## tyroneshoes (Mar 21, 2006)

They put a void warranty sticker on one of the screws. I was able to remove 3 and lift it up to take a look. Looks to be quality. Seems like the sound magnus (nassive nano) amps The speaker outputs are on a plug (no terminals) to save space and its a pretty good design actually.


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## niceguy (Mar 12, 2006)

Dang that's small...you're gonna force me to buy the 5ch....funny story, I don't mind real spiders but hate THAT one lol!!

Cool little amp!


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## tyroneshoes (Mar 21, 2006)

Installed it yesterday. Easy install. No noise. Sounds just as good as the high end amp that it replaced but there was very feint alt noise (cant hear it unless car isnt driving) that was there prior and is still there. No differential inputs on either. 

Amazingly small and cool running. Powering a set of Polk Mobile Monitors (old school with sweet mm3000 tweet) passsive with illusion mids and the 8" jl microsub and sounds great. I will let you know if there are any issue but as of now, this is a sick deal for a $110 amp. Just absolutely no bells a whistles. Crossover is fixed at 80 hz (H,L,th) on both channels. The wired terminal connections made fitting this into a little cubby easy. He wouldnt let me cut the carpet so thats why any wires/rcas are visible at all.










Good budget amp. 4/5 if just using for power/no need for crossovers.


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## niceguy (Mar 12, 2006)

Can the xovers be turned off or set to full range/all pass? For an extra $100-150, in my situation, there are 5ch amps that have very usable xovers up to 4-5khz but having an active capable HU, it wouldn't bother me to use one of these...


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## tyroneshoes (Mar 21, 2006)

niceguy said:


> Can the xovers be turned off or set to full range/all pass? For an extra $100-150, in my situation, there are 5ch amps that have very usable xovers up to 4-5khz but having an active capable HU, it wouldn't bother me to use one of these...



Yes both crossovers can be turned off/all pass.

An extra $100-$150 is a second one of these amps. These are for people who use the head unit's crossover. Thats what I did. But its set up as 3 channel - passive and single sub bridged.

These are great for the price but if Im using a 4 channel, I prefer there to be dual power supplies and differential inputs.


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## niceguy (Mar 12, 2006)

Interesting...I still have an old Next Vrz4.400 that with the x10 switch can high/low pass up to 5.5hkz which is pretty nice but it's still a good bit larger than these latest crop of 'nano' amps.

I'm almost tempted to run a pair of RF PBR amps to run my front comps and a small sub....


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## AAAAAAA (Oct 5, 2007)

Lots of great choices available. I think most small amps have already been mentioned accept for Massive audio also has a smaller (then nano blocks) class D amp that is available.
They are called the nano BITS.

Should have my hands on one shortly. Keep an eye out for a review. I can't get enough of small foot print amplifiers for some reason.

https://www.massiveaudio.com/products/amplifiers/bx4-4-channel-digital-amplifier/

1.5 x 5 x 8.3 for the 4 channel and mono. the 2 channel is only 6.3 inches long.


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## tyroneshoes (Mar 21, 2006)

Looking at the bx4, I can guarantee theyre same sound magnus build house as the Soundstream nanos. The only thing different is the speaker terminals

However, massive is over rating this amp. It has a 30 amp fuse

Massive rates the amp 120x4/480x2 at at 3% disdortion 14.4v

The soundstream nano has two 30 amp fuses and is rated at 100x4/280x2 at 1% distortion 

Massive is using misleading specs


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## AAAAAAA (Oct 5, 2007)

The nano bits aren't made at soundmagus. It's a different build house but I don’t know which one. Supposedly this line is proprietary to massive audio so we shouldn't see clones of this particular model.

In any case nothing looks the same between the bx4 and the SS nano's. Size is different and the control layouts aren't close either. I see no relation.


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## tyroneshoes (Mar 21, 2006)

I see lots of similarities but I guess its possible its a different buildhouse and Im jumping to conclusions. I doubt it though. This is Soundstreams lowest end. 




























But Im glad they changed buildhouses as the previous nanos were pretty poor performers and overstated their power. Still, I doubt that massive amp is giving close to 1000 watts with a 30 amp fuse. And who rates their amps at 3% distortion?


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## AAAAAAA (Oct 5, 2007)

Yes I do see the similarities now. Layout is different but alot of things are very close (both have red green lights, same looking screws on the side, same high level inputs ect. We would have to compare the guts to see. 

As for the power all massive amplifier ratings are done with a speaker (as far as I know, not sure about the nanobits for sure). With the more tradionnal method I would guestimate it would be close to 60-70 @ 4ohms.

That's still plenty especially in that footprint. Color me excited haha. I'm loving all these tiny ampliers.

I have a JBL MSA1004 and I was exited about it's size but these are so much smaller. Crazy.

In the same line o thought, power accoustics also has a version of those SS nano's and they even have a more powerfull 4 channel then in the SS line up. And they are soooo inexpensive. I am itching to get one of those as well.

Price footprint looks are pretty solid.









Power Acoustik RZ4-2000D (rz42000d) Monoblock RAZOR Class D Car Amp


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## AAAAAAA (Oct 5, 2007)

Ok so the tarantula nano's look like soundmagus PK.

The massive is much closer (if not the same) to the picaso nano imo.

Soundstream - Amplifiers - Picasso

This smaller one is not soundmagus and the power rating is at 60 (close to my estimate for the massive).

Seems like we might have found our first clones of this generation.

SS picaso nano\PA RAZOR, massive nano bits


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## tyroneshoes (Mar 21, 2006)

And the picassos are so cheap on ebay


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## sjr033 (Dec 30, 2011)

To further support the claim that the Soundstream Picasso Nano and the Power Acoustik are the SAME. The Soundstream manual on page 3 of the pdf, uses the Power Acoustik part numbers.
http://www.soundstream.com/html/manuals/Picasso-Nano-Manual.pdf


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## tyroneshoes (Mar 21, 2006)

sjr033 said:


> To further support the claim that the Soundstream Picasso Nano and the Power Acoustik are the SAME. The Soundstream manual on page 3 of the pdf, uses the Power Acoustik part numbers.
> http://www.soundstream.com/html/manuals/Picasso-Nano-Manual.pdf


So follow the picasso specs according to fuse size when looking at these amps and trying to assess true power.


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## AAAAAAA (Oct 5, 2007)

In the manual they keep refering to "digital". I wonder how come.


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## nismos14 (Jun 22, 2007)

I just tested a Massive Audio Nano Bit BX2 and I will be writing a review this afternoon/tomorrow! It was sent to me directly from massive who reached out to me after they read my unfavorable reviews of the nano's (NX4 and NX5).


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## Coppertone (Oct 4, 2011)

^^^^^. Subscribed and I await your newest assessment of this unit.


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## nismos14 (Jun 22, 2007)

I should have it soon!


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## nismos14 (Jun 22, 2007)

http://www.diymobileaudio.com/forum...w-massive-audio-nano-bit-bx2.html#post1755665


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## Coppertone (Oct 4, 2011)

I'm on it.....


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## tyroneshoes (Mar 21, 2006)

Also the picasso nanos are solid performers

My friend wanted his trunk space back so I tucked this in a nook and down graded from active 9887 to seas drivers and a ss exact 12 with alto mobile and zapco amps and replaced it with a passive old school polk mobile monitor comp set and the jl microbox 8" and the single soundstream picasso nano. Sounds great. No noise. Power is there.

****ty pics and not pretty as I only had a day to do this (and finished right when it got dark) but theyre tiny.










He says he likes it more.

Very simple amp and tiny. He just drove cross country with the music on the whole way and had no issues.


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