# kenwood WHAT!!! NO WAY



## 1styearsi (Aug 13, 2012)

thank you BigDWiz i may have to get 1 of these lololol:laugh: Kenwood KAC-M3004
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=99tiyWuuAGM


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## dallasneon (Nov 3, 2005)

Thing cranked out some power!


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## Alrojoca (Oct 5, 2012)

Since they only did a bridged channels test and not a 4 ohm test unbridged.

Does it mean that the 131 W/ch bridged at 8 ohms divided by 4 represents a 33W/ch times 4 at 4 ohms?

Sometimes you have to wonder why they don't do the test in a certain way unless, that test result does not help to assume the rated power of 50X4 at 4 ohms.


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## 1styearsi (Aug 13, 2012)

Alrojoca said:


> Since they only did a bridged channels test and not a 4 ohm test unbridged.
> 
> Does it mean that the 131 W/ch bridged at 8 ohms divided by 4 represents a 33W/ch times 4 at 4 ohms?
> 
> Sometimes you have to wonder why they don't do the test in a certain way unless, that test result does not help to assume the rated power of 50X4 at 4 ohms.


from what i can tell 131/2=65.5 watts a channel at 4 ohms stereo


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## Theslaking (Oct 8, 2013)

Regardless of what load, 731 without incurring damage from that tiny amp is impressive. I always think they test a certain way to hide low power output.


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## Guy (Feb 16, 2006)

Very impressive. 
With many of the BigDWiz videos I have watched, he tests at different input voltages. It isn't done in this case. 
14.57 input voltage is much higher than most installs are likely to see and I'm curious to know whether this amp is an unregulated design.

Either way, I'm all in for a group buy.


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## I800C0LLECT (Jan 26, 2009)

It's only rated 50x4...that's not bad at all.

Kenwood KACM3004 600W Class D 4-Channel Car/Marine Amplifier


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## 1styearsi (Aug 13, 2012)

bigdwiz has nothing to gain or loose.the test was a torture test,the amp dyno works amps hard like they will rarely see in real life.the only thing is his test was at 1k htz it won't make that much power at 100htz and down.but that is a good power in a super small package for some mids and highs. i'm thinking about getting 1 for 120 bucks and going 3 way active with a 80prs.


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## drowssap (Oct 23, 2013)

I would love to see a good review for this amp. Back in the day I remember I purchased a crappy 500 watt amp (20 years ago!) And it was roughly the same size. All it did was create a lot of noise! And it was for $24.99!


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## 1styearsi (Aug 13, 2012)

drowssap said:


> I would love to see a good review for this amp. Back in the day I remember I purchased a crappy 500 watt amp (20 years ago!) And it was roughly the same size. All it did was create a lot of noise! And it was for $24.99!


how times have changed.......was that a boss? rockwood? sherwood? precision audio? there were mad junk amps back then......:laugh: i had a jenson it had to3's it was not that bad.the new class d full-range amp's seem like they have taken small but powerful amp's to another level.


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## fendiesal (Jun 29, 2015)

impressive little booger haha


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## MACS (Oct 3, 2007)

Guy said:


> Either way, I'm all in for a group buy.



Just what you need.......more amps. At least these take up less shelf space .


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## sirbOOm (Jan 24, 2013)

We put these in Harleys all the time and the speakers get loud as fuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu ...


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## SkizeR (Apr 19, 2011)

these sell at work like hot cakes


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## gstokes (Apr 20, 2014)

SkizeR said:


> these sell at work like hot cakes


After this discussion there's a good chance sales will spike even further 

It's nice to see an amplifier make rated power, the AD-1 is an invaluable tool and would love to see a lot more amplifiers tested..


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## SkizeR (Apr 19, 2011)

gstokes said:


> After this discussion there's a good chance sales will spike even further
> 
> It's nice to see an amplifier make rated power, the AD-1 is an invaluable tool and would love to see a lot more amplifiers tested..


unfortunately its doubtful lol. we on this forum, and also including the ones who have seen this video elsewhere, are hardly even a fraction of a percent of the people who buy car audio, especially via the internet


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## I800C0LLECT (Jan 26, 2009)

Maybe invite him to a meet? People could take turns getting all of their amps tested that they bring. If they could add this information to the ampguts site I think it'd pick up quite a bit of traffic


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## V 2the C (Mar 12, 2015)

This test was kinda bs, no? 14.73 volts and 1.00% THD is well into distortion. The channel differences were fairly distant, no? What do the numbers come down to in normal working range? Like say 13.8 volts and 0.1% THD? Maybe someone can crunch the numbers.


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## gstokes (Apr 20, 2014)

V 2the C said:


> This test was kinda bs, no? 14.73 volts and 1.00% THD is well into distortion. The channel differences were fairly distant, no? What do the numbers come down to in normal working range? Like say 13.8 volts and 0.1% THD? Maybe someone can crunch the numbers.


Noted, it won't perform as well once installed in a vehicle and there was a substantial difference in power levels between channels meaning they spent very little or no time component matching but depending on the simplicity or complexity of the music a 1% and below distortion figure is usually considered non audible..


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## 1styearsi (Aug 13, 2012)

bigdwiz attends car audio shows he had 1 a few months back just a few miles from my house i didn't know and missed it WTF.the next 1 he is going to in in tenn.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6KC5Yt2HTIM


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## Alrojoca (Oct 5, 2012)

I think some tests were ran at 13.75 volts, still keeping that voltage constant even driving is difficult. 

Reminds me of the nvx micro amps, all the tests were done at 14.4 plus volts, and finding out, it did not deliver quite close the power at 13.X volts 

Even if the amp can put 50Wx4 and 140Wx2 bridged at 13.X or 12.7 volts is pretty good for that size , it just has to be tested at a more realistic voltage.


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## haakono (Apr 5, 2009)

While it might be interesting to see what the amp delivers at 12V/13.5V etc, finding out if it makes rated power or not should be done at the voltage where rated power is specced, so if that is 14.4V, then you test at that voltage. 

Also, while it's understandable that you cannot maintain 14.4V with amps putting out thousands of watts of power, if you car struggles to maintain voltage to a 4x50W amp you have other issues to resolve 

I just got both the 4-channel and monoblock delivered, and will play around with these for a bit while I wait for my Helix P Six DSP amp to arrive. 4-channel to power a Focal KRX3 set and monoblock for a pair of Utopia 5WS subs. Just the crossovers for the KRX3 set are larger than both amps put together


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## Sine Swept (Sep 3, 2010)

I would like them to not say MAXIMUM POWER on the top, then they would be sexy!


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## haakono (Apr 5, 2009)

Mine doesn't anymore 










Used some leftover vinyl from wrapping my car to customize them to the look of the car (somewhat).


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## 1styearsi (Aug 13, 2012)

haakono said:


> Mine doesn't anymore
> 
> 
> 
> ...


i love it i went to Italy 2 years ago and a smart car was large.the vast majority of European cars are sub sub compact:laugh:.micro amp's should be real popular there...


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## 1styearsi (Aug 13, 2012)

i have a few pics of those SMALL EURO cars my wife made me stop saying "are you going to take pics of all the cars you see"


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## omnibus (Feb 20, 2015)

How's the sound quality compared to other micro amps like NVX or Rockford's PBR?
Bridging this for my fronts would be perfect even if it only output 100 watts, it's a lot smaller than my JL XD. It's just a matter if this will sound as good or not.

*Just saw that Walmart has this for $124, free shipping. Too bad I don't really need an amp right now.


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## haakono (Apr 5, 2009)

Minivan takes on a new meaning with silly cars like these  Microvan with microamps! 






Fitting a huge red couch in this car like in the ad is a fib though.. Proof:


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## idelgado782 (May 25, 2015)

I actually ordered one of these this weekend for my rear fill. I decided to go active up front, and I need rear fill for my step son and other family when they are in the car but didn't want to break the bank. I'm hoping that the real life output is indeed close to the tests because I have hertz high energrys and want to make sure they get a decent amount of power to them. 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## haakono (Apr 5, 2009)

So a little feedback after using these for a while:

Setup: Pioneer AVH-X5700DAB HU with 3-way crossover built in, Kenwood 4-channel powering Sony XS-HS1 tweeters and XS-HS6 mids actively, Kenwood monoblock powering 2xFocal 5WS subwoofers (5ohm drivers in parallell for a 2,5ohm nominal load).

I don't have anything to directly compare them to since the whole setup is new to me and in a car I've not had any previous installs in, but first impressions are:

Plenty of power for the component system, it seems to have good control of the drivers. I once tried a RF PBR300x4 on my old widebands + Utopia 6w2be mids, and that was far less impressive than this on similar sized drivers. Rockford cost twice as much as well. Drawbacks on the Kenwood is that the signal/noise ratio is not the best.. Maybe decent on paper, but if you turn the gain up on the tweeters you get a noticeable hiss, even with the RCAs disconnected. I can keep the gains low since the HU has 4V preouts, so not a real issue in practice, but you would probably lose a point of two in SQ events. But then again, this is a $110 supermini amp that puts out 700W+, it's great for what it is. It was never meant to win SQ competitions 

Monoblock has way to much power on tap for the 5 inch Focals in a ported box, should be interesting to try it on a larger subwoofer. I do have a Focal 33KX BNIB, but I'm undecided if I should keep or sell it, so keeping it unused for now. 

No turn on/off noise in either amp, pretty impressed with these tiny amps really. Would easily recommend if you're in the marked for cheap tiny amps with decent power. I'm SURE that they're no Mosconi Pico challengers, but those cost 3+ times as much for a similar setup.


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## DaveRulz (Jun 22, 2006)

I will chime in with a mini-review also. I bought the 4 channel to test. I had a need for a relatively compact and efficient amp for an install in a 68 'Vette where there is minimal space and minimal current available (can you say 63 amp alternator?)

Based on BigDWiz's review and the fact that I got it for 73 dollars shipped after a first time buyer discount from Jet.com it seemed like a minimal risk. Well the risk paid off. This amp is perfect for what I need to do with it, and I'm considering buying a pair for my 94 'Vette. 

I ran this amp for several months in my DD beater Cherokee in multiple configurations. I will say this: the system in my Jeep is by no means a SQ set-up. It consists of stock 5.25's in the front doors, an old Nakamichi pull out head unit with my Ipod run into the aux input and any variety of subwoofers I have at my disposal. Up to this point I was running off of the 4 channels of an old PPI 5-channel that did 35x4 (I should also note that I've been in Car Audio for a long time, and while this system is pretty lame, I've had some very nice set-ups in the past with high end gear)

The first configuration I tested was with the amp running my fronts and bridged to a single subwoofer. Right after I set the amp up and set the gains I was pretty much blown away by the power of this tiny little amp. The Elemental Designs SQ10 in .25 cubic feet really came alive (as it should with more power) and the fronts had plenty of punch. I can't really comment on any difference in sound quality in the front speakers other than I haven't noticed any difference in terms of hiss or turn on-off noises between the Kenwood and PPI. Of course this is through 21 year old stock paper speakers at the bottom of the door. So just take that for what it is. 

I then swapped out the ED for a GRS 10SW-4 in 1 cubic foot. Again, I was impressed with the output from such a tiny amp! With the more efficient sub I was getting a little nose tickle and hair tingle! 

The final configuration was to put the Kenwood on sub duty only, and put the PPI back on the fronts. I bridged both sets of channels to a pair of ED 9kv's wired to 4 ohms each and in .45 cubic foot apiece. Holy crap. Even louder. I still can't believe the amount of power you get from such a tiny, tiny amp. 

Again, this amp is TINY. It can be bridged. It has *variable* crossovers from 50 to 200 hz high or low pass, and you can run it full range as well. 

I ran this amp hard, and every time I got home from my 45 minute commute I'd put my hand on the heatsink (I've read in reviews that it gets hot and shuts down) It was always warm, but never so warm I couldn't hold my hand on it as long as I wanted. And it has never shut down on me yet. 

If you haven't placed an order on Jet.com yet you can get a pair of these for around $160-170 right now. Which is an is an insane price. They are $92 shipped with Amazon prime. 

Is this an insane SQ machine? No. Is it at least as good as other amps in it's power/price range? Yes. Is it the best deal in tiny amps? Probably! Like I said, I'm getting a pair for my 'Vette so I can tuck them away and not have to look at them.


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## Changchung (Aug 15, 2012)

I like this little amp


Sent from my phone with camera with flash and internet on it...


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## sqshoestring (Jun 19, 2007)

I want one for my midbass that I have no time to install, lol. However also thinking it would be ideal for an atv or boat system.


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## jamesjones (Mar 8, 2007)

Man, I'm thinking about buying one of the 4 channels to run the front speakers and two of the monos to run a pair of SD-3 10s.

Has anyone run the mono on a bigger sub yet?


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## Changchung (Aug 15, 2012)

What about the other model with bluetooh on it??? 


Sent from my phone with camera with flash and internet on it...


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## AAAAAAA (Oct 5, 2007)

sqshoestring said:


> I want one for my midbass that I have no time to install, lol. However also thinking it would be ideal for an atv or boat system.


Test was at 1khz (Which is standard)... these things might not have much guts in the bass region. It's much harder to make the power at lower frequencies.


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## haakono (Apr 5, 2009)

jamesjones said:


> Man, I'm thinking about buying one of the 4 channels to run the front speakers and two of the monos to run a pair of SD-3 10s.
> 
> Has anyone run the mono on a bigger sub yet?


I'm about to try mine on a dual 2ohm Focal 33KX (13") soon, just need to finish the fiberglass enclosure. 

But I did get hold of the test sheet on this amp from Dereck/Bigdwiz, so I have all the numbers on it. It pretty much holds its specs IRL, but not so underrated as the 4-channel.

It handles 1ohm and does a bit over 440w in dynamic (burst) mode at this load according to the test sheet.


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## EricP72 (Mar 23, 2008)

jamesjones said:


> Man, I'm thinking about buying one of the 4 channels to run the front speakers and two of the monos to run a pair of SD-3 10s.
> 
> Has anyone run the mono on a bigger sub yet?


I had reached out to BigDwhiz in the past about the mono and he sent me the results from that test.


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## Ashunte (Sep 23, 2011)

can anyone resize this?


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## Bminus (Sep 24, 2014)

I have this amp in a 4wheeler sound system. Its a PVC tube with 6.5 polk db coaxials on the sides and an 8" RE Audio sub in the center. All the chambers are separated and the amp is in the sub chamber. 

I CAN NOT CLIP THE SUB with this amp. the front channels run the coaxilas and the sub is bridged on the back. The sub is rated at 200w rms. I literally turned the gain all the way up because it wasnt distorting and MAXd the volume.. STILL NO DISTORTION. 
The coaxials also get loud enough to get to the point of it being uncomfortable to listen to. 
LPF on the sub is set somwhere around 150hz (because its an outside sound system)
HPF on the coaxials is around 90-100hz. 
REALLY LOVE THIS AMP.

EDIT: The amp is getting signal from a bluetooh receiver. so im not sure what the low level input voltage is.


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## haakono (Apr 5, 2009)

Ashunte said:


> can anyone resize this?


I have the spec sheet as well, should be more readable:


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## PPI_GUY (Dec 20, 2007)

I wonder if this amp is marketed under any number of other value-oriented brand names? Audiopipe? Lanzar? Alphasonik, etc? 
Hard to believe this would be a proprietary design for Kenwood.


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## haakono (Apr 5, 2009)

Kenwood has the tech and knowhow to develop and produce electronics like these amps on their own production lines from scratch. In the same way as you don't see any Sony, Alpine, Pioneer etc amps shared with other brands, even the budget lineups. 

Had it been a Alphasonic amp though, you would most likely find the same internals in a range of low end brands (shared platform). 

But then again, why would you want the same exact amp only with a different name on it?  Brand "snobbery"?


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## PPI_GUY (Dec 20, 2007)

haakono said:


> Kenwood has the tech and knowhow to develop and produce electronics like these amps on their own production lines from scratch. In the same way as you don't see any Sony, Alpine, Pioneer etc amps shared with other brands, even the budget lineups.
> 
> Had it been a Alphasonic amp though, you would most likely find the same internals in a range of low end brands (shared platform).
> 
> But then again, why would you want the same exact amp only with a different name on it?  Brand "snobbery"?


Actually, I assumed that Kenwood has probably sourced this amp from some overseas buildhouse given that the specs aren't terribly impressive. The price point is fairly low as well...these can be bought around $120 on line...so, to attain any level of profit the build cost would need to be pretty low. Therefore, it's probably an off the shelf design stuffed into a Kenwood heatsink. 
For this amount of money, the name on the chassis is really unimportant. Curiosity on my part more than anything.


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## haakono (Apr 5, 2009)

I was thinking of opening mine when I do a small rebuild in the car. If and when, I'll post up some pics


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## 6262ms3 (Feb 27, 2008)

Visions had it on sale so I grabbed one. I've been wanting a tiny, budget amp to try more power on my 8 ohm midbasses. Looks like they'll each get at least 100 watts with it bridged, we'll see how it does.


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## 6262ms3 (Feb 27, 2008)

Quick impressions: You don't realize how tiny it is until you hold it in your hand! Not a fan of the molex connector with speaker pigtails, though it does save space and cost. Selectable lp/hp 12/db crossovers go up to 200hz, I'm high-passing on the deck and low-passing on the amp. It would've been nice if they went up to 500hz for more tuning options but that's nit-picking. No noise issues so far, the Beyma's are definitely happier with more power! Much better definition and impact, I'm having to re-tune more than expected. Since I'm just using it for midbass I can't really comment on sound-quality, but so far it's a small, cheap and effective way to get 100 watts+ x 2 into 8 ohm woofers, which is exactly what I needed.


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## EricP72 (Mar 23, 2008)

Yeah thanks for that review and I agree being able to cover at 500hz would have been nice. I think u got me sold on a pair of these, one for my midbass driver, and one for my full range and tweeter.


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## haakono (Apr 5, 2009)

I've been using the monoblock to power my Focal 33KX in a 45L sealed box for a while, and after the sub has loosened up a bit (it was brand new when first powered up with this amp) I must say I'm really impressed with this tiny tiny amp!

Running it at 4ohms now, so about 200w to play with. I might just try rewiring it to 1 ohm (2x2ohm coils on the sub) to see what it can/can't do at that load. Not rated for it, but capable of it. looking it the dyno sheet.


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## 99sqcrv (Oct 12, 2014)

I have been thinking of running two of the 4 channels for my tweeters and mids. Than two of the mono for my subs. I plan on bridging the 4 channels is it better to run one for the tweeters and one for the mids or one for the left and one for the right. Signal will be coming from an pioneer deh-80prs.


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## Lycancatt (Apr 11, 2010)

personally, if I can, I run one for each side of the car, balances out power draw and makes my ocd happy


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## 99sqcrv (Oct 12, 2014)

That's the way I am planning to hook them up. Thanks for the input.


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