# Alpine PDX-V9



## subiemax (Nov 19, 2007)

I've spent about a month with my v9 now, but wanted to get some time with a sub running before I put put a review. With the instal I have I wanted to make sure that it would take the heat with it running all chanels.

First of all, I took a chance with this amp, as there were not any reviews that I saw for it. And I've never met a class D amp that I've liked before, besides sub duties. I've had Kicker, Arc Audio and RF class D before. All told in the last few years I've had 10-15 amps. From Massive to Audio System and more than I car to name, or tell my wife. No truly high end stuff, but the Audio System Twisters being my favorite. The car it is in is a Scion FRS, so space and weight is at a premium an I wanted to keep the use of all the space I have. I wanted a 5 channel that I could fit under the passenger seat. Also did not want to shell out the money for th JL.

Install: Probably the he worst instal I've put an amp through to date. The amp is only 2" tall, but there is not a lot of room under the seat in this car. I had to take out the foam under the carpet and raise the back of the seat a tad bit to fit it under there. So we end up with maybe 1/4" of room between he seat and amp. Probably not that much. 
And I've had a few multi hour listening sessions with no stop in the music. It gets hot, no doubt, but no shut off yet.


Gear: I'm running a 80prs, Focal krx2 mids, Dynaudio md130 tweeters, and an Alto Mobile Falstaff 12" sub.

Features: Of note on this amp is the ability to run a 2way+ sub with the on board crossovers. Think this is new for the PDX line. Other than that I think it is pretty similar to the other PDF amps. Uses plugs for all hook ups, which I like. Has a bright ass blue light on top of it, which I do not like. 

Power: The birthsheet says right at 120x4 and 600 watts for the sub. Can't recall exact right now.

Sound: First of all, it is dead quiet. No hiss, wine, clicks, turn on bumps, nothing. Which is a good thing. Second, it is very clear. Crystal clear. With the drivers I'm using, you can reach truly ear damaging volume with no audible distortion, at least to my ears. 
As far as coloration, I can't hear anything that would make you say class d. I think it does a very good job of just amplifying the signal. 

Now to compare it to the best sounding amps I've had, the twisters. I spent the better part of a year with those amps and there is just something about them. That Italian-ness maybe? I would have to give them a slight edge over the alpine. BUT, for the size and price of the Alpine and the space I had to work with, the Alpine pdx-v9 is a very solid choice.


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## oemplusmore (Aug 6, 2008)

Thanks for a good and to the point review. I have been thinking of giving this amp a try.


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## subiemax (Nov 19, 2007)

oemplusmore said:


> Thanks for a good and to the point review. I have been thinking of giving this amp a try.


I would recommend it. Good solid clean power and features. For the price and footprint, I can't see anyone being disappointed.


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## GTI-DNA (Nov 4, 2010)

Thanks Subie.

I also have an 80 PRS with Dayton Reference mids and tweets. One quick question, do you use the onboard processing with the PRS or the crossovers on the V9?

My current setup is a LP 452/952 combo on front stage and MTX Thunder 280 on sub duty and I am looking to get down to one amp with more power. Been looking at these and they seem promising. Yes, I am crazy wanting to go from old school to new school, but in my GTI I need all the space I can get too.


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## ChrisB (Jul 3, 2008)

GTI-DNA said:


> Thanks Subie.
> 
> I also have an 80 PRS with Dayton Reference mids and tweets. One quick question, do you use the onboard processing with the PRS or the crossovers on the V9?
> 
> My current setup is a LP 452/952 combo on front stage and MTX Thunder 280 on sub duty and I am looking to get down to one amp with more power. Been looking at these and they seem promising. Yes, I am crazy wanting to go from old school to new school, but in my GTI I need all the space I can get too.


Good luck with a PDX V9. I highly recommend you purchase it authorized from a place with a long return period. Why? I didn't get a chance to install my PDX V9 until AFTER the 30 day "money back guarantee" period was over. Turn it on... POP. Turn it off... POP. Apply the slightest bit of volume, HISSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS.

For troubleshooting: 
*First thing I did was turn the gains down... No dice.

*Changed amplifier grounds 3x. Still there...

*Changed HU grounds 5x. Still there...

*Grounded the RCA shields on the DEH-80PRS thinking it was the P fuse. Didn't help!

*Changed HUs with a known, working Clarion DXZ785USB. I bypassed all factory wiring including wiring the RCAs directly to the amp. Still hiss and pop.

*Pulled the RCAs, put a toggle switch between the +12v and Remote turn on at the amp. Flip the switch on, POP. Flip the switch off, POP.

*Connected an iPod to the PDX input at the RCAs, as soon as I applied the slightest bit of volume, HISSSSSSSSSS.

*Replaced the PDX V9 with a Lunar L450 and a Lunar L100x2. No more hiss and turn on pop. I get an ever so slight turn off click, but I think that is the HU powering down before the amplifier. In other words, I can fix that but it is a non issue compared to the PDX V9.


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## subiemax (Nov 19, 2007)

I have not used any crossovers on the v9, using only he 80.
Old school stuff is cool, but its hard to beat the size of the new. I have an FRS, so size matters to me also. I have no complaints with the amp. The more I tune my system the more I like it.


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## subiemax (Nov 19, 2007)

To ChrisB- sounds like you got a bad one, as I have none of those issues. I wonder how common this is.


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## Shinju (Jul 11, 2008)

I have had zero issues with mine. Probably one of the best microsized class d amplifiers out there for the money.

Sounds like Chris_B got a bad apple and that sucks because it is really a great amplifier. Everyone I have recommended to get the v9 here and local have never been more satisfied.

My PDX f4 and v9 helped me capture a west coast INAC Amateur championship this year so they must work alright eh?


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## niceguy (Mar 12, 2006)

Another member posted a similar issue w/the POP noises a few weeks back...before that, it seemed that these issues had been largely eradicated but if I get a PDX, it'll be auth new w/full warranty


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## Booger (Apr 27, 2007)

I love my V9! Best 5 channel IMO. I would always recommend buying from a authorized source.


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## ChrisB (Jul 3, 2008)

Booger said:


> I love my V9! *Best 5 channel IMO.* I would always recommend buying from a authorized source.


Sorry, the JL Audio HD900/5 beat it hands down! But of course, I know you used to be the district Alpine rep, so I highly doubt you will say anything negative about Alpine, even if you were to have a problem.


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## Jrvtecaccord (Jul 3, 2008)

ChrisB said:


> Sorry, the JL Audio HD900/5 beat it hands down! But of course, I know you used to be the district Alpine rep, so I highly doubt you will say anything negative about Alpine, even if you were to have a problem.


Beats it hands down? Not sure how you came to that conclusion, but I don't think they are vastly different IMO. I personally like the Alpine amps better, and yes I have used almost every model of the PDX & HD line.

Jr - via S3 on Tapatalk


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## [email protected] (Jun 12, 2008)

Jrvtecaccord said:


> Beats it hands down? Not sure how you came to that conclusion, but I don't think they are vastly different IMO. I personally like the Alpine amps better, and yes I have used almost every model of the PDX & HD line.
> 
> Jr - via S3 on Tapatalk


He had a bad amp, now we get to see him go around and put down Alpine for prob acouple years, just like he did Linear Power :laugh:


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## ChrisB (Jul 3, 2008)

Jrvtecaccord said:


> Beats it hands down? Not sure how you came to that conclusion, but I don't think they are vastly different IMO. I personally like the Alpine amps better, and yes I have used almost every model of the PDX & HD line.
> 
> Jr - via S3 on Tapatalk


One worked properly out of the box, one didn't. Need I say more?



BeatsDownLow said:


> He had a bad amp, now we get to see him go around and put down Alpine for prob acouple years, just like he did Linear Power :laugh:


That makes TWO bad Alpine amplifiers out of the box since 2008. Fool me once, shame on you. Tell me the problems are fixed when obviously they were not, I guess that is shame on me for believing it.


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## therapture (Jan 31, 2013)

*got my V9 installed...my results.*

To revive an old, but applicable thread...oh well.

Got it installed Sunday. Took me 3-4 hours, but I completely revamped my wiring and layout in the trunk. I wanted a cleaner install, less amp space in the trunk, and the same power that I had, with less electrical system draw. My old 500w single sub amp had 100a fusing, this D class only has 80w fusing with about double the power total of just my old sub amp alone, not even counting the mid amp that was another 40a.

Reults? No POP - No HISS. My turn on is tied to the ignition/key system for all my components, so I can listen to the car without having to turn the key all the way on.

The Alpine seems a bit...crisper/brighter...than the Crunch it replaced (which I thought was great). I am not an amp snob, cheap amps work great if the system is built properly, enough about that though.

It's TINY. Fits almost anywhere. With the all in one setup, I got rid of a bunch of wiring, much cleaner and compact install. My trunk is pretty again.

I have not had much listen time on it, so I may report back if I find anything of note. So far so good though.

Oh yeah, it's sweet looking, one tiny amp in my trunk, my friend was like "no way that powers your whole system" 


edit: I am not using the onboard amp xovers for mids, I have them off since I use my Rockford 3sixty.3 for processing. The sub xover is not totally defeatable, I just turn it up to 400hz for the LP and subsonic filter at 15hz, so it basically takes it out of the equation.


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## Cypress (Apr 15, 2013)

Nice to see some more input on this amp. I have decided to include it my build, despite some of the negatives I've read. I have been full circle having originally decided on this one, then back over to the HD900/5, to some other solutions including the PPI Phantom (which truelly lives up to its name and I've never found available anywhere) all the way up to the HDP5. 

I've tried and I just can't seem to justify spending 300 more on the HD900/5 and I'm a big JL fan going back a long long time. 

Hopefully I get a good one, without any hiss or pops.


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## therapture (Jan 31, 2013)

Add a bit more- DEFINITELY more powerful than my old Crunch that was rated at 135w x 2 @4ohm. Pretty sure Crunch was a bit overzealous on that rating, but hey, it was a $75 amp, what was I expecting...but anyways...

1. It punches harder in the midbass than my old amp, nothing changed except the amp and gains set via the 3sixty.3 setup (more power, duh?).

2. Not much difference in overall SQ, EXCEPT for the aforementioned brighter top end. I noticed my right side was a bit hotter again (more power?), so I made a minor EQ tune session, cut the entire RH side gain .5db and tweaked a few things from 4k on up. Better.

3. I ran it pretty hard for 1.5 hrs on a beer sipping listening session, no ear fatigue. The amp got fairly warm but nothing crazy. 

4. Subwoofer output, I can't tell a difference between the Alpine and my old Crunch. Both were RMS rated at 500w....goes to show, sometimes an amp, is an amp.

5. I LOVE the tiny amp. Nothing to complain about, it's a powerhouse.

For my first class D amplifier, I am thrilled.


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## TheHulk9er (Oct 28, 2010)

I believe all of the new PDX line amps are amazing considering the size and price per watt. I have both the V-9 and the F4 and they are dead quiet clear and clean. Three amps total no problems.


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## Kriszilla (Jul 1, 2013)

I'm mid-install right now but I'm running dual V9's in my setup. They're both dead silent on turn-on and they have a great noise-floor.


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## creed (May 23, 2005)

I've ran both HD900/5 and PDX-V9; ended up replaced both of them with a Zed Leviathan; couldn't get over the fact that these compact size; high powered amplifier runs pretty hot; I've never experience any issues however by just the heat both the HD/PDX generated discomfort me hence the replacement with Zed.

Anyone of you checked how hot these runs after a good 1-2 hours workout?

Cheers


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## therapture (Jan 31, 2013)

I live in south Texas....summers very hot . I have prebaked my car for hours, amp already hot with ambient trunk temps, then hopped in it and driven 2+ hours to Houston with it on my "loud" sq level. No issues, no change in output, amp hot enough so that leaving your hand on it gets...uncomfortable. The fact that the heat is getting to the heatsunk and into the air is good, besides, you have to expect some heat from a until that can deliver 900+ watts from a package the size of a shallow cigar box.

Love my V9.


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## hankbot (Jan 6, 2013)

therapture said:


> I live in south Texas....summers very hot . I have prebaked my car for hours, amp already hot with ambient trunk temps, then hopped in it and driven 2+ hours to Houston with it on my "loud" sq level. No issues, no change in output, amp hot enough so that leaving your hand on it gets...uncomfortable. The fact that the heat is getting to the heatsunk and into the air is good, besides, you have to expect some heat from a until that can deliver 900+ watts from a package the size of a shallow cigar box.
> 
> Love my V9.


I don't have the V9, but do have the MRX V70. I couldn't justify the extra cost of the V9, but believe both are great amps. 

I agree with the assessment that a heat-sink should get hot (within reason). It's there to transfer heat from the components to outside air. If it doesn't heat up much one of three things is happening:

1) You're not running it very hard, it may be LOUD, but unless you're really cranking it to high levels the components in the amp just may not get very hot because your amp is only producing a fraction of its capable output. If designed for 900 watts RMS and the heat-sink can keep up to keep everything happy, then consider how much less total heat will be generated when the amp is playing dynamic music, even at clipping threshold. 

2)The heat-sink is not doing a good job transferring the heat. This would rarely be the fault of the heat-sink, after all aluminum will conduct a pretty consistent amount of heat even if the alloy changes a bit, and there's not a big mystery in designing fins for cooling. More than likely it's bad contact between the components and the heat sink. Bad news bears. 

3) You have an extremely well made amplifier which was overbuilt by the factory so that the maximum power and reliability can be extracted from the hardware. The heat-sink is capable of radiating more heat faster than will ever be generated by the components attached to it. This can eek the last bit of potential long term reliability from a board by reducing the effects of thermal cycling (expansion and contraction of components and solder joints). 

Most of our electronic components survive just fine at temperatures that we consider "hot" so really what we're most concerned with is paying for the extra margin of long term safety. Is it worth it for most of us? In my case no, I assume that when I switch cars I will switch amplifiers. If they work for 5-10 years I find that an acceptable tradeoff over an amp that costs 2x as much because I like the nudge to go find new gear every 5-10 years. If the amps still work and are usable in the new car, great. If not usable in the new car I'm not the least bit worried. Onto craigslist or eBay they go and on to the new (or new to me if buying a used amp). So far I have only had one amp ever die on me, a Crunch in 1999. Every other one; including a Boss and MA Audio were used by me, loved for the time I had them, and sold for at least 35-50% of what I paid for them when I was in need of something for a new car. 

Would I buy the JL because it ran cooler than the V9? No, they are both probably running plenty cool internally. Would buying a V9 that had noise issues cause me to buy the HD900? Only if after two free warranty replacements I still hadn't experienced a good V9.

I'd say my goal is to spend less than $300 a year on my car stereo when averaged out over the time I own the car. That includes getting a 33% payback when I sell the equipment that I can remove. I'm hoping to have my current car for 10 years, so I'm probably going to be at least $5k into my Element when all is said and done. 

That'd be 2 cents a mile. A bargain. The same cannot be said of the HD900.(although by all accounts an awesome amp)


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## kmbkk (Jun 11, 2011)

Subiemax,

Do you have a build thread? I have an FR-S and am trying to decide on amps for my SQ install. I definitely like the footprint of thes Alpines, so that's a big bouns for our cars. My other options are Zuki 5-channels (or 1 10-channel) or Soundstream Reference amps.
I'm pretty sure I could fit 2 of these (PDX-V9) under the front seats.


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## Rozay (Dec 7, 2013)

kmbkk said:


> Subiemax,
> 
> Do you have a build thread? I have an FR-S and am trying to decide on amps for my SQ install. I definitely like the footprint of thes Alpines, so that's a big bouns for our cars. My other options are Zuki 5-channels (or 1 10-channel) or Soundstream Reference amps.
> I'm pretty sure I could fit 2 of these (PDX-V9) under the front seats.


Run a resistor and the pop will go away.


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## Thairon (Mar 27, 2014)

So im having an issue with mine shutting off after a few minutes of bassy music. Fault light comes on but it comes right back if i turn the ignition off and back on. Any ideas?


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