Sundown Audio SALT-2 Subwoofer Amp Review The New Old School

When it comes to electronics, including our audio, there’s always newer and better. Tape decks gave way to CD’s, and CD’s gave way to streaming and Hi-Res Audio. But newer is not always better. Quality often gets sacrificed so products can be more affordable. Sometimes old school products are better. And in rare instances, you find a manufacturer making new products with old school quality. Such is the case with Sundown Audio and their SALT series car amplifiers. They’re the new old school. Up for review is their SALT-2 subwoofer amp.  MSRP is a very fair $875.

 

Features and specs:

4,000 x 1 @ 2 ohms RMS (when linked)

2,000 x 1 @ 1 ohms RMS mono

1,000 x 1 @ 2 ohms RMS mono

500 x 1 @ 4 ohms RMS mono

Frequency Response : 10 Hz – 250 HZ

Digital Class-D Linkable Mono Block Amplifier

Variable bass boost @ 45Hz 0-9dB

24dB variable subsonic filter: 10HZ - 50HZ

24dB variable low pass filter: 35HZ - 250HZ

Phase shift control 0-180 degrees

Power, clipping & protection indicators included

Thermal, voltage, speaker short, and dc-offset protection circuitry

Included Input wired remote control displays voltage, temperature, and clipping

Sensitivity : 6V - 0.2V

Dual MOS-FET PWM Power Supply

Efficiency : 90% <

Signal / Noise Ratio : 90DB <

Damping Factor : 400 <

Phase Shift Control 0-180 Degrees

Tested Voltage & THD : 12.8V & Less Than 1% THD

Operation Voltage : DC 9V - 15.5V Power Input

Recommended Fuse : 200 Amps

Dimensions : 15.74” L x 8.67” W x 2.80” H

 

The Sundown Audio SALT-2 came in a nice-looking color printed box, with photos and specs of the amplifier. Opening the box revealed a well-protected amp held in place by custom foam. Materials used in the construction was mostly metal. Quality of materials used, as well as fit and finish, are excellent! This is their premium amp and it shows! Also included was the bass remote, remote cable, Allen wrenches, and owner’s manual.

 

I absolutely love the old school quality of the Sundown Audio SALT series. To explain why, we first need to talk about the history of amp design. As time goes by, prices tend go up. And this included components. So manufacturers to try to keep prices down, have turned to lower quality components. This has caused lower performance. Sub amps many years ago, used to perform better, and handled power better. A sub amp that put out 300 watts at 4 ohm would actually double the power to 600 watts when the resistance dropped to 2 ohms. And it would double again to 1200 watts RMS when dropped further to 1 ohm. The internal components were better made and would put out more power. But now days, an amp rated a 300 watts RMS at 4 ohms, would only put out maybe 500 watts RMS when dropped to 2 ohms, and maybe around 750 or 800 at 1 ohm. And instead of rating their power at 12 volts, most amplifiers are now rated at 14.4 volts which not all vehicles hit.

 

This is what’s great about the Sundown Audio SALT series amps: their old school design.  When you drop the load from 4ohm to 2ohm, the power actually doubles.  Drop the load again from 2ohm to 1ohm, and the power doubles again.  The amp is also rated for the published power at 12 volts.  Their SALT series stands for Sundown Audio Low-Voltage Technology. Most amps are rated with published power at 14.1 volts, yet some alternators may only put out 13.6 volts or less. So being rated at full power at 12 volts, no matter what voltage your alternator is putting out, you will get the published power.

Sundown Audio however does not stop there. While they don’t publish it, may not recommend it, and it could void their warranty, their SALT amps can even handle ½ ohm loads! I would suspect this could be for you competitors, where you aren’t going to be running it for long lengths of time, just a couple minutes for competitions. And the quality continues even further. While most amps are made with Chinese components and made in China, some are made in China with some Korean components. The SALT series however take things even a step further. They are made in Korea with Korean components. It adds costs all around to do it this way, which increases the cost of the amp. It ends up being well worth it though. It’s a better performing amp that will last longer.

 

Ok, I’m going to date myself here, as I have been doing car audio for a VERY long time! But it kinda reminds me of my very first car audio system, that I powered with a very old school Rockford Fosgate Punch 75HD. Advertised at 37.5 watts RMS x 2 at 4 ohm, but really put out closer to 50 watts a channel at 4 ohm, and was able to be run in tri-made, which I did. That little amp powered a pair of 4” coaxials in the front, 6x9 co-axials in the rear deck, and a single 12” Punch Subwoofer. It ran close to 1ohm for a stereo amp, and it pounded hard all day long!

 

This Sundown Audio SALT-2 reminds me a bit of that amp, as this thing looks like a beast! The massive heat sinks are plenty to keep it cool. Connections on both sides are very well made, and solidly put together. The 0 gauge power and ground, followed by the 4 gauge speaker outs along with the line outs and stepping switch tell you this amp isn’t for the faint of heart. And looking inside at the beefy high-quality caps, power supply, as well as quality soldering, I was glad to see that they could be a new old school.

 

The layout was very user friendly. One side has your power, ground, speaker and remote turn on connectors. The other side contains your RCA ins and outs, remote turn on, as well as cross-over settings for high-pass, low-pass and subsonic filter. Tuning it was very simple.

 

And with the gift that keeps giving, Sundown Audio continues to impress. The bass remote is second to none. Not only is it used for the amount of bass output, it also advises you on the status of your amp. It has an LED readout that not only tells you the voltage that your amp is seeing, it also tells you the temperature of your amp. These can be not only helpful but also critical. Knowing the temperature can tell you your amp is on the verge of overheating, so time to tone it down.

 

All of this seems to be creating a synergy. It’s a compilation of parts, whose synergy created is higher than the sum of their parts. A product that leaves the competition in the dust. They even had their logo printed on both the top and the bottom. So no matter how you have it mounted, it looks great! Remember that scene in Ready Player One where Wade opened up the box and was looking at his newly delivered Nube Suit? Looking at the freshly installed Sundown Audio Salt-2 amp, it feels a lot like that. Now let’s see how it sounds.

 

Brandon Beal: Drop That Booty Down Low-  bass beats were nice and tight and super clean, had really good low end extension, and hit really hard!  But when he dropped the booty down low, it was really low but also really clean.  It hit so hard my whole truck shook!

Tiesto & Sevenn: Boom-  some bass beats were nice and as deep, but were super clean, tight, and played with authority. Others were deeper, yet were still super clean, tight, and played with excellent authority.  And then others were so deep, yet while still managed to be super clean. And it was like an earthquake in my truck.

Techmaster P.E.B: Activate-  so so deep!  It’s my old school subwoofer torture track.  Not only does it put out some serious bass, it shows how deep it can go.  Again, it was all super clean, yet so loud and shook my whole truck!

 

The Sundown Audio SALT-2 amplifier performed extremely well!  It provided excellent power to my sealed 12’s.  Motors were extremely well controlled, providing extremely tight quick beats when the music provided it. And when the provided bass was longer and sustained, it was extremely clean and smooth, providing tons of output.  It also proved to be very under-rated. Rated at 1000 watts RMS, our unit provided 1,495 watts at 2ohm.  And for 2 sealed subs in limited space under my rear seat which isn’t ideal, I still managed to get 131db. So the amp was very under-rated, provided real power, and made my not ideal set-up perform at its best. It will do the same for yours. And the bass remote with LED that also monitored the temperature of the amp and the volts it saw, also performed in spades.

 

The Sundown Audio SALT-2 amplifier proved to be a real performer! After listening to it, I can whole heartedly agree, as Wade Watts said……..Ohhhh…Yeah! With an MSRP of $875, some may consider it out of their budget. But whatever your wattage needs for your subs, Sundown Audio has a SALT series amp that will work for you, and worth every penny. It’s worth saving up for. And it will provide years of use. Based on its design, features, quality, and performance, the Sundown Audio SALT-2 has earned our Editor’s Choice Award. For more info and complete specs, check out their website at www.sundownaudio.com.

Car Factory Speakers Upgrade Featuring Harman Kardon FIT6CF and FIT6F

Our vehicles get us from point A to point B, but we also want to enjoy the journey. Listening to our tunes help us do that. Car manufacturers provide a radio and speakers, but they aren’t the greatest, especially the standard stock system. If you want speakers that will sound better and last longer, it could be time for an upgrade. There are a lot of options for this, and Harman Kardon is a good one. A brand offered as an upgrade to some vehicle’s sound system, now Harman Kardon offers aftermarket speakers. Up for review is their Harman Kardon FIT6CF and FIT6F speaker system. MSRP is a very fair $299 and $179.

 

FIT6CF Features and specs:

Speaker Size: 6.5 inches (165mm)

Speaker Type: 2-Way Component

Power Handling:

Continuous: 50W RMS

Peak: 400W

Sensitivity: 1m/1W: 88dB@2.83V: 91dB

Frequency Response: 57Hz - 40kHz

Nominal Impedance: 4 ohms

Features:

Plus One™ Glass Fiber Woofer Cone

Edge-driven Textile Dome Tweeter for high-resolution audio (up to 40kHz)

Uni-Pivot & Angled Tweeter Design with adjustable output level (0dB or -3dB)

Slim and Smart Crossover Design with 2-way/3-way upgradability

Dimensions: 3"D x 6.5"W x 6.8"H (Note: Dimensions might vary slightly between sources, these are approximate)

Weight: 3.65 kg (8.03 lbs) (Note: Weight might vary slightly between sources, these are approximate)

 

FIT6CF Features and specs:

Specifications

Speaker Type: 6.5" (165mm) 2-way Coaxial Car Speaker.

Power Handling: 45W RMS / 360W Peak.

Sensitivity: 92dB (@2.83V) / 88dB (1m/1w).

Frequency Response: 58Hz – 40kHz.

Nominal Impedance: 4 ohms.

Features

Plus One™ Glass Fiber Woofer Cone: Patented technology for improved sensitivity and low-frequency output.

Edge-driven Textile Dome Tweeter: Delivers 40kHz high-resolution audio.

Uni-Pivot & Angled Tweeter Design: Allows adjustment of the tweeter's direction for optimal sound staging.

Adjustable Tweeter Output Level: Provides options for 0dB or -3dB attenuation to tailor the sound to the listening environment.

Slim and Smart Crossover Design: Features pre-wired cables for easier installation.

3-way Upgradability: Compatible with an optional 3.5-inch midrange unit for expanding into a 3-way system.

High Sensitivity: Designed for crisp vocals and balanced acoustics across various music genres.

 

 

The Harman Kardon FIT6CF and FIT6F came in a nice-looking color printed box with photos and specs of the speaker system. Opening the box revealed a well-protected speaker held in place by custom card board and wrapped in a cloth bag. Materials used in the construction was mostly metal, glass fiber, rubber, and some plastic. Quality of materials used as well as fit and finish was very good. Also included were the grills, mounting hardware, and QR code for the manual.

 

I really like the design of the Harman Kardon FIT6CF and FIT6F. They are very economically priced, but cutting the right corners to keep the price down such as using stamped baskets, which is just fine for their power rating. Yet you still manage to get a rubber surround and glass fiber cone for many years of use. There’s even tweeter attenuation. This is a far cry from your standard stock IEM speakers that manufacturers provide using planned obsolescence.

 

Don’t get me wrong. Car manufactures have come a long way, as many of them offer upgraded premium systems that do sound very good. But for the regular stock system, there is much to be improved on in the sound, as well as their planned obsolescence. And if you don’t know what I’m talking about, they use cheap surrounds and paper cones. So to make things worse, in addition to their just ok sound, they are made to need replacing. Many of you may be in the middle of this dilemma. Either you want better sound, and/or one or more of these cheap speakers in your car may be blown.

 

And this is where Harman Kardon comes in. Their speaker systems are offered as upgrade systems by some manufactures, and now they want to help others by providing aftermarket speaker systems that fit directly into the factory locations. They offer 2-way and 3-way components as well as coaxials. Tweeters use silk domes for natural sounding yet extended highs, and the midranges incorporate a solid glass fiber cone for a stiff driver that provides smooth mids with tight extended midbass. They even have attenuation for tweeter levels on the crossover network for the components, and on the tweeter housing of the coaxials. That allows you to adjust the tweeter output to your liking.

 

The Harman Kardon speaker system went into a 2012 Toyota Carolla. The 6.5” component system is going into the front factory speaker system, a direct fit. And the 6.5” Coaxial is going into the factory speaker location on the rear deck. Installation was very simple.  And installed in the factory locations, the speaker grills were not needed. It looks completely stock. They are also efficient enough to be powered by the factory electronics. Yet if one were to decide down the road for a future upgrade, you could get a separate amp for them as they can handle a good amount of power.

 

As a review on upgrading your factory speakers, our listening test will first start with the factory system.  We will then listen to the upgraded Harman Kardon speaker system.  After all, this is a review on upgrading the factory system.  This way we include the sound quality of the stock system, and compare it to the Harman Kardon system. Now let’s see how they sound.

 

Disturbed: Sound of Silence – vocals had ok texture, piano had ok tone, as did the guitar and violin. And the tympani came through as did the cymbals. But they all lacked crispness, details, and resolution. It was just really flat.

Nat King Cole:  L-O-V-E – vocals were smooth, cymbals were dynamic and piano had good tone. But the vocals lacked resolution of the timbre, cymbals lacked resolution of the crispness. And the harmonics you would expect from piano wasn’t there. Trumpet was smooth and had decent harmonics. Bass had ok extension but lacked authority.

Rush: Tom Sawyer – vocals had ok texture, guitar was raw. Drums had ok dynamics. But the vocals lacked resolution of the timbre. Drums had some dynamics but not as much as expected. Cymbals had some crispness but was lacking. Snare drums also provided some dynamics, but the resolution of the sticks on the pad was also lacking.

Now let’s listen to the Harman Kardon speaker system.

Disturbed: Sound of Silence – piano sounded natural with nice harmonics. Vocals were silky smooth with very good resolution of the texture of the timbre. Violins were also smooth with good resolution of the bows across the strings. Tympani was dynamic with good resolution of the impact on the pad. Acoustic guitar was crisp and clean, being able to hear the decay of the strings played.

Nat King Cole:  L-O-V-E -vocals were really smooth and had really good resolution of the texture of the timbre. Cymbals were dynamic and piano had really good tone of the strings and harmonics.  Cymbals were crisp and clean with good resolution of the decay of the impact. Trumpet was smooth with really good harmonics.  Bass had good extension and played with authority.

Tom Sawyer – vocals were smooth like honey, with really good texture. Cymbals were really crisp and clean. And it was a drum smorgasbord. Snare drums were really dynamic with excellent resolution of the stick on the pad. The various tom drums also provided similar dynamics and resolution of the stick on the pads, and very good pitch definition of the mids and midbass. Kick drum was nice and tight, with plenty of authority and low-end extension.

 

The Harman Kardon speaker system, comprised of their FIT6CF and FIT6F, proved to be a great performer. They are well made to provide years of performance. Installation was simple with it fitting in the factory location of many vehicles. And they also sound great! Based on its design, features, quality, and performance, the Harman Kardon FIT6CF and FIT6F has earned our Highly Recommended Award. For more info and complete specs, check out their website at www.harmanaudio.com.

Infinity Reference 1000SSL 10 Inch Car Subwoofer With Passive Radiator

Most stock our stereos have a lot of room for improvement. There are a lot of options to upgrade your car speaker system. One option, with decades of experience, is Infinity. You also don’t want to forget the subwoofer. Up for review today is the Infinity Reference 1000SSL. MSRP is $399.

 

Feature and specs:

Subwoofer:  10" (250mm) Aluminum Driver

Power Handling:  350W RMS, 1050W peak

Sensitivity (1W/1m):  82.5dB

Frequency Response (-6dB):  35Hz – 400Hz

Nominal Impedance:  2 ohms

Voice Coil Diameter:  2" (50mm)

Enclosure dimensions:  334mmD x 630mmW x 115mmH 13-1/8"D x 24-7/8"W x 4-1/2"H

Enclosure materials:  3/4” (18mm) MDF with black carpet covering

 

The Infinity Reference 1000SSL came in a standard cardboard box with images and specs of the subwoofer. Opening the box revealed a well-protected enclosure held in place by Styrofoam. Materials used for the construction was mostly MDF for the enclosure, aluminum and rubber for the subwoofer, and cloth. Quality of the materials used in the construction, as well as the fit and finish, was very good. Also included were the rubber feet, screws, logo sticker, and owner’s manual.

 

I absolutely love the design of the Infinity Reference 1000SSL. But lets first talk about subwoofer enclosure designs. The most common are sealed and ported. And I know this is over simplified, but it’s the basics. Sealed gives you a nice tight sound, good power handling, in a smaller size, but not as loud as ported. Ported isn’t as tight sounding, and is louder, but requires a much larger enclosure. Using a passive radiator gives you the best of both worlds. It’s sealed so you get a tight sound in a smaller sealed box. Yet the passive radiator almost acts like a port. It’s not quite as loud as ported, but it does increase its volume output when compared to a regular sealed enclosure by a good amount.

 

The Infinity Reference 1000SSL taps into that passive radiator design. It uses two 10’s in a sealed enclosure. One driver is active, and the other is the passive radiator. The box is small enough to give you some installation location options, depending on your vehicle. And if it gets installed in your truck, the enclosure uses ¾” thick MDF so it’s strong, and the drivers are down firing. So you can stack things on top of it, like groceries, if needed. The 350 watt RMS also gives you some amp flexibility. You can use a smaller sub amp, or most 5 channel full system amps have a sub amp part that are big enough to power it. Installation was also easy. Let’s see how it sounds.

 

Queen: Another One Bites the Dust: Bass beats were extremely dynamic, played with a ton of authority with excellent depth. And it hit really hard like a punch to the chest.

Brandon Beal: Drop that Booty Down Low: bass beats were nice and tight, with really good extension and authority. They were really dynamic and hit really hard. And when the booty got dropped down low, it shook the whole car!

Tiesto & Severn: Boom: some bass beats were not as deep, but were still really dynamic and hit hard. Others were deeper, and hit even harder. And then others were so, so deep, and yet, hit even harder! It was a subwoofer torture track that the sub smiled and danced to the whole time it played. And the whole car constantly shook as if under attack!

 

Infinity is one of those brands that are known for quality products, and I’m glad to see that they don’t sit on their laurels.  Their reputation for great products continues.  The enclosure is very well made, as are the drivers.  And given its down firing design and sturdy build, it also does not take away from trunk utility.  And, it also sounded really good!  Based on its design, features, quality, and performance, the Infinity Reference 1000SSL has earned our Editor’s Choice Award.  For more info and complete specs, check out their website at www.harmanaudio.com. 

JBL JAM5000N Head Unit for Marine/Motorsport Review

When it comes to electronics, there are lots of options: car stereo, home theater, portable, etc. There are some companies that not only provide great products, they are so huge they do it all. JBL is one of those companies. Now they provide receivers for mobile. Up for review is their JBL JAM5000N head unit. It’s a receiver designed for marine, but also works with motorsport, such as side x side’s and golf carts. MSRP is a fair $799.

 

Features and specs:

LCD Display:  2.8” color

Supports multiple audio sources:  Bluetooth, USB, AM/FM/WB, DAB+ ready, iPhone/ iPad/ iPod

Audio output:  RCA & Speaker level

NMEA 2000 certified:  Yes

Marine Rated:  IP66

RMS Power Output:  15Wx4

2ohm Stable:  Yes

Outputs:  3 zones

Pre-out:  9Ch/4V

Remote connectivity:  Yes

Rear camera input:  Yes

Eco-friendly Packaging:  Yes

Mounting options:  Front & Rear

 

The JBL JAM5000N Head unit came in a nice-looking color printed box, with photos and specs of the receiver. Opening the box revealed a well-protected product held in place by cardboard. Materials used in the construction was metal and plastic. Quality of materials used as well as fit and finish, was very good. Also included was the wiring harness, mounting bracket, screws, and manual.

 

I love the design of the JBL JAM5000N Head unit. It is basically like a car receiver in functionality. There is switching between sources for tuner, Bluetooth and USB. There are also RCA outputs for a separate amplifier, as well as RCA input for a rear camera. The display is a 2.8” color LCD display. The rear is a round heatsink. It actually does double duty.  And its metal and works as a heat sink to cool the internal amplifier, and along with the included foam gasket works to protect the internal components from water.

 

As a motorsport head unit, it operates in an environment that tends to be loud due to the noise of the vehicle. Extra power from the amp can be helpful to combat it. The internal amp is a 15 watts x 4. But it’s also 2 ohm stable. That means if you’re only going to be using a single pair of speakers, you could use a 2 ohm pair, to get more power from your amp for increased volume.

 

I know some of you may also be thinking. Why does it have a rear camera input? If you’re using this for a boat, you aren’t going to be backing up to park, like you would a car. But on a boat, it is actually more useful. While you may not back-up to park, you would back up at the dock to get the boat on your trailer to drive it back home. It’s also helpful to be able to watch a water skier.

 

Installation was also straight forward. The manual was easier to read and follow then expected. All of the mounting screws and bracket for a successful install was provided. It even came with the foam gasket to seal it up against your dash. Bluetooth worked great, and was really easy to pair to my smartphone. And I also loved the USB drive so I could also listen to my CD collection ripped to my flash drive. It has some excellent features. Now let’s see how it performs.

 

Installation was fairly simple with the instructions, bracket and included screws. Pairing with my smartphone with Bluetooth for music was super easy. The USB for my CD collection on my flash drive also worked well. And the color display looked great, providing good resolution. Adjusting the sound preferences in the settings was also easy. Let’s see how it sounds.

 

Nat King Cole - L-O-V-E: cymbals were crisp and clean. Piano sounded natural. Strings were smooth with sufficient resolution of the strings. Trumpet was really dynamic with really good harmonics. Drums were also nice and dynamic. Bass was silky smooth with really good low-end extension and authority.

 

AC/DC – Back in Black: guitar was nice and raw. Cymbals were crisp and clean. Snare drum was really dynamic with good resolution of the stick on the pad. Kickdrum was equally dynamic, hit really hard with good authority and had good low-end extension. Vocals were also nice and raw with good texture of the timbre.

 

Brandon Beal – Drop that Booty Down Low: vocals were smooth like honey, with good texture. Bass beats were nice and deep, and played with good authority. And when the booty got dropped down low, it played even deeper, and hit hard.

 

I was impressed with the sound quality of the JBL JAM5000N internal amp. It was only 15 watts from a receiver, so I wasn’t expecting a lot. Highs still managed to be crisp and clean, mids were smooth with good harmonics. And the motors were sufficiently well controlled for ok control of cone for bass that was tight, dynamic, with good extension.

 

JBL is known for providing excellent products, and the JBL JAM5000N Head unit is an example of it. It’s designed well for its intended application and is built well to provide years of use. There’s also a lot of sources to choose from for your music, such as tuner, Bluetooth and USB. It’s fairly priced at $799. Based on its design, features, quality, and performance, the JBL JAM5000N has earned our Highly Recommended Award. For more info and complete specs, check out their website at www.jbl.com.