When it comes to electronics, you tend to get what you pay for. With car stereo amps, you want clean sound and good power. And when you want massive power, one of the best out there is Massive Audio. They provide clean sound, and a lot of power to play loud. Up for review today it their Massive Audio D1600.4 four channel full range digital car amp.
Features and specs:
FEATURES:
- Extreme power in a small footprint
- MCU Power Management
- High / Low Level Input Switch
- Auto Turn-on/off Functions
- Low distortion full band width for sound quality tuning
- Advanced Full Range Digital design
- Illuminated Logo on Heavy duty Aluminum Heat-Sink
- Full Mosfet with high grade switching devices
- Designed and Engineered in U.S.A.
- Mil Spec double sided PCB with SMD parts
- Built-in noise reduction circuitry
- World Wide standard compliant (RoHS, E-mark, CEA-2006, CE)
- Advanced 5 way protection
SPECIFICATIONS:
| RMS @ 4 Ohm | 300w x 4 |
| RMS @ 2 Ohms | 400w x 4 |
| RMS @ 4 Ohm Bridged | 800w x 2 |
| Min Impedance | 2 Ohm |
| THD at 4Ohm Load 30% Rated Power | <.15% |
| S/N Ratio | >70 dB* |
| Freq. Response | 20Hz - 20KHz |
| Dimensions | 2.1" x 6.5" x 12.1" |
The Massive Audio D1600.4 came in a nice looking black box, that seemed to open on a hinge. Opening the box showed a well protected amp. Also included was the manual, mounting screws, and allan wrenches. Materials used in the construction was mostly aluminum, and the quality of the material used was excellent. The build quality as well as the fit and finish was also excellent. The Massive Audio D1600.4 is a solid and well built amp.
I love the design of the Massive Audio D1600.4. It has an industrial tough as nails look, and appropriately so. This is a seriously powerful and tough amp. The brushed aluminum cover helps give it this great look. The blue illuminated Massive Audio logo in the middle of the faceplate also adds a cool look. The right side houses the terminals for ground, power, and speaker wires. The left side houses the terminals for the RCA cables, and switches for gain, crossovers, and bridging the amp.
The Massive Audio D1600.4 was easy to set up. From wiring the power, ground and speaker wires, to the RCA's and setting up the gains and crossovers. Everything was well labeled and layed out, making set-up simple. The crossover used adds a lot of versatility as well, being able to use high pass, band pass, or low pass. So whether you want to power coaxials, tweeters, mids, midbass or subs, the Massive Audio D1600.4 can do it all.
The massive Audio D1600.4 is one seriously massive amp in regards to power output. It's a 4 channel amp, rated at 300 watts per channel at 4 ohms or 400 watts per channel at 2 ohms. That's 1200-1600 watts out of a footprint of only 12 x 6.5 inches for a 4 channel amp. WOW!! As impressive as it is, the D1600.4 isn't for everyone. The primary audience is the professional audio and sound competition users. After all, the Massive Audio D1600.4 can easily power 16 speakers. Now that's what we call Loud! And from an amp this small!!
While the Massive Audio D1600.4 is a clear contender for the pro audio crowd, it's also an amazing amp for the audiophile or car audio enthusiast as a whole system amp. While a 5 channel amp is preferred by many for powering a whole system, what do they provide? They typically max out at 75 watts per channel in the 4 channel section, and then usually only 300 watts for the sub. Maybe 500 watts for the sub, at 1 or 2 ohm, if you're lucky. That's not enough power for the enthusiasts. In 3 channel mode, the D1600.4 puts out 300 watts in 4 ohm for the front two channels, and 800 watts at 4 ohms to the subwoofer. That is exciting!
On paper, the Massive Audio D1600.4 is extremely impressive. So naturally I couldn't wait to see how it performed. I threw a wide range of music genre at it, for some critical listening. And I was pleased to see the magic on paper continued in it's actual aural performance.
Not only did the D1600.4 play loud, showing just how much power it had, it was really clean doing so. And it had plenty of reserves. The sound was not strained at all. Add to that the fact that the D1600.4 was also very transparent as well. So all of the small nuances I am used to hearing in my resolution rich tracks came out very well. The highs were clean, percussion was crisp, and flute had a lot of air. Midrange was also smooth with natural sounding vocals with good texture. Midbass had nice impact and depth. And the D1600.4 provided all the other sonic characteristics I like to hear, providing excellent dynamics, imaging, and a large soundstage.
As stated before, this amp is not for everyone. For the average listener with just coaxials in the front and rear, and either no subwoofer or a small one...it's not for you. This amp would be too much power. But for the audiophile or enthusiasts with multiple component systems or high power components, and multiple subs it's perfect.
I don't know of anyone who doesn't like music. And there are a lot of companies out there making car audio products. But for those that need it....Massive....well, that's where Massive Audio comes in. And the Massive Audio D1600.4 4 channel full range digital amp delivers that concept in spades. It's a well made product that flat out performs extremely well. Based on it's design, features, quality, and performance, the D1600.4 has earned our Editor's Choice Award. Kudos to Massive Audio for such a great product. For more info and complete specs, check out their website at
www.massiveaudio.com.
