I've never seen anyone test a common head unit like a Sony, kenwood or pioneer, that would be interesting to see how much power you really get if you use the head unit outputs
I was a professional installer for many years at a high end audio shop and I can say throughout the years, people love to hate Boss and looking at the comments, still do...mostly because people who are looking at Boss stuff is either a novice, on a budget, or just young in age...the inexperienced do it yourselfers. Which is why many people who have had Boss has had bad experiences, not just with Boss, but with other brands as well. Back in the day as a pro installer, all i put in my car was major brand names, but later in life now with family and kids, I actually bought this amp because I didn't want to spend thousands or even hundreds on a system. I'll tell ya, I answered my own question below and this thing kicks ass for what it is, as long as you install it and tune it properly, paired with the right sub, box and using quality wires...just like with any brand. If you are looking to adding sound quality to your factory or aftermarket head unit, this is a good amp. First, disconnect the sub to the amp , turn your remote bass knob all the way up if you have it hooked up, turn the gain on your amp all the way down, play a 50hz test tone through your headunit turning it up as loud as you can without distorting. Set your multimeter to measure AC voltage...Measure the output of the amp and turn the gain on the amp until the meter reads 31.6V to achieve 250w. (you will have to turn on Bass Boost to achieve the 31.6 Volts on this amp). Note: people like to say "stay away from bass boost" simply because people turn this on not knowing how to measure exactly what voltage they are getting out of the amp outputs, thus...blowing their subs. It is safe only if you know how to calculate and measure the voltage on the amp outputs. 250w(target RMS of what I want to run the sub) multipied by 4ohms(the impedance of my single sub) = 1000. Take the square root of 1000 then your target voltage of the output of the amp is 31.6v The point is, don't make decisions on dyno readings alone. Despite this video calling this amp a "Bust" It doesn't take into consideration how well it would perform after you adjust your gains properly by achieving a target Voltage thus correlating to the proper wattage you need for your sub to perform at it's best. It might not be the most efficient amp, but for 40-50 bucks, for the young novice, or an old basshead that is scaling back on the amount of bass he puts in his car...this amp is wonderful. (My Setup for example) Pac Line Out Converter 8 Gauge Wiring Kit Rockford Fosgate R2 12in Sub (250w rms, 500w peak) Single Bbox Sealed Box Boss r1100m
Eric Srisavaththay , This amp and a 12” sub was given to me and I was worried that the amp wouldn’t have enough power. I did what you described except I couldn’t get the multimeter to read right, but it’s sounds great! No distortion, no clipping. But I was wondering, if I turn the bass knob down, will it start to underpower and potentially damage the sub? Sub is an infinity reference 1252w 300w rms. Thanks!
Absolute garbage amp for the money if you haven't noticed all the other ones for the same price. It's just ridiculous to praise something that gives you half of what others offer at the same shiz
Hey I see you posting on a lot of videos. Do you have anything to do with dark audio or know much about them? I remember seeing the 3" coil 12's pop up on ebay in like 2015 for really cheap thinking they were probably the absolute best bang for your buck subs on the market something like 2 for $169 or 2 for $179. I still see them on ebay but not much else.
Not a lie though, but it does the job for a cheap amp if you are going for a cheaper setup, lol. What makes me laugh is when you got someone with a pair of kicker l7s using a boss amp 🤦♂️
FINALLY SOMEONE TESTED THIS SPECIFIC MODEL! THANK YOU! I bought it before I knew much about the specifics of car audio and I have been so curious about what it really could do. After watch yours and others tests I know have a pioneer 8601 which I love!
Hey, quick tip, I've been running a 12" Rockville at 1ohm total, for over 5 months now, surprisingly, the amp is able to sustain the "true" "400 ish" watts.
I purchased this amp and a 10" kicker. Wasn't expecting much for $80. But I do have a f150 extended cab truck. I wanted a little bit of boom and that's exactly what I got. I give it a 5 out of 10 for what I paid.
You should change it to Budget Gem or Budget BOSS. Thanks for reviewing these pieces of crap. I know you don't like doing it, but you are helping everybody save their money. My friend had one of these in his trunk for years and I told him it couldn't be more than 200 watts. Thanks for proving it!
I have that amp. It was my first amp and let me tell you it is very good for 50 bucks. Looking back at it its hard to believe you can buy an amp for 50 bucks. I have a sundown ns1v2 now so I upgraded a little bit. People call this amp junk but what do you expect for 50 bucks. Its basically free.
I had this in my first car paired with a pioneer 12". Got it on a black Friday deal for $40. I always knew it was overrated but I was satisfied with price vs performance. It even survived a flood in that car. Used for a couple years after the flood then gave it away. Would never buy it again but never regretted buying it
I'm going to buy 4 of them and hook each one of them up to their own subwoofer. I'll build a fancy stealth amp rack that only shows one of them. That will fool everybody into thinking that it is a budget gem.
The power acoustic razor 2500d is probably one of the cheapest best amps I've owned and I've had a lot of amps I had 2 12 inch visonik competition subs they were 400rms each I had the amp gaine a quarter of the way up and set the gains to match everything up perfectly n I had good wiring to it and I blew both subs maybe a week into hooking it up so I got a single 12 power acoustic gothic and the amp moves this thing its louder than my Rf p3's and its only one in custom box going to get another 12 and another amp with custom box soon.
Purchased this amp, wiring, box, and RF R1S4-12 sub for $130 as an entry level kit. I saw it was a good price to get me into the world of subwoofers and I took it. While I do crave more, my kit was great for what I paid for it. Should I even consider upgrading my amp to something better since it'll barely push my sub to RMS, or should I keep it and just upgrade when I get a better subwoofer? I feel like I can get more out of the sub, but it's enough to make my mirrors vibrate when the right song is on (I'm in an 04 Tahoe with the sub in the back, firing into the rear hatch). First time on this channel, happy with the video. I knew, before buying my kit, that the 1100w rating was extremely over exaggerated, but not to this degree.
When I look at these cheap $50 amps rated at "1100 watts" or the pyle $60 "2000 watt" amp I read the reviews and I get it. Most people don't understand car audio and haven't had a real 500 rms + system amd they buy them up and love them and leave great reviews like "runs my 3000 rms Sony xplod sub to death". The marketing is genius because the masses don't know any better. Leave it to the pros (rockford, JL, alpine, ect) to sell and market to the bass heads with the real rms numbers.
Many moons ago, Zed made Boss amps, and they were great amps back in the mid/late 90s. They were beyond budget gems back then, they were straight up steals.
I am not a fan of boss but I do own one, I have had a ndx 5500 onyx for about five years and has been my daily driving two dark audio nko 12's at two ohms and it has had zero issues . The sound quality is pretty good but it is only driving subs. I'd say it's at least a 1000 watts of useable power, normally I'm a Rockford fanboy but I like the boss I have. I've ran a bamf 5500 and it maybe will push 1000 watts . I ran a hifonics brz 1200 and it's a nice amp but still didn't have the same drive the boss did. I'm planning on swapping in two Rockford's 501s ( one per sub) but I'm affraid the boss might be better than my beautiful twenty year old Rockford s .
@@elishahocking2885 I've seen em, they both bump with no distortion. Kickers aren't power hungry subs, the amp and subs going on 7 years of use and no issues.
I got this in a cheap kit since I decided to get back into car audio. It came with a kenwood 12 that claims it handles 400rms and let me tell you going from 2 jl audio w3v3 10's and a 500/1v2 amp years ago to this is lets say very underwhelming in the least lol.
A cheap bass fix especially when you have kids to feed! I went from PPI to Boss for amps! Lol! Had to sell my beloved PPI 's for groceries!!! Yes, I took a hit!
Lets forget about the numbers. I have this amp and this shit gets down and loud with my mtx terminators. I upgraded to a ns1 v2 and 2 sundown 18s but im still impressed with this amps performance. Dollar for dollar my old system is way better than my current one.
This was my first ever external Amp that I ran a 1x10 shallow sub kicker with. It was good, I could make it push the sub pretty hard but the sub would flub out. I'd say it's a good starter monoblock for anyone that wants an oompf of bass but not for someone that wants to bump their whole car. Thanks for the test on this one!
@@meyetoob1 I ended up with a 5 channel rockville amp that powered all my speakers, it was a fantastic bang for your buck amp. After that I went off the deep end and acquired a 6 Channel mcintosh for 6 speakers in the front and a 5 channel phoenix gold ti2 1600.5 for the sub and the 2 rear speakers
Update: This amp still working in 2ohms into 6.5 bazooka bass tubes run hard and it kicks! Hooked up to a kenwood hu running the stock speakers in my CR-V! For 50.00 , it's good!
As a guy who at one point had a Boss/Pyramid Amp. I would say, it is not bad, it is also not good , but as a starter equipment, or to add just a tiny bit of extra power that car stereo cant and wont provide it is not a bad investment, either as a starter or for a work car/truck. I agree you can get better stuff for a little bit more, or at a pawn shop but. In the end, we all love to hate the brand, I moved from it long.time ago and choose my equipment based on price and specs currently I have a 1600.1 Cerwin Vega for 2 Kicker CVR 12" and 2 6.5 set Focal on a 4 ch a/b Crunch amp. It does what I want nice quality crisp sound with a deep background bass. Cheers.
I had one that lasted for 2-3 years I turned the volume up all the time on 2 12” subs it’s not a beast but it worked I wasn’t trying to blow my trunk off
I bought this amp about 2 years ago. It works but not like I wanted. I will be getting one of this guys recommendations for power under a hundered bucks.
Like a true electrician Ryan checks the fuse amperage first. I have to explain to customers that for 30 amps to produce 600 watts, the amplifier needs to be 300% efficient. Thankfully I can show them your videos when they want massive bass from planet audio crap
I have this amp and it runs my 2 12 inch pioneers great. I have the bass dial on half and if I crank it anymore my speakers start to distort. Try it on some speakers I promise you you'll be surprised
Lol, its not much money for an amp. There is more to good sound than just an amp. There are alot of variables, like how the sub box is made, what kind of car is used. The wires one uses etc. Its not junk, its a good cheap amp.
If you are working with a Boss amplifier you are not going to have anything that would be classified as good sound. I don't care if you buy the most expensive wiring available. 1 low quality component will ruin a system.
I've had this amp in a 2 vehicles it wasn't much but where it really shines is in home audio(1000 watt Corsair PC power supply is powering it). I have a skar ix 12 in a big box behind my TV it gets fairly low and sounds great. At random times the entire house vibrates
@tyler amburg hmm I haven't had any issues with my system but I did go over kill on the PSU. I use it daily and have yet to get any issues other then shit falling off my fridge and my garage door rattling
I must say I did like the PD5000 video you did as well as the Armor 4000 Biz D did as far as them putting out over 1000 Watts but still you don't need to rate it a million watts to get someone to buy it. But like all amps if it makes you happy then I guess it's a plus.
I currently have this amplifier set with a pair of cheap mtx terminators. Definitely not a great amp, lol. It does the job, but you can tell the subs are yearning for more power (probably because they aren't even getting half of what they can handle 🤣). Still not a bad amp for a budget build. I've personally never had an issue with boss amps overheating, giving out, and what not. I have had clipping issues with every single one though, lmao. So usually I can't even have the deck more than 65% or else it is just constant clipping. Being someone who has used boss and more expensive amplifiers, I can say that for the money it isn't terrible, but there are still better options out there. One thing to take into consideration aside from actual power output is longevity. Any boss amplifier I have owned has lasted years, never had an issue with any. That in my book is a good enough reason to save the $20-50, despite sacrificing the power.
Believe it or not. I've traded this amp for a crossfire CFA1000d. The kid said to me "the crossfire is only 250 watts. I don't think it's enough for my subs cause they cut out. When I have the amp turned all the way up" I told him I'll give you this "1100 watt" amp for that amp. Heck I'll even hook it up for you. He was like ok. I hooked it up he powers 2 kicker comp S 12s I've set his gain with my DD1. He was really impressed he said "this amp gotta be doing more than 1100 watts it sounds like my buddy's 5,000 watt system with 15s. I just couldn't hold my laugh in
your attitude on this one perplexes me, the only way people will know the amp isn't worth buying is if you test it so it's not a waste of your time. i've been curious about this amp for a long time so i'm glad you tested it because now i have information that i wouldn't be able to get other wise so thank you...
Love these videos that do show those who don't already know, that these amps are trash. Thanks man for helps us prove the point to those who don't know.
I know these types of amplifiers never hit the numbers on the box but it sure is funny as Hell to see. 😆🤣 I'd like to see these run down to 2 or even 1 ohm. FULL SEND! 😆🤣😆🤣
This amp is not the boss to get. You can get the boss r3400d new for 91$ and that is the one! I have the r3400d at 2 Ohm (its 1 ohm stable) on my RF Power T2 15 and let me tell you its doing every bit of 750 rms. messes with my breathing and my rearview mirror will not stay up. I am willing to bet at 1 Ohm it does 1400 rms or close to it and for 91$ that is a sweet deal. Did i mention its strappable? 2400 rms for 182$? Sure it has spade terminals and has 3400 watt on it but for the price it does deliver the goods. I have never liked boss and if it was not for me getting this amp for 50$ used i would have never got one.
not trying to get anybodies panties in a wade. Im a old man that grew up with top of line audio components.(fosgate, kenwood,alpine, linear power) which came with high end price. about 6 months ago I decide to install a new stereo in a Town and country van that I use for work,I wanted to see how cheap I could build a decent SQ system, Started by getting 12 dynaudio speakers out of scraped volvo for 40$. Built two 1cu ft enclosed sub boxes ,double 3/4 laminated with 1/4 maple trimed in mahogany(most cost). Bought two Boss amps 3400 and 1600 4channel.(150$ total) Chrimped soldered and sized wire and heat shrink all connections. mounted amps on stand offs and added cooling fan. Walmart Pioneer DEH 5010BT(80$). Finally smoked dyna 8"subs,replaced with kicker comp vr 10s dvc 2 ohms.wired .5 ohms(150$), Less sub boxes, I have less than 500$ in whole system and people cant believe the db and sq coming from this system. It surprised me too. I was a none believer in boss but like cars I think everybody makes good ones and bad ones, I just happen to get a pair that are good. It may only make a few watts, but for what it is, its impressive. I don't crank stereo if van is not running and yes it has blasted for 3 hours strait on ride to ATL. several times. so miracles can happen, receipt for receipt I will put it up against any 400$ new system. every once in a while the sun does shine up a different dogs ass.old timers will know what I mean . Keep up vids. Ryan
I have my r3400d amps powered with 4 gauge tin plated copper lugs. The spade terminal does not bother me so much now. The power connection with spade terminals is so good with lugs! I have 2 r3400ds strapped at 1 ohm per amp and i can't tell a difference between the 3400s and a xtr 2500.1 dz at 2 ohm so i now it has to be in the 2400+ RMS ball park. You sad you had your 3400 at .5 ohm??? how did it do? I am thinking of changing the thermal paste to mx4, adding a fan to both and trying for .5 ohm.
Jeremy Ellis it has played for several hours non stop . but as I said I keep the voltage up and the clipping down. I don't play stereo with engine off, I have so little invested I.ve been considering liquid cooling . I have 2Ga + and - distribution blocks. and short 4 ga feeding amp. speaker wires are (3) 12ga braided. I am a electrician and I haven't checked to see what output is, Im sure its not close to advertised or even rated rms (off of boss site) for the name brand its impressive , for the cost its out of this world. and if and when it takes a shit I think I will upgrade transistors ,caps, diodes, and power supply just to piss people off
also isolate from vibration (don't mount to speaker box) think about vibration the only way for electronics to handle vibration is to be potted, which holds heat. cool,cool,cool, and periodically do a look over and tighten screws and terminals. when voltage drops amperage goes up, amperage is what burns equipment out
Thanks for the reply. I think i will give it a go! these will be going on a evl 18 at .5 and trying for a super clean 3k. I have noticed the amp has 2 small channels where the cooling surface is enclosed, very strange but it makes me think 2 small fans on each amp pushing air thru the channels.
Great job Ryan. People need to be educated about these brands. Very hard to match subs to amps when one can’t rely on numbers provided by the mfg. I’m hearing DB Drive does half its rating, any future tests of that brand?
I’ve been plenty happy with my boss 10” and this amp in my truck! Still works just fine and has just the right amount of “bump” I need. I think this paired with a $20 boss 10” sub seem to be a good match! And truthfully I got it so that if it gets stolen it’s not worth anything because it’s not worth $25 when it’s new! Lol
I feel like people are just snobs these days I find cheap junk more then suitable. These retards are comparing these cheap things to expensive products. No shit they suck compared to something ten times the price
Adam Rosenberg oh man I heard all this shit about how fosgate was the best of the best so I got some speaker from them and they were terrible, stock speakers were way better. Maybe it was good 40 years ago but new shit is trash IMO. I’ve had better sound come outta cheap 30 dollar head units then 500 dollar units and I learned ussually cheap shit gets the job done most of the time.
For a cheap amp it's not too awful but one thing you should do is bolt it to a block of wood with a 1/2 spacer on each screw. A common gripe is these overheating and the spacers help since the vents are on the bottom. It still has cheap innards but if it works for ya go for it
How is it legal to make such a ridiculous claim of power and never come within a football field of making that power.. there should be a law against false advertising. I know its advertising max watts but still that's way over doing it
strykz63 - I wonder about the legality too. It would probably be worth it for legitimate amp companies to sue for lost sales to these liars. This is why good amp brands go out of business. That amp will never make 1100watts, not ever! Not on the Dyno, with music, not connected to Chernobyl, not ever!
@@bassface1984 yah right... that's a big ass waste of time... what we need to do is organize some type of committee or consumer protection group that govern certain claims on audio product. Because in a sense it's like there stealing because they can advertise to people who dont know better... just a thought
From what I learned from a guy I just recently spoke to. These Dyno ratings are inaccurate because there are never any subs hooked up which changes the readings. This amp hooked to.my two kickers and it hits hard as fuck. So try again with some actual subs hooked up. Also the guy I spoke to works at a car audio shop
The guy you spoke to is either a moron, or sells Boss gear and doesnt want to lose sales. I have a termlab that reads off subwoofers and I guarantee the results wouldn't be MORE favorable to this amp... infact it might be worse.
@@cheddarshredder6572 hey man an r1 sitting in the back seat of a extra can ranger pointed right between the seats slaps ! Especially for a broke high school kid !
Engineered in the USA? You know if someone had the startup money, Zed will design, build and ship your own brand name amplifiers to retailers! Boss supposedly did this in the 1990's, then steered away to a more cheaper company for engineering and Chinese manufacturing!
Budget Gem or Budget Bust great 👍 video! I got a question for you, I got a real old school Boss amp it’s the Boss BA-3000 Amp. The old school Boss Amps were built way better! It’s a really heavy amp and it’s only rated at 125watts RMS X 2 @ 2 Ohms. They don’t say how much RMS it can give to 4 Ohms X 1. Do you know how much it can put out to 4 ohms?? Have you ever heard of this amp before?
You need to test this amp know one has dyno this band at all . I have been running this amp for 3 months and still running strong. I have 2 rear kenwood and 1 8"dvc subwoofer. Subwoofer is bridge on the second bottom channel. And hinting good and sounding good . Just would like to know the rms on bridge . The website does not say what the rms is on at 4 ohs is on bridge . I thank this will be a good budget gem
Bought one yesterday to get some features my 15 year old alpine doesn’t have. For whatever reason it sounds much better at any volume. I was nervous taking a chance on a cheaper amp but I’m definitely impressed
I hate boss audio, and any other company out there that advertise these amps at these ratings. They need to be honest to people out there with their ratings. It's not worth the money at all.
Well anyone watching this channel can see the pioneer and even Dual amps he's tested are better than this piece of crap. To each their own but if there are better options for a little more money and people choose to buy these, you get what you pay for
Great reviews thank you very much I have a question based on something you said in this video about a couple of good amps under $100. What you recommend for 2 10" inch PowerBar PS10, 450 watt, single voice, wired in series =2 ohm I am in need of another amplifier because my boss 4000-watt gave up the ghost after only two weeks of use. I have not been in audio professionally for 20 plus years but back in the day boss used to be good
For amps less than $100 the only place you will find something decent is in the classifieds. I'm a bit of collector so I'm always looking around for deals. Just a couple of weeks ago I picked up a Crossfire BMF1000d is immaculate shape for $30.
recon440 I love finding gems in yard sales and or flea markets. It's always nice when someone else just sees it as used or outdated electronics and sells it dirt cheap. Doesn't happen as often as it did before the internet search became normal for everyone.
Yeah, totally. I check the classifieds daily to see what's out there. Honestly, a lot of the amps that I buy won't serve a practical use however it's cool to own pieces of audio history at a nominal cost. I'm really fond of the RF amps of the late 90s/early 2000s era which turn up from time to time. Also, if you're not looking for something specific or in immediate need of a piece of gear you can also find deep deals on modern stuff if you put in the legwork to check it out. If it's a quality piece of equipment and you can inspect it, it's a safe bet to buy over new, with saving typically less than half of what the original owner paid.
I see this is 3 y old video. But you may have got a bad one.just saying. I have the same amp100%. And it is 5 years used everyday. It has 2, 12in 2 ome 500w subs bridge. To the mono port. My amp temp is always 80ish. My test meter say 986w output. But if I turn up the settings and switch on bass boost. I get about 1014w. Output. I get about 980w with my settings only a bit over half turn. Set up is in a Chevy Traverse. And sounds crazy. I have to drive to the golf course to really turn it up. I like the simple guts inside. 😌 IF anything was to go wrong with it. It can easily be replaced with a little sodering skill.
I'm probably gonna buy this since importing stuff under $50 has no customs fees and I'm looking for something under 200 watts anyway. I wish they would just market it as that. 190 or something
when you do these dyno readings, where do you have the gains on the amp?...the question id like to know is if its able to do 250 w at 4 ohms if you adjusted the gain to where a multimeter or that dyno reads 31.6 Volt. 250x4=1000, then square root of 1000 is 31.6V, ...could the speaker output of this amp go to 31.6 volts even?
Until BOSS upgrades their components they'll never, ever be a good product to buy. You can much more stable, clean-sounding amps for $50-$60 more that outperforms this unit. I love the efficiency/output of the Pioneer GM amps and anyone looking to buy a cost-effective amp should be considering that line. If you are running a 1 ohm sub you can get a 800W RMS output from the 8601/8701 for ~$125 and that's some serious power output for just about anyone out there unless you're trying to block out everyone on the block.
Not that I'm a fan of the man, but Steve Meade tested one of these long ago and even back then, I didn't expect much more than 250RMS. Don't recall what the one he tested pumped out, but I recall I was surprised to see it was worse than I expected, and I felt my expectations were fairly low (lol). Can't believe people still stand behind these prices of...
The pioneer GM-D8601 is cheap as dirt and puts out very nice power. I have it running 2 old ass dual 4ohm MTX tr-55 12s. Sounds great stuffed into an 87 rx7. I got mine at Best Buy price matched to 99 bucks. FYI the bass knob sucks, it doesnt do anything until half way and for some reason when i turn the knob my subs move in and out.
A friend of mine gave me one of these after my Alpine V-power driver MOSFETs cooked. It's not terrible for a free amp in all honesty. It hardly drives my single S-W12D4. I have bass boost on and my head unit bass turned down to -7, gain maxed but bass nob at half, oscope shows no clipping at medium volume which works for the time being. I need to find an amp to replace my Alpine though with at least 1k RMS at 2 ohm.
Its a cheap amp for cheap subs, and that's OK. The ones recommended here are not made any more in 2023, but this one still is? This is fine for budget setup just to fill out bass in a Bose factory system - the Kicker CDF 12 enclosure only recommends 75-150 RMS...
I got this amp this past Christmas it came in a package deal with 2 12" kicker comp c . The amp is crap it goes into protection mode as soon as I try to beat louder. Can you pin links into the comments on the amps you mentioned at the end plz. Ty and cool vid.
For a hs kid that doesn't have a lot of cash and wants to power something like a bandpass box this would probably slam. There is a market for these amps. Plus I read that they are pretty stable.
