Marco I was wondering what the appeal of the SD amps is to folks. In looking at the specs on paper they just don't grab my interest. They are not bad specs, but to me they just don't seem any better than other amps of similar and sometimes even smaller size. The lack of adjustments is also a deal breaker to me.

Are they just better sounding amps than a lot of others in their field?

 

i'll use the EVO800.4 for the first point, at a msrp of 430 dollars it's 249 dollars cheaper than the ARC Moto 600.4 (remember these are MSRP prices) and is only rated at 6 watts less than the arc, and it fits on the top of most head units in most positions. I personally like the sound quality better than the arc. it's also less money than most of the other quality amps in the purchase price range. the 4 ohm version is 2 ohm stable for speaker wiring (not for bridged, but the 2 ohm version is stable a 2ohms for bridge) and there are lots of the ohm rating versions for more complex wiring designs.
the Nan0 250.2 is hard to beat for it's size and price to drive horns.
The larger and more powerful models get even nicer, for less money, so, to me, there is more bang for the buck spent. If you have a DSP in play, it's not even a question for me at this point till something better comes out. I've tried the MMats 4100, the ARC moto600.4, the SSpn1000.4d, the RFTM400x4ad, the SD Evo800 and the DD D4.100 to name a few. of those listed the SD has the best sound, to me. it fits and i've been working the ***** of the one i have with no issues. I'm running a SD 2000.1D Evo for my 10's in the bags and it doesnt even brake a sweat and sounds awesome. When i find something that works well, is easy to get, and reasonably priced, I tend to stay with it and support it until thee is a reason not to.
marco

 

With every post I read makes me change my mind lol a lot of knowledgeable people here. Leaning towards the stinger right now.

 

i have no esperience with the stinger, but i do trust TG's evaulations on things, they tend to fall in line just fine. I just don't have anything to offer on it, it might be great.m

 

Thanks for the info on that amp Marco. The websites I had seen it on listed so many different specs at different voltages and resistances it was hard for me to figure out exactly what it did. It seems to be a little wider than the Arc but is definitely priced better. It is really strange the way they didn't put adjustable crossovers on it. I've got amps over fifteen years old with that feature on them.

Do you recall if the 800.4 has a built in cooling fan or not? I really like amps that do not have internal fans. Tiny fans tend to go south as they get older.

 

the current version 400 and 800 Evo models do NOT have fans in them. i dont think the new model will either. the older 800 units used to have them, kind of like the Nano, but after talking to the rep, i dont think that style will come back for them.
m

 

I think the SD amps are damn efficient thus deliver awesome power. However I would not put the SQ in the same bucket as JL and others in that top tier category. Budget minded w awesome efficiency.

T

 

So a step above the PN4.1000d which has about the same power rating at 4 ohms? I guess I'm looking at it from having gone from the cheapest 140 w per channel amp to one of the most expensive. The biggest advantages I saw from going form the SS to the Arc 600.4 is smaller size, less FM interference, and SLIGHTLY better sound. I really couldn't tell the difference in sound quality until after I got out on the highway and cranked it up. As far as construction goes I like that the SS doesn't have an internal fan.

It is interesting to see all this new audio equipment coming out of Brazil though. I suspect they may have more of an appreciation for sound quality than the Chinese do. I remember a couple of the coolest budget DSPs I have seen have also come from Brazil.

 

The new CV VCU84 is literally the same as the Micro amps from Diamond(same company)
Possibly another new option. Not sure if they are RF shielded though.

 

"Chinese"amps are typically referred to as "Korean" because that's where they are designed. Brazilians are more known for SPL (Alan Dante) and those churchero style setups. I think the Brazilian stuff is good for bikers because of the environment, it resembles the churchero stuff.