Clarion APX1301E Monoblock Bass Amplifier
Product Details
Manufacturer: Clarion
Website: link
Typical Selling price: £169.99 (£129.99 online)
A quietly utterly classic product. Two and four channel models exist in the Clarion line up in the same series, called the APX2121E and APX4241E but this is the mono block or single channel model meant for running subwoofers and called the APX1301E.
Arranged in the time-honoured way, with power stuff up one end and signal stuff up the other, (can you believe that one bloke once PAID to look at amps for a big magazine once criticised an amp for being laid out like that!) you get two reassuringly large 25 Ampere fuses up the end where the power and trigger wire connect, near the dual speaker wire connection points. On the other neat cast end drop, you find the RCA inputs, the plug hole to attach the speaker level input Molex and controls for gain, crossover point and also to switch the crossover in and out. Furthermore, there is a bass boost function that can be used as 6dB or a whopping12dB of extra wellie at a quite high 50Hz. (45Hz for this is more common.)
The top plate is brushed Aluminium and looks really posh with bright Allen headed bolts holding it neatly flush with a Chromed Clarion logo-piece and a Carbon-Fibre look inlay within it that looks the utter techno-nuts. The heatsinks are extrusions that run along the flanks of the amp and all is made with Laser-tight precision and neat accuracy.
The amplifier was connected to a Pioneer DEH-P88RSII CD deck and the full range duties were taken care of by an Infinity Kappa four channel amplifier and two pairs of Alpine SPR- Type R speakers, one component set and one pair of six by nines. The amp was connected via the neatly marked (2 Ohms minimum impedance) terminals to a very capable Ground Zero 12 inch 500 watt power handling subwoofer with metal cone and sealed into an Acoustic Wood marine ply enclosure and connected via heavy duty cable terminating in a professional gastight Neutrik Speakon connector and socket to the box.
How well did it work? Read on.
– Class AB
– 400W RMS × 1 into 2 Ohms, 20Hz-20kHz @ <0.1% THD
– 300W RMS × 1 into 4 Ohms, 20Hz- 20kHz @ <0.1% THD
– Selectable Bass Boost; 0/6/12dB @ 50Hz
– Power MOSFET switching transistor
– Adjustable Low Pass Crossover @ 30 to 300Hz
– Gold Plated Connectors; Cinch/Speaker/Power
– Speaker Level Input
– Signal To Noise Ratio (A weighted) : >70dB
– Frequency Response: Full Range 20Hz to 20kHz
– Input sensitivity line level: 200mV to 5.5 Volts
– Input sensitivity speaker level: 2V to 9Volts
– DC voltage operating range: 9.6V to 15.6V
– Dimensions300 (L) ×280 (W) ×55 (H) mm
– Supplied with wired High Level Molex connector
Editor review : Clarion APX 1301E Monoblock Bass Amplifier
Are you a movie fan? Did you ever see Forrest Gump? I like the bit where he gets suddenly unfeasibly wealthy and states, with lugubrious tone, ‘We-ell, that’s ONE less thing to worry abo-out’ and this amp is like that.
Built immensely well and with the ability to use DC power to well under ten volts and not care if you are cooking at nearly sixteen, this is a real world item and it can rock your world. It is a very good looking beast and it spanked the crapola out of the Ground Zero woofer. At first, I was a bit fretty as I was using a powerful four channel amplifier upon a very efficient brace of sets of Alpine speakers and the heavy weight five hundred watt woofer seemed to be too much for the amp. But it soon transpired it was just me being a darn idiot and I had a few minutes tweaking gains, balancing relative levels and working out how to make what was in fact a gently superior system to sing.
But I sorted it out and what a treat! At first I played some old over-produced Eighties pop by legendary Frankie Goes To Hollywood and then moved straight onto some mad bass CD material.
Not only did the amplifier happily deliver the goods into what looked like a grateful heavy duty subwoofer, it did so without breaking sweat. The heat sinking is far more effective than one might think to look at the design but it is beauty with function.
A classically simple layout, done with real Japanese aplomb and good looks. This is a sweet sounding amp and tracks the bass line a treat, not just sending random boom to the sub but gripping it like a vice and allowing it to show off what it can do.
In fact, I enjoyed the amplifier so much, I happily decided to use it as a test bed item to test five ten inch subwoofers after this one, so keep an eye out for thosetwo Earthquakes,, a Pioneer and two Alpines as well, all to be tried on this product.
A brilliant building block amp that sounds clean, will last for ever and is a deliciously well blinged-up item for those who love Clarion’s high end units and want to keep the smart branding the same, given they are true high power with high sound quality.
You read it here first and the amplifier gets an easy Talk Audio Recommended status.
Overall 8.8
Sound Quality 10
Power Output 8
Features 8
Build Quality 10
Value For Money 8