Alpine MRX-F30 Four Channel Amplifier

Product Details
Manufacturer: Alpine
Website: link
Typical Selling price: £199.99 (CAD £169.99)
DESCRIPTION
Black textured-finish Aluminium heatsink with ornamental end caps held on by plastic lugs at each corner. Blue LED shows through Alpine-DNA-looking square translucent ‘˜button’ on top centre. One end has the four RCA input sockets and a place to insert the speaker level loom should you need to do so the plug to fit this is supplied with wires affixed to connect to your car’s speaker leads. The other end has the double-strip for connecting four channels of speakers and the power connection. Two 25 Ampere fuses. Everything is hidden from sight once the end caps are fitted to look like a cast-chassis amp at first glance. Smart-looking and nicely decal marked as well as having the branding indented within the heatsink.
– Class D Full Range
– Stereo & bridged operation
– 4 x 50w RMS @ 4 Ohms
– 4 x 75w RMS @ 2 Ohms
– 2 x 150w RMS @ 4 Ohms bridged
– CEA-2006 compliant
– Variable high- and low-pass filters (50-400 Hz, 12dB/octave)
– Mosfet power stage and Direct-FET output stage
– Aluminium heatsink with plastic end caps to cover connections
– RCA and speaker level inputs
– Adjustable input sensitivity: 0.2V to 4.0V line, 0.5V to 10.0V speaker level
– 8Ga. power terminals with Allen headed grub screw bare wire connection
– Screw-down speaker connection strip suitable for forks to 8 gauge
– Plug and socket system for speaker level input (supplied plug/loom)
– Bass remote control ready RUX-KNOB control knob is an accessory
– Bass Boost: 0 to +12dB variable @50Hz for channels 3 and 4
– Frequency response 5Hz – 45kHz / 0dB to -3dB (Reference: 1W into 4 Ohms)
– Signal to Noise Ratio: 104dB
– Fuse Rating 25A x2
– Dimensions: (WxHxD mm) 250 x 38 x 230 (29% smaller than previous models)
– Mass: 2.4Kg
Editor Review : Alpine MRX-F30 Four Channel Amplifier
I used this amplifier between a set of Alpine DDLinear DDL RT-17S components (very exotic imported Japan home-market only and very high quality) and a top end Kenwood from the 2010 line up. Hopefully not the last of the OEL-display Kenwoods (as I love the fully-animated monster trucks on the demo animation) but possessed of a dead posh set of internals and controls. I let it play simply full range into the MRX-F30 and had a good mess about.
The channels ‘˜three’ and ‘˜four’ are the ones that come with an optional bass boost function and these were feeding a set of Fusion six by nines that had proved themselves worthy ‘˜unto the smelly voice coil and beyond’ and yet had played clean bass far beyond their power rating, in a previous rig.
I had a really good mess about with the crossover controls and while they were bog-standard in being the usual plastic core potentiometers and small and fiddly yet solid tiny switches, I found them effective. I crossed the deepest lows out of the components somewhere around the 50Hz range, which was a serious compliment to the fabulous DDLinear speakers’ low end weight and how their odd corrugated suspensions worked so well.
Then fading the front all the way out to play with the rear channels, I ended up with a pleasing yet slightly childish lift to the bass in the bottom end, just for them. Then, I blended the two in together before finally allowing myself to add in the subwoofer of the moment as this lovely rig was perfect to test out a few subs. I ran two JBL boxed woofers through the rig and shall happily leave the Alpine MRX-F30 in place as it is a cracker.
The signal to noise ratio is a huge 104dB, which since this is an Alpine specification, is a simple slice of gospel truth. And I can testify as while I found the Fusion amp, with thrice the power for about half as much money again, great fun, I didn’t think it had the purity that this does.
For I hooked up the Alpine high end components to the big Fusion and while I did scare myself with a tiny moment’s threat of overdriving-noises, I didn’t get the resolution or detail from the music. I then changed over the amplifier and it was a new sound. Purity rather than power but the Alpine DDLs are of course made to be very efficient, so the Fusion product is about putting an array of speakers into your door and going to a show, where this Alpine amp is more the Audiophile’s choice.
Nothing like as powerful as the big boys, this amp is a beauty for the money. Real quality from the nouveau class D technology, filtered down to the range below the legendarily clever PDX series. This means better tech for your Alpine pound and this makes them the best VFM amp line of all. Real mad end signal to noise ratios make for true high end audio if you have the source and speakers for it.
It’s in hearing how many guitars are playing. Hearing all the odd details, to the point where you notice stuff you never did before on something you thought you knew intimately. You feel closer to the music as the emotion comes through better with less technology in the way. It’s easy to make it read like piffle but the difference really does give you more feeling from the tunes. Anything with a string section in, especially if it drops as low as being cellos, is particularly revealing of this sort of thing. But again, you will have to have high resolution tweeters, like the fabulously high-reaching ring radiators that come with the DDL speakers.
One of these MRV-F30 amplifiers, some sweet speakers and a bass system and most people would be thrilled all-round. Powerful enough to matter, with great quality and easy to afford. Scores enough to earn a Talk Audio Recommended flag
In A Nutshell
Small four channel amp; son-of-class-D new era tech, so very high quality and lots of punch for the buck, too. A real slice of high fidelity at 104dB signal-to-noise, so good for audiophiles. Bloody good VFM. TA Recommended.
Overall 8.8
Sound Quality 9
Power Output 9
Features 8
Build Quality 8
Value For Money 10