Thursday, November 14, 2024
Car AudioProduct Reviews

Close Encounter of the Four Corner Kind…

A big part of the whole what-to-buy issue with car electronics is system compatibility. Have you got the right wires? Is the amp powerful enough? What if it’s too strong, will it blow up my speakers? And what about warranty if that happens?
A while back it was made easier by the arrival of the wiring kit concept, where all the bits and pieces as well as the right wires in the correct diameter and length were all included for the need you had. Also, some makers supply bass amps that are sold alongside boxes ready-installed with a woofer to match.

However, what Fusion have done is to create the one-box ‘Four Corner Pack’. Not a term I had heard used before but utterly obvious once it hits, the big box has some packing and four other products inside. They are the AC-AK08E 8 gauge wiring pack, the Encounter speakers EN-FR693 & EN-CM525 as well as an EN-AM6004 four channel amplifier. All packed just as they would be off the shelf, with their own warranty cards, instructions, templates, screws, wires and fixings and so forth but with the addition of an extra neat printed sheet showing how all this stuff should go together and one more RCA cord as the wiring kit has just one. There is also a weighty selection of adapter plates (all cut and shaped and drilled to be useful to standard locations’ holes) included in the box to use if your speaker locations are for six inch speakers.

It makes the ‘Which four channel amp and speaker sets?’ issue a no-brainer. This is their entry level ‘Encounter’ line pack and although the prices of the separate items add up to a rounded-up £200, the Big Sexy Boxful costs a mere £150 less a penny. This is a whacking 25% less than full price, making this a very persuasive bargain. It was all set up as a single system on the Daiwa laboratory power supply. (I had some problems, see the wiring kit review) While each piece of product has been handled separately, there’s a conclusion for the pack as a whole, too. It was great fun and bloody loud!

Fusion Encounter EN-CM525

A simple component set of speakers with pressed chassis 5.25 inch diameter midrange driver and tweeter that can be mounted surface, flush or angled with the versatile set of plastic housings they arrive with. Included is the manual for all the Encounter component speakers, a Fusion car window sticker and all fixings and wires required.

Fusion Encounter EN-FR693

A three-way six by nine oval loudspeaker with Polypropylene cone and pressed steel chassis with silvery chrome finish. Handsome separate grilles and fixings and wire are provided. The speakers come with a Fusion window sticker and a mounting template printed on good thick card and a good manual covering all the Encounter speaker range.

Fusion Encounter EN-AM6004

Fusion’s entry level amplifier range. This four channel Class A/B model, a two Ohm stable MOSFET design, has Nickel plated RCA inputs for each pair of channels and a set of stereo RCA outputs for each set as well. You could thus use all four channels from one RCA feed.

Fusion Encounter AC-AK08E

A blister packed set of accessories and lengths of cable intended for the installation of a two channel amplifier. It includes 8 Gauge wire and also an RCA interconnect. When sold in with the Four Corner Pack EN-4CNR there is another 2 channel RCA lead included in the big box outside the blister pack. There are fixings and cable ties and lots of the connections are ready-crimped onto the wires’ ends as necessary.

Conclusion
Although the individual products in the £149.99 Encounter Four Corner Pack EN-4CNR are all inexpensive, adding up to just under £200 together, the price when sold in pack form to also include an extra RCA and a set or three of steel mounting adapter plates for the mids is incredible. I actually resent not having had access to this sort of value when I was a lad! The sound of the whole set was so powerful that had I just heard it going in a room – and these speakers with this amp could actually be felt in my breastbone when running – I would have asked what subwoofer was running. You should use the effective crossovers the amp has and not stress the drivers. I was particularly impressed by the midbass driver components in the 5.25inch set and their bass but hated their silly inside-out terminal assemblies. All in all an absolutely wicked bargain for the baseball cap generation and a lovely big box to get as a gift. It looks like it should be at least a £100 more than it costs!