JL Audio XD200/2 Amplifier Review

Product Details
Manufacturer: JL Audio
Distributor: Celsus Ice
Website: link
Typical Selling price: £249.99, (CAD £237.49)
A new amplifier range from the maker that others now look to when designing their products, using their NexD„¢ Class D technology. This is one of a new generation of better sounding Class D amplifiers and has resulted in very small footprint amps, with a high efficiency of 80%, or nearly double what a decent Class AB can manage. This is a very small amplifier but can output a top wellie of a true 200W RMS from its two channels.
Tested with the Pioneer DEH-P88RSII resident reference head unit and used to drive a JL Audio CP109LG-W3v3 subwoofer enclosure, bridged. It features a high/low pass crossover that lives under a brushed Aluminium panel, fitted with two Allen headed bolts after these controls are set, to seal them out of the way of fiddling.
Last of all, the connections are also all Allen headed bolt type with bare-wire gripping terminals and the badge is supplied separately in a little baggie to ensure it is perfect when finally placed in the finished install.
– NexD„¢ 80% efficient new ultra fast class D switching power supply
– Crossover: 12dB/octave Butterworth with continuously variable cut-off frequency selection from 50-500Hz
– Configurable as Low-Pass or High-Pass, Defeatable
– Rated Power 14.4V Stereo: 75W RMS x 2 @ 4 Ohms / 100W RMS x 2 @ 2 Ohms
– Rated Power 14.4V Bridged: 150W RMS x 1 @ 8 Ohms / 200W RMS x 1 @ 4 Ohms
– Rated Power 12.5V Stereo: 60W RMS x 2 @ 4 Ohms / 90W RMS x 2 @ 2 Ohms
– Rated Power 12.5V Bridged: 120W RMS x 1 @ 8 Ohms / 180W RMS x 1 @ 4 Ohms
– THD at Rated Power: <1% THD+Noise (20Hz - 20kHz)
– S/N Ratio: >104dB referred to rated power (A-weighted, 20Hz-20kHz noise bandwidth)
– S/N Ratio: >84dB referred to 1W (A-weighted, 20Hz-20kHz noise bandwidth)
– Frequency Response: 12Hz – 22kHz (+0, -1dB)
– Damping Factor: >150 @ 4 Ohms per ch./50Hz
– Damping Factor: >75 @ 2 Ohms per ch./50Hz
– Input Range: 100mV – 4V RMS
– Dimensions: (L x W x H): 6.85in. x 7.09in. x 2.05in. 174mm x 180mm x 52mm
– Black coated Aluminium heatsink with brushed Aluminium panel and final-piece badge
– 4Ga. Power Terminals with Allen headed grub screw bare wire socket connection
– Socket for optional HD-RLC remote level control knob
Editor Review : JL Audio XD 200/2 Two Channel Amplifier
Somehow, the smarts that make the NexD„¢ amplifiers so very small are at their most impressive with this littlest brother of all. The JL Audio XD200/2 is the two channel effort and is rated at a serious 100W continuous per channel at a decent 14.4 voltage. Realistically, it is also rated as to what it’ll deliver at a mere 12.5 Volts. That’s still 90W RMS and thus absurd in old-amplifier terms for the size of it and even allowing for the cost of advanced technology and miniaturisation making stuff more costly, these amps are tremendous value in bang for the buck. This is because the power claims are solid and if anything, classically American high end in righteous understatement. And that’s to utterly miss the point that these are bloody audiophile grade with a bonkers 104dB signal to noise ratio.
That’s pukka.
I was using a four channel version of this amplifier in the same test rig, called the XD400/4. It is only slightly longer and has the extra plugholes for wires and internals to make it a four channeler. The purity of throughput of the whole rig was breath taking and while I was able to boggle slightly at the quality of the sound of the front/rear speaker rig and also the absurdity of the sheer levels of excellence from the subwoofer, it was all made possible by these amps.
I set the XD200/2’s crossover to ‘˜lowpass’ and played with the crossover point until I liked it and cranked some Frankie Goes To Hollywood through the DEH-P88RSII.
It was astonishing.
Not just because the Pioneer TS-A171Ci components and TS-A6913i ovals were singing so sweetly, but because this mad eight inch woofer was making such an incredible tight, yet rich and deep and grippy bass end. The amplifier was delivering edge, scale, power and headroom, even under heavy drive. It was tracking the bass line with no trace of running out of breath as the big notes were called for and was terribly easy to set up and use as well as looking super sexy.
Love the looks, love the serious high end sound and love how they turn juice into music. Another classic in the making from JL Audio.
Neat, petite small feet and a voice like a Gospel singer on Steroids. Easily Recommended.
Overall 8.8
Sound Quality 9
Power Output 8
Features 8
Build Quality 10
Value For Money 9