Week Thirteen: In which I get Plugged & Confused – Plus BIG GZ news!
You know, I utterly respect the full-on system analyst. The type who can be presented with a problem with an audio system be it a ‘whoo!’ noise or a speaker not working, or sounding funny, or bits just not powering up. As I have to do that stuff every time I connect up a new set of equipment and this last rig had me baffled for a few minutes.
I had: One Pioneer DEH-P88RSII head unit with sophisticated features, an Infinity Kappa four channel amplifier with high/lowpass crossovers on each pair of channels and one pair with a bass boost function. A Clarion APX1301E monoblock bass amplifier and a set each of Alpine SPR-60C and SPR-69 ovals, to go with a Ground Zero 12in metal coned subwoofer. It all powered up but then I struggled with RCA cords and gain knobs and input switches and then relative gain structure to hear the subwoofer. You would have laughed to see the ‘˜expert’ at work. But eventually I got a grip and the system sang like a beast. The Alpines are good, the Kappa amplifier is a treat and that Clarion monoblock is a Pepperami job a bit of an animal. While the GZ is a Honda V-tech engine. All sanity at regular revs and pure hooligan when you crank it.
On the Ground Zero front, I am chuffed to be able to reveal that Car Audio Direct are now the official UK distributors of their car audio products, including those scary bullet tweeters and some truly weapons-grade subwooferage. See the full news story.
So, reviews of two amps and a subwoofer to write up now. I have two Earthquake processors to play with ( a bass generator and an EQ, (both half-DIN- my fave size of ALL!) and after that, I seem to have collected no fewer than five subs up to test, two Alpines, a Pioneer and two Earthquakes.
Adam Rayner – Online Editor