My system has plenty of power. Who needs an amp?

You might think you don't need an amp because you have a 400-watt system in your car, or because your new stereo puts out 50 watts a channel. But those are peak wattage ratings, which may boil down to 15 or 20 watts per channel, using the more realistic RMS rating. An amp sends your speakers the power they need to deliver your music with clarity and impact, whether you're using factory speakers or high-performance components. And low-frequency reproduction requires lots of power, so an amp is an absolute must if you're adding a sub to your system.

Our take on the JVC KS-AX3205D

by Buck Pomerantz

Bold styling keeps up with performance

JVC's DRVN Series car amplifiers are all about power… with style. These amps feature aggressive looks, strong value, and plenty of power packed into a rugged housing. The DRVN KS-AX3205D 5-channel amplifier, for example, can power your whole system with 50 watts RMS for each of your front and rear speakers, along with up to 300 watts RMS for a subwoofer. Or, you can put the KS-AX3205D into 3-channel mode and run a pair of high-power components with 130 watts RMS each and still have that 300 watts RMS available for a sub.

Versatile features

The KS-AX3205D comes with the controls you need to get music sounding right in your vehicle. Separate front and rear high-pass filters help you to eliminate unwanted bass frequencies, too low for your full-range speakers to reproduce. You can also adjust the front channels and the rear channels to drive different speaker sizes, like 5-1/4"s in your front doors and 6"x9"s on your rear deck. The subwoofer channel includes its own low-pass filter to keep high notes away from your sub, and a variable bass boost to add some foundation to your music when you need it.

Highlights:

5-channel car amplifer
50 watts RMS x 4 + 200 watts RMS x 1 at 4 ohms
65 watts RMS x 4 + 300 watts RMS x 1 at 2 ohms
130 watts RMS x 2 bridged at 4 ohms + 300 watts RMS x 1 at 2 ohms
CEA-2006 compliant
separate variable high-pass filters (50-200 Hz, 12 dB/octave) on front and rear channels
variable low-pass filter (50-200 Hz, 18 dB/octave) on subwoofer channel
fixed subsonic filter and variable bass boost (0-18 dB at 45 Hz) on subwoofer channel
Class D amplifier design
MOSFET power supply and output stage
preamp and speaker-level inputs
fuse rating: 30A x 2
4-gauge power and ground leads recommended — wiring and hardware not included with amplifier
13-7/16"W x 2-1/8"H x 7-5/16"D
warranty: 1 year
Our 60-day money-back guarantee

Preliminary info from the manufacturer

Our Product Research team will verify these specs and supply more detailed information once we receive the product.

Features and Specs

Performance
RMS Power Output (Watts x Channels) Loading...	50 x 4 200 x 1
Peak Power Output (Watts x Channels) Loading...	---
Power at 2 Ohms (Watts x Channels) Loading...	65 x 4
Bridged Power (Watts x Channels) Loading...	130 x 2
Minimum Impedance Bridged Loading...	4
Minimum Impedance Unbridged Loading...	2
Best Frequency Response Loading...	5-50000 Hz
THD at Rated RMS Power Loading...	---
Signal to Noise Ratio Loading...	---
Input Voltage Loading...	---
Features
Amplifier Class Loading...	D
Low-Pass Crossover Frequency Loading...	50-200 Hz
Low-Pass Slope (dB/octave) Loading...	18 dB/octave
High-Pass Crossover Frequency Loading...	50-200 Hz
High-Pass Slope (dB/octave) Loading...	12 dB/octave
Bass Boost Loading...	0-18 dB
Bass Boost Frequency Loading...	45 Hz
Fan Cooled Loading...	---
Fuse Rating Loading...	60
Speaker Level Inputs Loading...	Harness
Preamp Outputs Loading...	No
Width (inches) Loading...	13-7/16
Height (inches) Loading...	2-1/8
Depth (inches) Loading...	7-5/16
Parts Warranty Loading...	1 Year
Labor Warranty Loading...	1 Year