Review on 🔊 Compact Digital Car/ATV/Marine Certified Amplifier - Kenwood KAC-M3001, 600W Class D Monoblock by Christopher Buck

I installed this amp for a friend to replace a 20 year old Altec Lansing which was at the time the only amp small enough to run in the available without overheating space to fit. When I installed car stereos as professional class A/B amps, this compact amp only drew about 20 watts and was used on tweeters, and several class D amps on the market were larger than the iPhone 7 and only put out about 50 watts . and still MUCH bigger than that Kenwood. I've seen names change hands over the years and wasn't surprised to see "Made in China" on the packaging, although I was a little confused as to why a Japanese company would use China to manufacture their products. I just hoped the quality of Kenwood hadn't changed. Installation was easy as the power terminals were the common screw type found on almost every brand of amplifier at some point. The speaker terminals are two 16ga wires connected to solid +/- speaker wire. It features a wide low frequency crossover range (50-200Hz) and extensive gain control, offering a 0.2 to 4 volt line input. The device used a 30 amp mini-ATM fuse rated for approximately the 300 watts of continuous power it claims. My friend also had an 8" JL Audio subwoofer that we installed in a sealed box and tuned to around 50Hz. The old amp didn't have bass boost so we used a small external EQ and left it with the Kenwood fitted. After some volume adjustments and crossovers, we listened to our favorite tunes for about an hour at a volume high enough to get a scowl from a nearby neighbor. I forgot to measure the dB level, but generally it worked at an output level that would slightly heat up the A/B amp to the point where it was too hot for the location we were installing it have, behind a seat with carpet around it. . After all, it was only slightly warm. Bass was good throughout, tight and clear with no headlight dimming, kick-in or engine noise. My friend liked it and he wants another one for his wife's car and now I'm thinking about using it in my car. I would definitely recommend this amp to anyone wanting an easy and efficient system upgrade.