The Product Analyst: What is the Best 1500-Watt Amp? (2021)Tried & Tested Upgrades for Your Car Audio

32 Amps Tested

400+ Hours of Research

1k+ Reviews Examined

Unbiased Reviews

Willie Greer
September 7, 2021

A 1500-watt amp can really brighten up your listening experience. There are even ones with bass boost that can give attention to the low tones, which is great for bass lovers. However, are the numbers always truthful, or could you end up with an amp with power output that barely meets expectations? Our expert audio team weighs in on some of the top-performing amps at 1500 watts.

Premium Pick

XTR 1500.1DZ
Amplifier

Editor's Choice

Topstronggear
1500W Amplifier

Budget Option

Planet Audio
AC1500MK

Reviews of the Top 1500-Watt Amps

TOPSTRONGGEAR 1500W Amplifier

The Topstronggear 1500-Watt Amp can hit the max 1500 at 1 ohm impedance. The class D monoblock amp is highly efficient and has MOSFET power supply. There is a low pass filter to make sure nothing but the correct notes are filtered through to your subwoofer.

For lovers of bass, the Topstronggear 1500-watt amplifier has a variable bass boost that lets you adjust the low tones exactly the way you like them. Control is easy with the subwoofer level remote that’s included with your purchase. The Topstronggear amp also comes with a 2-year warranty.

Pros

Cons

Orion XTR 1500.1DZ Amplifier

The Orion XTR 1500.1DZ Amp is also a model that comes with a MOSFET power supply. The single channel class D car amplifier is excellent for boosted sound. The XTR communicates with users clearly on its status with indicator lights that will show when it’s powered on, and when thermal protection is in play.

The 1500-watt amp comes with tuned bass EQ with a very wide frequency response range to make sure it can help improve all the notes in the sound spectrum. You can also find a variable low pass filter, subsonic filter, and the amp is CEA 2006 compliant.

Pros

Cons

Planet Audio AC1500MK

Planet Audio is a brand known for heavy-duty car amplifiers that are at a budget price. The AC1500MK is a powerful option that will do wonders for your car sound.

The class AB amp also has the coveted MOSFET power supply with a variable low pass crossover, bass boost and low and high level inputs or speaker level inputs.

Remote subwoofer control, which the Planet Audio AC1500MK has, is something our team often looks for because it really adds to the convenience of adjustments. To top it all off, the 1500-watt amp has indicator lights for power and protection and the illuminated Planet Audio logo adds uniqueness to the audio amp.

Pros

Cons

Skar Audio RP-1500.1DM

The Skar Audio RP-1500.1DM has a small profile and comes in white, just in case you want to match beige interiors. The compact amp is a marine class D monoblock amplifier that can meet a max power output at 2300 watts.

If you want durability, the Skar Audio RP-1500.1DM can meet your needs. It has a waterproof coating on the circuit board and a rustproof coating on the exterior. You get an onboard bass EQ switch so maximizing the low tones is easy.

The heavy-duty and highly efficient heat sink will help the car audio amplifier regulate temperatures.

Pros

Cons

Boss Audio Systems AR1500M

MOSFET power supply, class AB circuitry, and monoblock amp, are all features in the Boss Audio Systems AR1500M. You can switch the bass boost on the Boss Audio amp and the variable low pass crossover and low pass filter will ensure the sound will not suffer no matter the volume level or your preferred settings.

Our team of audiophiles were impressed by the Boss Audio amp’s total harmonic distortion of only 0.01%, which is not noticeable at all. The signal to noise ratio is an even more exceptional 105dB, which results in amazing sound quality.

Pros

Cons

db Drive NEO1.5K

The db Drive Neo1.5K amplifier is an amazing work of engineering. The sleek and minimalistic amp is a class D monoblock created with audiophile-grade components. It’s highly durable and efficient, with buffered pre-amp input circuitry.

Bass boost is also present to handle the low frequencies and the amp is equipped with a DriveSink heat management system to prevent it from overheating. The high-end amplifier also has DC short circuit protection and a sturdy build that doesn’t come with a high price tag. The NEO1.5K has a small footprint so it’s easy to find a spot for it in your car.

Pros

Cons

1500-Watt Amp Buyer’s Guide

Other than ensuring that the best 1500-watt amp can meet your expectations, it also needs to deliver on other aspects such as the number of channels, compatibility, and protection features.

Power

The power output is the first place to begin when you’re looking for the best amp. Unlike with speakers, manufacturers tend to list the RMS power rating rather than the max power output most of the time. It’s still a good idea to double check if the 1500-watt rating is the max power output or the RMS watts.

It makes a huge difference because if you constantly want the 1500-watt rating, then you have to make sure it’s the RMS, which is the watts at which you can blast your music without damaging your devices over time. You won’t be able to reach the 1500-watt peak power output often, which will result in an amp that is significantly below what you are expecting.

Another thing to note is the wattage for different impedances and channels will impact the power rating. A lot of the models our audio engineers chose offer a 1500-watt power output at 1 ohm, but if you have a 4-ohm setup, you will notice a dip in the wattage.

How can you be sure the RMS power is as advertised? Unfortunately, to really be sure and see for yourself, you will have to test it out. However, our team can help you with that. Pick a car amp with CEA 2006 compliance [1]. CEA 2006 is a standard for car amps to ensure that the power listed is the power they produce.

Channels

The channels in an amp is refers to how many speakers you can connect to the device. A monoblock or mono amp has only 1 channel and is meant for subwoofers. Our experts recommend a type D amp for mono amps. For those who need a car amplifier for left and right speakers, our team states that you will need a 2-channel amp or a 4-channel car amplifier that can be bridged.

Bridging is where you can combine the power output in more than one channel into a single one. If you have 4 speakers, one left, one right, and two satellites, then you require a 4-channel amp. For a full system of 4 speakers and one sub, go for a 5-channel amp. You may have a tougher time finding a good 5-channel car amplifier, so our experts advise considering using two amps.

For convenience sake, many members of our team like to purchase 4-channel bridgeable amps. For subwoofers, there is nothing better than the monoblock amps our experts have listed.

Amplifier Class

The type of amplifier, or amplifier class, will have a major impact on its performance. Users will often see class AB and class D amps, but have you ever wondered what these letters mean?

Type AB and D are the most common, but in order to make sure you have all the information, our experts will talk about them all.

Let’s start with the class A amps, which are the highest fidelity but also the most inefficient in terms of power. These devices are always running on full power, even if there is no input signal. As you can imagine, the class A amps are the worst at heat dissipation.

To put it simply, class A amps are only 25% efficient, with the remaining 75% of their power simply turning into heat. In return, class A amps are the most linear and produce the best sound quality that is free of distortion. You won’t find class A amps for car audio, but it’s worth it to know what they are.

Another downside to class A amps is their high price tag. They are also rare, and usually found in very specific sound setups.

The next one on the list is the type D amps, which have a 2-transistor design. As you can imagine, two transistors will lighten the load on the amp, which improves its efficiency. As the two transitions switch in and out, it really will affect the crossover and produce distortion that is quite noticeable.

With class Bs, you’re trading sound quality for efficiency, which is about 50% effective at utilizing power.

This then brings us to class AB amps, which produce stable sound and are efficient. They are a combination of class A and Bs, and take the best of both worlds and channel the features into one amp. Not only are class AB amps high fidelity and stable, but they are also efficient.

Class AB amps are most common for home theaters, but you can find some class AB amps for cars. They have a reasonable price tag, and are very common.

Lastly, we have the type D amps, which boast of the best efficiency money can buy. Class D amps can have MOSFET power supply, which is either on full power or totally off. Class D amps are often found in car audio amps and are so efficient some can even utilize 90% of the power.

Class D amps don’t produce as clean and stable a sound as type ABs, which is why ABs are still preferred by audiophiles for professional systems and home theaters. However, class Ds have become the go-to choice for most everyday listeners.

Which should you go for? For bass connection and efficiency, choose the type Ds. If you are looking for a home theater amp, then our engineers suggest going for type AB units.

Wiring

Even if you are an expert with audio systems, looking for the best 1500-watt amp that comes with a wiring kit has undeniable benefits. Unfortunately, most amps do not come with a wiring kit, so you will have to look for them on your own. Copper aluminum wires do an okay job, but our sound team suggests looking for oxygen-free copper for the best performance.

High-quality wiring can impact the sound and reliability of your amp.

Inputs and Outputs

The inputs and outputs have an impact on the compatibility, which we will talk about in a bit. Look for amps that have both low level and high level inputs. If you see speaker level inputs, our team says that that is just another name for high level inputs so don’t worry if you don’t see it labeled exactly.

Low level inputs include line level and RCA inputs, which are most common on mono 1 channel sub amps.

Amps with an RCA input and RCA outputs are also recommended. RCA connection is very common in sound devices. In fact, if your device has preamp RCA outputs you will have the option to daisy chain a few amps together. So if you have a full system and want to use two amps like our experts suggested above, then you need to look for RCA outputs.

RCA outputs will also do a good job in limiting audio quality loss when you connect multiple devices. RCA connections also offer stable sound if you look for heavy-duty cables.

Compatibility

How well does the amplifier integrate into your system? This will depend on your speakers. As we mentioned above, if you need to daisy chain more than one amp, RCA connection is definitely needed.

In order to be sure about the compatibility, you have to look at the ohm rating. Many amps have a variable impedance that include 2 ohms and 4 ohms. As we also touched on above, your choice of ohms will affect the power output of your amplifier.

Take a look at the ohm rating on your speakers to understand which amp will be a good match. The difference between a 4 ohm and a 2 ohm amp is 2 ohms have less resistance to the electrical current compared to 4 ohms, which makes them generally more efficient.

Additional Features

A variable bass boost, a low level/low pass crossover, and remote bass control are some examples of additional features you could have in your amplifier. Among the most important is protection circuitry, which our sound engineers often look for when choosing an amplifier.

To be more specific, we recommend looking for 3-way protection, which includes thermal, overload, and short protection at the very least.

Amps with this feature will most often have indicator lights that inform users of the status. The presence of protection circuitry will ensure you can use your mono or 2-channel amp for as long and as often as possible without issue.

Then there are the controls to look for as well as the frequency range. Amps with a bass knob will afford you the convenience you didn’t know you needed.

An easily accessible bass knob will let you adjust the low tones and customize it the way you like. A bass remote is the next best thing. If your device comes with a bass remote, it will allow you to set the bass how you see fit.

The frequency range for the amp needs to be as wide as possible. The human audible range is within 20Hz to 20kHz, which means you want all your sound devices to be able to hit within this range in order to enjoy all the sounds in your favorite songs. Full-range amps are designed to allow all the frequencies to go into all your connected speakers, which will usually result in a better frequency response range and improved sound quality.

Price and Warranty

The best 1500-watt amp on the market shouldn’t be out of your price range, because these amps aren’t very expensive. You can find ones that are under 100, which our experts made sure to include, and others may reach closer to 300, but very rarely are there ones that will exceed 500.

If you want the highest quality sound system in your car with full-range capabilities, you may be looking at professional models that can hit 1000!

The best way to narrow down your choices is to set a budget for yourself. Shop around on the market to see what products are listed at your price range to give you an idea if you should increase or decrease your limit.

One thing our experts will warn our readers about is cheap amps are the ones that are most likely not able to meet the advertised watts RMS. For example, if the manufacturer advertises a 1500 watts RMS x 1 ohm output, the reality may be very different, something closer to 500 watts RMS x 1 ohm.

In order to not risk purchasing an amp that performs poorly in terms of sound and power, our team advises not looking for the cheapest deal. Our team members suggest going for the middle of the range, which are amps around 2 to 3 hundred. We still made sure the budget ones we offer on the list were made sure to reach 1500 watts.

Whether you go for a budget amp or not, the warranty period should be at least a year long and cover basic problems within that period. A longer warranty period speaks volumes about the quality of a product and its durability.

We also suggest reading the fine print to understand what is protected under the warranty. One other thing to pay attention to is how consumers can invoke the warranty. It won’t matter if you have a gold-plated warranty if there is no way to contact the company if there are problems.

Look for contact information and even registration for the product. If you can find emails, phone numbers and even a customer service chat, then you know the company is legitimate and stands behind their products. If you can register your product in order to activate the warranty, then there will be a record of your purchase and you can rest assured that the company will most likely abide by their promise.

Our Top Pick For a 1500-Watt Amp:
TOPSTRONGGEAR 1500 Amp

Our sound engineers’ choice for the best 1500-watt amp is the one from Topstronggear. The mono amp is a type D with MOSFET, which makes it highly efficient. The aluminum shell aids in heat dissipation management. Topstronggear 1500 Amp is also equipped with short protection and as a 1-ohm stable amp, it can hit 1500 watts with no problem.

The post What is the Best 1500-Watt Amp? (2021)<br>Tried & Tested Upgrades for Your Car Audio appeared first on The Product Analyst.

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The Product Analyst

Tuesday, September 7, 2021

What is the Best 1500-Watt Amp? (2021)Tried & Tested Upgrades for Your Car Audio