Its been a while since I have used marine equipment on an installation for a boat. I usually find that the equipment is sub-par to car audio equipment, so I tend not to use it. The new Pdx Marine Series amplifiers from Alpine have changed that perception. I recently install a Pdx4100m and a Pdx6001m into a 29 foot Baja. The performance of both amplifiers were beyond expectation.
The Pdx 4100m and the Pdx 6001m performed the same as they're standard Pdx counter parts. Obviously the amplifiers have been treated with some coating to help reduce any type of corrosion. What this "coating" or treatment is, I could not tell. I looked for information on the "coating" on various websites, including Alpine's, but I have found no information on it. The marine amplifiers are UV rated and FOG rated. Basically stated....these amplifiers are designed to withstand moderate exposure to moist enviroments.
I used the Pdx4100m on (4) Spsm600 marine coaxials. The Pdx6001 ran a pair of JL Audio 10w3v32 10" subwoofers. I used these subs because we made custom fiberglass enclosures for the subwoofers; instead of using marine subwoofers in an infinite baffle configuration.
The pdx4100m had a huge surplus of power for the speakers that it was driving. The speakers were 4 ohm, which allowed the amplifier to run the standard 100 watts x4. The sound was as smooth as can be expected from those specific speakers. I would have loved to hear the power on speakers more deserving of this amplifiers output......but it was not in the cards on this install.
The Pdx6001m actually performed better than expected. I built 10" subwoofers into custom fiberglassed enclosures into the side of the boat, and I aimed the subwoofers to the sides of the boat to protect the speaker...and give it a surface for reflection. The Pdx6001m slammed these subwoofers with tons of power. I was hoping for good bass......I ended up with killer bass. We found that sides of the boat were bowing from the amount of output produced from the subwoofer system. The amplifier had power to spare and ran cool the entire time I was listening. The subs posed a modest 4ohm load on the amp.
One of the best features of these amps.....the size. Usually you have to fight to find a location in a boat to mount the gear. These things were easily mounted in small areas that would be impossible to mount larger amplifiers in to. They are stackable. They also have the adjustments on the front face of the amplifier......behind a panel.
Both amplifiers, the Pdx4100m and the Pdx6001m, have a retail price of $650. Thats $100 more than they're non-marine counter parts. I am not sure if the special "coating" is worth the cost difference, only time will tell on the water, but I can say these amplifiers have tons of power and will not disappoint you.
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