click to enlarge
Since a power amp is just like an engine for a car, it is good to have one that offers a decent amount of grunt for the job at hand. In this case, we would be applying this two by 100w amp to a set of speakers rated at 75w RMS, 100W max, which would be a nice slightly-more-muscular match. The bigger brother to this amp, the 7204, has CEA-2006 compliance rating and this one is made just the same way, thus is righteous. And with a 100dB Signal To Noise Ratio, it rocks clean and loud.
MOS-FET PSU
Amps have two main bits. The part that collects electricity and makes it into great gouts of current to shove up the make-it-louder-doodahs called Power Transistors and those power amp guts themselves (did you know there is a website called ampguts?). The quicker that both can eat power and poo watts, the better. So, a power supply unit or PSU is more muscular if it has MOS-FETs in it. An amp is even better if the output is MOS-FET as well but PSUs matter.
SIGNAL TO NOISE RATIO
Amps have signal to noise ratios and this Class AB amp has one of 100dB, making it WAY better for posh audio than most Class D amps. Read the geeky bits on class D amps and see if they dare even tell you in their specs.
CEA-2006 COMPLIANT
To paraphrase, “Wattage Talks, Bullshit Walks” and while ‘peak’ is a thing that matters to quote, we like RMS best. That is all-the-time-real power. You can measure the muscle, clarity and speed of amps in many ways, but slew rate and damping factor matter. Anyway, the USA Consumer Electronics Association or CEA worked out a TRUE power rating system back in 2006. If you earn CEA compliance rating, the wattage is utter truth.
CAST HEATSINK
Be honest, you like stuff to look the part and while a surfboard-sized piece of extruded aluminium, all fi nned and same cross section all through is good, a cast chassis just looks harder. It also means the makers can put more or less metal near the bits that are hotter and can offer up some 3D design. This is chunky and purposeful.
POWAH!
Load Capability 2 Stable
Maximum power output 600W
Rated power output (4)100W x 2 (4_)
Rated power output 150W x 2 (2_)
Bridged power output (4) 300W x 1
RCA up to 5V or Speaker Level input
Price £99
For more info see Kenwood
words by Adam Rayner of Talk Audio
