What with the Olympics being just around the corner, we thought we’d celebrate by giving you some gold –Phoenix Gold, baby!
The timeless patrons of good audio present the R500.1 amplifier, a silly-good entry level monoblock primed for, you guessed it, 500 glorious watts of power. Wanna know more? Read on – you know it makes complete and utter sense.
APPEARANCE
The looks of the R500.1 are textbook Phoenix Gold, and we bloody love it! Wavy lines, shiny writing and a totally bonkers shape: this amp even looks like fun to us. The block measures 280x250mm and is just 60mm tall, so it’s the perfect size to stick just about anywhere in your car and still look the bee’s knees. Grilles on the casing make it look like it means business too.
INSIDE
The R500.1 is boasting all the very latest in amplified audio technology, with particular
reference to the Audiophile bipolar output transistors, which gives you a wider bandwidth, less distortion and greater long term reliability over other types of transistors. Phoenix Gold have also used a high density aluminium heat sink, which
absorbs waste energy effectively to keep the amp cool under pressure.
ON THE SIDE
Terminals and control settings are spread over opposite ends of the R500.1, with oversized power and speaker terminals for a cleaner connection to the left while the SQ controls are housed over the other side. The two lights for ‘power’ and ‘protect’ let you know the amp is working properly and within safe levels, so you can get the most from your music without harming your audio gear. Top darts.
EXTRAS
Sexy extras are available to make the R500.1 even greater, including a low pass level (LPL) controller from the amp to mount up front in the car, meaning you can tweak the volume level of the subs without moving from your seat! Also, the RMD port is somehow short for Remote Mountable Amplifier Voltage Display, which basically lets you view theamp’s current voltage from anywhere in thevehicle via a small display sent from the amp. Trick stuff!
GO BUY IT!
Our good friends at Celsus ICE have told us these amps are flying off the shelves, and for bloody good reason. Fear not though, Celsus still have plenty for you to get your mitts on, with the rest of the range also available.
Priced from £219.99
For more info see Celsus ICE