The US Amps USA-100 (Part 2 Final) Compare To The Gainclone

It is been awhile that I am using the Gainclone car amplifier here and the result is suprisingly good. My previous post here about the US Amps, makes me wonder how is the sound signature from the American amplifier compare to the the DIY Gainclone. For the music, I prefer dynamic sound with nice presentation on mid-range. Lets read on what my finding with this US Amps.

As you can see, the replacement is easy. The terminal is screw type terminal and replacement is just a plug-and-play game. The cable that I use is Canare speaker cable, Stinger 8 AWG power cable and home-made RCA plugs.

The head unit is the same as before. Pioneer DEH-P8850MP. This head unit have lots of audio features. The main feature from it is built-in auto time alignment, 16 graphic equalizer with auto EQ feature, and BBE sound adjustment. This is a good head units for sound quality and nice display.

What is the speakers for this system? Actually I don't want to publish it, it is just too embarrassed. But I aware it is not fair if not to describe all related components without saying a words for the speakers it self. So I introduce you the lowest family of Pioneer speaker that will perform in this test. A dual-cone speaker TS-G1614R. This is a full range speaker for sell less than US$15 pair. I am using this cheap speakers until now. The sound actually acceptable. Coherent but quite harsh on mid to high frequency.

Back to the amplifier, here is the photo taken after complete installation.

The head unit setting is now back to factory default. While I am still doing some initial setup, I found the RCA input code for left and right channel is confusing. The color red on the RCA is should be for right channel but not match with the printing note of the amp. At the end I found that the correct channel mark is by following the wording on the amp, not on RCA color.

This amp is have a lot of gain! I just set-up the gain in first 30% from total turn and the sound is very loud. I am now aware that I am dealing with the American style amp. Compare to the Gainclone amplifier, I should crank the gain over 60% from total turn to match the same loudness.

When setting up the amplifier gain, I always look to the green led light. It is really a nice touch from the US Amp. It is become a signature for led indicator placement is in the middle of coconut tree.

It is all done. The US Amp is smaller than my previous Gainclone amplifier

At the default head unit setting, the sound is like a V shape equalizer. Heavy bass with high level treble. The low frequency response is punchy, typical american amplifier, and better than the Gainclone amplifier. I can feel my speakers start to rattling when I play the music with so much low bass. Despite the power to deliver the bass is huge, this amplifier can also handle high frequency smoothly.

The next step is using head unit auto adjustment. Provided mic for the auto audio calibration is set at listening position. All I have to do is turn on this auto feature and wait until the calibration finish.

My first CD for the test is Daft Punk - Random Access Memory, The Carpenters - Greatest Hits, and several Liu Zi Ling music albums.

This amplifier can serve the music very well. The sound is very dynamic, open and clear. The audio curve that previously just like a V shape is all gone. The music is flow like a liquid. Presentation of the vocal is lay-back and enjoyable. The rhythm, the musicality and the speed of the beat from the Daft Punk album are deliver in good timing. I also enjoying the Liu Zi Ling voice the same as I enjoying previous music genre. The sound-stage is wide open, the voice is smooth and the music instruments are play nicely. I know this famous US Amps brand is holding up the reputation for the best car amplifier you can buy. They are all made in USA and better than the Gainclone amplifier.

Disclaimer: Any statement and photos in this article are not allowed to copy or publish without written permission from the writer. Any injury or loss from following tips in this article is not under writer responsibility.