What are the chances? 3-ch amplifier

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Taramps TL 1500

As luck would have it, my recently purchased Buick Reatta just so happens to be equipped with a very nicely installed aftermarket stereo. JL Audio speakers all around, professionally wired, including dual RCA runs and a power distribution block in the trunk. The door speakers are wired to the trunk, as well. As such, I immediately went in search of a solution that would allow me to power both the door speakers and small subwoofer. Low and behold: The Taramps TL 1500!

For the price, I'm willing to take a risk. It should give the front speakers ~45 watts, and another 200w to the sub. It only requires one full range RCA input, crossover points are handled internally.

I'll update everyone once I have a chance to install everything!
 
Class D amp for full range.. eww.. 80 SNR?

you could just take a standard 4 channel and bridge 2 channels for the sub.
 
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I loosely follow Williston Audio Labs on YouTube. Not because I'm really all that into car audio but because I find his amplifier dyno setup incredibly interesting.

Anyway, he's tested a bunch of Taramps amplifiers, mostly from the Smart line, with very good results.

https://www.youtube.com/@wal/search?query=taramps

He hasn't tested your specific amp, but based on results of other Taramps and the very reasonable price, I don't see much risk.
 
I did some research.. class D isnt quite as awful as 15 years ago but it is still best used for subs only not full range.
now in that car how noticeable will it be? who knows.
 
Agreed on all fronts. Class D is far from ideal in a full-range situation. That being said, given my luck discovering what's essentially a "plug and play" setup it's an easy decision.

The JL speakers that were installed are easily 10 years old. The rear 6x9's are run off the HU, while the front 5.25's are wired back to the trunk. The OE tweeters remain, no idea if they're still being powered.
 
Subwoofers don’t need crossovers, that’s more of a mid/high range issue. Bass doesn’t really care what you send it, just more power!

I respectfully disagree. Feeding a dedicated subwoofer anything above ~100hz does nothing but waste power.

This particular amplifier applies a relatively steep crossover slope @ 90hz on both outputs. Low pass for the stereo output, high pass for the sub. I'm far from an audiophile when it comes to mobile applications, so the TR 1500 should satisfy with room to spare.
 
I respectfully disagree. Feeding a dedicated subwoofer anything above ~100hz does nothing but waste power.

This particular amplifier applies a relatively steep crossover slope @ 90hz on both outputs. Low pass for the stereo output, high pass for the sub. I'm far from an audiophile when it comes to mobile applications, so the TR 1500 should satisfy with room to spare.
I think you said that backwards(as an experienced mangler of words myself).. a high pass filter passes... freq. higher than the cutoff.
A 4 channel amp is also a 3 channel amp if you bridge 2 of the channels for the sub.
If that thing sucks just send it back and get a class AB 4 channel.
 
I think you said that backwards(as an experienced mangler of words myself).. a high pass filter passes... freq. higher than the cutoff.
A 4 channel amp is also a 3 channel amp if you bridge 2 of the channels for the sub.
If that thing sucks just send it back and get a class AB 4 channel.

Shows what long days do to my head! You're absolutely right, color me corrected!
 
Update: I installed the little guy yesterday and I'm quite happy with the outcome. The front speakers sound crisp and clear with no sign of distortion even at max volume. There are no gain adjustments on the amp itself, but I don't see the need given how well matched it is to the (likely) 2v signal it's being fed.
 
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