LISTENING
Powering a pair of four ohm subwoofers in my reference system, the R250-1 proved to be more than up to the task at all but extreme SPL levels. The small amplifier sounded larger than life, even on difficult tracks like the cannon blasts in Tchaikovsky’s 1812 Overture. Bass response was well controlled and the R250-1 had plenty of steam to drive my woofers to loud levels. As an added bonus, the amp has the excellent sonics of a Class AB amplifier, (which I still seem to prefer, even for my sub bass) to all but the very best Class D designs. I played with the controls and functions as I listened, and all worked just as expected. The gain control had plenty of adjustment range making the R250-1 compatible with virtually any source unit.
PERFORMANCE/BENCH MEASUREMENTS
Moving from the listening room into the lab, I connected the Prime amplifier to my trusty Audio Precision and performed the usual battery of tests and checks. The R250-1 had no problem easily exceeding all of its published specifications, and in fact I measured more power than even the amplifiers serialized and dated “birth certificate” showed. Signal to noise performance measured outstanding as well. Efficiency was about average for a Class AB design but an amplifier this size is certainly not going to tax an electrical system anyway, but I did notice that the amp got warm fairly quickly. When all the measurements were complete, I deliberately tried to break it, but the various protection circuits (dead short, under and over voltage, and thermal) simply activated until I stopped being abusive, and prevented any damage.
CONCLUSION
The Rockford Fosgate Prime series of amplifiers really do represent a great performance value, and provide a very affordable way to incorporate Rockford Fosgate DNA into your system. You can be sure the Prime amps will deliver the advertised power, and a full 2-year warranty tells you Rockford Fosgate expects them to be virtually bulletproof. And because they’re available at over 800 retailers worldwide, finding one for your car shouldn’t be difficult.
For more information visit www.RockfordFosgate.com
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