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Powersoft X4 real power

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dylan-penguinmedia View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote dylan-penguinmedia Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 06 July 2016 at 8:02am
There is always the option to hire one, if you don't have access to demo stock.

20-40 quid would have you pretty much any amp you want to try out.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote toastyghost Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 06 July 2016 at 9:36am
That too. If you're planning to spend a grand or more on an amp then really you should be doing some better research. Also if you read the proper manual or engineer specs there's much more info available to allow you to make your own calculations - that's why they 'get away with it' on advertising.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Earplug Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 06 July 2016 at 10:56am
Originally posted by csg csg wrote:

i couldn't giver two hoots as to what people run in their racks, light, heavy, if it works it works. Ive been doing this a long time now and have had the luxury of being able to buy what i want ( sorry if that sounds conceited, but i've earned every pound i spend on kit) for the last 20 or so years, from racks of 9001's / 8001's, through just about every Lab model made and now to Powersoft, with the X4 and K20.

The argument that people prefer heavy amps (or if you want to go there scoops for that matter) due to a distorted sound is spurious rubbish. My hifi amp of choice at the moment is a 1979 vintage Kenwood KA907 that weighs approx the same as a small moon but sounds sublime.

For my use, and to my ears the X4 gives me the best headroom, the best sound quality and the nicest and most powerful DSP i have had the opportunity to try. My systems are requiring less DSP / corrective EQ at the top end compared with the Labs, and i've also found the reliability faultless ( i've said it now....)

I have always found the argument regarding lack of sustained power under bench conditions a curious one. For me, headroom has always been the key - the ability to reproduce any transient in the programme is the key. Music is dynamic, even the most heavy duty roots or dub selection. Personally i have no interest in an amplifier that can offer 5200w per channel at 2 Ω continuously if i only need that power for a fraction of a millisecond. Provided that the amplifier is capable of operating at the duty cycle i need, then that good enough.
As to the argument that if you are sold 10,000w then you should get 10,000w, well, who cares? We all know wattage is the marketing man's dream stat, you just have to walk round currys to see that. Ignore it, use your ears and choose on that basis using kit in the situation that you operate in.

If they don't suit the next person, fair enough, but i love mine and i'm not aware of another product out there that i'd prefer, yet...



All true - but I think that the issue here is that 15 or 20 years ago you could just look at a spec sheet and (more or less) know what you were getting. These days - haha. Caveat Emptor, indeed.  Ouch


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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Elliot Thompson Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 06 July 2016 at 4:25pm
Originally posted by Earplug Earplug wrote:



All true - but I think that the issue here is that 15 or 20 years ago you could just look at a spec sheet and (more or less) know what you were getting. These days - haha. Caveat Emptor, indeed.  Ouch




I just compare the power consumption required to attain the advertised wattage versus the actual consumption of the amplifier will consume before its cuts back from the line voltage.

I always thought the whole idea of buying DSP embedded amplifiers were to take advantage of the on board DSP which, offered features that were not available from stand alone units. I could not phantom investing in an Powersoft X4 and my main focus is how well it performs at 2 ohms per channel. 

Best Regards,


Edited by Elliot Thompson - 06 July 2016 at 4:31pm
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote toastyghost Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 06 July 2016 at 10:00pm
Originally posted by Earplug Earplug wrote:

Originally posted by csg csg wrote:

i couldn't giver two hoots as to what people run in their racks, light, heavy, if it works it works. Ive been doing this a long time now and have had the luxury of being able to buy what i want ( sorry if that sounds conceited, but i've earned every pound i spend on kit) for the last 20 or so years, from racks of 9001's / 8001's, through just about every Lab model made and now to Powersoft, with the X4 and K20.

The argument that people prefer heavy amps (or if you want to go there scoops for that matter) due to a distorted sound is spurious rubbish. My hifi amp of choice at the moment is a 1979 vintage Kenwood KA907 that weighs approx the same as a small moon but sounds sublime.

For my use, and to my ears the X4 gives me the best headroom, the best sound quality and the nicest and most powerful DSP i have had the opportunity to try. My systems are requiring less DSP / corrective EQ at the top end compared with the Labs, and i've also found the reliability faultless ( i've said it now....)

I have always found the argument regarding lack of sustained power under bench conditions a curious one. For me, headroom has always been the key - the ability to reproduce any transient in the programme is the key. Music is dynamic, even the most heavy duty roots or dub selection. Personally i have no interest in an amplifier that can offer 5200w per channel at 2 Ω continuously if i only need that power for a fraction of a millisecond. Provided that the amplifier is capable of operating at the duty cycle i need, then that good enough.
As to the argument that if you are sold 10,000w then you should get 10,000w, well, who cares? We all know wattage is the marketing man's dream stat, you just have to walk round currys to see that. Ignore it, use your ears and choose on that basis using kit in the situation that you operate in.

If they don't suit the next person, fair enough, but i love mine and i'm not aware of another product out there that i'd prefer, yet...



All true - but I think that the issue here is that 15 or 20 years ago you could just look at a spec sheet and (more or less) know what you were getting. These days - haha. Caveat Emptor, indeed.  Ouch

Could you, really? Because testing and real world usage actually says quite the opposite.


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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote +/-3dB Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 07 July 2016 at 9:46am
The way I see it is that back in the days the amplification used to be fairly linear, time-invariant. Back then one could specify power figures in a table.

But since technology change where now have greater variation over time, we can no longer specify in tabular format.

Part of the confusion can be blamed on using wrong type of chart.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Earplug Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 07 July 2016 at 11:12am
"Could you, really? Because testing and real world usage actually says quite the opposite."

Which amps let you down? Most of the old school amps I´ve owned have matched the specs very well. There was no need to inflate the specs until the whole 'digital' amplifier thing took off and the cheap copies started appearing.

Even taking a well know and trusted manufacturer like Crown, for example and comparing the figures for the older amps and the one´s they have now, I know which I´d trust.


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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Andy Kos Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 08 July 2016 at 2:09am
So If a car manufacturer figures out a way to 'fiddle' the testing for emissions, and make their multi-thousand pound car's performance appear to be different on paper than it is in real life, this is a big problem, and car owners can seek compensation from the manufacturer as the product has potentially been mis-sold.

But if an amp manufacturer plays the mathematics to make their product appear to be different on paper than it is in real life, then it's down to the buyer (who may or may not have the relevant expertise) to work out if the amplifier is fit for purpose and whether it performs as advertised.

I would prefer to see more transparency in power specifications, I know from experience that customers are confused and are finding it difficult to make meaningful comparisons.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote concept-10 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 08 July 2016 at 7:12am
While we are using cars to compare, i could go and buy a cheap new car for 5/6/7 grand, it will come with a very comprehensive 7 year warranty, as long as it's  serviced i can rag the crap out of it and that warranty will be stood by, i could spend the same cash on some powersoft amps, put them in the best suspended rack and treat them very well but only get a 1 year warranty, if i was going to spend tens of thousands replacing my amps i would expect a damn site more without being asked to pay even more for extensions.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote csg Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 08 July 2016 at 7:47am
You get 48 months warranty as standard...thats 4 years.
“The fact is this is about identifying what we do best and finding more ways of doing less of it better”
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote concept-10 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 08 July 2016 at 8:56am
Says one year on their website.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote King Simeon Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 08 July 2016 at 9:36am
We are going a little away from the original subject, but I would like to say that with all thats going on, there is a clear issue of general honesty, understanding and service that 'changed' over the past decade in business. 

It may well be that we are finding out more along the way, (rose tinted glasses), but certainly customers are secondary to businesses, who's main aim is to hold your money and will come up with different ways for you to pay into their accounts. Some of this is based around a system that does not so much offer an independent product, as older products were. They were better designed for use and for longevity, parts/design, that was part of the selling point and the core identity of the brand. Now we have brands who generally offer very little with their products, but will market to kill off others, regardless of product. (I am not pointing to Powersoft in this instance).

This is the most problematic issue for me, and, that very little is being done about it. The best advice given is to learn things for yourself, (regarding amps) and to test whenever possible and to use your ears.. before all this, have some idea of what you actually want, (do not simply listen to marketing & fashion of others). Better not to trust the big writing on adverts and next to products, use them as a ball park ideal.

Just my 2pennies worth.
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