SKAR amps...whats the story?

[gentlejax 0]

I picked up a 125.4D  from my repair tech..never heard one but he said it puts out more than rated and sounds pretty clean. I will soon find out.   Just curious the deal on the amps and company., Most of what I have seen is not that favorable but I dont know if that is the owner or the product.

 

my tech is a engineer and he reverse engineered the amp and had good things to say about it. better quality that he has seen in a while.

[ricksi30 923]

Company sucks the subs suck, the amps I'm not sure about. Probably just off the shelf from Asia with a skar sticker slapped on it.

[EPerez 236]

It's mostly the company/owner and the subs that are horrible. Never heard anything really bad about the amps though. Probably what Rick said is true.

 

[pmureika 31]

I picked up a 125.4D  from my repair tech..never heard one but he said it puts out more than rated and sounds pretty clean. I will soon find out.   Just curious the deal on the amps and company., Most of what I have seen is not that favorable but I dont know if that is the owner or the product.

 

my tech is a engineer and he reverse engineered the amp and had good things to say about it. better quality that he has seen in a while.

Can he name the brand amps he has looked at? 

 

I have used skars high end SK series amp and was happy with it's performance.

 

But as a company it sucks!

 

Also their subs might get loud but have poor sound quality.

Edited October 7, 2013 by pmureika

[gentlejax 0]

I picked up a 125.4D  from my repair tech..never heard one but he said it puts out more than rated and sounds pretty clean. I will soon find out.   Just curious the deal on the amps and company., Most of what I have seen is not that favorable but I dont know if that is the owner or the product.

 

my tech is a engineer and he reverse engineered the amp and had good things to say about it. better quality that he has seen in a while.

Can he name the brand amps he has looked at? 

 

I have used skars high end SK series amp and was happy with it's performance.

 

But as a company it sucks!

 

Also their subs might get loud but have poor sound quality.

 

my tech repairs thousands of amps a year. he has made some of his own and then sold the finished design to other companies but he cant tell me who because its in the contract.  He was the repair tech for ED but he has also contracted for Pioneer and Alpine.

 

Let just say this. He can take most any amp and make it better or find where the week spots are and improve them.  he has amps that cost thousands . He is not some hack job repairman.

 

He has the equipment to repair even the newest stuff that in some cases most cant . 

 

I would trust my tech over Steve Mantz any day of the week. 

 

 

he told me this 125.4 was actually well made  and he hates Chinese amps and most of the amps that some people think are good.

 

he knows more than probably most of us on all these forums.    He is not just a repairman but he is also inside the loop and knows what he is talking about .

[shizzzon 461]

In that case, i'd love to hear what he'd have to say about being able to repair 10kw+ Half Bridge amps.

 

The parts used in these amps are usually only accessible through the company who builds them themselves and are only sent to their authorized repair centers. 

The reason for this is H-bridge isn't so common yet it's still used in the absolutely largest amps on this planet and parts for them are rare access to those who need to repair them.

 

There are only 2 facilities i know of in the US who either know how to do it or have access to do it.

 

That would be a challenge for him.

[Julian 641]

Same shit different asshole

[///M5 2,833]

my tech is a engineer and he reverse engineered the amp and had good things to say about it. better quality that he has seen in a while.

Fish much?

[gentlejax 0]

my tech is a engineer and he reverse engineered the amp and had good things to say about it. better quality that he has seen in a while.

Fish much?

what a useful post, thanks a lot. others will really appreciate that helpful and informative post.

 

 

anyhow. I had a chance to listen to it in the car turned up loud. bridged giving somewhere in neighborhood of 300x2@4ohms.  

 

its loud and clear. I was pleased with the output.  I have at times had other class D amps that sounded harsh when volume was really loud. this one like my tech said didnt sound strained.

 

I am running a SK125.4D  replacing a Soundstream Ref500sx.

[ricksi30 923]

 

my tech is a engineer and he reverse engineered the amp and had good things to say about it. better quality that he has seen in a while.

Fish much?

 

 

I am running a SK125.4D  replacing a Soundstream Ref500sx.

 

I would rather use the Soundstream.

[gentlejax 0]

few weeks into the use and all I can say is this sounds as good as I can tell to my soundstream refs but doesnt get hot and has a ton of power bridged . I am getting like 400x2 on this thing bridged.

 

its rated 133x4 but its stronger than that according to my tech and his equipment.

 

It is better than any of the class D i have run and he also thinks its a good one. 

 

I have run literally hundreds of amps and quite a few on the setup I have now and I have no reason to change other than maybe to match my sub amp but that would require me to find a smoking deal on a amp I never see go for cheap

[Kanaworm$ 292]

Company sucks the subs suck, the amps I'm not sure about. Probably just off the shelf from Asia with a skar sticker slapped on it.

 

The Sk Series is made in Korea and isn't a bad line of amplifiers.

[Kanaworm$ 292]

few weeks into the use and all I can say is this sounds as good as I can tell to my soundstream refs but doesnt get hot and has a ton of power bridged . I am getting like 400x2 on this thing bridged.

 

its rated 133x4 but its stronger than that according to my tech and his equipment.

 

It is better than any of the class D i have run and he also thinks its a good one. 

 

I have run literally hundreds of amps and quite a few on the setup I have now and I have no reason to change other than maybe to match my sub amp but that would require me to find a smoking deal on a amp I never see go for cheap

 

Request Skar to do a Dyno test ....

[///M5 2,833]

Your tech has no idea if he thinks it is doing above what it is rated at. Even IF it was it is pointless to your ear. They are budget amp copies of someone elses random design. There is no engineering in them. Nothing special. Welcome to the internet.

[Impious 1,476]

few weeks into the use and all I can say is this sounds as good as I can tell to my soundstream refs but doesnt get hot and has a ton of power bridged . I am getting like 400x2 on this thing bridged.

its rated 133x4 but its stronger than that according to my tech and his equipment.

It is better than any of the class D i have run and he also thinks its a good one.

I have run literally hundreds of amps and quite a few on the setup I have now and I have no reason to change other than maybe to match my sub amp but that would require me to find a smoking deal on a amp I never see go for cheap

They are your run of the mill, order them like it's a take out menu Asian build house amplifier. I don't see what there is to get excited about, and I'd be concerned if your tech wasn't able to spot that. To be honest I doubt the amps are "bad", but nothing you couldn't order and start a business selling with enough capital to meet minimum order quantities, just like the majority of these other internet companies. But Kevin is a douche and unethically promotes his products, aside from his past business issues, so I would highly recommend anyone against supporting his business.

[KyleBrown 121]

Their amps aren't bad. Few locals have had good luck with the 4500s. I've done a few deals with Kevin and no issues but many others have. 

[jonbearsmt 919]

 the amps them selfs are fine... only because Kevin has NOTHING to do with how they are made..... they are regular run of the mill Koran amps.....  the only think that makes them a skar amp is the slightly different heat sink case and the skar sticker....

 

 the problem IMO is giving money to a moron. a proven lair, scamer and douche bag

 

 

 its litterly like this......

 

 say there is a local ford dealership that is  owed by a real piece of shit...someone that is known for doing shady shit and being less then honest.......  the focus your looking at is still a fine car...  only because that asshole has 0 to do with the manufacturing and or designing of the car its self....  but at the end of the day you would still being gambling by purchasing said car from THAT caliber of man.. because when and if you ever have issues.. it would truly be sketchy trying to get any help/satisfaction in getting the issues solved.

 

 

somthing that honestly makes a company like sundown stand above and beyond a company like skar... a man like me is willing to pay a little more because jacob has proven him self over and over to be a MAN of action... his customer servise  alone is worth the extra money.... any issues you feel confidant it will be taken care of....

 

 if you look  at the topics in the skar sections kevin can not.. and will not respond to any issues. or questions about the products he sells..

 

 look at the sundown section and every single topic has a response  and  a honest answer

 

another analogy.. ever been shopping for a used car... and the sales man is clueless about the car he is trying to sell you ? is stumbling  over his words trying to tell you about a car he knows nothing about.. telling you simple things like.." yeah its automatic, its blue" and every question you ask he can not answer?

  i leave.. you cant sell me something you haven't a clue about... thats skar.

 

my point is... their are plenty of company's selling almost the same amp.. for almost the same price, and you can feel better about your purchase ...

 

 kinda like spending a few more buck for a diamond that you know is not a blood diamond

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

yeah.

[ricksi30 923]

Good rant Jon +1 lol

[ricksi30 923]

And the ridiculous part is that a lot of skar shit is the same price or MORE expensive than Sundown gear.

[jonbearsmt 919]

And the ridiculous part is that a lot of skar shit is the same price or MORE expensive than Sundown gear.

i was going to touch on that but i figured i had already said enough...... and im drunk so i was not sure that i was conveying my self well as it was....

 

 but your exactly right.... he came out as a company that boasted them selfs on selling a great product cheaper then " the other guys" (sundown) .. but some how quickly change into selling a  premium conservatively rated high end audio selection..... with a price to match the claim...  funny to me.

[sandt38 448]

I got this same SKAR amp just a few weeks ago. I elected to power my Milles with it instead of using my Butler. All I can say is "Amazing"! These little class Ds sound better than tubes.

 

FWIW, I did opt to add a turbocharger and intercooler to it to boost performance. Fuck tubes, I am all about some SKAB Audio!

[Tirefryr 1,742]

 

I picked up a 125.4D  from my repair tech..never heard one but he said it puts out more than rated and sounds pretty clean. I will soon find out.   Just curious the deal on the amps and company., Most of what I have seen is not that favorable but I dont know if that is the owner or the product.

 

my tech is a engineer and he reverse engineered the amp and had good things to say about it. better quality that he has seen in a while.

Can he name the brand amps he has looked at? 

 

I have used skars high end SK series amp and was happy with it's performance.

 

But as a company it sucks!

 

Also their subs might get loud but have poor sound quality.

 

my tech repairs thousands of amps a year. he has made some of his own and then sold the finished design to other companies but he cant tell me who because its in the contract.  He was the repair tech for ED but he has also contracted for Pioneer and Alpine.

 

Let just say this. He can take most any amp and make it better or find where the week spots are and improve them.  he has amps that cost thousands . He is not some hack job repairman.

 

He has the equipment to repair even the newest stuff that in some cases most cant . 

 

I would trust my tech over Steve Mantz any day of the week. 

 

 

he told me this 125.4 was actually well made  and he hates Chinese amps and most of the amps that some people think are good.

 

he knows more than probably most of us on all these forums.    He is not just a repairman but he is also inside the loop and knows what he is talking about .

 

This is akin to saying you'd trust and actor who plays a Dr. on television over an actual MD.

 

Seriously. . .   You're talking about a guy who REPAIRS amps over a man who has DESIGNED some of the greatest amplifiers of all time, many of them ahead of their times, has been tapped by manufacturers around the world to do OEM work, has lasted through every incarnartion of the industry and continues to stay around.  What does that say of Mr. Mantz? 

 

This has to be one the most ignorant statements I've ever read.

[sandt38 448]

 

 

I picked up a 125.4D  from my repair tech..never heard one but he said it puts out more than rated and sounds pretty clean. I will soon find out.   Just curious the deal on the amps and company., Most of what I have seen is not that favorable but I dont know if that is the owner or the product.

 

my tech is a engineer and he reverse engineered the amp and had good things to say about it. better quality that he has seen in a while.

Can he name the brand amps he has looked at? 

 

I have used skars high end SK series amp and was happy with it's performance.

 

But as a company it sucks!

 

Also their subs might get loud but have poor sound quality.

 

my tech repairs thousands of amps a year. he has made some of his own and then sold the finished design to other companies but he cant tell me who because its in the contract.  He was the repair tech for ED but he has also contracted for Pioneer and Alpine.

 

Let just say this. He can take most any amp and make it better or find where the week spots are and improve them.  he has amps that cost thousands . He is not some hack job repairman.

 

He has the equipment to repair even the newest stuff that in some cases most cant . 

 

I would trust my tech over Steve Mantz any day of the week.

 

 

he told me this 125.4 was actually well made  and he hates Chinese amps and most of the amps that some people think are good.

 

he knows more than probably most of us on all these forums.    He is not just a repairman but he is also inside the loop and knows what he is talking about .

This is akin to saying you'd trust and actor who plays a Dr. on television over an actual MD.

 

Seriously. . .   You're talking about a guy who REPAIRS amps over a man who has DESIGNED some of the greatest amplifiers of all time, many of them ahead of their times, has been tapped by manufacturers around the world to do OEM work, has lasted through every incarnartion of the industry and continues to stay around.  What does that say of Mr. Mantz? 

 

This has to be one the most ignorant statements I've ever read.

 

 

This repair guy is THAT good.

[gprestonmoto 89]

This thread is stupid.

[On3Hundr3dProof 19]

  Just saying.