The factory audio system in a car is becoming so complex that aftermarket car audio suppliers are starting to include channel summing capability in traditional amplifiers.
These amplifiers appear to be a new middle ground between full DSP amplifiers (that provide time alignment and eq plus channel summing) and traditional amplifiers. And they are aimed at the more budget-minded customer who doesn’t want to spend an extra $100 on an outboard channel summing device.
DD Audio is the latest amplifier maker to announce the feature this spring. DD Audio will include channel summing in a line of compact multichannel amplifiers, while AudioControl is offering channel summing in a new LC-4.800.
Other suppliers say they are looking at amplifiers with channel summing including Memphis Audio and Massive Audio.
Detractors say you need the full DSP amp to get great sound from the system. But DD Audio’s Kevin Doyle says, “A lot of guys want to roll in for $1,500 and roll out with speakers, subwoofers a new amp and integrate it with the head unit. So this will go in a lot of pickups…”
Many pickup trucks come with factory radios with ‘crossovered’ signals. Doyle said, “The car companies are starting to use true component sets with a tweeter on the A pillar and 6.5 inch or 8 inch drivers in the doors and they will cross over those signals on the factory head unit so high frequencies are going up here and low range are going to the doors, so you can’t get a full range signal out of that properly.”
More sophisticated systems will use a digital signal processor that has built-in channel summing plus time alignment and equalization. But not every customer wants to spend $700 or more for that type of system, said Doyle.
For its part, Memphis Audio is looking into offering a DSP amplifier later this year or at CES.
DD Audio’s new D Series line with channel summing includes five amplifiers: two monoblocks, a 2/4-channel, and two 5-channels at expected retail prices from $209 to $579.
They are compact Class D amplifiers with low-level input summing to allow all output channels to be driven even when only 2 channels of signal are available. Hi-Level input summing allows partial frequency bands from OEM systems to be combined for a full range signal.
Other features are bandpass crossovers, high pass filters up to 5k and signal pass through on the 2/4 channel amp for adding a second amp. The monoblock amps and the sub portion of the 5 channel amps will be controllable with an included remote gain knob.
