I've mentioned that the amp sounded quiet, with no audible hiss during my listening. That is because this amp's signal to noise performance is among the best I've ever measured for this type of design. The critical fullrange channels measured at a very quiet -83dBA referenced to 1 watt, or for you old-schoolers, -102dBA at full power. Damn quiet indeed! Stereo separation was also good at -57dB.
The big amp protected instantly when I deliberately dead shorted any of the outputs, recovering automatically in a few seconds. It also has thermal shutdown protection in case of overheating-although I didn't get it anywhere near hot enough to make that occur.
Conclusion
Phoenix Gold hasn't forgotten its roots and from what I've seen, their latest series of premium products are as good as any they've ever built. This amp is another in the series of high-performance amps building on the legacy of the past, and maintaining a reputation for solid performance and sonic excellence into the future. At $1,299, the amp isn't cheap. But considering that you'd probably spend that much on a pair of amps to do the same job, it makes a lot of sense.
Phoenix Gold also plans to launch an exclusive online community (roadster66.com) in conjunction with the product launch where past Route 66 and present Roadster 66 owners worldwide can share stories and images of their installs and experiences.
If you're considering a single-chassis solution for your system and you've got the scratch it takes to make it happen, you really can't go wrong with the Roadster 66. Also, rumor has it that this is really is a limited production run, with a maximum of 500 of these babies to be built, so you'd better move quickly!