Sony XM-1502SX Car Amplifier

The amplifier market has a lot of good things going on these days. In addition to incredible technological advancements, we're seeing some of the best cosmetic designs ever. It wasn't long ago that these things were just big extruded aluminum blocks with fins everywhere. And to top it off, back then color choices were mostly limited to black.

Today, a great number of heatsinks are using castings, made from molds instead of extrusions (like pushing Playdoh through a form). Casting the aluminum sinks lets you do all sorts of trickery, such as obscure contours, rounded corners, and fins on all sides as well as different directions, giving modern amplifiers a new appeal.

Sony takes this to heart and aims the new Xplod amplifiers squarely at the consumer who wants product with truly striking looks. These striking looks stem from a contrast of the flat, brushed aluminum insert with bright red cast aluminum heatsink, or maybe it's the oversized X pattern (basically the heatsink) that exemplifies the Xplod logo. Either way, it commands attention.

Running on a budget theme the last few months, we tested the Sony XM-1502SX amp. It has a manufacturer's suggested retail price of $249, but nearly everyone including the big chain stores sells it for a wallet-friendly, $199. As you read on, you will surely agree that this is an awesome price for an amplifier of this performance.

Sony rates the amp at 150 watts through each of its two channels. Bridged power into 4 ohm load is given as 380 watts.

Cracking the proprietary cast heatsink open to take a look at the guts of the amp reveals a modest power supply with MOSFET type outputs. There are also a great deal of jumper rods connecting different protions of the circuit board. In terms of production, this can considerably cut the cost of an amplifier because the portions of the board may be used on other versions of Sony amplifiers. We never confirmed this, though.

For features, the XM-1502SX is certainly not lacking. Aside from the sharp looks, there is a continuously variable high or low pass crossover at 12 dB per octave, line level inputs, a bass boost centered at 40 Hz, and power/protection LEDs on the top cover. One other feature is a test tone button. This is something of a troubleshooting circuit, as the owner's manual explains it. A bit mysterious, but basically if you can hear the tones after you press the button, then the amp is working properly. InstallationThough it's pretty low profile, only two inches tall, its footprint is Shaq-size. If you can fit this baby under a seat then you've got a big seat -- the amp measures about 14 x 10. But considering its look-at-me cosmetics, why hide it?

The amp's design has all the connections on one side of the amp, which is good for keeping wires organized. The large heatsink hides all the connectors for a really clean look as well. Getting to them, however, can be a little difficult.

You will want to make sure not to bolt down the amp until you've not only connected all the wires, but after you've fired the amplifier up and double-checked everything. Getting at some of the connections like the turn-on input or the high level inputs takes some patience and small fingers. As well, be particularly careful when connecting the 12 volt power lead. It's pretty easy to touch the screwdriver to the body of the amp and make a big spark. However, I'm sure all you pro do-it-at-home installers would have the battery disconnected so that would never happen.

The adjustable crossover did its job nicely as did the bass boost. The boost centers at 40 Hz and lets you add as much as 10 dB at that level. The crossovers have a 12 dB slope and an adjustment range from 50-300 Hz, high pass or low pass.

One last oddity is the fuse. While the amp itself has a 40 ATC fuse in it, the owner's manual recommends a 30 amp fuse at the battery. Thinking that it's probably easier to change the fuse at the battery than on the recessed panel of the amp, that makes sense. Problem is the amp makes its rated 380 watts bridged with a 40 amp draw. Fortunately, we're talking music, so the current draw constantly changes. TestingPutting the XM-1502SX through its paces on the test bench, we verified that this Sony makes all of its factory rated performance specs, 150 watts per channel as well as the 380 watts bridged. The 760 watts so boldly printed on the amp is obviously a peak power that is good only for transients.

This is not a low impedance amplifier. It runs well at a 2-ohm stereo, or 4-ohm bridged load; however, avoid dropping the impedance below that or you will likely blow fuses like popcorn. Besides, the amp does not make much more power at a lower impedance while it does get a good deal hotter. Run this amp at its rated impedance and it will like you that muchbetter.

Bridged 4 ohms, the XM-1502SX makes plenty of power, 344 watts at a real world 12.6 volts. Driving a big dual 8 ohm voice coil 15-inch sub, we got plenty of output from the amp, but it also had a tendency to blow fuses. With bass CDs and lots of volume, the XM-1502SX would clip hard or just blow its fuse after about ten minutes.

Keep in mind that this kind of testing is clearly abusive and the object is to find the limits of the amp. Also bear in mind, testing the limits like this can cause hearing damage, something you sure don't want, even if you do own stock in a hearing aid company.

Connected to a pair of component speakers with no bass boost and the highpass crossover engaged at 60 Hz, the XM-1502SX was a great performer. This is likely its true calling. One hundred and fifty watts to a mid and a tweeter will hit some serious sound levels (not recommended unless you don't care about your hearing or the money you spent to enhance the musical experience).

Again, the Sony lists for $249, but potential buyers should be able to find it for less. As it is, the XM-1502SX is a good buy; but at a discount price it is truly a bargain, especially considering the look of it. In terms of dollars per watt it's a good deal, too. We'd recommend it with component speakers versus a dedicated sub amp (try Sony's XM-3001SXD for that). There's some tough competition in the $200-250 amp market, but the XM-1502SX gives you dramatic cosmetics, lots of features and a big brand name. Check one out at your local Sony dealer or go to www.sony.com/xplod for more info.