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.
SnapshotProduct - Sony XM-1502-SXPrice - $249Rated Power - 150 watts x 2 @ 0.04% THDTested Power - 195 watts x 2 @ 1.0% THDGood - Price, power, cosmeticsBad - Blows fuses at high levels on bass CDs Overall - Great looking amp that excels at driving component speakers.