JL Audio 360.2 purchase

neonblack · Post by **neonblack** » Tue Jun 07, 2011 10:20 am

4 ohms: 110 RMS x 2. Paid $160 for this and not completely satisfied with it. It is strictly a no-frills, barebone amp. The gain has to be turned up at least halfway to get volume I want - not anything like other amps I've had (Kenwood, Profile). It gets the job done but probably does not have decent headroom - probably should have gone with a more powerful amp. This is my first JL Audio amp - I assume that this is a consumer level amplifier. Guess you get what you pay for.

loudwagon15s · Post by **loudwagon15s** » Tue Jun 07, 2011 8:04 pm

Just dropped in a 4 channel jl that was rated way less than the previous jbl 75.4, Sounds much better without a doubt. Just because you need to turn the gain higher than other amps doesn't mean a thing

neonblack · Post by **neonblack** » Wed Jun 08, 2011 8:19 am

It absolutely does. It means that you have to drive the amp harder and more importantly it lacks the dynamic power which is needed for high quality sound reproduction. This thing gets super hot and that's not a good thing.

Bwcad1 · Post by **Bwcad1** » Wed Jun 08, 2011 11:20 am

neonblack wrote:it absolutely does. It means that you have to drive the amp harder and more importantly it lacks the dynamic power which is needed for high quality sound reproduction. This thing gets super hot and that's not a good thing.

lawl

Using gain as a volume knob invalidates anything you say. Cheers!

High Society · Post by **High Society** » Wed Jun 08, 2011 12:45 pm

May want to get the amp checked out. Where did you buy it from? I had a JL500.1 or 600.1 I don't remember, but it was constant power at any ohm range, and that thing was a beast. I'd take JL over the amos you mentioned any day. Check to make sure you have everything hooked up right.

loudwagon15s · Post by **loudwagon15s** » Wed Jun 08, 2011 1:29 pm

NO The gain knob is a f'n potentiometer, and it just so happens that they're not all the same, if you have to turn it up higher it means its not as sensitive as other amps that you have experience with. I'm not the biggest fan of jl because of their prices, but that amp is far superior to kenwood and especially profile.

neonblack · Post by **neonblack** » Wed Jun 08, 2011 3:12 pm

Using gain as a volume knob invalidates anything you say.

And do you use your ear when adjusting the gain? I assume you use a voltmeter. Yes, this amp is not as sensitive as other amps I have. I have high quality 4 ga. power wire going to this and into ADS comps. If I get two years out of this amp I'll be happy. I was using an older Kenwood KAC-848 bridged at 150W RMS x 2 and that thing served me extremely well for 6 years.

Bwcad1 · Post by **Bwcad1** » Thu Jun 09, 2011 4:09 am

neonblack wrote:And do you use your ear when adjusting the gain? I assume you use a voltmeter. Yes, this amp is not as sensitive as other amps I have. I have high quality 4 ga. power wire going to this and into ADS comps. If I get two years out of this amp I'll be happy. I was using an older Kenwood KAC-848 bridged at 150W RMS x 2 and that thing served me extremely well for 6 years.

No i use a scope. What does sensitivity mean to you on an amp? so because you use less gain its a better amp?

JeremyC · Post by **JeremyC** » Thu Jun 09, 2011 7:20 pm

A scope? Like for a gun? That will never work ;-)

As for the gain, it doesn't matter where it points, as long as its properly matched to the output stage of the head unit.

That and no... its not a volume knob.

You went from a 150 watt per channel, to a 110 watt per channel amp. Both amps properly set, same head unit, power supply, and speakers (and proper ohm load), you shouldn't see more than 1db of difference with an equal or zero clipping.

As for the difference in sound.... again.... with proper tuning, and setup, both amps driven with zero or less than 10db of gain overlap 99% of people won't be able to tell a difference. ESPECIALLY in the average/little better than average install.