I just got the new Crutchfield and they have a new Panasonic heead unit with 60 watt RMS. Supposedly it's some new digital chip amp that stays cool so it doesn't overheat. Anybody know anything about this head unit??? Sounds interesting if you don't wanna buy seperate amps. I think the price was $499.

 

Except it's a Panasonic. However, it's a good HU for budget buyers.

 

There are a number of HU amps now that have improved power supplies. This inproves the chip amp to a degree, but does not fundamentally change the characteristics of an IC amp vs. a discrete transistor amp, or the current handling of an IC during bass notes and associated frequency response questions.

RMS does NOT mean "full-range" (20-20K), etc.

Remember, ICamps tend to use a LOT of negative feedback, which creates intermodulation distortion, which is much more audible than THD.

Before HUs started to have more "power" there were small 2 and 4-channel amps... the HUs have killed these, and it's too bad...

 

Does Panasonic suck? I've never had any 12v stuff from them, but I have a lot of respect for Matsushita, since they make just about everything that is electronic.

 

I've always respected their mechanics, but not their cosmetics or sonics. Stuff usually don't break, but man, it can be unattractive...

 

that is what I was referring to. Their HU's are just ugly.

 

 

A lot of them look kinda cheap to me. It's a decent budget deck.