Pioneer Electronics introduced three Class-D amplifiers designed for the marine environment, including two that are compact and waterproof.
The two waterproof models are water, sand and dust proof (IP67 rated) and a third model offers flexible bridgeable 6-channel capability.
All three models use an MCU (Micro Controller Unit) that continuously monitors the operating temperature to automatically adjust the output so the amps don’t overheat during long listening sessions. They also use a 32-Bit floating point DSP.
The amplifiers are also SAE J1171 Certified for external ignition protection of marine electrical devices, making them suitable for installation in the storage, electrical or battery compartments of marine vessels.
The marine amplifier lineup includes:
- GM-ME300X1C (suggested price: $370):The mono-channel GM-ME300X1C subwoofer amplifier is weatherproof and IP67 rated for dust and water resistance, capable even of full water submersion1. Adjustments to the built-in low pass filter (featuring a precise 21-step frequency range), 0dB/ 6dB/ 12dB adjustable bass boost, gain and input settings are located under the sealed top mounted and removable cover. The GM-ME300X1C output is controlled by the MCU and is capable of 300W RMS x1 at both 2 ohms and 4 ohms.
- GM-ME300X4C (suggested price: $370):The 4-channel GM-ME300X4C full-range amplifier is weatherproof and IP67 rated for dust and water resistance, capable even of full water submersion1. Adjustments to the built-in high pass and low pass filters (featuring a precise 21-step frequency range), bridged output settings, gain and input settings are located under the sealed top mounted and removable cover. The GM-ME300X4C output is controlled by the MCU and is capable of 75W RMS x4 at both 2 ohms and 4 ohms in 4-channel mode; 75W RMS x2 at both 2 ohms and 4 ohms plus 150W RMS x1 at 4 ohms in 3-channel stereo/bridged mode; or 150W RMS x2 at 4 ohms in 2-channel bridged mode.
- GM-ME600X6 (suggested price: $650):Featuring a corrosion-resistant conformal coated circuit board and single sided ABYC/NMMA compliant terminal connections, the 6-channel GM-ME600X6 full-range amplifier offers an array of power output and channel combinations to provide unmatched system flexibility within the Pioneer marine amplifier line-up. The MCU design features built-in high pass and low pass filters (featuring a precise 21-step frequency range), bridged output settings, gain and input selection settings for each of the three pairs of channels (six total channels). Further harnessing the full capabilities of the MCU design, it features both normal output mode (75W RMS x2 stereo at both 2 ohms and 4 ohms / 150W RMS x1 bridged at 4 ohms) or high output mode (100W RMS x2 stereo at both 2 ohms and 4 ohms / 200W RMS x1 bridged at 4 ohms) for each pair of channels, allowing the amplifier’s power output to be more closely matched with the power handling capabilities of connected speakers (sold separately). The amplifier can be configured in the following output modes: 6-channel (all channels operating in stereo mode); 5-channel (4 channels in stereo mode plus 1 bridged mode channel); 4-channel (2 channels in stereo mode plus 2 bridged mode channels); or 3-channel (3 bridged mode channels).
See more information at www.pioneerelectronics.com/PUSA/Marine/Amplifiers.
