SonyXM-GS6DSP GS Series 6/5 Channel Class-D Bluetooth Amplifier with DSP

UPDATE 2021-09-18Still haven't experimented with Soundcloud or Spotify, but continues to work well with my basic Music and YouTubeMusic apps -- once re-paired with bluetooth, an operation that remains necessary every time I return home after being out. (see below re: unconventional home-use application for this car amp).This hot August / September in U.S., I'm reminded how hot this thing is. I literally feel its heat from feet away, and it is JUST below the pain threshold to touch it firmly for more than 5 seconds. No wonder my 12V battery power supply wasn't able to provide enough power(?) to get it to turn on? My SeaSonic fan-less quiet PC power supply, plugged into house power, does great, however, and does NOT get noticeably hot, even sitting on top of the Sony. Weird that it can deliver all that wasted heat energy to the Sony without getting hot itself... Based on heat generated, I would caution any automotive or marine users to ensure they have a KICKING alternator, and to ensure you configure the power-on and power-off features such that it is impossible for the amp to be on when the engine isn't running (or, for modern cars that kill engine after long idle, when ignition isn't in 'run' mode). For electric vehicles, this might not be a good option. I'm guessing it's consuming > 200Watts at idle, just to be turned on.I've now played the Sony loud on Polk RTi-300 tower loudspeakers in 2-way configuration, and the built-in crossovers, independent level controls / crossover points on the unit, and 'fader' between tweets and mid/bass driver sections via the app, give me remote volume, balance and tone control, plus preset and custom EQ via remote. Wonky but versatile and great-sounding setup.The heat seams wasteful, but perhaps with a powerful subwoofer amp, it would be doing some real work instead of just making my living room hot? In general, I judge the potential quality of audio gear by their density (weight per volume) and to some extent how hot they get. That heat is probably power available for fast dynamic response I'm not fully using on my moderate-powered towers, so I'm guessing a big subwoofer would make good use of it without the amp getting even hotter, or compromising performance on the mid/highs.UPDATE circa December 2020:Listening on a boot-strapped PC tower switching power supply in my home, I'm really loving the Sony | Music Center app. It seamlessly streams from my iTunes and YouTube accounts, and switches flawlessly between them. Unfortunately, my iPhone 7 running OS 14.2 forgets the Sony bluetooth device every time you close the app, so connecting is a bit cumbersome. I'm hoping I figure something out so I don't have to wait for a Sony firmware update (I'm on 12 and don't see an update method...).2020-11-26I had hoped to expand my battery-powered mobile PA rig with this, but it won't turn on from the Talentcell battery bricks I planned on (it probably pulses too much current on turn-on and the bricks fail the test?).I was able to bench test by shorting the turn-on pins 14-15 and putting an 8ohm load (a throw-away loudspeaker with broken pole piece) on the 5V motherboard terminals 4-5 (red+ black-, though polarity doesn't matter for a loudspeaker expecting wave-form current).With this relatively weak power supply, and running a pair of 2-way bookshelf speakers off the easy-to-connect subwoofer stereo terminals, I can adjust eq, listen to my iPhone's iTunes music, and stream YouTube. Other info indicated I could add Soundcloud or some other music services, but none appeared available in the Sony Music Center app during the 'add app' dialogue -- possibly because it searches the phone for known music-related apps, rather than offer a list of apps it doesn't have permission to download.The eq is handy, and I'm excited to hook this up in bi- and tri-amped configurations with and without subwoofer. I'm hoping maybe if I parallel (4) Talentcell bricks together those may turn it on for a mobile PA application, or maybe I'll put a couple li-ion 6v motorcycle batteries in series for a compact, high cycle-count battery supply. Still a little surprised the pair of paralleled Talentcell bricks wouldn't turn on this Sony, when they do fine for a cheap Pioneer simple stereo amp I already tried.

Wonderful amp!I previously reviewed this amp before installing it and gave it 3 stars. Upgrading to 5. Half of that was due to me not comprehending the manual on first read. I was considering returning it. I'm glad I didn't because I'm really impressed by this little amp.Small footprintIt's not the tiniest amp, but it has a super low profile. For a 6 channel amp with a 600w 2 ohm stable sub channel, I don't think you'll get much smaller. It's 3 inches longer than my previous 4 channel, 400w amp but about the same width and an inch shorter. It has integrated heat sinks and gets pretty warm at times. Not sure if it's a good candidate for under seat installation, despite its small size and class d spec, this amp needs air flow/volume around it.Ease of installationI'd rate this a 3 out of 5 if you're not getting it professionally installed. This is where the manual fails a bit. I kept the amp and decided to go with a 2 channel setup instead of 6. If installing 2 channel with high level connections, the manual says there is no need to connect the remote wire. This is incorrect. This will only work if you're not using a sub. The speaker leads are sufficient for auto sensing startup; but the remote wire is needed to power the sub stage. If you connect a sub without this wire the amp will go into protect mode every few seconds. If you are experienced with installation, and read carefully - unlike me, this will not be a major hiccup.Sound qualityVery impressive. A solid single amplifier solution. Highs are crisp, clear and sound as if the amp is pushing more than rated power. I haven't tested that yet. Sub is well controlled and delivers the appropriate level of thumpage. Tested on various input sources and types of music. So far I've not been disappointed.Advanced features and overallThe Sony app is quite good and easy to use. I still listen to CD material. But if you only use Bluetooth, you could almost ditch the head unit. This would be great for a stealthy install in a classic car and retain the original dash. I do wish the time alignment function was set in delay ms instead of centimeters, but that is a small gripe. I still have some tinkering to do with this amp and I'm glad I kept it.This amp is not cheap but you get your money's worth. Maybe even a little more

(1/5 year update): I upgraded my rating from 3 stars to 4.5 because I have had no issues with it and it connects to my phone without me doing anything very quickly. Also the crappy bluetooth functionality is a blessing in disguise for me, as I now have an excuse to always play my music whenever I have passengers.The form factor is the best part about this amp, am able to mount it to the back of my small 10in sub box and it freed up a lot of room in my hatch and I'm happy with the quality of the sound for the most part. Something I'm very disappointed in is the small amount of feedback with engine RPM that is only really noticeable when no music is playing. Going to have to add a switch inline with with the accessory wire so I don't go crazy. The Bluetooth operation is really bad though. You can't just simply connect a device once you have setup the dsp with the app. Each new device must have the app in order to connect. This isn't a big deal unless you have non family members in the car often. If you do have a lot of friends that ride with you I would advise just using a head unit to play music instead of directly through the amps Bluetooth.

Not sure if these are refurbished but I got a non working which considering the price point I’d hope there would be a better quality control so 1 star because… as a side note I had it profesionally installed and tried a different amp which worked so thanks for wasting my time

Installed this amp in a vintage vw beetle with no head unit. Worked out great with no problems. Great solution for having a nice sound setup in a classic vehicle.