Fitting aftermarket audio equipment into small spaces is crucial in car audio. Amplifier manufacturers know this, and are continually developing new ways to make their amplifiers smaller and smaller. Kenwood introduced a new 5-channel amplifier this year that will make saving space issues a thing of the past, the Kenwood eXcelon XR-5S. Thanks to digital amplifier technology, the XR-5S has an extremely small chassis and allows for installation in very small spaces without any sacrifice in power or audio performance.
Some of the technology that allows this to be possible is the four-layer circuit board for ultimate versatility. Also featured is a new surface mount device technology to further help with the amplifiers mounting versatility. Another great addition to the Kenwood eXcelon XR-5S is a new thermal management system which really makes the high output, compact design possible. The XR-5S has continuously variable low-pass and variable high-pass filters that allow for easy tuning and sound tailoring of multiple speaker systems from one compact location.
There are two other amplifiers that also fall into the “Reference Fit” series lineup introduced by Kenwood this year. First of the two is the Kenwood eXcelon XR-1S, which is now Kenwood’s smallest monoblock amplifier ever. This compact package delivers 600 watts of RMS power at 4 ohms, and 700 watts of certified RMS power at 2 ohms. It has a maximum power rating of 1,600 watts. The other Reference Fit Mobile Power Amplifier is the Kenwood eXcelon XR-4S. This is a 4-channel, full range power amplifier solution. It’s power rating is 120 watts of RMS power to each of the channels at 4 ohms, and 150 watts of RMS power to each channel at 2 ohms. If the amplifier is bridged together, it will push 300 watts of RMS power to two channels at 4 ohms.
