Soundstream Reference 300 Power Output Test

Soundstream Reference 300 on the OldSchoolStereo.com Test Bench

I recall back in the early 90's patiently awaiting my monthly Car Audio magazines so I could see amp tests. It was very rare to come across a test I actually cared about, but maybe once a year or so. I drooled over the Phoenix Gold MS series, Rockford Fosgate HD series, Soundstream Reference series, just to mention a few. Well, these days, I spend some of my free time bench testing some of these amps I always wanted back in the day.

I recently picked up a Soundstream Reference 300 and couldn't wait to add it to my old school 150 watt (75x2 RMS) amp tests. If you've missed it, I've already done an overview and RMS watt output test of the Phoenix Gold MS-275 and Rockford Fosgate Punch 150HD.

The Reference 300 is a no-frills old school amp. It has no internal crossover and as with earlier Soundstream amps, all connections are made on one side. There are also two openings on the bottom of the amp with switches. One switch controls high power or high current mode, while the other allows switching between mono / coherent stereo / mixed-mono modes. The Reference 300 is rated to handle 1/2 ohm loads in stereo or 1ohm modes in mono, while in the high-current mode. High power modes are designed for loads down to 1 ohm stereo or 2 ohms mono.

See power output specs from the manual below:

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Soundstream Reference 200/300/500 Power Ratings at 12v

Also, here are some of the design specs of the Soundstream Reference Series amplifiers:

Soundstream Reference Series Design Features

The ability to drive 1/2 ohm loads was a rarity back in the early 90's. Only a handful of amps were rated to handle these loads. Orion HCCA models come to mind, but there were others from US Amps and Phoenix Gold, to mention a few.

As for the power output test, I was anticipating Soundstream to rate the Reference 300 conservatively. As you may have seen already, the Rockford Fosgate Punch 150HD was rated at the same 75x2 at 4 ohms and delivered nearly 120x2 at 4 ohms on the OldSchoolStereo.com test bench. Many manufacturers during this time rated their amps based on 12v, not the 14.4v you see today.

150 Watt Old School Amps from Phoenix Gold, Rockford Fosgate, Orion & Soundstream

So, enough talk already, how did the Soundstream Reference 300 perform on the bench? Well, now that you asked, here are the measurements (All taken based on 100Hz test tone and 13.8v input).

Continuous RMS Wattage Output: 

• 4 ohms Stereo - 105.6 watts/ch (both channels driven)
• 2 ohms Stereo - 134.1 watts/ch (both channels driven)
• 4 ohms Mono - 267.3* watts (in high-power mode)
• 2 ohms Mono - 224.7 watts (in high-current mode**)

*See the update video below for the updated 4 ohm mono test
**The Reference 300 popped it's 30A fuse when I attempted 2 ohm mono testing in the high-power mode.

See the power output test in in 720p HD or embedded below:



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UPDATE: One more demo to see if the 4 ohm bridged mono mode would yield the rated 300 watts:


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-BigD

The World's Most Powerful iPod Dock? Athena iVoice

Athena iVoice iPod Dock

What is the world's most powerful iPod dock? Is it the Athena iVoice? Well, not likely, but I decided to test one of these iVoice docks on the oldschoolstereo test bench. I have one of these units with a bad speaker, so I decided to pull it apart and test the amplifier using my resistor load.


The Athena iVoice is an amazingly good sounding iPod dock. I've been VERY impressed with these docks since I first purchased one on closeout a few years ago. The unit also has a 1/8" input so you can also use it with other portable music devices, computers, cell phones, etc...any device with a 1/8" output. Trust me, you won't believe the sound coming out of dual 3.5" speakers! The bass is very punchy, mids extremely transparent and even the highs will surprise you. Another useful feature of the Athena iVoice is the built-in power supply. No external power brick needed with this dock! (just a light-weight 6 foot power cable) Probably the only real downside is the lack of an internal battery for portable usage. The dock also includes a USB port for iTunes syncing and a RCA video output for passing signals from an iPod Photo or iPod Video 5G (not sure about 5.5G or iPod "Classic"?). My iPhone 4 fits on the dock, but will not charge and gives me a "not compatible" warning. That said, it will pass audio from the iPhone.

Athena iVoice with Metal Speaker Grill Removed

Athena iVoice Rear Connections

Here are the iVoice specs from Athena:

Design:	Direct Radiating iPod Dock Sound System
Features:	Wall mountable - Provides Greater Installation Flexibility USB Connectivity - Allows the iPod to Sync with iTunes on your Computer IR Remote Control - Remotely Controls your iPod and the iVoice Charges iPod While Docked
Frequency Response:	65 Hz — 17 kHz
System Power:	25 Watts RMS / Channel
Input:	3.5mm Audio Input - Can be Used with Any Portable Audio Device (with an Audio Output) or Computer
Output:	Composite Video Output - Allows an iPod Photo / Video to Output Video Content to an External Display Device
Dimensions — Standard: (Height x Depth x Width)	5" x 15-½" x 6-½"
Dimensions — Metric: (Height x Depth x Width)	140cm x 393cm x 170cm
Weight:	4.7 lbs / 2.1 kgs
Finishes:	Polished High Gloss Black

Well, enough talk about the sound and specs of the iVoice, what about the output power? Athena says 25 watts RMS per channel, which honestly, is a LOT of power for 3.5" speakers. My test involved sacrificing one of my iVoice docks, so see the internals below:

Athena iVoice Internal Components

As you can tell by the pictures, the 3.5" speakers appear to have neodymium magnets and a dual-cone design for enhanced highs. A quick measurement of each speaker show a load of approx. 6.8 ohms. Since my resistor loads are setup for 8, 4 and 2 ohm configurations, these are the loads I decided to use for my testing.  I honestly wasn't sure the tiny "BASH" Class D amp could handle the 2 ohm tests, but decided to do it anyway...why not?


So, did Athena accurately rate the internal amplifier? Well, I guess it depends on the testing parameters they used. For my 1000 Hz tone resistive load test, the amp seems to be somewhat overrated. See the video for the detailed test results, but the approximate measured RMS wattage was 10, 20 & 32 (at 8, 4 and 2 ohms, respectively). 


Although the Athena iVoice may not be the world's most powerful iPod dock, it is the most powerful iPod dock measured on the oldschoolstereo test bench! (as of August 2011)


Watch the demo in 1080p HD or embedded below:


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