Apex "senior" plate amplifier - check it out... (1 Viewer)

[Tab Nichols]

Hey folks,

Just a quick call for opinions on this plate amplifier. I am looking to power a Tempest in a basement HT. How do you think it will hold up?

250 watts RMS@ 8 ohms
350 watts RMS@ 4 ohms
The plate measures 10 1/2" W x 12 1/2"H
S/N Ratio(full rated power) 100Hz(+A) 102db THD 100hz 0.1%

For only $159.95 online (plus shipping), how do you think it compares to other similar plates, such as the AVA250?

http://www.apexjr.com/Apexsenior.htm

I appreciate your thoughts!

 

[Frank Carter]

The Apex Senior is a good amp but for a little less you can get the Rythmik Audio 350w amp which adds adjustable subsonic filter and defeatable boost.

 

[Anthony_Gomez]

Both are located in CA (within 1-1.5hr drive of each other), so shipping across the border from either should be comparable.

 

[Tab Nichols]

I definitely like the defeatable boost feature, because I really dont want to have this 6db spike at 30hz...

I also really like the adjustable rumble filter.

I was looking at the next model up too, but do you have any idea what they mean by this:
"Here we add TL072 op amp upgrade to our basic amp. This upgrade makes the sound more musical."

Later on, they go on to say:
"All the OP amps on the signal paths are replaced with TL072's (from RC4558's). OP amps are small integrated circuits that are responsible for amplifying signals. Just like tubes in the tube amplifiers, OP amps also affect the sound. The bass from TL072 sounds more open and diffused. However, if you are looking for really tight and punchy sound (at the sacrifice of sound stage), we can put RC4558 back."

Is it worth the extra $15?

 

[Baldemar Garcia]

Not worth the upgrade for subwoofer use.

 

[Tab Nichols]

I appreciate the help!!

 

[Aaron_Morris]

The Apex has no real warranty, BTW. I have a dead Apex Jr that was not abused that died after about 4 months of use. He will not even accept an exchange or offer to help fix it. He does not understand that sometimes there can be duds in a batch of electronics.

Just something to be aware of before you by the Apex. I am personally not very happy with the purchase, and now own a rhythmik amp. I have not gotten around to installing it, so I cannot comment on which I like better as far as sound output goes.

 

[Brian_DR]

First of all, the upgrade requires a lot of work from me (all the upgrade is done here in US). The $15 increase also covers longer warranty (3yr vs 1yr).

The reason I offer the upgrade go with my personal objectives. I always want to add features that will give customers more rewarding results. Adding an adjustable filter is one and replacing the opamps with better sounding ones is another. I notice a lot experienced people definitely appreciate the former, bet few people seem to care the latter. Nevertheless, I take that into consideration for my next shipment.

Brian

Rythmik Audio

 

[John E Janowitz]

Aaron,

did you call Steve at Apex Jr? He is always very good about replacing amplifiers that are bad. I actually work with him on our AMP350, the same amp as the Apex Sr. He always goes above and beyond what is expected to repair or replace damaged amps for my customers.

John

 

[Baldemar Garcia]

Just to clarify, I don't think the 'better sounding' opamps are worth the extra cost for subwoofer use. The cool adjustable rumble filter though gets a big thumbs up!

 

[Joey_N]

The bump to a 3 yr. warranty might be worth the extra $15 to me

 

[Aaron_Morris]

Sorry for the long responce time, I just moved and had no internet.

Yes, I contacted Steve. He told me that he had no problems with those amps and would not exchange it.
It wasn't that he was rude or anything like that. Infact he was very nice about letting me know I just wasted my money. It was that he told me that he was not very technical and all he did was buy from the supplier and then rebadge the amps and sell them. But he won't believe me that it is possible for there to be a bad apple in a group of electronics. Sometimes there is a single component on the board that just happens to not work, but he doesn't see it that way. He told me that he would have only concidered exchanging it for about 30 days because any problems with the amps will generally come up in the first 10 days. But even then he is hesitant.
The amp I was using was the Junior. I did not abuse it in anyway. It simply cut out one day and didn't come back on. It had about less than 50 hours of total playing time on it. Never did it go into protection (if it even has a protection circuit) that I knew of. It reciever signal from a clean source. The load was a 4 ohm load (4 2ohm VC's all in series).

I was just disappointed that he would not even really try to help fix the situation.

 

[Joey_N]

As someone who strongly believes in client relationship management, that's very disappointing.

Sounds like his "direct customers" aren't as important as being a supplier for companies like Stryke.

Didn't buy this with a Gold card by chance? VISA Gold will extend any purchases bought with those cards...

 

[John E Janowitz]

Aaron,

I spoke with Steve regarding this issue yesterday. I didn't realize you had an Apex Jr. amp and not the Sr, the bigger one. I have never had a single problem with the Jr's. Steve has not either. As a result, he told me that he asked you to return the amplifier so it could be looked at by his repair person and determine if there was a failure due to a faulty component, or due to abuse. This does not mean that he will not cover it under warranty, only that it needs to be determined if it is a warranty issue before it can be repaired or replaced.

John

 

[Joey_N]

Well, it's good to hear the other side's perspective on the conversation too.

At least Steve has offered to evaluate your situation. Perhaps the tone of their conversation (which only those 2 really know) led Aaron to perceive something different.

I'd suggest you might give him another chance Aaron. Maybe work out a deal on shipping the item back to him & then returning it to you. Best of luck with it!

 

[Aaron_Morris]

Not to quibble over details, but... He told me that he had a college guy that he would see in about a month. He told me that if I shipped it out, he'd let the guy take a look at it but was not sure how much he would charge to fix if or even if he could fix it. He said that it was not a warranty issue, and that he would relay the charges back to me. He said that if there was a place locally, that it would be my best bet if I really wanted it fixed sooner than that.

This offer did not at the time seem to be a warranty offer. Rather he would just get it fixed for me but I was still responsible for the charges. Maybe there was some miscommunication. I have been too busy as of late to deal with it, so I haven't pressed the issue with Steve other than the initail email and call.