Kenwood KAC-M1804

Great little amp for the price

I have this little amp installed in my car with aftermarket speakers (6X9). I bought it mainly because it was small and could hide it under the head unit so I don't have an annoying amp and cables under the seats. I was not expecting much on the performance side since it is only 400W but I was very impressed! Highs are crystal clear and it adds powerfull bass in comparision to the radio built-in amp. A lot of amps are cheaper for the same power rating but if you really need small size this amp is the way to go!

Kenwood KAC-M1804

Here's the good, The Bad, and the Ugly.
Sounds great!
I have no idea what the RCA level inputs take. It's not in the specs.
My Sony head unit has 5V outputs. I think this unit takes 2-4 volts.
My issue: It gets too loud before the dynamic range opens up from the head unit. No way to adjust at the amp for the higher level inputs. I can only turn it up to 1/3rd of the head units output. I want 2/3 to open up that dynamic range.

Just as expected...

Received the unit and installed in my pontoon boat. Easily connected to my Sony DSX-MS60. Has only been installed for a week so can't post much experience with amp. Very pleased thus far and thinking about purchasing same amp for my 20' bowrider.

Decent little Amp

The Good:

- Very Compact, easy to install, especially in tight places - I put it vertically next to the glove box bheind the dash with no issues.

- Puts out good power for its size with little draw and produces a nice clean signal.

- Easy to set up with the harness kit.

- Not expensive

The Less than Good:

- No gains, which may or may not be an issue, depending on your head unit and preferred volume/cab size (I had no problem with a Pioneer 720bt in my Elantra).

- Causes a slight *pop* on shutdown - not enough to damage the speakers (probably), but still audible, and a little annoying.

- Contains a 15A fuse. If it was truly a 400W max, it should be able to handle 25+A, so it makes me wonder... although I have never tripped it.

Easy installation and great sound

Installed in 2010 VW Sportwagen with Kenwood KDC-BT758HD receiver and two sets of Polk DB6501 component speakers. Once i added the second set of speakers the head unit couldn't deliver the power. The KAC-M1804 really makes these speakers stand out and deliver great sound.
Very easy to install

Great for what it is

I got this amp to power 4 Cerwin Vega door speakers. It put out a lot more power than my kenwood head unit and greatly improved my sound. You know it puts out its rated power because it's CEA-2006 compliant. I was able to fit it in my dash behind my head unit. It worked right away when I hooked it up, which was a relief. Keep in mind, after playing loud for a while it does get pretty warm. All in all great buy for anyone looking for a little boost over what their head unit can put out.

Kenwood KAC-M1804

Great product and great delivery time highly recommended this product

kenwood kac-m1804

I have used this for about 30 days,working good,easy to hookup and hide

Good value and sound, easy hookup

I used this as part of a new sound system in a 1994 Mustang GT (with a Kenwood cd player/receiver and 6x8 Kicker speakers). All together this system sounds better than the factory installation did.

Since it is new to me I cannot honestly comment on durability but Kenwood has a good reputation for that. The review did not allow me to skip rating durability so I rated it in the middle...