Specifications You Can Hear**
Our dedication to sonic purity, and to the concept of cumulative
error demands that we design and build our amplifiers and processors to be
the cleanest in the industry. ZAPCO amplifiers are the standard by which all
other amplifiers are measured. However, it concerns us when one
specification THD (Total Harmonic Distortion) that can’t be heard in most
modern, high-end amplifiers becomes the only meaningful specification
manufacturers seem to publish. THD is only one of a number of
specifications that make ZAPCO amplifiers sound better than other brands.
Of the four primary specifications, it is probably the least obvious in normal
use.
Damping Factor:
The most common misconception about ZAPCO amplifiers is that
we drastically under-rate our power output. Not true, it just sounds that way.
Today’s music, of all genres, has a great deal of bass content. Damping
describes the amps ability to control a woofer. An amp with poor damping
will leave bass notes sounding soft and undefined, regardless of its power.
In most amp lines, the largest units have damping factors between 100 and
200. Since rock solid bass is perceived as a function of power, our 100-watt
amp sounds like other brands 300-watt amps.
Slew Rate:
A similar situation exists in the higher frequencies. Ever turn up the
volume and hear cymbals sounding like fingernails on a blackboard? That’s
because the amplifier simply wasn’t fast enough to accurately reproduce the
high frequency tonality of the cymbals. A higher slew rate means a faster
amplifier, which means crystal clear high frequency reproduction. ZAPCO
amps have the highest slew rates in the industry. Once again, clear defined,
sound is perceived as a function of power.
Signal to Noise Ratio:
Noise is an ever-present problem in auto sound reproduction.
ZAPCO approaches this problem in two ways. The first is at the input
source. All Reference amplifiers can use the SymbiLink balance line
inputs, which drastically reduce the noise coming into the amp. Secondly,
ZAPCO amps are built with the highest quality, lowest noise components
available. We have the highest signal to noise ratios in the industry. The
extra money we spend on better components is directly rewarded with better
sound.
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Stereo Separation:
The ability of an amplifier to maintain the separation between the
right and left channels is what allows an amplifier to reproduce an accurate
sound stage. Music is recorded with each instrument in its own location on a
sound stage. You should hear it the same way in your vehicle.
Results:
To assure that no ZAPCO product ever fails to meet our level of
expectation, we must build all products to exceed our specifications by a
comfortable margin. Our superior design and construction give our
amplifiers advantages that go beyond power output and provide a sound
quality difference you will hear the moment you turn your system on.
A WORD ABOUT “WEIGHTED” SPECIFICATIONS
Most of the time, when you see specifications, they will be preceded
by the term “A” weighted. “A” weighting is a way of coloring numbers to
make specifications look better.
About the only place you can find specs that aren’t “A” weighted is
in ZAPCO manuals and literature. We publish only “raw” specs at ZAPCO. If
we don’t like the specifications of one of our products we’ll make it better,
not try to make the numbers look better.