The Zapco Z600 was (until 2000) the flagship sound quality amplifier from Zapco. The power ratings are 150x2 or 600x1 into 4 ohms. 2 ohm ratings are 300x2 or 900x1. The 1 ohm stereo rating is 450x2. This is a large amp, with external dimensions of 19.4"x 8"x 2.4". THD + Noise is listed at <.01% @ 4 ohms, with a S/N ratio of >100dB. Damping is an excellent 1000 @ 4 ohms, and it is stable to 1 ohm stereo/ 2 ohm mono. It has built-in LEDs for power and protection, and also has a built-in LED for clipping. An outboard clipping indicator module is available for dash mounting. A bottom mounted integrated cooling fan helps keep things at a respectable temperature. This amp, like all other Competition Series amps (except the Z100) will also provide power for many outboard Zapco processors, through the balanced Symbilink cables. This translates to less power and ground wiring, and less chance of induced noise. The Symbilink balanced inputs accept up to 18V of input signal, and while there is no RCA input, the included 1 foot RCA-Symbilink adapter provides the connection for those folks unlucky enough not to be running balanced inputs. Crossovers and bass boosts are not built in to this amplifier, as those who spend this much money on a sound quality amp tend to want to use outboard processing. Now for the bad news....MSRP generally runs around....are you ready for this????....$!500! OUCH!
Install is straight-forward and much as you would expect, with four corner screw holes, but be sure to leave space under the amp to allow the cooling fan to draw air if you are going to run it lower than 4 ohm stereo. Without adequate air passage this amp will get very hot and shut itself down. Using the Symbilink adapter makes for a very clean looking connection, but if you spent $500 a foot on RCAs and want to show them off, you are out of luck. The large gold plated power and ground terminals accept up to 8 gauge wire, and the speaker terminals are also gold plated, accepting what looks like 12 gauge wire (guess). Wiring diagrams are printed above the speaker terminals and are fairly easy to understand even for those of us who are intellectually challenged. 3 integrally mounted 30A fuses are included, for a large maximum current draw. Make sure your electrical system can handle the demand, or you will soon be showing off your amp without playing it.....
The test sheet included verified performance of the amp at 4 ohm mono, showing about 640 watts RMS before distortion skyrocketed. This is a monster amp with enough power to pound all but the most power-hungry subs. The only amp Zapco makes production (as of this writing) that produces more power is the Studio 500, which does 1000x1 @ 4 ohms, but will be axed in 2000. Conversations with the actual engineers at Zapco have led me to believe that the Z600 is actually capable of producing 1300-1400 watts at 2 ohm mono, provided your electrical system can supply a constant 14.4V. Remember that this amp is the normal Class A/B, and not class D, so the current draw for that kind of output will be substantial. Sound quality is excellent, with a clean, clear output, no added noise. This amp does exactly what an amp is meant to do. AMPLIFY. Unbelievable headroom allows for beautiful musical transients. My Z600 is currently running 4 ohm stereo on a pair of image dynamics IDQ10s, and the sound quality and control of the subwoofers leaves no room for complaint. Uncompromised performance and flexibility have placed this amp on a pedestal in the annals of sound quality competition history. IASCA competitors and champions alike have used this amp for years in various configurations, from driving subwoofers to components speakers to HLCDs. This amp would find its way to the Top Ten list of many industry veterans. I have personally listened to it not only in my own vehicle, but also in several IASCA Finals sound quality vehicles, one of which was a championship system.
Bottom line - If you have the money, this amp is worth it. You
will not be disappointed.
www.zapco.com