Amplifier Review - Lanzar OPTI 4000D
March 9, 2005
By: Paul Sonoda
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topLanzar's latest amplifier proves the old adage that too much is never enough. The beauty of SPL competition is that the concept is simple: the loudest vehicle wins. Of course, to be the loudest you'll need power -- lots of power. The guys at Lanzar realize this. Their solution is the 4000-watt OPTI 4000D. That's right, 4000 watts. When I got this amplifier to test, two questions came into my mind: does it make the power and is an amplifier this big practical enough for a non-competition car audio system? Let's find out.
First Look
The OPTI 4000D is a single-channel limited-bandwidth Class D subwoofer amplifier. The amplifier has a continuously variable 24 dB-per-octave crossover from 50 Hz to 150 Hz. On one side of the amplifier are all the controls, RCA inputs, and outputs. The OPTI 4000D RCA's can accept from 200 mV to 8 Vrms. The opposite side of the amplifier has a single pair of 8-gauge speaker outputs and 0-gauge power connections. Thermal, overload, and short circuit protection circuitry are also included. Due to the massive power of this amplifier, there are no internal fuses.
Closer Look
Weighing in at a hefty 34 pounds, the OPTI 4000D feels substantial. While this may seem heavy, this amp is rated to deliver over 117 watts per pound. If this were a 500-watt amplifier, this amp would weigh an extremely light 4.25 pounds. In addition to the big power, the OPTI 4000D includes many features. A 24 dB-per-octave subsonic filter (infrasonic filter) is continuously variable from 15 Hz to 40 Hz. You can control the output level of the amplifier with a supplied remote dash mount gain control. The Lanzar OPTI 4000D can be bridged with a second OPTI 4000D by using its "Master/Slave" configuration. That's right -- we're talking a potential 8000 watts into 2 ohms. Why would you want this power? SPL competitions. That's what this amplifier is all about. The amp's coolest feature is the phase control. On most amplifiers, the phase control is selectable: either in phase (zero degrees) or out of phase (180 degrees). On the OPTI 4000D, the phase control is continuously adjustable from zero degrees to 180 degrees. This has two benefits. You can use this to "Phase Align" your subwoofers to the rest of the system. For SPL competitions, this feature can be used to tweak each amplifier subwoofer combination to extract the maximum SPL out of the system.
Installation
The mounting and wiring of the OPTI 4000D amplifier is relatively easy. However, proper installation of the OPTI 4000D is fundamental to achieving "OPTI 4000D-mal" performance of this amplifier. In other words, to produce huge power, you need huge power. The OPTI 4000D can draw more than 500 amps at full power -- that's a ton of juice. Without a doubt, your vehicle electrical system will need to be seriously upgraded. Due to the high power capability of the amplifier, no internal fuse is present. In fact, fusing and wire protection must be carefully thought out.
Manuals/Web Support
The owner's manual provided most of the necessary information for installing the OPTI 4000D amplifier. There are system diagrams that detail applications with a single or dual amplifier set-up. Well done. The only thing missing from the manual was discussion about the necessity for an upgraded electrical system. I went to Lanzar's Web site, www.lanzar.com, and was able to quickly locate the page on the OPTI 4000D. There was basic information about the amplifier and a link to download a PDF version of the amplifier's literature. (At the time of the review, the PDF link was not yet active.) I did notice that some of the specifications on the Web site did not match the owner's manual, but these were small discrepancies that can be easily excused. Due to the extreme power levels that the amplifier produces, it's highly recommended that you have the installation performed by an authorized Lanzar car audio dealer.
Sound Q & Performance
The power delivery of the OPTI 4000D is impressive. Actually, it's a little bit scary. Into 4 ohms, the Lanzar OPTI 4000D produced 2034 watts. Into 2 ohms, the amplifier produced a staggering 3026 watts. Into one ohm, I ran into problems -- this amplifier exceeded the capability of my bench power supply, but this was after it produced an impressive 3516 watts. On the efficiency side, the Lanzar OPTI 4000D performed quite well given the high power output. At full power, the OPTI 4000D delivered 77%, 68% and 57% efficiency into 4, 2, and 1 ohms, respectively. At 1/3 power, the amplifier efficiency dropped to 68% into 4 ohms, 66% into 2 ohms, and 55% into 1 ohms. These figures need a little relevance. The 2-ohm, 1/3 power, is 1000 watts. At this power, the amplifier drew 120 amps of current. The highest current draw measured was when the amplifier produced 3516 watts. That current was 432 amps.
Sound quality of the amplifier was quite good. While the OPTI 4000D did fall short on its signal-to-noise ratio at 65.4 dBA, that noise was not audible when played on subwoofers. I connected the Lanzar to a single 12-inch, 2-ohm woofer. The amplifier was effortless. In fact, the amplifier could easily exceed the capabilities of my test woofer. Having this much power on tap delivers impressive dynamics and awesome control.
Summary
Would I recommend this amplifier for a non-competition system? Probably not. The reality is this amplifier is too big for every day systems. If I was to use this amplifier for an audiophile system, it would be configured for 2-ohm operation -- this is where it delivers the best power versus efficiency. Did the Lanzar OPTI 4000D live up to its claims? I say, yes. It was quite impressive into 4 and 2 ohms. At one ohm, the efficiency dropped off significantly, drawing more current from the electrical system to make power. At a price less that two grand, this amp is a good deal as well. Bottom line, the Lanzar OPTI 4000D delivers enough power to make a grown man giggle.
4
out of 5
3
out of 5
