P honic Corporation have been manufacturing theirown brand of audio products for the last 25 years.Throughout this time, they have also been makingnumerous products on behalf of other major manufac-turers. Based in Irvine, California, with their manufactur-ing plant in Taiwan, Phonics product range includesmixing consoles, graphic equalisers, power amplifiers andassociated equipment, mostly aimed at the small PA anddisco market.

Phonics previous amps have been perceived asbelonging in the budget end of the market, though withthe new MAR6 series, Phonic aims to change thatsituation. There are three amps in the new series, startingwith the MAR2, offering 200W into four ohms. The one Ihave to put through its paces is the top of the rangeMAR6, rated at 600W into four ohms.

The amplifier comes in a professional looking steelhousing and is finished in black powder coat. At 3RUhigh, its about one rack unit larger than most similarlypowered amplifiers, which could be an important consid-eration if youre putting together a touring amp rack. Thecasing features carrying handles front and rear, whichalso offer protection for the controls and connections.The front panel features two large attenuation knobs,with status LED indicators for Signal present (green),Limiter (red), and Protection (amber). Theres also apower on switch with associated LED (red), and a largecentral air cooling intake. Dual-speed fans positionedfront and rear are used for the cooling system. The rearhas the central air cooling exhaust, a fixed 240V powercable, and the signal input and output connections.

For signal input there are a lot of options. The maininput connectors are the handy Swiss-made Neutrik con-nectors which can accept either 6.5mm jack (stereo ormono) or XLR connections. Theres also a barrier stripfor hard wired connection. Output is via binding posts foruse with banana plugs or hard wiring. Also on the rearpanel is a row of three recessed switches, being a groundlift for the input, a limiter on/off switch, and a modeswitch which selects between stereo, bridged mono andparallel operation.

The MAR6 weighs 17.5kg, with much of this weightattributed to the power supply, as with most poweramplifiers. The power supply transformer is mounted onthe right hand side, with the heat sink in the middle foroptimum cooling. This causes the minor problem thatthe amp is much heavier on the right side. While thisisnt really a problem for fixed installations, it willunbalance the flightcase in a touring situation. The

metal housing is not as robust as some power amplifiers,rating about average.

The large dual speed fans front and rear supply air tothe tunnel heatsink, though as with all fan-cooledsystems, noise may be a problem in critical listening situ-ations such as studio control rooms and other low noiseenvironments. This design of cooling system can alsocause problems because one end of the heat sink (theend that the air exits from) is always substantially hotterthan the other end. The 240V power cable felt quitewarm to the touch, as did the transformer, after only afew minutes of running within its suggested range. As atest, I reduced the air flow to the unit and ran it for manyhours without any problems. I doubt this amp would haveany troubleoperating in thehot environmentof many installa-tions, even in aheatwave. (Iguess it getspretty warm inTaiwan, as well.) It seems that a lot of new electronicproducts require serious air flow to operate reliably, sothe cooling fan manufacturers must be doing quite well!

The MAR6s specifications quote a frequencyresponse within 1dB from 20Hz to 20kHz, harmonic dis-tortion of 0.1%, a signal to noise ratio of 105dB, andcrosstalk of 80dB. On the test bench, we measuredoutput powers of 450W/channel into eight ohms,700W/channel into four ohms, and 1000W/channel intotwo ohms, all with both channels driven. In bridgedmono mode, the unit delivers 2000W into two ohms.When pushed beyond its limits, the protection circuitrystepped in and did its job as expected.

The MAR6 comes with a fairly informative 17 pageowners manual, which describes various hook up scenariosand operating practices. In use, the amp delivered a clean,clear sound and performed well within its specifications. Itis competitively priced and is ideally suited to fixed installa-tion contractors for use in discos, nightclubs and live musicvenues. It could also be used in live touring applications,provided it was fitted in a good flight case.

Phonic MAR6 EQUIPMENT

TEST

Distributed by Distributed by CMC Music Pty LtdPhone: +61 (0)2 9905 2511 Fax: +61 (0)2 9905 0189

Price RRP: MAR6: $1550, MAR4: $1250, MAR2: $995

Trevor Cronin looks at the flagship of a new line of power amplifiers from Phonic.

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