Rockford Fosgate: Power T1000.4 Amplifier

As the flagship model of the full range four channel amplifiers offered by Rockford for 2009, the Power Series T1000.4 is a very powerful, full featured amplifier that could easily serve as the only amplifier in a really high performance system. Very conservatively rated at 150 watts per channel into 4 ohms, and 250 watts per channel into 2 ohms, the T1000.4 can be used to drive front and rear full range speaker systems, or it can easily be configured to drive a set of front speakers and a subwoofer in bridged mode. Rated power in bridged 4 ohm mode is again conservatively rated at 500 watts x 2.

This amount of power usually requires a couple of amplifiers, but the engineers at Rockford Fosgate have come up with a way to shoehorn all that horsepower into a single chassis powerhouse. Measuring about 22” long, but only 8” wide and 2” high, the T1000.4 shares the same chassis size as the tremendously powerful T2500.1. In addition to the heatsink size, the T1000.4 also shares the 1/0 gauge power cable connections and the all new, and much improved speaker cable connections as well. Not only will the new connectors accept large gauge wire, but they hold the cables securely while providing minimum voltage drop. As an added benefit, Rockford Fosgate has listened to all the installers gripes about needing multiple tools to make the connections, and now these new models all use a single 4mm hex tool to secure the set screws.

Putting this much power in a relatively diminutive heatsink requires some skilled finesse with the thermal management system. The new Power Series amplifiers use an improved and refined version of Rockford’s DTM, or Dynamic Thermal Management scheme, which was first introduced in last years models. This shrewdly devised system takes maximum advantage of all the available heat dissipation available by placing the hottest operating devices where they will receive maximum heat transfer, and spreading the heat generated over the largest available area. Additionally, this technology includes a method of constantly monitoring the amplifiers temperature and operating conditions, and controlling the output current to provide longer playing times. What this means to you, the end user, is an amplifier that can be driven harder for longer periods without shutting off due to thermal protection, a common problem in high power four channel amplifiers.

Other changes that are new for ’09 are a pair of hidden-when-off LED based power meters on the top of the amp, that not only look cool, but give you a pretty good idea of how hard the amp is working. The meters use blue LED’s for the majority of the time, but turn red when the amp gets close to clipping, and you begin to hit the maximum power levels.

A quick look inside the big four channel amp confirmed that Rockford was serious about power delivery, the PWM (Pulse Width Modulated) power supply uses eight large TO-247 MOSFET’s each capable of delivering 75A of current. The output stage is comprised of 16 more TO-247 devices, and get their energy from a bank of twelve 3300µF capacitors. Special vertical shielding boards keep the power supply noise away from the input circuitry, and like all Rockford Fosgate amplifiers, the T1000.4 makes use of very low tolerance surface mount parts throughout.