Alpine amp MRV-V500 5 channel amp

[chicagoslick]

Just an FYI for those who have bought or thinking of buying this amp, I have 2 different friends who have lost a channel with these amps. Both amps were mounted in pickup trucks under the rear seat area. They both said a rear channel was lost and both said the amp was scorching hot. They are being fixed under warranty. If you buy this amp make sure there is some space for heat to dissipate...

These issues were probably caused by installation in tight locations.

 

[Intuit]

Seat cushions are insulators; they trap heat.
http://support.alpine-usa.com/products/documents/OM_MRV-V500_EN.pdf
<<Due to the high power output of the MRV-V500
considerable heat is produced when the amplifier
is in operation. For this reason, the amplifier should
be mounted in a location which will allow for free
circulation of air, such as inside the trunk. For
alternate installation locations, please contact your
authorized Alpine dealer................>>
For 1/2 ton pickup, might instead mount it on the metal wall at the rear of the cab. I would dip the short screws in caulk or epoxy to help seal out water. Direct metal-on-metal contact would allow the surface to serve as a heat-sink. Something like this https://www.amazon.com/Compound-The...98&sr=8-67&keywords=heatsink+thermal+compound or this https://www.amazon.com/Sywon-Profes...81&sr=8-21&keywords=heatsink+thermal+compound might help.

Alpine could disassemble the amps and see that components/solder were overheated; deny warranty. But their instructions aren't exactly up to "specification" level.

 

[chicagoslick]

Seat cushions are insulators; they trap heat.
http://support.alpine-usa.com/products/documents/OM_MRV-V500_EN.pdf
<<Due to the high power output of the MRV-V500
considerable heat is produced when the amplifier
is in operation. For this reason, the amplifier should
be mounted in a location which will allow for free
circulation of air, such as inside the trunk. For
alternate installation locations, please contact your
authorized Alpine dealer................>>
For 1/2 ton pickup, might instead mount it on the metal wall at the rear of the cab. I would dip the short screws in caulk or epoxy to help seal out water. Direct metal-on-metal contact would allow the surface to serve as a heat-sink. Something like this https://www.amazon.com/Compound-The...98&sr=8-67&keywords=heatsink+thermal+compound or this https://www.amazon.com/Sywon-Profes...81&sr=8-21&keywords=heatsink+thermal+compound might help.

Alpine could disassemble the amps and see that components/solder were overheated; deny warranty. But their instructions aren't exactly up to "specification" level.

Agree completely...I do not own one of these amps, but know others on this forum are using Alpine amps, potentially this amp. Thought it would be good to pass along...

Thanks for finding that information within their literature...