In terms of marine audio solutions, the team at Hertz has developed source units, speakers, tower speakers, subwoofers and accessories that will make any voyage more enjoyable. Their Venezia line of amplifiers is one of the most complete solutions on the market, with eleven models ranging from monoblock subwoofer amps to Hi-Res audio certified eight-channel, DSP-equipped solutions. In this product spotlight, we will look at the five-channel Venezia V5 high-power amplifier.
Specifications of the Hertz Venezia V5
As mentioned, the Venezia V5 is a five-channel amplifier. Hertz rates this beast at 130 watts per channel into four-ohm loads, plus a mono channel rated at 490 watts into four ohms. All channels are compatible with two-ohm loads, and when connected as such, power output jumps to a downright impressive 220 watts by four and 820 watts for the subwoofer. The stereo channels can be bridged to a single four-ohm load, providing 440 watts each in this three-channel configuration. This might be ideal for high-power wakeboard tower speakers and a subwoofer.
From a performance standpoint, Hertz rates the amps’ frequency response as being 10 Hz to 42 kHz, making it compliant with the JAES Hi-Res audio certification. A single distortion specification of 0.05% is provided, measured into a four-ohm load at 100 Hz. No output level is specified. The input voltage range is 0.2 to 5 volts.
Five-Channel Marine Amplifier Features
Dimensions for the amp are 13 inches long, 7.87 inches wide, and 2.12 inches tall. The amp is based on a cast-aluminum chassis with a corrosion-resistant finish. Electrical connections are made along the front edge of the amplifier, and the controls are accessed via a removable panel on top of the chassis. There is a proprietary power terminal block on the far-left side of the end panel with a pair of gold-plated terminals.
A Molex connector in the center of the panel handles the six RCA inputs – A pair, a B pair, and the subwoofer input pair. A large Molex plug on the right side of the panel is where the speaker wires connect. There is a pair of wires for each of the four main channels, and two pairs for the high-power subwoofer channel. Additionally, there is a small plug for the remote turn-on input and for the optional HRC BM2 remote level control.
Hertz claims an IPX2 water intrusion rating when the amp is mounted vertically with the connections on the bottom. Further, the amp has passed a salt-fog exposure test per ASTM B117, demonstrating corrosion resistance.
Signal Processing Features
The removable top panel reveals a set of fifteen controls and adjustments, grouped into channels A, channels B and the subwoofer channel. Each pair of the main channels can be run in full-range or with an adjustable high-pass filter. The filters are adjustable from 50 to 500 Hz, or 500 Hz to 5kHz with the x10 button pressed. The main-channel crossovers have a 12dB/octave attenuation. In bandpass mode, the channel A crossover sets the low-pass frequency, and channel B is the high-pass adjustment. Based on the block diagram on the Hertz website, only channel A inputs are used in this mode, and outputs A are high-passed, while output B is bandpass-filtered.
A pair of input switches allows your installer to use anywhere from a single pair of RCA cables to feed the amp or dedicated inputs for each channel (six in total).
The subwoofer channel has a 24 dB/octave low-pass filter that’s adjustable from 50 to 500 Hz. There is a bass boost control that will let your installer dial in up to 12 dB of boost at 50 Hz. There’s an infrasonic filter switch to apply a high-pass filter at 25 Hz with a 24dB/octave slope. Finally, a phase adjustment control will allow your installer to seamlessly blend the subwoofer output with the main speakers’ output in the system.
Hertz notes that the amplifier is protected against short circuits, overload, and thermal issues and that the protection circuitry automatically resets.
High-Power Marine Amplification Solution
If you are planning to upgrade the audio system in your boat, the Hertz Venezia V5 is a great single-chassis solution. It can easily power up to eight full-range speakers when two speakers are connected to each main channel, and with over 800 watts on tap for the mono channel, you can push a pair of subwoofers hard.
Drop by an authorized Hertz retailer to learn about all the marine audio solutions they have available. For more information on these products, visit the Hertz website. Be sure to follow Hertz on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube to learn more about their extensive line of mobile audio solutions.
