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Audiopipe APMI-2000 Mini Design Class D 2000 Watt Amplifier Review

James Benchman
Last Updated on
by James Benchman

Budget car audio amplifiers are not something you should feel uneasy about. There’s a ton of great models in just about any price range that will deliver a great performance at an affordable price.

Sure, there will be some trade-offs when compared to high end amps like the NVX Class D,that you will have to make, but the core performance will most likely be there.

With that said, when you start dwelling into higher output models, things get a bit more complicated. It’s one thing to get a 500 Watt RMS amp that is within the entry level segment, but getting a 2000 Watt RMS is bound to raise some eyebrows.

Audiopipe has been known as the company that delivers budget solutions to those who need a lot of power at an affordable cost. The community has mixed feelings about this brand, and the users are pretty polarized when it comes to recommending Audiopipe amps to new builders.

Today we have one model that is particularly interesting for a variety of reasons. Audiopipe APMI-2000 packs a lot of power for a price that is borderline ridiculous. The question is, does it offer any semblance of reliability?

Pros
  • The best bang for buck
  • Small but powerful amp. Often called “the little monster”
  • Hard hitter. Delivers clean and clear sound
  • Comes at an affordable price
Cons
  • The bass boost control is sometimes not accurate
  • It gets hot

Audiopipe APMI-2000 Review

In order to shed some light on the whole debate regarding the Audiopipe amps, it’s important to stay objective. They are offering a lot of power at a cheap price, but the way they deliver this power is often not that great. You are looking at variable tolerances, and different quality of different components.

This translates to a rather unbalanced system that is working under heavy loads. If you are not careful, you can easily blow any number of components. With that said, those who used Audiopipe with calculated setups, didn’t have too many issues to report.

Features of the Audiopipe AMPI-2000:

On paper Audiopipe APMI-2000 looks pretty decent. It’s a mini design, so you get a very low profile amp that easily blends into the boot. On the other end, you would think that such a design would impose some limitations on this amp’s ability to handle excess heat.

However, large heat syncs that run on each side of the amp are more than capable of dissipating heat generated during normal operation. This amp delivers 900 Watts RMS at 4 Ohms, 1400 Watts RMS at 2 Ohms, and finally 2000 Watts RMS at 1 Ohm. Frequency response range is particularly interesting. It goes from 8 Hz to 180 Hz. In other words, it is a bit deeper on the low end, and somewhat shallow on the upper end of the range.

Built in crossover comes in form of a low pass filter with the range of 40 Hz to 180 Hz, and a subsonic filter that works in the 5 Hz to 50 Hz area. S/N ratio is decent, and is rated at >70dB. So far everything seems good for the most part. Audiopipe APMI-2000 is easily bridged and comes with a remote bass level control that works rather well.

The back panel where all your ports are, also houses the controls for gain, low pass filter, subsonic filter and bass boost. These are adjusted using a flat head screwdriver.

AMPI – 2000 Performance:

The performance of Audiopipe APMI-2000 largely goes against the shaky reputation Audiopipe is tagged with by a large portion of the car audio community. When you go to install it into your boot, you will find that it’s quite easy to both install and place in a way that doesn’t obstruct the use of the boot.

It’s aesthetically pleasing to a certain point, although you could say it’s a plain looking amp. The type of power this thing delivers is worthy of praise. This is not the case of a company marketing an amp with one set of specs, only to deliver something completely different in reality.

Audiopipe APMI-2000 is loud. When paired with a good quality subwoofer, you are looking some serious air displacement even at the lower ends of the range. For the most part, it runs pretty cool. Those huge aluminum heat syncs and some thermal protection features Audiopipe has integrated into this model take care of that. On an average day, chances are you won’t go over 12 o’clock position on your bass knob. It’s simply that loud.

When hooked on various instruments made to measure true performance, Audiopipe APMI-2000 is pretty flat. Not perfectly flat, but flat enough where purchasing this amp becomes a real option.

With all that being said, the only real issue with this model is somewhat shaky quality control on Audiopipe’s part. Even though it doesn’t happen that often, some units arrive with defects that result in them jumping into thermal protection mode after brief use.

Our Verdict on the Audiopipe AMPI-2000:

Trying to get a large amount of power on a budget will most certainly mean that you will have to make some compromises. In that respect, Audiopipe APMI-2000 doesn’t require you to make too many trade offs, which actually makes it a pretty good option for power hungry budget users. It has its limitations, that is for certain, however it still brings a great core performance which warrants respect.

One advice you should definitely follow when dealing with this particular model is to check it thoroughly upon arrival. If you are tech inclined, open it up and take a look at ll the connections and solders on the PCB. If everything checks out, go ahead and fire it up. This might sound a bit too much, but it’s more or less something you would want to do with just about any entry level high output amplifier.

It’s much better to check everything out of the box. Unfortunately, we would like to be able to say that Audiopipe’s products are flawless, but that would be dishonest. Their quality control definitely needs work, and that is painfully apparent from some units that reached their new owners in almost useless states.

Does that mean that Audiopipe is a brand to avoid? Far from it, but you need to understand that this type of performance in this price range means trade offs that sometimes come in form of shaky quality control.

Pros
  • The best bang for buck
  • Small but powerful amp. Often called “the little monster”
  • Hard hitter. Delivers clean and clear sound
  • Comes at an affordable price
Cons
  • The bass boost control is sometimes not accurate
  • It gets hot

About James Benchman
James Benchman
James is an Automotive Mechanic with over 20 years experience and 300+ car repairs. He is an expert with cars and has worked with different models from the biggest brands. James is a Mechanic , Husband , Father of 3 , and head of content at Caraudiologic. Learn more about us
10 Comments
  1. I have the 1500 and it is a monster my gain is all the way down and my subs pound audiopipe txxbd412 I was not happy with my old set and thought I would pay a little more on another budget set OMG I also have audiopipe 6 fares capacitor cant go wrong way to much for my Challenger gains down and still tickets my ears very good products if you by you wont be disappointed

  2. My apmn 2000 has shorted the power supply within a week of having it. It’s not 1 ohm stable it got so hot with a fan even on it it about caused a thermal event in my car.

  3. Is the 2000watt audiopipe ampi amp a good amp for running just 1 12in Kicker Solobaric sub? I’m thinking it may be too much amp for one 12in sub?

    1. Hey Wayne. Couple of things about the amp and your use case. First, I honestly believe you can never have too much power. Using an amp at less or far less than its capabilities is a good thing. You’ll run cooler, cleaner, and have better sound most of the time. There are are high quality and well designed amps that will pound things out nicely even at their limits, but you pay more for them. That brings me to the second point, if this is the price range you’re in, this unit is a strong value for everything you get at this price point.

  4. Currently running this amp with one EMF Lowballer 12 sub at 3 ohms. More than enough power and the amp gets hot. but I can hold my hand on it with no problems. In other words, totally normal. The best amp you can buy for performance to cost. Nothing else comes close. Getting ready to bridge two of them and run a pair of the Audipipe TXX BDC4-12s and I’m pretty sure they are going to POUND!
    Examples of APs getting it done!
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6q00BQz7DHI

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OCirB9EmwGo
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T2jbXiunpxU&t=578s

  5. Just purchased this amp for my 2 15” kicker L7 sbs. I have my buddy telling me return the amp because it’s going to get to hot and has no fan. Should I buy a exterior fan for this? Or should I just return it and get something bigger?

    1. Hi Frank, you know, it really depends on a variety of conditions so I hesitate to say things like “it’s going to get hot”. How do you run your rig? Where do you live? How do you play your music? My advice: live with it for a while and run it the way that you do and see what you actually may need. Chances are, you may just like this puppy as-is. That’s why we enjoyed reviewing it here, they did a great job for the money … seriously, amazing for the money.

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