Which is Better? What is the Difference? AT Series vs T Series Amplifi

007: Which is Better? What is the Difference?

AT Series vs T Series Amplifiers

March 27, 2019 by Coleman Thedinger

AT Series VS T Series Amplifiers by CT Sounds

We get the question all the time "Which series is better?" the simple answer to this question is the AT Series is our best series of amplifiers. However, that leaves the customer with another question "Why? What is the difference?" now this is a much more complex and detailed answer. Since we get asked this all the time I thought it would be a good idea to write a blog explaining the differences between the 2 series. Before we start I would like to add one more thing, we have a brand new amplifier series coming out next month called the CT Series. If you would like to know where all three series stand the best way to explain it is CT Series is good, T Series is better, and AT Series is the BEST! Now let's talk about the differences between the AT Series and T Series amplifiers.

Let’s start with the aesthetic differences. The logo across our AT Series amplifiers lights up when the unit is powered, giving it a look that lives up to the quality. The AT Series amps also have a plexiglass bottom. The T Series is a bit more low-key, it doesn’t have all the same features and it’s more on the basic side, for when all you care about is sound and simplicity.

While the T Series amps come in a nice, traditional color gift box with a sharp-looking matte finish, the AT Series takes it to the next level with an exceptional wood grain gift box that’s made from real wood.

Now Let’s Talk About Features

For starters, the AT Series has strong, reinforced Tiffany-style RCA outputs.

A big distinction between our T Series and AT Series monoblock amplifiers are the bass knobs that are included with both amps. Every amp from each series comes with bass knobs for you to mount in the cabin (except for the T-300.1) These bass knobs are quite different in functionality, though.

T Series Bass Knob:

It’s about as simple as it gets. This knob gives you the ability to control the gain on your mono amp to turn your subwoofer up or down on the fly. Unlike the many features found in the AT Series’ bass knob, the T Series keeps it simple.

AT Series Bass Knob:

Here’s where things get fun. The bass knob that’s included with our AT Series amplifiers comes equipped with a digital voltage readout located right on the knob itself. There’s a built-in clipping indicator to ensure you aren't sending square waves to your sub and getting a distorted sound. This can be helpful in troubleshooting and just getting everything dialed in perfectly.

The AT Series bass knob also has an on/off switch. The AT Series amp will still turn itself on and off in unison with your car’s starter (as will the T Series), but this additional switch allows you to turn the amp off whenever you’d like, so that you can silence your bass with the flick of a switch. Why would you want to do that? Why put so much effort towards massive bass, just to turn it off? There are several reasons...

Respect: There’s a good chance your neighbors aren’t too fond of hearing booming bass as you arrive home, especially when they’re trying to sleep. The knob allows you to turn off the bass when you’re in residential neighborhoods or stopped at a light, or at least to dial back the gain. As much as we dedicate ourselves to creating incredibly loud and powerful audio experiences, there’s still a time and place for being respectful.

Avoiding Tickets: If you notice a police car nearby, it’s not a bad idea to flick the switch and turn off your bass to avoid getting a ticket or attracting attention that you don’t want to attract.

Feeling Under the Weather: If you’ve got a headache, migraine or you’re just not feeling great, but you still want to have some music on, turning off your sub temporarily can make it a little easier on you. The same goes for your passengers, who will be very grateful.

Children: If you’ve got kids in your car, you need to be mindful of their developing ears. There are risks associated with listening to very loud music, and not only are younger ears more delicate, but they’re also relying on you to look after them.

Other Media: Music isn’t the only thing that people like to listen to in their cars. If you enjoy talk radio, podcasts, audiobooks, stand-up comedy, and other spoken forms of entertainment in addition to your tunes, you probably don’t want your sub booming away in the background.

Can you think of any other reasons that you may want to quickly and temporarily shut off your bass amp?

Easy Installation of Bass Knobs

Anyone who has had a similar set up in the past will remember having to run wire for the bass knob, a separate voltage meter, and a separate toggle with their remote wire. With our AT Series amps, all of this is handled with one single ethernet cable, so forgot about having to run a bunch of wires and make a bunch of connections, it’s just one simple cord that goes from the amp to the knob.

Upgrade Paths

If you’re thinking of strapping together multiple amps in a master/slave setup, the AT Series supports this type of configuration, however the T Series does not. If you decide to go with the AT Series, you’ll have a cleaner upgrade path when you want to double up your power.

On the other hand, if you were to start with an amp that isn’t strappable, and you decide you want more power, you’ll need to start over from scratch instead of just adding another amp and strapping them. This isn’t necessarily a pro or a con, it comes down to what your plans are.

Sidenote:

If you want a T Series amp, but you want (most of) the features from the AT Series bass knob, we sell a universal bass knob that you can install. The universal bass knob does not have the clipping indicator that you’ll find on the AT Series bass knob, and you’ll have to wire it manually because it isn’t plug-and-play, so if you want the benefits of the AT Series bass knob, you’re much better off just buying an AT Series amp.

12.8v Ratings VS 14.4v Ratings

Lastly, the AT Series is rated at 12.8 volts while the T Series is rated at 14.4 volts. When comparing one amplifier to another it is very important to check what the voltage is on the published power ratings. With most amplifiers the higher the voltage the more power the amplifier will put out. The majority of car audio companies rate their amplifiers at 14.4v. If the amplifier is rated at 12.8v it will likely do a lot more power at 14.4v. For instance, our AT-1400.1 does 1400 watts RMS at 1 ohm 12.8v while at 14.4v at the same ohm load the AT-1400.1 does closer to 1800 watts RMS.