In this article: I'll unbox Infinity's 6001A marine grade amplifier, walk you through it's key features and what makes this amplifier marine-ready for your boat.
When it comes to marine audio systems and marine amplifiers, finding a balance between exceptional sound quality and durability is a never-ending quest. Between the constant barrage of corrosive moisture, tight quarters and sunlight, it's obvious why brands offer marine-specific products that are designed to meet the needs of the environment you put them in.
Infinity's Marine 6001A 600w monoblock amp is a good candidate that'll hits the key requirements to make it a performing, long lasting amplifier for your boat. It's a part of a broader lineup of marine amplifiers that Infinity offers, including a 4 channel and also a 5 channel. What's nice about this lineup is they have a combination of amplifiers that'll really meet your needs regardless of the combination of speakers and subwoofers. In 2024, they'll also have an 8ch amplifier released as well.
In this review article, I'll take a comprehensive look at the Infinity Marine 6001A Amplifier, examining its standout features, performance benchmarks, and practical applications in real-world scenarios. The goal is to provide you with an informed opinion and overview that will guide you in making the best decisions for your marine audio system.
Unboxing & First Impressions
In the box, Infinity's 6001A is neatly packaged. The outside of the packaging provides you with a great overview of some of the details about the amplifier within, and when you start to open up the box for the first time you're greeted with compact, nicely sealed product.
What struck me first about the 6001A is the compact design and weight. The aluminum chassis is small, but it's reasonably heavy and felt solid. I liked that the control panel covers up the control knobs along with the power and signal inputs/outputs, which will help to protect against surface water splashes and sun. The inputs and controls are also very easy to access via the removable cover. I'll show you how to remove the cover later in the review.
One thing to call out in the photos above is the missing Infinity ‘Mobius' logo in the center. This is provided with the amplifier separately so that you can position the logo directly on the amplifier depending on the position you mount it.
I thought the included RCB wired subwoofer remote control was well made and appeared well sealed against the elements. Although, I couldn't tell if it was a marine-specific unit. It's a bit on the larger side, but what was nice is that it has an indicator to tell you if the amplifier is powered on or not which could help in a troubleshooting scenario.
What's in the Box?
The Infinity 6001A comes with the following:
- 1x 600w Monoblock 6001A amplifier
- 1x Wired subwoofer control knob
- 1x Infinity logo w/double sided adhesive
- 4x 2 1/4″ Stainless mounting screws
- 2x 1/4″ Subwoofer control knob mounting screws
- 4x 30A fuses (two installed and two spares)
- 2x High-level RCA signal adapters
- 1x Safety instructions
- 1x Instructions manual digital QR code
Performance & Design Features
Let's dive into some of the performance and design features of the 6001A amp. In this section I'll give some closeup looks at the amplifier, detail some of the specs and dimensions and walk through some of the tuning and control panel features.
Design & Type
Infinity’s Marine 6001A is a class D amplifier. Class D amps are incredibly common, efficient, and good options for tight quarters that might be prone to excessive heat. You can check out our article about the different classes of amplifiers if you'd like to learn more.
Most compact amplifiers on the market are class D. The 6001A is compact, measuring a little under 9 inches wide, about 7 inches deep and only 2 inches tall. Other amplifiers in Infinity’s marine line up are also considered compact, making them a good choice for tight storage compartments or other tight places on your boat.
Control Panel
Tucked underneath the front facing side of the amp is the control panel. To remove the panel cover, you simply slide the panel downwards and off. It takes all but a few seconds!
On the control panel you’ll find your standard gain, low pass crossover and bass boost. However there are also a couple nice-to-have features to call out that will help you setup and tune the amplifier.
- High and low level inputs: The 6001A allows you to select between high level and low level signal inputs. With the included high level input adapters, the high level input settings (Hi 1 or Hi 2) will allow you to integrate the amplifier to almost any system and use the signal directly from your factory speaker/subwoofer.
The low level input setting (Lo) lets you use more traditional sources for signal such as a 4v output from the back of your head unit via RCA cables.
This setting is always nice to have and provides you with flexibility in case you don’t have an aftermarket head unit with RCA outputs, or if the installation limits you to using only your existing speaker wire for signal to the amplifier. - Selectable amp turn on: You can use this option to tell your amp to use either a traditional 12v turn on signal (typically connected to your boat's accessory wire and will turn on when the boat does).
Alternatively, you can also tell the amplifier to use the input signal to sense when to turn on based on whether or not the amplifier senses sound. This is another good feature for installation flexibility that’s becoming more and more common on amps these days. - Phase switch: The last one I'll call out here is a phase switch, which allows you to invert the signal to your subwoofer in case you reverse mounted it or accidentally wired it backwards.
Weather Resistance
Equally important to performance and power specs is an amp’s ability to fight off the corrosive environment in which it will live. There are a couple key things to point out on the Marine 6001A amp that make it a good candidate for the tough environment on a boat.
- Conformally coated circuitry and internals. This should be standard on all marine amplifiers that you look for on the market. Don’t purchase one without it. It’s inevitable that moisture, maybe even water. By coating the internal circuitry of the amp, it will fight off corrosion on key components inside the amp and significantly improve the longevity of your amp. The 6001A comes with conformally coated circuitry.
- Corrosive resistant chassis. The chassis is what normally bears the brunt of UV and water, so it needs to be either coated or made from an anticorrosive material (ideally both).
In the 6001A's case, Infinity uses a powder coated cast aluminum chassis, so it checks the box for anticorrosive, coated but also heat dissipating.
Conclusion
Although I did not get to put this amplifier through the test of time, I was definitely satisfied with the features that Infinity integrated to make it a marine-grade, boat-ready amplifier. The design was very clean, compact and the control panel was easily accessible along with the inputs/outputs. It checked all the boxes – conformally coated internals, anticorrosive hardware and chassis.
The only minor concern I had was some venting holes along the bottom side of the input/output panel that could be an entry for moisture, however that's why conformally coated circuitry is incredibly important. And it's likely that these vents will also let heat and moisture escape easily well instead of trapping it inside.
What I also liked was how many variations of amplifiers that Infinity is introducing to the market. From 600 and 1000 watt monoblocks to 5ch and even 8ch. The 6001A is a part of a large, growing lineup of Infinity marine amplifiers that'll fit virtually any stereo's need for power in a compact design.
Thanks for reading!
