DB Link PK4Z 4 Gauge Amp Wiring Kit
DB Link PK4Z 4 Gauge Amp Wiring Kit
Kit Includes:
17′ Clear Red 4 Gauge bare copper clad aluminum power wire
3′ Clear Black 4 Gauge bare copper clad aluminum ground wire
17′ Blue Jammin Series RCA Cable
25′ Clear 16 Gauge speaker wire
60A AGU Fuse, fuse holder, ring and spade terminals, wire loom and wire ties.
While shopping around for this review, we came across two DB Link amplifier installation kits that were similarly priced and included very similar components. The DB Link XK4Z and PK4Z come with 17′ of power and 3′ ground wire, 17′ RCA cable, and slightly different speaker wire lengths. What caught my attention however was the PK4Z is rated at 1600 watts and the XK4Z only 1200 watts. Both are listed as 4 gauge and both include 60A AGU fuses. So how exactly can you rate one amp kit for more power, yet include the same size fuse?
I dove into the DB Link amp kits at the same time so I could do a little pre-evaluation. Looking at the cross section, I could see there was a different rope configuration between the two models but the area was very similar. After pulling the ropes apart and counting each model, the PK4Z is actually 10% larger then the power wire within the XK4Z amp installation kit. Placing each model on our digital scale confirmed a weight difference of 10% between the two power wires. So which one of these amp kits is better? The PK4Z obviously, but why rate them at different power ratings and include the same fuse size? One is dependant of the other!
My attention quickly turned to the RCA cable within the PK4Z amp kit and thats when I realized we had a problem. DB Link uses a PVC coated wire tie wrap to secure the components of the amp kit neatly together during transit. This kit either came in close contact with heat or had the wire wraps tied too tightly. My best guess is the former because even some of the speaker wire had fused into the RCA cable’s outer blue PVC! Luckily we had no intention of installing the RCA cable and I would not consider it a reoccurring issue, but never the less it would have been a problem for any one else who made this purchase. Photos below illustrate how the wire wraps melted into the PVC jacketing. I was able to pull the ties free, however some of the wraps had made it clear into the ground shield layer. Moving past this issue, I cut into the “Jamming” RCA. Inside was more CCA and the construction was similar to the Lanzar and Bullz Audio RCA interconnects.
Speaker wire included with the DB Link PK4Z amp kit tied for the largest in area with the KnuKonceptz eKo series speaker wire. Twenty five feet of copper clad aluminum speaker wire was included by DB Link. The KnuKonceptz kit uses oxygen free copper for its speaker wire, but limited to ten feet. The DB Link XK4Z amp kit included an even smaller gauge CCA speaker cable.
Conclusion – At the time of purchase, the XK4Z was less expensive then the PK4Z. As I write this, the PK4Z is currently 10% cheaper then the DB Link XK4AZ amp kit. This makes the DB Link PK4Z amp kit our second place finisher. Comparing it head to head with first place, the KnuKonceptz KLM-K4 amp kit is 56% larger then the DB Link PK4Z amp installation kit, making it a distant second!
Specifications – Power/Ground wire
Core Material: 36 Gauge Copper Clad Aluminum
Rope Configuration: 34 strands x 7 cores x 7 ropes(1666 Strands total)
Dielectric: PVC
Outer Diameter: 10mm
Core Diameter: 6.32mm
Total Conductor Area: 18.84mm^2
Net American Wire Gauge: 5 Gauge
Specifications – RCA Cable
Signal Core Construction: 0.10 CCA strand x 10 – 29 Gauge core
Ground Core Constructionl: 0.10 CCA strand x 27 – 24 Gauge core
Shield: Ground Shield
Outer Diameter: 3.75mm x 7.5mm
Weight: 0.154kg
Specifications – Speaker wire
Core Material: 36 Gauge Bare Oxygne Free Copper
Rope Configuration: 98 strands
Dielectric: PVC
Outer Diameter: 3.5mm x 7mm
Total Conductor Area: 1.11mm^2
Net American Wire Gauge: 17 Gauge
Head to Head
Additional Images
