Amps and Speaker Power
Printed From: the12volt.com
Forum Name: Car Audio
Forum Discription: Car Stereos, Amplifiers, Crossovers, Processors, Speakers, Subwoofers, etc.
URL: https://www.the12volt.com/installbay/forum_posts.asp?tid=24155
Printed Date: May 13, 2024 at 10:26 PM
Topic: Amps and Speaker Power
Posted By: KrazyLoCo
Subject: Amps and Speaker Power
Date Posted: January 07, 2004 at 10:56 PM
Hi, I have done my research and cannot find an answer to my question(s). I'm a noob at car audio stuff, so please bear with me. I want to put a 1000WATT subwoofer in my car, along with 400watt 4-way speakers. My CD deck only produces 200 watts max. Now say my sub is 1000watts peak and 500watts RMS. Would I have to get an amp that produces 1000watts of power or 500watts of power? Also, how would I go about hooking the amp up to my 4 speakers? Could I buy a 200watt amp and use the deck for the other 200watts? Do I need 2 amps? I'm so confused with this stuff. I hope my post makes sense... I just want to understand all of that stuff so I can begin looking for subs/amps/speakers. Thank you!
Replies:
Posted By: bberman1
Date Posted: January 07, 2004 at 11:17 PM
You can read all about RMS and MAX power here https://www.bcae1.com/speakrat.htm but you always want to look at the RMS rating. The rule of thumb when matching speakers to amplifiers is to have the rms of the as close to one another as possible. Another thing you have to look for is Ohms https://www.bcae1.com/ohm.htm . Now I can guarantee you your head unit is not putting out anywhere near 200 watts in fact the RMS output on that is probably no more then 5-10 watts per channel. Now their is also allot of bargain equipment out their that is not worth the metal it’s made out of. From the description above it sounds to me like your headed that direction. Now if you let us know what equipment you’re looking for and what kind of sound you want, we can make some suggestions and help you build a decent setup. I would hate to see you waste your money when you can get decent equipment for around the same price. Also what make and model car is this going in? I’m not trying to scare you, just want to point you in the correct direction.
Posted By: KrazyLoCo
Date Posted: January 08, 2004 at 5:22 AM
Hi, Thank you for your quick response! Basically all I want is a simple 4-speaker, 1 subwoofer setup to really rock my car with minimal cash. I have a '92 Nissan NX 2000 and a '90 Honda CRX, I haven't decided which to put the sound system in yet. On most CD decks I've seen it says 50watts x 4. So I guess they mean peak power. :( I want my 4 speakers to total 400 peak watts, atleast 200watts RMS. I want a 1000watt peak power subwoofer with atleast 500 watts RMS. So what you're saying is that if I get a 1000watt/500watt RMS subwoofer, I'd need to get a 500watt amp? The sound won't distort if I hit a beat up to 1000watts? I am willing to spend up to 300$ (Canadian) for each component. Like I said, I just want a simple, yet strong system. I have been in friend's cars that make your head feel like it's caving in... I want that!  Anyways, thank you very much for your information. It has been helpful and I hope that you can help me even more by getting me on the right track!
Posted By: KrazyLoCo
Date Posted: January 08, 2004 at 5:31 AM
I almost forgot! Will I need 2 amplifiers? Maybe one mono channel for the subwoofer and can the 4 other speakers be powers by 1 amplifier? 4 channel amps are expensive... I want to understand how I'd power the 4 speakers with one amp. Thanks!
Posted By: bberman1
Date Posted: January 08, 2004 at 12:08 PM
How much are you looking to spend total? And are you looking for a new head unit? If you’re using the current head unit what is the make and model? As far as the amps go you have 2 options. 1) you buy (1) 4 channel amp for your mids and highs and (1) 2 channel bridgeable to 1 channel mono, or just a 1 channel mono amp for your sub Your 2nd option would be to buy a 5 channel amp which will power your four interior speakers (your mids and highs) and the 5th channel which will power your subwoofer (your lows). Now personally the only reason I would use the 5 channel amp is if money was real tight and that was the only option. The way you power 4 speakers with (1) 4 channel amp is each speaker has its own channel. For example your have 2 front speakers left and right and 2 rear speakers left and right. Now you will wire your front left to channel 1 your front right to channel 2, your rear left to channel 3 and your rear right to channel 4. It’s just like a home stereo you wire each speaker to its own speaker terminal (channel). Now I would start off by looking for speakers and then find an amp to match them too. Since you will be installing both front and rear speakers you will want them to be close in power so that both sets will work with your amp. But if you tell me what your total budget is with or with out head unit I will give you a few suggestions to get you started. Above I saw you’re still looking at the MAX ratings. Don’t do that just pretend they don’t exist only compare products by the rms rating. Also what type of music do you listen to? When looking at amps you will also need to match the ohms of your speaker to the amp. Here is a good link that will teach you all about speakers ohms and watts ( max and rms ) https://www.carvin.com/doctorsound/drsound04.html
Posted By: forbidden
Date Posted: January 08, 2004 at 1:06 PM
Dude, where in Canada are you eh? You don't hear in watts, throw wattage out the window. Bberman will give you solid info as will I. Start with a budget for the system, not each component. This way we can build a system or systems within your budget limits. The worst thing in the world you can do to a sub is underpower it, if you want it loud and clean it is a very precise mix of cd player, amp, sub and especially the sub box iself. Are you looking for music to play at a comfortable level on a continueos basis or something to annoy the neighbourhood with?
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Top Secret, I can tell you but then my wife will kill me.
Posted By: KrazyLoCo
Date Posted: January 08, 2004 at 8:48 PM
Hey, Thanks for the responses and the link, it was very informative. I am willing to spend 800-1000$ total for my system. I am going to buy a new deck, speakers, sub, and amp. So what I understood from the article, I should have at least 100+watts headroom for my subwoofer. Meaning if my sub is 500watt RMS, I should get at least a 600watt amp? It makes sense because I'd think you want some extra power for those hard punches that push the sub up to peak power. I listen to mostly heavy metal, BUT I would also like to play some rap/techno (basically beat heavy) music that you can feel. I won't run it full volume all the time, but once in a while I'd like to crank it up nice without distorting. I have been looking at some speakers/subs/decks online. I only look at the ones that appeal to me, and then check out their specs. I think I'd be better off with buying a 4-channel amp and a 1 (or 2 bridgable) amp for the subwoofer. So if I am correct, I should match my amp with my speakers' RMS power and leave a little headroom? I just want to be clear on that and then worry about hooking it all up. : ) You guys have been really helpful; I appreciate it. And forbidden, I live in Quebec. Where abouts are you?
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