how amplifiers work?

[bionictony]

ok.. so i want louder sound out of my speakers.. how does this watt thing works. i have a sony head unit and some aftermarket 125 watt 3 way speakers in the front. if i want louder speakers, do i just install an amplifier? or are amplifiers for subwoofers? i don't want a big huge subwoofer in the back of my trunk so is it possible to just get louder sound from the speakers? i just want it a bit louder so i'm able to hear the radio on the freeway.. not annoyingly loud

[icE_x]

yes, usually cd receivers have built-in preamplifiers, which is what the 52x4 number means, 52 watts for each speaker. They make low-wattage amplifiers that are made just for speakers in the car and not subs. You'll be looking for 4-channel amplifiers, or some companies have em listed at multi-channel. This amp will power the 2 front and 2 back speakers in your car. Usually, amps are for subs in the back.

Here's some example of multi-channel amps from crutchfield. They may be a bit pricey on this website, cuz they charge u extra for their tech-support, and other items like wiring harnesses, step-by-step instructions on how to install in your particular model car, etc. The link is:

http://www.crutchfield.com/S-JQlwjyG...sp?g=120&avf=N

Any of the top 3 amps, the Clarion APA450, Profile AP740 , and the Profile AP1040 should be more than enough power for your 4 speakers, and should make em a lil louder. Just be careful when you put an amp in, not to turn it up 2 loud or you'll be buying some new speakers soon Hope this helped you out some

[crxlvr]

you can amp speakers just fine, just dont get an amp that has an RMS rating greater then the speakers rating, or else you will more than likely blow them out. i have 6-3/4" 3-ways 180w speakers in the front of my crx, powered by a 200w Profile amp, now the amp doesnt push enough rms watts to blow these speakers so i am safe with it.

[skotman]

there's lots of ways to go about setting up speakers.

generally door and wall mounted car speakers run off the radio/cdplayer's built in amp. the amp's rating is usually somewhere around 40 or 45 watts peak and 20 (if you're lucky) watts rms. that means that constant power is 20 watts or so, with sharp spikes of up to 40 or 45 watts, during, say, when you hear the kick drum or whatever during a song. you try to match the peak and rms ratings of both your speakers and amp as best as you can when pairing the two. if you pair a weaker amp with a much stronger speaker you end up with a very crackly distorted sound when you turn it all the way up, and risk blowing the speaker. if you pair a much stronger amp with a much weaker speaker, you'll end up making the speaker cone buzz when you turn it way up, and end up physically damaging the speaker and possibly blowing it. either way, not a great thing. my rule of thumb is, if it sounds like crap, adjust it until it doesn't. if this means running at a lower volume, then this is probably the safest thing to do to keep from blowing speakers.

another thing you must do is watch for OHMs. there's a greek letter Omega on amps and speakers. this measures resistance. picture trying to swim through honey versus water. wather takes much less effort. it's the same way with electricity versus a speaker. some speakers have larger magnetic coils to facilitate more power. amps will say something like 300 watts at 2 ohms, 150 watts at 4 ohms. you need to try to match these up as best as you can according to how you're setting it up. but that's another story alltogether.

also, just getting louder with door speakers won't necessarily make your sound more audible. door speakers (usually 5 1/4", 6", 6x9" 2 way, 3 way) produce highs and mids abundantly, but won't help you much with deep bass. you can hear bass, yes, but at higher volumes, bass responce just isn't as great, and all you hear are crisp highs. to enhance your musical experience, i suggest a mix of speakers. i have 5 1/4's in the front, 6x9's in the back, and one single 10" subwoofer. the 6x9's and 5 1/4's run off of my cd player's amp. they're matched up fairly nicely, so they don't produce distortion at high volumes. my 10" sub is a nice infinity 1020W which got great reviews for clarity, and deep bass responce for a 10", which is what i was after, more than loudness. it's a 250 watt RMS 1000 watt peak speaker. i paired it up with a nice Rockford Fosgate punch amp with 300 watts RMS and 900 watts peak. since my amp's peak is lower than my speaker's i'm confident i'll never blow my speaker on hard hitting bass. with a RMS rating higher than my speaker's (and with the knowledge that you usually don't get that full 300 watts out of your amp anyway unless it's at full volume etc) i know i'm getting nearly the full potential out of this speaker. i just have to be mindful of the way the bass sounds. when i can hear the cone buzzing, i know i've overdone it, and i adjust until it sounds good again. i haven't had a problem with this setup for a full year of loud music. i think it compliments my speakers well without risking blowing anything.

the type of setup you use has a lot to do with the style of music you listen to and the type of car you have, as well as amount of money you're willing to spend. keep in mind what everyone is saying, but choose something that you know you'll be happy with.