Sound Quality, Head Unit Power VS. Amp Power
04-27-2007, 03:05 PM
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Sound Quality, Head Unit Power VS. Amp Power I am working on the stereo in the "beater" and got everything but the internal speakers, im going with some mid-high end kenwood 6x8s and have a kenwood 50x4 head unit. The speaker rms is like 20-70w with a peak of like 160w or so and i know the HU prob puts out maybe 20w rms. i was wondering how much better/louder the speakers would be if i got a 4-channel amp and stuck maybe 50-75w rms on them. I usually just use HU power and worry about HP/TQ not stereo wattage lol.
04-27-2007, 03:13 PM
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Tons better IMO. Nice speakers are only part of the equation, you have to have decent power to back them up too or else they won't sound much better than stock.
Also, my experience has been that it's always better to get an amp thats rated higher than the speakers. Then you can just turn the gain down nice and low on the amp to match the output you want. You're also less likely to damage speaker by overpowering them than by underpowering them.
Also, my experience has been that it's always better to get an amp thats rated higher than the speakers. Then you can just turn the gain down nice and low on the amp to match the output you want. You're also less likely to damage speaker by overpowering them than by underpowering them.
04-27-2007, 03:26 PM
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Yeah i figured it would be a big difference, worth spending a little money on ordering an amp for them too. I dont run my amps full blast anyway, id rather spend a little extra getting a higher wattage and run at 60-70% Thanks, dig the truck boss!
04-27-2007, 06:12 PM
#5
Originally Posted by thunder550
Tons better IMO. Nice speakers are only part of the equation, you have to have decent power to back them up too or else they won't sound much better than stock.
Also, my experience has been that it's always better to get an amp thats rated higher than the speakers. Then you can just turn the gain down nice and low on the amp to match the output you want. You're also less likely to damage speaker by overpowering them than by underpowering them.
Also, my experience has been that it's always better to get an amp thats rated higher than the speakers. Then you can just turn the gain down nice and low on the amp to match the output you want. You're also less likely to damage speaker by overpowering them than by underpowering them.
04-27-2007, 06:15 PM
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Originally Posted by 95bat
Most speakers are damaged from clipping, not from being overpowered.
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04-27-2007, 07:37 PM
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Originally Posted by thunder550
You're also less likely to damage speaker by overpowering them than by underpowering them.
You're also more likely to damage speakers by underpowering them than by overpowering them.
Underpowering = clipping. You and I are saying the exact same thing
04-27-2007, 09:34 PM
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lol if we're saying the same thing, you're saying it in totally different terms than I am.
-underpowering doesn't exist. You can't give a speaker too little power.
-overpowering is when you pass the thermal or mechanical limits of the speaker.
-clipping can happen both under a speaker's RMS rating and over its RMS rating. It is totally dependent upon the amp and head unit. If you have the gains on the amp too high and the head unit volume too loud you can clip the signal no matter if the amp is putting out 40 watts or 4000 watts.
-underpowering doesn't exist. You can't give a speaker too little power.
-overpowering is when you pass the thermal or mechanical limits of the speaker.
-clipping can happen both under a speaker's RMS rating and over its RMS rating. It is totally dependent upon the amp and head unit. If you have the gains on the amp too high and the head unit volume too loud you can clip the signal no matter if the amp is putting out 40 watts or 4000 watts.
04-27-2007, 10:33 PM
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When you put an underpowered amp or head unit on a speaker the natural tendency is to crank the gain until you get the volume you want, which potentially leads to signal clipping and a blown speaker. That is what I have been getting at. Underpowering = more likely to blow a speaker. As I said, we're saying the same thing.
04-27-2007, 10:51 PM
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Originally Posted by thunder550
Underpowering = clipping. You and I are saying the exact same thing
04-27-2007, 10:52 PM
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Originally Posted by thunder550
When you put an underpowered amp or head unit on a speaker the natural tendency is to crank the gain until you get the volume you want, which potentially leads to signal clipping and a blown speaker. That is what I have been getting at. Underpowering = more likely to blow a speaker. As I said, we're saying the same thing.
04-28-2007, 08:46 AM
#15
Originally Posted by thunder550
When you put an underpowered amp or head unit on a speaker the natural tendency is to crank the gain until you get the volume you want, which potentially leads to signal clipping and a blown speaker. That is what I have been getting at. Underpowering = more likely to blow a speaker. As I said, we're saying the same thing.
key word is distortion
04-28-2007, 10:35 AM
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Originally Posted by thunder550
How bout I change this around to read:
You're also more likely to damage speakers by underpowering them than by overpowering them.
Underpowering = clipping. You and I are saying the exact same thing
You're also more likely to damage speakers by underpowering them than by overpowering them.
Underpowering = clipping. You and I are saying the exact same thing
Anyway, I think it's hard to generalize whether clipping or overpowering more often damages speakers. It really depends on the setup. Given that stock head-units are usually pretty weak, though, it may be true that clipping is generally the culprit in that case.
Whether you "need" an amp really depends on you. Turn your system up as high as it'll go before clipping (you'll need an o-scope to tell if you can't hear it, but you should be able to hear it) - if you want louder than that, get an amp. Don't screw around, minimum of 100W no matter what. Just make sure you set the gain appropriately.
04-28-2007, 11:53 AM
#17
Originally Posted by dragonrage
Wrong. Underpowering and clipping are different. I can put some monster sub with a low efficiency and high power handling on a 1W amp and it's underpowered even if I don't clip it. The correct way to say it is that underpowering often leads to clipping. Fred seems to also have it right.
Anyway, I think it's hard to generalize whether clipping or overpowering more often damages speakers. It really depends on the setup. Given that stock head-units are usually pretty weak, though, it may be true that clipping is generally the culprit in that case.
Whether you "need" an amp really depends on you. Turn your system up as high as it'll go before clipping (you'll need an o-scope to tell if you can't hear it, but you should be able to hear it) - if you want louder than that, get an amp. Don't screw around, minimum of 100W no matter what. Just make sure you set the gain appropriately.
Anyway, I think it's hard to generalize whether clipping or overpowering more often damages speakers. It really depends on the setup. Given that stock head-units are usually pretty weak, though, it may be true that clipping is generally the culprit in that case.
Whether you "need" an amp really depends on you. Turn your system up as high as it'll go before clipping (you'll need an o-scope to tell if you can't hear it, but you should be able to hear it) - if you want louder than that, get an amp. Don't screw around, minimum of 100W no matter what. Just make sure you set the gain appropriately.
