Need car speaker advice...

[Joe's detailing]

Re: Need car speaker advice...

Which ever amp you select you can get real power from any amp rated CEA compliant ..
(TIP)Phoenix Gold amps produce real ''pure'' power ....

[BlueZero]

Re: Need car speaker advice...

Thanks for bringing this up again Ryan! I'm just trying to pick out some new speakers for the Ridgeline. Was sort of stuck between some Pioneers for $50 and Polks for $100. From the sounds of it I guess I'll give the Polk's a try.

[Joe's detailing]

Re: Need car speaker advice...

Polk sounds more clear, good choice bluezero..

[RogueGypsy]

Re: Need car speaker advice...

Thanks RogueGypsy!!

I know RMS is the power that the amp puts out constantly but do I get a AMP that says exactly the same RMS as the speakers or can I get more or less?

The guys at Crutchfield said to get a amp that was 100W RMS x 4 (same as speakers) but I read things saying to get a amp that is twice the RMS as the speakers because they usually don't produce what they say they do.

Thanks,

Ryan

I always recommend twice the speaker rating in an amp.

Here is why. There standard for testing amplifier output is a little gray. The amp only has to produce the rated output one time. Most of those amps will have a 'continuous' rating as well as RMS rating. The continuous rating is usually half the RMS rating.

Over powering your speakers is better than under powering them. If underpowered, the driver goes into a free fall at peaks in the sound levels. This is called clipping. If you've ever heard a 'blown' speaker that sounds distorted and loose, that speaker has actually been clipped. It's from too little power to control the driver. NOW if you over power a speaker and blow it, you will hear nothing. Neither is a good thing. The advantage of over amping speakers is that you will get the full potential of the speakers and they will sound better. As long as you aren't at max volume all of the time, the speakers will last longer as well.

Doubling the power may seem like a lot, but in reality, you have to double the power to increase volume by 3db (low noticable increase in volume). So all that extra power doesn't give you volume, it gives you more control over your drivers, that is a good thing.


Brock

[zeegs]

Re: Need car speaker advice...

it's not over powering them by using a higher wattage amp, it takes less power from a higher wattage amp to drive the speakers, meaning the amp would run cooler and be less stressed using higher wattage.
try:

http://www.sundownaudio.com/

they make a good amp at a reasonable price
and

http://www.reaudio.com/woofers.html

for some decent subs, they make a shallow sub for a small box that is quite musical.

[Markus Kleis]

Re: Need car speaker advice...

Some solid advice above. You need an amp, and go bigger...I personally like amps that have 2-3 times the RMS rated output from what the speakers call for.

That is for the reasons listed above AND because most vehicles do not produce enough voltage to stay at optimal 12.6+ voltage, so it helps to compensate for dips.

I like JL amps because they have RIPS and automatically compensate for low voltage within a fairly broad range. They aren't cheap though...

You can go to www.DIYMAmobileaudio.com for lots of help

[Megafast13]

Re: Need car speaker advice...

As Far as Brands go:

JL Audio
Alpine
Pioneer

Cables:

MONSTER Cable is great in cars, overpriced for home electronics.

[Golden]

Re: Need car speaker advice...

I would go with two 8 inch woofers from RE audio and a JL audio amp. Then maybe Infinity or JBL component speakers. You will have clear sounding set up.