So, you’re shopping for a car audio amplifier for your new bass system that you are putting together. You want at least 1,600 watts because that’s what your friend has and his system sounds great, or that’s what your friends have told you you need. You shop around and you look at all kinds of amps at different prices. You’re wanting those watts but your wallet has only so much bucks to spend. How do you pick out the right amp?
It’s tough, especially because there’s no real way to compare car amps to one another based on what they say, and the sales people just want to sell you what they want or they don’t really know any more about it than you do (you think). So what do you do?. . . .
Of course I can just say “Come to National Auto Sound and Security where the sales people really do know what they’re talking about and no one will steer you wrong.” But I won’t say that. Instead I’ll try to explain to you what to be aware of to make a good choice.
First, realize that there exists “the big lie”. What’s that? It’s the advertising of car audio power or watts. Did you know that in car audio it is actually legal (no federal laws prohibits it) for the car audio manufacturer to lie about the power output of their amplifiers. Did you know that almost all of them do this to one extend or another and some do it with such exaggeration that it is laughable if you happen to know what is going on. Why do they do this? It’s simple. The bigger number of watts they can print on their amps, the more likely you are to buy it!
Realistically, if you have only so much to spend, you need to take into account everything; the power amp, the woofers you are using or still need to buy, and the box (because all boxes are not the same). Also, don’t forget the installation, or the install pats you will need.
In our store we recommend a car amp based on the woofers someone is intending to use.
We try to match the power output of the amp with the woofer requirements. It doesn’t make sense to spend all kinds of bucks on some killer car subwoofers that cost you $300 a piece when you have only $150 to spend on a power amp for your car. But you say “The amp says 2000 watts. Isn’t that enough to drive my subs that are rated at 1000 watts each?” Not exactly. Remember that manufacturers routinely over rate their car amp power output specs, especially in the lower price ranges or with the non name brand amplifiers. These are especially likely to be vastly over rated. As an example, we sell a good quality two channel car power amp in our store that can drive a pair of 12” subs that says 1600 watts on it and sells for under $120. Great deal, right. Yes and no. It’s a very good amp for an affordable bass system, but it won’t come close to driving those expensive subs. Why? Because amps in that price range, regardless of their ratings actually put out far less than their ratings. This amp, which can sound good in an entry level bass system and it can make you happy with the money you’ve spent, puts out somewhere around 75 to 125 real home stereo rated RMS watts per channel. While that’s not a big number, it is enough to make the right subs sound good and beat relatively hard in an affordable bass system. So while you won’t have 1600 real watts, you will have a decent sounding car audio bass system for a budget if you’ve properly matched your woofers to your amp and bass box. Best of all your friends might think you have 1600 watts. And that might be the most important for some.
How is the buyer to know how much power the car audio amplifier actually puts out?
Sometimes these car amps are independently rated in magazine articles or in on line articles, but mostly not. Even online forums may be missleading because one person’s experience won’t necessarily apply to your circumstances and you won’t have enough knowledge to know that. That’s why seeking the advice of experienced car audio sales proffessionals will make a difference.
If the car audio manufacturer is reputable, i.e. name brand, then the RMS power ratings are fairly accurate. However you will have to read the fine print. Often it is the max ratings that are printed on the bass amp. Max power ratings are made up figures strictly for advertising purposes. You can assume that many 1000 watt amps may put out 75 to 250 real rms watts per channel, and the same for 1600 watt amps. We even have some manufacturers who put 3000 watts max or 4000 watts max on their car amps that sell for between $150 and $250. These amps are also in the same real power range of 100 to 250 real rms watts of power per channel. The only difference is they may be physically larger, have neater graphics, and portray the myth that they are more powerful. The young buyers assume they are getting a super deal and a really strong amp.
Sorry Charlie.
In our store we will give you a real world opinion as to how well the bass amplifier you are thinking of purchasing from us will work in your system, regardless of what the amp has printed on it. Sometimes it is hard to make the buyer understand that the big power rating is just an advertising gimmick. Customers so need to have that 1000 watts or that 1600 watts that telling them the truth about car stereo power ratings on amps only confuses them. Since we will always recommend an amp based on what the customer tells us he has or what he wants to spend, the advertised power ratings mean nothing to us. We always recommend an amp we feel will work best for the customer’s circumstances.
How many watts does it take to get good car stereo bass?
For beginning systems you can actually have good bass for the lower power ranges of 70 to 125 rms watts per channel, if the woofers are the right ones for the situation and the sub box is the right design to maximize power output. These are things we help you with in our store.
For stronger and louder bass systems, power goes up quickly. That’s because the human ear responds to sounds logarithmically. That’s a mathematical way of saying that if you want to double your volume, you will need to quadruple your real rms power output. It is a car stereo industry acceptable standard that a noticeable or significant increase in sound or bass volume requires a doubling of your output power! That means if you already have a real 150 watts rms power per channel, going to a 200 watt rms car amp won’t give you much difference, especially for the money you’ll spend. That’s not to say there aren’t some benefits of going with the 200 watt rms car bass amp. It just might sound better for other reasons. But it’s not likely to be a lot louder. Choosing a 300 watt per channel amp or a 600 watt mono rms car amplifier will double your power and give you a significant increase. Obviously, we carry lots of these car audio bass amplifiers. There are also differences in brands and amplifier design. Our experience in using and installing these car amps is the best way to get advice to make the best choice. This is a lot different than picking the amp because of its looks or deciding on a brand because you like it or your friends have it.
Anyway, quadrupling the output power of your 150 watt per channel amp or your 300 watt mono bass amp means going with a real 1200 watt rms amplifier. This will be a big jump in price, will require much stronger subwoofers, maybe a different bass enclosure and may require some upgrades to your charging system, like an additional car battery in the rear next to the car amplifiers.
There are other ways of increasing volume. Different woofers, a different bass enclosure or subwoofer box design, a charging system upgrade with heavier power cable, extra battery, or the addition of a stiffening capacitor for added current at high volume can all make a difference. These are all things we can help you with in our store. We can quickly determine which course of action is likely to bring the biggest benefits for the least cost to you.
In short, the more bass power the better as far as volume goes, though it doesn’t take a huge amount to have a great system. Picking the best amp for the job depends on real power output, type of subwoofers being uses, your box and the vehicle. These are all factors that an experienced store can take into account in making recommendations. Unfortunately it is not just a matter of power and price.
National Auto Sound & Security has a well earned reputation from many years of helping customers like yourself make the right purchase in choosing their bass amp and subs. We would like the opportunity to help you too. Please stop in. We’re here to serve you.
