Do you Need an Amp for Door Speakers?
Many fellows do not know about the importance of amplifiers for the car door speakers. There are some cases where people wonder whether they even need amplifiers for their car speakers or not. And I have been asked this question many times by the people around me.
This is the reason which has led me to write this article in detail, to answer said question. One of our regular visitors asked if she needs a dedicated amplifier for door speakers?
Yes, you should add an amplifier in your car for door speakers. The amplifier will enhance the quality of sound and you will experience a powerful bass with neat music. Door speakers can deliver high-quality music if you attach an amp in the car.
And the reason is that even though, you don’t need to be an expert or have a lot of knowledge in the matter for using stereo or maybe your speaker grills. But the same can not be said for using the amplifier.
As the amplifier, in most cases, are linked with the high performance of the car audio system. But the interesting fact is that every single audio system in every single car must have an amplifier in it. Though there are cases, in which not most of the audio systems in the cars do not have a separate amplifier.
And even the easiest of the car’s audio upgrades leave the amplifier out of it. But again, the amazing truth is that every audio system in the car must have an amplifier in it. But this amplifier it can be a weak built-in amplifier but know that your stereo system no matter how costly or how good it is, it can not work without an amplifier.
The thing for common knowledge you can keep in mind that most of the audio systems in the cars have their amplifier right in the head unit. But the bad thing is they mostly are not that good. So be aware of this, when buying a new one.
Do you Need an Amp for Door Speakers?
Actually, the amplifier is present in both, home audio system as well as the audio system of the cars. And, the amplifier is actually, a device that just takes a weak audio signal and amplifies it making it into a stronger one. The signal, that goes into the amplifier is so weak that it can not drive speakers, but the signal coming out of the amplifier can do the job.
And, this process of amplification is the most necessary part of any audio system, whether it is a home audio system or the audio system of a car. It actually, depends upon the amplifier that how loud and distortion-free, would the sound will be.
As the amplifier is a must for every audio system, every audio system has at least one amplifier built in it.
This amplifier may be built in the head unit or it can be built in other units. For example, it is quite common to have a dedicated audio amplifier in the car to drive a subwoofer in it.
Functions of amplifier in the car
Coming on to the main topic, that why do we need an amplifier in the car audio system. Okay, we understand that there is an amplifier in every audio system and it is a must to have. But the question remains, that why it is a must? What is its functioning? What can go wrong without an amplifier in the audio system of the car?
So, as you already know that most of the amplifiers are built in the head units and as I have mentioned before, unfortunately, this built-in amplifier in the head unit is not really strong. And, in the rare cases, in which head units do have the built-in power amplifier, they are too expensive, which takes it out of the option for most people.
So, it is ultimately, a better choice to pair the head unit featuring the preamp outputs with the dedicated amplifier instead. And, I can give you a lot of reasons for which you need to have a separate amplifier in the audio system of your car.
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Louder sound:
One of the best things about the good amplifiers is that you can increase the volume, no matter how much, the limit is up to you. Plus, another amazing thing is you can do that without worrying about causing distortion in the audio. That is one of the best things about the amplifier, for which I absolutely love it.
And, in case you are facing distortion in the audio, on increasing the volume, then, buddy, you need an amplifier or a new one.
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Powering a subwoofer:
When you have added a subwoofer to the audio system of your car, then it is a must to add an amplifier to the audio system of your car as well.
But, in case, which happens to many people, the radio system of your car does not have the connections, designed specifically for a sub. You can simply add a subwoofer amp. It solves the problem.
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Make new speakers sound good
Though, you can add the new speakers to the audio system of your car, in order to improve the sound quality. But a new head unit and a separate amplifier can give you the improvement of volume to the whole new level, which simply can not be compared to only speakers. So, if you want the best out of your new speakers, it is always a good option to also install the head unit and an amplifier along with it.
But, in case, you are not such fond of loud music, then you can just focus on your head unit and the speakers. But even in this case, I would advise you to get the amplifier, as, without the amplifier in the audio system of the car, you will get a lot of problems in the future.
So, in order to avoid these future issues, it is always the best option to install it, in time. Another thing, you should be aware of is that whether or not your head unit has the preamp outputs.
Actually, these outputs are the one who bypasses the built-in amplifier of the audio system and helping in sending a clear signal to the external amplifier. And, in case your head unit does not have the preamp outputs, then there is another option.
Then you will need to look for an amplifier that has the featuring of the speaker level inputs. Plus, you can also go for the speaker to the line-level converter. Though in both of these cases you will be facing the noise and the distortion, this is the case without the amplifier anyway.
You can also buy the head unit to improve it but obviously, even that won’t end the noise and the distortion.
Another thing is if you upgrade your head unit before adding an amplifier, though you will have to spend quite a lot, it will be worth it in the end. I assure you that you will get the desired results.
As when you are working with a good head unit, from the beginning, finding the right amplifier for the car audio system becomes something really easy.
Other features of the car amplifier:
Channels are something really important when considering a good amplifier. In fact, when differencing between the amplifier, you have to consider the number of channels it has.
Though, there is a number of configurations available in it, which rangers from mono to six channels. And each of them is suitable for various speaker setups.
At least, you would need one channel for each speaker, though it is not out of the option to use more than one amplifier in the audio system of one car. For instance, a 4 channel amp is able to power the 4 coaxial speakers. And you can use the separate mono amp for the subwoofer.
Though there are various channel configurations that can work in a good way with the component speakers. so that it is possible to match each amplifier with the system that it is going with power. You must keep in mind that there are amps with the low pass as well as high pass filters.
These filters are built-in, which is why they are perfect for powering the woofers or maybe the tweeters. There are also the other amps, which have variable filters, bass boot as well as other features.
Power in car amplifiers:
The power of an amplifier is the wattage which can be sent to the speakers. Because the main work of an amplifier is to increase the strength of the audio signal, the power of the amplifier is considered as one of the main statistics. The main thing, which needs to be focused on is RMS here.
Though, you can not focus on any specific number here. The RMS of the amplifier should be compared in the power to the handling of the speakers, which is different for every audio system of the car.
If we look for an optimum ratio for an RMS, then it would be between 75 to 150 % of the power, which can be handled by the speakers.
And, in my opinion, overpowering the speakers is way better than underpowering them. So, it should not be a problem for you if you know the optimum value of RS and understand the importance of power in the car audio system of an amplifier.
Though I have tried my best to explain all the concepts, in easier and simpler language and describe any of the technical words if you have any confusion or a question. Then feel free to leave your query in the comment section below.
After receiving your comments, I will get back to you with an answer and will make sure you understand it clearly without any ambiguity.
Don?t feel shy or hesitate to comment, it is better to ask then remain to confuse. Have a great day!
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