New Amplifier?

[Robbo VS3]

Hi Guys,

Thinking about getting an amplifier to go in my ute, a few guys on here told me its the way to go for a better sound from my speakers.
So, what does an amplifier do exactly, how does it work?
And, how does it connect to the headunit? Do i need to pull the headunit out, do the cables plug into the back?

Thanks

[Deutscher]

Hi Guys,

Thinking about getting an amplifier to go in my Ute, a few guys on here told me its the way to go for a better sound from my speakers.
So, what does an amplifier do exactly, how does it work?
And, how does it connect to the head unit? Do i need to pull the head unit out, do the cables plug into the back?

Thanks

O boy
OK... I'll give ya a run down on what an amplifier does, someone else can give u the expert technical details.
> An amplifier ... uh amplifies the power.
> An amplifier connects to the head unit via RCA cables. You must have an aftermarket head unit (I believe, don't think factory's come with pre-outs), you must have a headunit with pre-outs... it's prob best to have 2 or 3 pre-outs (1 for speakers, and 1 for sub).
> To wire up an amplifier you will need a wiring kit (Power cable, Earth Cable, Remote switch on cable, RCA's, Fuse) and of course speaker cable.
> A head unit can only produce ~50x4 watts... which is crap all, therefore you need an amplifier to get more power to the speakers.
> The RCA's are on the back of the head unit.
> There's many different amplifiers out on the market, you can get 1,2, 4, 5 channel amplifiers, each channel is for a speaker ... generally ...(Although, you can bridge a 4 channel amp to only run 2 speakers etc).. 5 channel amplifiers are people on a real budget, these amplifiers are made to run 4 speakers and 1 sub woofer but they generally don't produce much power.
> When you look for a amplifier, try to find one that has slightly higher rating than the "RMS" rating (only look at RMS (Continuous) rating ... NOT the PEAK WATTS) of the speakers.
> Amplifiers that are made for speakers have a 4gauge connection on the amplifier, a sub woofer amp will have either 4gauge or 0/1gauge connection. 0gauge is the thickest cable and the higher the number the thinner the cable.

I guess that's a start.. good luck!
If you got any questions about if some speakers are good or if the speakers match an amplifier or anything... feel free to ask JC... someone will always give you advice.

[JC_VE6]

if you run an amp on factory speakers, you will probably blow them as they wont handle the power.
Car audio is getting pretty cheap these days, a lot of stuff is kinda rubbish china spec. As such costs a little and doesnt perform good.
Depends on your budget and how much you want to spend. There is an obvious difference between an amp that costs $80 (BOSS) and something thats $300 (insert prestige brand of choice here). Same with speakers.
I think that Jaycar amps are pretty good bang for buck. i use them (2) and run 2 earthquake subs and 2 sets of focal splits and they have no issues with power.

as you will learn in your shopping travels there is a big range in price.

If you want some 'ok' stuff try clarion, i used them when i was on my P's and they got the job done. im not sure they are as good as they used to be though, i havent been into audio for about 2 -3 years since i did my current system.

JC.

[Robbo VS3]

Hi Guys,

Thanks for the reply's.
I just checked the speakers that i have in my ute, they are Clarion 150W 3-Way speakers.

And these are the Specs of the Amp that i am looking at.

- P.M.P.O : 2 x 180W

- R.M.S : 2 x 20W

- Input power : 12V 6A DC

- Input sensitivity : 200mv

- Input impedance : 47k

- Frequence response : 20Hz - 20kHz

- Speaker impedance : 4 - 8ohm

- Minimum THD : <0.05%

- Signal noise / ratio : >100db

- RCA input : 1slot (MP3/ MP4/ CD available)

If i get this Amp, will this make my music clearer and louder and not distort? Does this Amp provide enough power?
Sorry about the questions,. but im new to this.

Thanks

[Robbo VS3]

OR this

Total harmonic distortion:<0.1%
Output Power: RMS 75 WattsX2CH.(at 14.4V DC) Loading in 4 Ohm Speaker
Signal To Noise Ratio: 90dB
Frequency Response:20~20KHz
Distortion:<0.02(1KHz)
Supply Supply:9-15V DC
Dimension (mm): D*W*H= 102 X 65 X 38
Casing material: aluminum

Which one would be better and why?
So really its, 2x20 RMS VS 2x75 RMS, whats the difference?


Thanks

[acarmody]

The difference is 55watts. The 75wrms speakers can handle 3.75 times more power than the 20wrms speakers.

[Deutscher]

OR this

Total harmonic distortion:<0.1%
Output Power: RMS 75 WattsX2CH.(at 14.4V DC) Loading in 4 Ohm Speaker
Signal To Noise Ratio: 90dB
Frequency Response:20~20KHz
Distortion:<0.02(1KHz)
Supply Supply:9-15V DC
Dimension (mm): D*W*H= 102 X 65 X 38
Casing material: aluminum

Which one would be better and why?
So really its, 2x20 RMS VS 2x75 RMS, whats the difference?


Thanks

75wrms is pretty good in my opinion. I've got Alpine Type R splits (older verion... they 70 or 75wrms) and they are pretty loud. I've had them for 2 years and they run fine.

[JC_VE6]

75w RMS for sure. 20w RMS is a waste of time.
just never run the amp at full power (most amps will clip and distort if operating above say 90% of capacity)
should be pretty much load enough anyway considering its a ute. not exactly a huge amount of empty cabin space.

JC.

[Robbo VS3]

Ok guys,

im still trying to get my head around how this amplifier connects. So i bought some fusion splits, so do i just connect the splits to the headunit, then connect the amp to the headunit. Will that put the amps power to the speakers?
Or do i need to connect the splits to the amplifier?
I assumed i just connected the amp to the headunit with the RCA cable and that would put more power to the speakers, is that right?
I hope i dont need to hook the speakers to the amp because i dont think you can hook splits to the amp i bought. The amp i have has input/output holes, and left/right speaker plugs. Thats it.
Or do i hook the subs to the amp, then hook the splitters to the head unit?
Im confused, please help.

Cheers

[Robbo VS3]

Could someone draw me a diagram lol.

[calais_cruzin]

have a look thru this site, got lots of good info.
www.bcae1.com

Side menu, go to #107 system diagrams.

[JC_VE6]

Head Unit to AMP
Amp to SPEAKERS

Head Unit to amp using RCA cables
AMP to speakers using speaker wire.
If you have splits there should be a crossover in there somewhere.
SO... AMP to Crossover (2 wires in), then to speaker and Tweeter (2 wires each for 4 out in total)
That website above should sort you out.... best of luck.
Patience is a virtue

JC.

[Robbo VS3]

Thanks guys, i think i have it sorted now.

Does this look right?

[IMG][/IMG]

Last thing, where do i hook the amp power up to? Can i power the amp off the head unit?

[Robbo VS3]

What do you guys think is the best value for money amp? I don't have a lot of cash and i did'nt want to spend over $120.
Most amps i have looked at have been around the $200 mark.

[Robbo VS3]

When you hook an amp up to the head unit, does it combine the head units and the amps power or does it only use the amps power?

[Philthy]

Amps power only.
The headunit's powers the speaker outputs, which you won't have connected since you are running an amp

[Robbo VS3]

Cheers Philthy,

But i can still control volume and connect my mp3 throught the head units AUX right?

[acarmody]

All your H/U controls and inputs will still work.

As for your earlier question, no you cannot power the amp of the H/U. Amp draws many times more power than a H/U, it needs its own power supply.

[Robbo VS3]

Does a 2 channel amp mean i can only run 1 set of speakers or 1 sub etc? Can i run 1 set of splits and 1 little sub off a 2 channel or do i need a 4 channel?

[Joe Bellissimo]

You need a 4 channel.

[Robbo VS3]

You need a 4 channel.

Cheers Joe.

How about running the splits off the amp and the sub off the head unit? Would that work?

[holdenboy]

In short.....no. Some head-units have this capability but its definately not recommended.

It will only provide about 50wrms to the sub, this means it will be very easy to send a distorted signal to the sub and damage it. Your better off to save up the extra money and buy a 4 channel amp. This means you'll be able to run the splits off the front 2 channels and then "bridge" the rear 2 channels together to run a sub.

[Joe Bellissimo]

That's how I'm doing it at the moment. You can definitely get good results from using a 4 channel for the fronts and subwoofer.