How do amplifiers work in cars

When you compare an amplifier that is stamped with the CEA logo to another CEA amp, you know that these 2 amplifiers were tested the same way, and that you are comparing apples to apples. Amplifier Configurations: Amplifiers come in a number of different configurations, which one is the best for your application depends on the amount of channels that you require. A channel is the powered signal that an amplifier sends to a speaker. Typically the amp is configured to one channel per speaker but there are exceptions.

This is the measurement of resistance that the speaker adds to the circuit. It is very important to match your amplifiers impedance to your speakers impedance. When and amplifier meets very little resistance it then begins to produce more output power than it was designed for and will cause damage or failure to the unit.

So it is important to make sure that your amplifier impedance matches the impedance of your speaker configuration. When a speaker is underpowered there is the potential of overdriving the amp. This happens when the volume is turned up so loud that the amplifier can no longer produce a constant signal, resulting in audio breakup or distortion known as clipping. When this happens the amplifier sends harmful signals square waves to the speakers, and these signals can not be reproduced by the speaker resulting in damage to the speakers themselves causing loss of output or even failure.

This is especially harmful on smaller, more delicate speakers such as tweeters. When the amplifier is driven to the point of distortion peaking or clipping , not only is it harmful to the speakers it also causes damage to the amplifier as well. When an amplifier reaches the point of clipping it can result in permanent damage or failure. Matching the exact RMS Power of your speakers to the RMS Power of your amplifier seems like the logical thing to do, and yes it allows for great sound.

The additional headroom will enable your amplifier to contend with any sudden spikes in the audio signal. When an under powered amplifier receives an audio spike, it will not have enough power to reproduce the signal, instead it will produce a distorted signal. If you have an amplifier that is rated at 50 Watts RMS the Red horizontal line , you will notice that there are plenty of spikes in the audio that surpass the 50 watt range of your amp.

These spikes will still be audible, but they will most likely be distorted and will cause your amplifier to produce excessive heat when they are reproduced. If you had an amp that was rated at 75 Watts RMS the Green horizontal line , you will notice that none of the audio spikes reach the 75 watt range, and the amplifier has plenty of power to reproduce the audio signal clearly without distortion. You will have the same volume without the distortion.

The space between the Red and Green lines is what is referred to as Headroom. Headroom is basically how hard you can push your amplifier before it will distort. It is always a good idea to have plenty of Headroom within your system for this exact reason. What wiring do I need? What size fuse and power wire? These wiring diagrams illustrate how amplifiers connect to your audio system, which will make it easier to shop for the gear you need for the system of your dreams.

Car amplifier audio terms - like watts, volts, and efficiency - are explained. Confused about wiring your subs and picking the right amplifier? Crutchfield will get you on the fast track to big bass with this simple guide. You need to set your amplifiers gain correctly in order to enjoy your musics full range of dynamics hearing all the notes clearly, whether loud or soft. Here's a method for setting amp gain fast and accurately using test tones. Here's a step-by-step guide to installing a car amplifier, including how to run the cables through your car and how to wire the amp.

There are many ways to connect subwoofers to an amplifier. Our wiring diagrams will help you find the best way to wire your subs and amps so you'll get the best performance out of your gear. For free personalized advice, call Our Advisors have listened to most of the speakers we carry, and can help you make the best choice for your system.

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Exit chat Send. Don't wait on hold. We'll call you back when it's your turn to talk with the next available. How can we help you today? When do you want us to call you back? Let's say you've invested in a new set of upgraded speakers and a sleek new stereo receiver unit.

You're on your way to hearing your music in superior ways. However, your car may not be doing your custom audio system justice -- and your radio's built-in amplifier might not supply enough power to the new components.

This is why you might need an external amplifier, or amp, as your audio setup becomes more and more elaborate. Amplifiers take a signal from the stereo and use an independent power source to change it into a more powerful signal for the speakers. The more power the amplifier delivers, the cleaner the sound from the speakers. Granted, most aftermarket stereo units have at least twice the power of a stock radio, but in many cases, it's simply not enough [source: Consumer Guide].

If you're going to have a bunch of subwoofers and component speakers in your vehicle, an amp is probably a good idea. In most cases, you'll want one amp for all the speakers in the car, which means you'll need multiple channels on the amp -- each channel drives one speaker. RMS measurements take this into account. To help buyers get more accurate information the Consumer Electronics Association CEA standard was created to encourage providing accurate specifications.

An internal power supply, supplied by the battery positive and negative power wiring, generates a higher output voltage — and more power — than is otherwise possible from a 12 volt power source. Due to the large amps drawn, thick gauge power wire and ground wire connections are made to the vehicle battery and metal chassis directly in most cases.

A car stereo sends an audio signal via an RCA cable or other connection where the boosted electrical signal is delivered to speaker terminals for use with wire. The load resistance must decrease or the voltage must increase to get more power. The switching integrated circuit IC chip drives high-current transistors connected to a transformer on and off thousands of times per second. The transformer, based on the number of turn of copper wire on it, produces higher voltages at its output.

These are smoothed and stabilized to produce a power source for the speaker channels. Some components such as high-power switching transistors are attached to the heavy metal chassis of the amplifier to remove and dissipate excess heat generated.

Otherwise they would eventually fail due to heat destroying them. A low current signal often less than. The remote wire is connected to an output at the car stereo or ignition wiring. The input stage board consists of many smaller circuits to do things like providing crossover functions, making bridging for more power possible, providing gain control, and blocking ground loop noise.

Input stages use an extremely versatile electronic component called an op amp operational amplifier. Op amps are tiny amplifier circuits built into miniature chips used for all sorts of audio functions. Ground loop noise is a common and very frustrating car audio installation problem. This appears as a high-pitched and annoying whine you can hear from your speakers. A filter design called a differential amplifier circuit is used on the front end input side to effectively block and cancel out this noise before it can get into the musical signal pathways.

Electronic crossovers offer a way to control the frequency range sent to car speakers. For example, when driving subwoofers, a low pass filter blocks everything except bass to give a great bass sound. Likewise, you can prevent bass from distorting smaller speakers such as tweeters or door speakers by using the high pass crossover.