# Need an amp for my car stereo



## deepak_ds (Jun 24, 2013)

I have a Sony MEX-DV1606U installed in my car. I have 2 3-way speakers of 100W, 4 ohms at the rear. I doubt if there is any amp connected to it. I am very new to car audio and amplifiers. I know very less about the stuff. Suggest me a proper amplifier for the pair. What I learnt from the tutorial videos is that the amplifier's output power should be 1.5 times the rated power of speaker. If speakers are of lower power then its okay. And if they are of higher power, then there are chances of distortion and ultimately damage which I would never want. The DVD player has written 52W x 4. That's the thing that worries me.


----------



## josin (Jun 24, 2013)

deepak_ds said:


> I have a Sony MEX-DV1606U installed in my car. I have 2 3-way speakers of 100W, 4 ohms at the rear. I doubt if there is any amp connected to it. I am very new to car audio and amplifiers. I know very less about the stuff. Suggest me a proper amplifier for the pair. What I learnt from the tutorial videos is that the amplifier's output power should be 1.5 times the rated power of speaker. If speakers are of lower power then its okay. And if they are of higher power, then there are chances of distortion and ultimately damage which I would never want. The DVD player has written 52W x 4. That's the thing that worries me.



Whats your budget? whats your car? What is that you want from your Amp (quality of sound/ increase in audio out put), What is your current make of spk in front and back? is this you have bought?

From your description, i assume you are on a tight budget, any way your current set up of spks doesn't warrant any need of an amp, the headset you have is more than enough.Please understand that no AMP in itself give you good sound quality ( if you are an audiophile), it requires a good quality recording, good source( head set) and good spks to go with it.

If you want good sound quality you can get this...( at least a bare minimum for Sound quality)

1. Get Component Car Speakers  as front speakers. you can select according to your budget ( it may cost anything from 4K to 9K for an average set up, the choices are bull audio, Jbl, polk audio, alpine, Jl audio, rainbow,focal, infinity,Rockford Fosgate, pioneer etc).

Components will give you a better sound stage and as a general rule front spks should over power the backs ( its not a hard and fast rule though)

2. Damp the front doors using Dyana mat ( or any other damping material, cost can be anywhere between Rs1660/- to 5K)

3. Keep your existing back spks as it is.( It is just as a sound filler)

4. get a 2 channel Amp from JBL and power the front components with the amp. Connet the 2 way back spk directly to the sony DVD system. But if you are planing for a future update to get a sub woofer choose a four channel Amp.

Do not worry about the wattage of your existing 100W 2 way spks instead look for the loudspeaker specification called Continuous Power Handling or Continuous Power Rating. It might be called IEC rating or Power capacity, if it is below 50 W then ur ok. ( this does not apply for your case for th time being----- If you can prevent the power amp from clipping (by using a limiter), use a power amp that supplies 2 to 4 times the speakers continuous power rating per channel. This allows 3 to 6 dB of headroom for peaks in the audio signal. Speakers are built to handle those short-term peaks. If you cant keep the power amp from clipping (say, you have no limiter and the system is overdriven or goes into feedback) the amplifier power should equal the speakers continuous power rating. That way the speaker wont be damaged if the amp clips by overdriving its input. In this case there is no headroom for peaks, so youll have to drive the speaker at less than its full rated power if you want to avoid distortion..) All most all the amps out their can kill your puny 2 way spks in back. The mentioned 100 W is their Max out put, no spk run in their Max out put, even if they runs you cant enjoy it. I don't even for a second suggest you to connect you 100w 2 way to any AMPs, please do not do it. You will be disappointed if you do it. 
the next thing is that your selection of head unit. Its bad and nowhere near optimal quality,  If you can sell off the sony system and buy a pioneer  or FH-X759BT | or alpine head units with 2/3 RCA pre outs) it would be better.

you can get further info fro here


----------



## deepak_ds (Jun 24, 2013)

Budget will be according to the requirement. I am kind of audiophile. But I suppose I don't have the right speakers. Well that's not a reason to worry. Now I'm worried about the built in amplifier. And the 100 watts which i mentioned is the RMS power. I have 2 rear speakers of Sony XS-GTX6931 which are 3 way. They have 4 ohm impedance and Peak power is 400W and Rated is 100W.
The pre outs have capability of handling only 52W. I don't want this to blow out someday because sometimes when I drive alone I like the music to be high. 
I have a Maruti Alto K10 by the way 
Front speakers can be handled well. They have peak output of 130W. So this means that they will be surely rated under 50W.
Just need to know if I need an amplifier. 
And I have a doubt too. Are there separate amplifiers for normal speakers and sub-woofers? Because a 3 way speaker has got various drivers attached to produce different frequencies. So what about the high frequencies? Will they also get amplified? I am sounding seriously silly here. But I am really confused!

The amplifier would be for only two channel.


----------



## josin (Jun 24, 2013)

your system is capable of putting out 200W in total (50W*4 channel= 200W Max Power... rated power may be anything between 18 to 24W per channel) So in theory your system can support your XS-GTX6931 alone( ie minus your front spks...if you are connecting your front spks too it may(....usually it does not) result in an overload)if your XS-GTX6931's rated power is 100W ( 2* 100W=200W) you are in need of an amp of atleast 300 to 400W power to drive the spks comfortably.
so your options are
1. Buy a 4 channel amp of 800W and connect all spks to it.
2. Buy a 2 channel amp of 300W or 400W and connect the two  XS-GTX6931 and connect the front spk to your HU.( but in this setup you will loose your sound stage as the back spks will overpower your front ones.)



> Are there separate amplifiers for normal speakers and sub-woofers?


yes there are but they are so costly. so what we do is to buy a full range AMP. ( do not worry almost all amps under 10K is full range). 



> Because a 3 way speaker has got various drivers attached to produce different frequencies. So what about the high frequencies? Will they also get amplified?



A full range AMP can easy amplify all frequencies say high, mid or low. if you have money think of JL audio"s Full range Amp.



> I am sounding seriously silly here. But I am really confused!



Don't worry we are here to help you. I too was a noob one day. But i learned (in the learning process i had to spend out allmost 70Ks:-
my current system on my Ritz VDi is 
Hu:  pioneer  FH-X759BT
front: bull audio cs 650.75 6.5" component connected to AMP, Front doors damped with 3 layers of Dyana mat.
Rear: JBL GTO 947 limited edition directly connected to HU
AMP: JBL GT5-S644 800-Watt 4-Channel Full-Range ( The amp is powering components spks and the bass tube...)
Sub: JBL CS 1205T 12" Bridged to AMP. Am i satisfied with it...hell ya)

If you are buying a 4 channel amp you can later add a SUB woofer or a Bass tube ( certainly that's an overkill for an alto)
Ok whatever you do, please go to a reputed guy who can fit your system and tune it properly. How to find them...they will charge you for turning your system( a badly tuned, fitted system will sound as bad as it is fitted no matter how much money you have spend on it-... i paid Rs 5000/- for fitting and tuning my system,but its worth it)

Ps: never buy Sony Spks (for your car)for Sound quality. Audiophiles will laugh at you.


see this setup (of nice quality).( this is not done by me but a member in Team BHP)..I had done the same to my Bros Swift...Boy oh Boy its just heaven...cost him around 36k including the HU. The only bad thing is that he is reluctant to give his swift to anyone even me.

for further reference CARSOUND.COM Forum - Powered by vBulletin


----------



## The Incinerator (Jun 24, 2013)

Impressive! Why didnt you get all the speakers components, as the fronts? It would have maintained the Timbral accuracy. Very good those woven cones,awesome. How do they sound warm, laidback with the needed energy or forward and bright?


----------



## josin (Jun 24, 2013)

The Incinerator said:


> Impressive! Why didnt you get all the speakers components, as the fronts? It would have maintained the Timbral accuracy. Very good those woven cones,awesome. How do they sound warm, laidback with the needed energy or forward and bright?



@ me?

All components in Ritz is a bit of an overkill, in fact ritz (cause of its shape) actually needs only the front Components and if you are so particular a bass tube may be. anything else is just a waste. Well the SQ is awesome (my friend have rockford fosgate components all over his Laura and when he was in my car he asked me which components are you using, i said from the same company you bought, he said "but the sound seems to be more richer than mine". he was shell shocked to hear that i was using only a 4.5K bull audio 6.5'' cons.)


----------



## The Incinerator (Jun 24, 2013)

Sorry, I was referring to the Bull Audio set up?


----------



## deepak_ds (Jun 25, 2013)

how do u know that it's the max power mentioned in the A/V reciever? 
_full range amp under 10k ! wow!  well suggest one. please share the link. and if you say so that my rear speakers would overpower my front ones then suggest a pair of front speakers._ planning to replace them. 
And about sony, I realised lately and I just forgot about you guys before getting a decent system installed in my car. 
Well it's not late. I'll keep upgrading it gradually.
Actually I wasn't present at the spot when Dad went to buy the car. There are things that look complicated than the PA system at home, in the car. So even I couldn't tell him what to do and not as I was too a noob!
The place where I am staying doesn't have such people who can do such transformation. I wish there were any.

Please tell me a proper site for speaker reviews.

And is there any site to sort and compare amplifiers? I mean we can select filters and the results will be displayed.

And 100W RMS for a speaker in such a small car is very big. Isn't it?


----------



## josin (Jun 25, 2013)

Where do you live?


> how do u know that it's the max power mentioned in the A/V receiver?



well its like that. almost all Hu out there with Max output of 50W can churn out 18 to 24W rated power ( Google is your friend)



> Please tell me a proper site for speaker reviews.



Google is your friend. any way the best Indian site is always team BHP and gearheads

This site too is good with all basic informtions

From my past experiences JBL  Amp is your sure-shot ( do not even think of Sony). This is the new iteration by JBL. its Mrp is Rs.8990/- but you can get this as low as 6K if you bargain. This can successfully drive any 3 way 400W coaxials and a bass tube of 1200W in bridged mode.

its available here
1. Lowest rate(Rs 5990) with COD  @ snapdeal ( seller is reliable.. i have good past experience with them, do hurry cause they have a 10% additional off going on.) 

2.ebay

3. tradus

4. a good site where you can Compare and buy @ Compareandbuy

Now to the front spk, you can get a component spks in front ( the best choce for SQ and sound stage)
My suggested brands in accordance with proprity 


1. Bull Audio ( the best i have ever seen below 5K range, it should have been priced @ 12K thats the quality of the brand)

2. Jbl 
                      A) GTO609C may cost you a bit (@ 5K) @ tradus

                    B) CS 6C on tradus

3)Rockford Fosgate @snap deal

*Warning*

1. Damp the front doors using Dyana mat ( or any other damping material, cost can be anywhere between Rs1660/- to 5K)

2. Use high quality power cables for safety ( any low quality wires will burn your car to ashes)

3. Find a good installer.


----------



## deepak_ds (Jun 25, 2013)

200Kms away from Visakhapatnam. In Odisha, Dist-Koraput.


----------



## josin (Jun 25, 2013)

deepak_ds said:


> 200Kms away from Visakhapatnam. In Odisha, Dist-Koraput.



I think you can get good installers in Visakhapatnam. Go out and search before you buy. there is nothing wrong in doing research in your local stores too. get the yellow pages, seach google, search team bhp and gear heads, go and ask every dealer you see in Visakhapatnam.

Do inform us what you have done once you have done it.


----------



## deepak_ds (Jun 25, 2013)

Seems i will have to bridge to power the speakers. 4ohm is creating trouble for finding the right amp. The jbl gtx 646 cant power aptly 4 speakers if i include my sony speakers. And my.front doors dont.have space for.speakers. They will make space for it or what? I mean will cut out space in the door to fit in the front speakers?


----------



## josin (Jun 25, 2013)

deepak_ds said:


> Seems i will have to bridge to power the speakers. 4ohm is creating trouble for finding the right amp. The jbl gtx 646 cant power aptly 4 speakers if i include my sony speakers. And my.front doors dont.have space for.speakers. They will make space for it or what? I mean will cut out space in the door to fit in the front speakers?



No you don't understand.The "watt" rating of a speaker is simply how much power it can take before the coils melt.The r.m.s. value of a voltage (or current) is the value of d.c. (voltage or current as the case may be) which will give the same heating of a resistive load. It is quite wrong to apply the term r.m.s. to power. In fact, technically, it is meaningless( if you can understand read this and in simple terms this too). That Sony 4 ohm spk are nothing in front of  JBL gtx 646. you should understand rated power is 2*RMS power. If a speaker is actually capable of handling 150 watts of rated power it would only be rated to handle 75 watts RMS. Its much easier to blow speakers with a 500 watt continuous rating with a 50 watt RMS power amp, now this JBl is 70 W RMS per channel power amp, which can easily power your spks.
i have Jbl Gto947 3 Way Coaxical Speaker 400 Watts in back, which were powered by my JBL GT5-S644 800-Watt 4-Channel amp which has 60 W RMS per channel. My JBL spk's spec is 

Power Handling, RMS	100 Watts 4Ohms
Power Handling, Peak	400 Watts
Frequency Response (+/-3dB)	50Hz-21kHz
Sensitivity	94dB
if this can be powered through a lesser spec Amp ( now i am powering the same using my pioneer Hu no amps nothing) your Sony sh*t is nothing in front of  jbl gtx 646  IMHO.



> Amplifiers and Speakers:
> Many people ask the question... Can my speakers handle this amplifier or will this amplifier blow my speakers. Well, the truth is that any speaker can be driven by any amplifier. The only time that there will be a problem is when the person operating the system becomes abusive. Most people (and I do mean most) drive their amplifiers well into clipping. I know what your thinking... I never drive my amp into clipping. Well, you must be one of the very few. Generally speaking, if you have friends who are impressed by high volume, you drive your system into clipping.
> 
> Clipping:
> ...






> They will make space for it or what? I mean will cut out space in the door to fit in the front speakers?


 yes, they usually uses MDF spacers too


----------



## deepak_ds (Jun 25, 2013)

Thank you ! I somewhat understood now. I saw a youtube video that said about the power thing. That's why I repeatedly insisted on that thing.
I also got a link from a user of Alto K10 who has modified her car. That thing looks killer.
I'm now pretty clear now what to do now.
Thanks again for all the help!!

This is the video


----------



## josin (Jun 25, 2013)

deepak_ds said:


> Thank you ! I somewhat understood now. I saw a youtube video that said about the power thing. That's why I repeatedly insisted on that thing.
> I also got a link from a user of Alto K10 who has modified her car. That thing looks killer.
> I'm now pretty clear now what to do now.
> Thanks again for all the help!!
> ...



good at-least you are in a right track...don't do anything in a hurry/ don't buy anything on impulse and don't fall pray to any vendor/installer. keep your requirements/ name of equipment listed out and do not deviate from that list.


----------

