"Expert" friend suggests mono amp for system volume increase

[Shroom0205]

My goal was to Make my car louder. My Buddy said he knew what he was doing when I went to get an amplifier for my car. With his guidance i purchased a mono 1200watt amp. I now know i should have got a 2 or 4 or 5 channel amp, but I'm left with the question can I use this amp to increase the volume on my speakers still or do I just take the 200 dollar hit and get a proper amp. I know i have plenty of other options but I just why to know if the amp I have can be used to accomplish my goal of higher volume. Thank you in advance.

Oh Yea its a cheap walmart amp by jensen so I doubt it's full range.

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[Kickstand Premium Member]

Mono amps are usually for running subwoofers.
Are you trying to add an aftermarket amp to your stock speakers to make them louder?
I don't suggest it
Maybe you should post exactly what equipment you have and exactly what you would like to accomplish

 

[Shroom0205]

My goal was to Make my car louder. My Buddy said he knew what he was doing when I went to get an amplifier for my car. With his guidance i purchased a mono 1200watt amp. I now know i should have got a 2 or 4 or 5 channel

Mono amps are usually for running subwoofers.
Are you trying to add an aftermarket amp to your stock speakers to make them louder?
I don't suggest it
Maybe you should post exactly what equipment you have and exactly what you would like to accomplish

Well, the first thing I said was what I'm trying to accomplish. I just want my music to be louder in my car. I'm not an audio enthusiast so quality isn't a priority (to an extent)I'm sorry for not posting what I have I thought I did because I posted it somewhere else. I have a stock head unit which I'm trying to keep, stock speakers, an aftermarket mono amp, and a subwoofer. Ideally I want to increase volume without spending another penny(though I plan to upgrade in the future). I'm making this up but something like plugging all speakers into the mono amp=decimals or some kind of quick fix. As it stands I've spent like 500 bucks (installed) on a system and my goal hasn't been accomplished. Thank you for replying.

 

[dragon.breath 10+ year member]

Simple answer is no, you can’t connect all of your speakers to the mono amplifier.
The second problem is that if you buy a amplifier for your stock speakers they are not going to get much louder. In most cases you would be better off buying aftermarket speakers before adding more power.

 

[Slo_Ride 5,000+ posts]

I've reread this thread several times and I still don't get it. Your stock head unit and stock speakers aren't gonna get any louder bro. Put an amp on them and it'll get a lot quieter.

 

[ThxOne Premium Member]

Remove the muffler?

Su ck it up, use the mono amp and buy a subwoofer to use it with. Buy a 4 channel amp and some aftermarket speakers and power them with the 4 channel. Your buddy just made you either have to eat the money from the mono amp or has caused you to begin a full stereo upgrade. The upgrade will achieve your goal. Budget yourself, buy piece by piece if you have to then when you have it all on hand, install everything. Make your buddy do it and DON'T pay him.

 

[Popwarhomie 5,000+ posts]

Ideally I want to increase volume without spending another penny

Not gonna happen.




You can use a monoblock for mids but it must be a full range monoblock. Done it many times. You will lose your stereo sound and no fade or left/right balance.

 

[dragon.breath 10+ year member]

Jensen doesn’t make a full range mono block.

 

[Kickstand Premium Member]

You have a mono amp and a subwoofer.
Just hook them up, you will of course need a LOC or a DSP to run the amp off your stock HU .
Everyone starting out in this hobby does it in stages and subs are usually the first stage.
You can probably get away with getting a 2 channel full range amp and a set of components for the front doors later on but thats bare minimum.
The initial setup up is the most expensive part but after that it gets easier since you already have the "foundation" in place.
This is not a cheap hobby but you have to be patient and build it slowly.
If at all possible stop shopping at Walmart .
There are good deals to be had on good equipment if you look online.
Just ask, there is no shortage of opinions about what equipment to use on this site.

 

[Shroom0205]

Thanks guys for answering. So okay, I have to yake a hit on this one, but what do I do to increase the volume. As of now I have stock head unit, stock speakers, mono amp, and a subwoofer. I'm gravitating towards new head unit because Microsoft sync is no longer supported and I have many complaints about it. So the very next thing I just want raw volume. Will the head unit do this or do I need 2nd amp?

 

[Shroom0205]

Simple answer is no, you can’t connect all of your speakers to the mono amplifier.
The second problem is that if you buy a amplifier for your stock speakers they are not going to get much louder. In most cases you would be better off buying aftermarket speakers before adding more power.

Would new speakers automatically increase volume out put or do I need both? Is there any one thing I can buy to increase the volume?

 

[Shroom0205]

Jensen doesn’t make a full range mono block.

Confirmed. It's not full range. Thank you

 

[Shroom0205]

Remove the muffler?

Su ck it up, use the mono amp and buy a subwoofer to use it with. Buy a 4 channel amp and some aftermarket speakers and power them with the 4 channel. Your buddy just made you either have to eat the money from the mono amp or has caused you to begin a full stereo upgrade. The upgrade will achieve your goal. Budget yourself, buy piece by piece if you have to then when you have it all on hand, install everything. Make your buddy do it and DON'T pay him.

He needs to stay away from my car. He was careless with routing. I did all the wiring. Thinking back all he did was suggest the wrong amp. That's legit 100% all he did lol

 

[Popwarhomie 5,000+ posts]

A new headunit could get you some more volume depending on what you are replacing and what you are installing in its place.

Same with just swapping speakers. Could be louder. Could not be. Depends on what equipment. Most car speakers are super low power to work well with the factory amp. So replacing them with higher power speakers isn't going to make it any louder on the same power.

Headunit is always the first thing to replace though as its the source of everything.

 

[metalheadjoe 10+ year member]

Make your buddy do it and DON'T pay him.

I think op should keep that buddy out of the process going forward.