OW MY HEAD! Need quick reply please..

[TimberJon 10+ year member]

This may or may not prove to be a n00b question.

Ive searched the forums here and no answers. Part of the problem there is I'm not entirely sure what keywords to search for as far as my question is concerned.

I have never really understood the relationship between the HU and Amps on a technical level.. But I woke up in a cold sweat this morning with the little men in the warm room in the back of my mind screaming at my grey matter..

this question:

[READ CAREFULLY! IN-DEPTH QUESTION ALERT]

If the Head Unit in the spotlight has a built-in 200w amplifier -[of course 50w max but lets say 22w RMS]- And comes with pre-outs -[as most HU's do these days]- And I add a 4CH amplifier for the stock 4 speakers. This Amplifier claims to put out 50 watts RMS to each channel. DOES the Amplifier take that original 22watts RMS, and convert it to a maximum of 50 watts RMS to each channel? OR is the wattage that the amplifier put out in ADDITION to, the HU wattage?

Meaning, If the Amplifier claims to put out lets say 40 watts RMS to each channel. And the Head Unit puts out 60 watts RMS to each channel. Connecting the Amplifier to the Head Unit would only put out 40 flat? Or would there be 100 watts RMS (give or take 20 watts) hitting each speaker in the system?

GOD thats confusing, and Ive looked all over everywhere, short of calling one of the manufacturers to find out..

Click to read more...

 

[tRiGgEr 5,000+ posts]

By only using the pre outs on a HU you are bypassing the internal amplifier. "not using it".

So you only get the power from the amp.

 

[analogkid]

if you use the pre puts you get line level power. (a few volts and power rated in fractions of a watt.) if you use the speaker outs you get whatever power the deck itself outs out. (rms rating is continuous and peak it during brief bursts of music.) thats all it is

 

[req 5,000+ posts]

amplifiers take the audio signal created by the lazer reading the CD or radio signal, and make it useable for speakers.

the origional audio signal (if an amplifier is used) completely passes the amplifier inside the head unit. notice, with an external amplifier, you are plugging the speakers into the amplifier, not the head unit\stock wire.

an external amplifier is basically a more powerful version of the CD player - without the cd player part - if that makes sense.

so, to awnser bluntly - it will use whatever power the amplifier that the SPEAKER is directly hooked up to.

 

[TimberJon 10+ year member]

amplifiers take the audio signal created by the lazer reading the CD or radio signal, and make it useable for speakers.

Well thanks alot guys. Although, quoting above.. i knew that at least! jeebus.. =P

I will no longer haunt this thread. Next question up will be an appropriate line driver.. Since i do not need a crossover unit. And am in the market for a DIN style EQ. And the question that follows is, On many websites processors are called line drivers, but equalizers are also called processors. Although on some websites they are listed seperately in their Car Audio subcategory. Im confuzzled. What I want is, better sound customization. so more than a 7 or 11 band EQ? or is that a higher-end number of bands? Um.

My system isnt the best, but im lacking an EQ, And i think thats significant..

It may not be. But im not an expert on product compatability. If HE has a nice EQ, then I want one as well. Especially since i did not pay $500 for my system.. My system is worth around 6 or 7 times more than my car. Im quite proud of it.. And up until now I didnt think any other improvements could be made with the existing hardware.

So yea. Id like to get some kind of better EQ, dash mounted or in the trunk. Doesnt have to be accessible while im driving.. and..

What i know to be a Line Driver. 4v I think is the most common boost? Is that adequate for most audio systems? If 8 or 16 wont kill my hardware but will improve sound and Line Drivers capable of this are out there, Id like one.

 

[squeak9798 5,000+ posts]

Does your system currently have noise?? If the answer is no, then a line driver is going to be a worthless addition to your system //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/wink.gif.608e3ea05f1a9f98611af0861652f8fb.gif The main thing a higher voltage allows you to do is turn the gains on the amp down lower, decreasing the chance of noise in the system (and increasing the signal/noise ratio). However, if you have no noise in your system now, then there is no need to increase the voltage. And adding additional components (like a line driver) to an already noise-less system only increases your chances of inducing noise. So, don't worry about a line driver.

Now, about the EQ. You're HU has a built in 5-band parametric....so you aren't totally equalizer-less //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/wink.gif.608e3ea05f1a9f98611af0861652f8fb.gif But, you need to decide what type of equalizer will suite your needs best. First and foremost, you need to be sure that you have your stereo properly setup (all speakers properly phased and level matched, reflections and resonances minimized, speakers installed in best possible locations and aimed properly, etc etc). Adding an EQ should be the absolute last thing on your to-do list. You can really minimize the amount of EQ work that needs to be done by first ensuring that your setup/install is up to snuff. There are many SQ competitors who don't run anything more than a 9 band parametric EQ in their world championship cars.....because they maximized their install.

But, back to what type of equalizer.....you need to decide what suites your needs best. 7 to 11 band parametric, to target specific problem areas? Or a higher band graphic, like a 31 band EQ to hit the whole spectrum? Dual 31 band graphics to equalize each side independently? And, of course, your budget //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/biggrin.gif.d71a5d36fcbab170f2364c9f2e3946cb.gif But don't add something to your system just to add something....that's a good way to actually make things worse. Only use what needs to be used.....K.I.S.S.