power inverters??

[pbnj22 10+ year member]

Has anyone done crazy builds with 120 volt power inverters?

for my next build i was wondering if i could just get a super big power inverter for my car and then do a system off of that? any benefits or drawbacks? basically would be using home audio stuff then.. would that stuff hold up in the cold? here in minnesota it gets down around 0 degrees F all winter sometimes even colder..

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[Lowflyin 10+ year member]

The stupidity around here is off the charts lately.... First question is, Why? What does home audio equipment have that CA specific audio doesn't that is going to greatly benefit you..?

 

[Jerhemy 10+ year member]

I'm guessing he already has the HT stuff.

 

[Lowflyin 10+ year member]

I'm guessing he already has the HT stuff.

Not a good reason, easier to sell and buy purpose built equipment..

 

[Jerhemy 10+ year member]

Not a good reason, easier to sell and buy purpose built equipment..

agreed, I just knew a bunch of dumbasses in high school that did this and that was their main reasoning.

All sounded like shit though, of course.

 

[Lowflyin 10+ year member]

agreed, i just knew a bunch of dumbasses in high school that did this and that was their main reasoning.
All sounded like shit though, of course.

but their cars have surround sound noaw!!

 

[Jerhemy 10+ year member]

and two BIG 12's in the trunk, man.

 

[wickedwitt 10+ year member]

What they don't realize is HT stuff was designed with a room listening space in mind. Most of the physics that make HT sound good in the home make it sound bad in a car (which is a terrible listening environment in itself). Thanks to all the stupid reflection points, quarter wave refraction and road noise; CA stuff was designed highly efficient and able to handle higher power to overcome these obstacles. It will never sound as good as a HT, but it will sound better in a car.

Just do a 12v system w/ car audio equipment OP, you will be more satisfied and not laughed at as often.

 

[trumpet 5,000+ posts]

What they don't realize is HT stuff was designed with a room listening space in mind. Most of the physics that make HT sound good in the home make it sound bad in a car (which is a terrible listening environment in itself). Thanks to all the stupid reflection points, quarter wave refraction and road noise; CA stuff was designed highly efficient and able to handle higher power to overcome these obstacles. It will never sound as good as a HT, but it will sound better in a car.
Just do a 12v system w/ car audio equipment OP, you will be more satisfied and not laughed at as often.

A lot of people use "home" speakers in the car. Car speakers may be treated to resist water if they use paper cones, but there's nothing special about a car speaker to make it overcome the deficiencies of the room. A good speaker design is still a good design be it used in the home or in the car. It might be argued that techniques to widen the dispersion of door mounted speakers is part of car audio design, but it's done in home audio speakers as well.

Pouring on more power makes interference from reflections sound even worse. I will concede that overcoming road noise makes sense, but that doesn't have to require more wattage and higher power handling.

 

[wickedwitt 10+ year member]

A lot of people use "home" speakers in the car. Car speakers may be treated to resist water if they use paper cones, but there's nothing special about a car speaker to make it overcome the deficiencies of the room. A good speaker design is still a good design be it used in the home or in the car. It might be argued that techniques to widen the dispersion of door mounted speakers is part of car audio design, but it's done in home audio speakers as well.
Pouring on more power makes interference from reflections sound even worse. I will concede that overcoming road noise makes sense, but that doesn't have to require more wattage and higher power handling.

If you saw the OPs post, you would notice I really didn't want to explain anything scientifically or thoroughly. I was making rather broad generalizations that would be easy to understand. To break it down would require nit-picking a lot of what I said, but unnecessary considering the circumstances.

 

[VWBobby 10+ year member]

It has already been done back in the 70's and 80's. A lot of guys used to run 120V power amps or other high powered equipment, mostly PA type amps. It reminds me of the Terminator Herse with its huge EV speakers and Crown (?) amps.

 

[pbnj22 10+ year member]

I was just curious to see if anyone has done it... I already have a pretty decent car audio system (running off 12 volts)

 

[gckless 5,000+ posts]

Has anyone done crazy builds with 120 volt power inverters?for my next build i was wondering if i could just get a super big power inverter for my car and then do a system off of that? any benefits or drawbacks? basically would be using home audio stuff then.. would that stuff hold up in the cold? here in minnesota it gets down around 0 degrees F all winter sometimes even colder..

I was just curious to see if anyone has done it... I already have a pretty decent car audio system (running off 12 volts)

You asked because you wanted to see if you could do it. So, question stands: Why?

 

[pbnj22 10+ year member]

now your a psychologist? and your question of why has already been answered. i was curious because i have not seen it done. wondering if anyone has done it.