RMS question

[mach999 10+ year member]

I've been running my components off of my stock headunit and I'm in the process of adding coaxils in the rear. The hu isn't cutting so I'm going for an amp to power them. I don't want anything fancy, just something to provide sufficient power to the speakers. I've read on numerous sites that it is sometimes better to buy a better built amp that produces less power than one that is of cheaper quality that produces more.

Here's my question...would I be better off buying a budget amp like Profile or Power Acoustik that is rated at 75-80rms or going with one a little more expensive like an Alpine or Diamond Audio that is only 40-50rms?

Will I or my speakers notice the difference in power?

(fyi the speakers are 90rms in front and 60rms in the rear)

Thanks.

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[squeak9798 5,000+ posts]

Yes, your speakers will notice a difference in power, and you will hear the difference if it's substantial (i.e. adding 5w of power won't make an audible difference, close to doubling the power will). The difference is...that Power Acoustik amplifier is likely overrated by a bit, and that higher quality amplifier is likely underrated by a bit. So that 75w PA amp may only put out 50w, but that 50w higher quality amp may actually output 75w. Make sense?

Profile is a great budget brand, and outputs close to actual power. I would rather get a higher powered Profile amp, than spend money on a lower powered, but slightly higher quality amplifier.....especially if budget is a concern (if you are looking at Profile, then I'm guessing budget is a concern for you).

 

[mach999 10+ year member]

Thanks for the response. I would like to stay with a budget amp, something along the lines of a Profile. Here are some that I've been looking at...

Power Acoustik SL4-680 (I really like this one)

http://www.millionbuy.com/paksl4680.html

Profile AP1040

http://www.millionbuy.com/prfap1040.html

Profile CL640

http://www.millionbuy.com/prfcl640.html

I'm fairly new to car audio so I'm still learning which companies are reliable and which should be avoided. If you have any suggestions on decent amps I am all ears.

 

[squeak9798 5,000+ posts]

What type of speakers do you have in front?

 

[mach999 10+ year member]

Infinity Reference 6.5"

 

[mach999 10+ year member]

I've heard that Soundstream was a good amp...here is one that's 80x4rms and is on sale for $159. Is this any good?

http://www.millionbuy.com/sospic4640.html

 

[squeak9798 5,000+ posts]

Do you want to power all 4 speakers off of the amplifier?

Because you could also just buy a 2-channel amplifier to power the frontstage speakers. Then power the rear off of the headunit.

 

[mach999 10+ year member]

Yes I plan to run all 4 speakers off of an amp. The headunit is pretty weak and the rear speakers are also aftermarket so I thought it would be best to use an amp.

 

[squeak9798 5,000+ posts]

I guess it depends on what you are after. Most sound quality guys either run no rear speakers, or run them but at a much lower volume than the front speakers. So, in this case, not much more the headunit power is necessary.

If you are just going for "loud sound", then you could amplify the rears aswell. But I would consider this to be the lesser of the two options.