Will an amp help at lower power levels?

[bunnerrabbit 10+ year member]

Have 05 4 door GMC Canyon with Pioneer 6.5 Componets and a Pioneer x731bt head unit at prob 12 to 15 watts rms. I am happy with the volume level it reaches but in a way it sounds weak or lacking. Would adding an amp change how it sounds at lower levels or just the ability to go louder?

also 18 sq ft of deadening in the doors so pretty solid now.

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[Jeffdachef 5,000+ posts]

yes put an amp on it. head unit power is trash. Its not just for loudness its for sound quality mainly.

 

[Jcsaudio]

I’ve notice greater dynamic range when switching from 50 wpc to 75 wpc rms. You will definitely notice greater dynamic range especially in the bass and songs will seem to be more lively throughout the frequency range even at low volume levels. It’s best to get an amplifier that is at the top or slightly more powerful than what the manufacturer recommends. If your top rms range is 60 watts per channel (wpc) than get an amplifier that puts out 75 wpc RMS and forget about peak power ratings as they mean nothing. RMS power ratings are what matters. BTW dynamic range is the difference between the softest sounds and the loudest sounds in your music.

 

[Boomin_tahoe 5,000+ posts]

Comp sets in terms of rms range/vary from 60-200 watts. Those Pioneer ones are prob 100 watts, give or take a few. A nice low-key decent non expensive amp such as a PPI 4 ch will power those nicely. Too much power is plenty, sure beats not enough as jcsaudio stated. With that said, I have seen people on here scared to "overpower" their speakers or even mention isn't that too much? Such as they wanted to match rms speaker to rms amp. Little do they know about using equipment smartly, and not stupid....set gain properly, also will have nice clean power and should get loud too.