Amps

[Smokinheels07]

I don't know much about car or boat electronics...what is the purpose of an amp? Does it make the speakers you have the amp hooked up to louder than the speakers it isn't hooked up to? So that if you have tower speakers hooked up to the amp and ur stock boat speakers not hooked up, the tower speakers will be louder than the other speakers? Do i have the right idea? If not please correct me.

[AndyDeeJay]

The sound pressure level produced by a speaker is directly proportional to the power going into it, assuming you don't reach thermal compression (voice coil heating up and limiting current due to higher than normal resistance), or mechanical excursion restriction (surround/spider reaching elastic limit or voice coil hitting magnet structure.


In short, the more power you put into a speaker (staying within its electrical and mechanical limits) the louder it gets.

a typical head unit has 2 types of output. High level (typically around 20 watts RMS)and pre outs - low level outputs (a few milliwatts). If your tower or boat speakers are connected to the high level outputs of the head unit then each speaker is getting about 20watts RMS.

If you connect an amp to the pre outs of the head unit and connect the speakers to the amp then the speaker get 50, 100, 200 watts whatever the RMS value of the amp is. Since this power level iis signifficantly greater than the high level output from the Head unit then the speakers will be louder.

[Smokinheels07]

very good explanation..thank you very much