best low wattage 4 channel amp?

**megagoo** · 12-29-2005, 03:29 PM

i have a scion tc with factory speakers. i currently have a 200 watt x 2 channel amp but of course i cant adjust the fade from front to rear because one channel is my left front/rear and the second channel is my right front/rear. so i need a 4 channel amp. but all of the ones i see online are WAY too powerful like 600x4 and such.. my stock speakers can only take 23 watts rms i believe.. do they make multi channel amps that wouldnt be too powerful? i guess i wouldnt need more than 200x4

i searched btw

edit:

maybe this one?

i can't search for "4 channel amp" cause "4" is too short. but when i make this post, it pops up close matches at the bottom. thats one way to get around that i guess

**canadapettit** · 12-29-2005, 05:26 PM

I sell a pioneer 300x4 amp that is rated at 50x4 rms, but that still might be to powerful. I would upgrade your factory door speakers if you can.

**megagoo** · 12-29-2005, 05:57 PM

Originally Posted by canadapettit

I sell a pioneer 300x4 amp that is rated at 50x4 rms, but that still might be to powerful. I would upgrade your factory door speakers if you can.

eh i just blew 1500 on a carpc setup. i could use the extra money i'd have to spend on upgrading/installing the door speakers. they're not that bad though

i just checked, according to the scion faq my factory speakers are 20w rms, 50 peak @ 4ohms

http://home.cfl.rr.com/icdedppl/faq.html#e1

**thefreeauction** · 12-30-2005, 07:44 AM

You could by an inexpensive 4 x 50 amp and turn the gain down so you wont blow your stock speakers. That's what I did, I bought a cheap Sony explode amp at Walmart for $100 and hooked it up to my stock speakers. But I'm sure you can probably find some lower power amps if you search around.

**Will Albers** · 12-30-2005, 08:33 AM

Dont worry about overpowering the speakers. Just make sure you do not add distortion and you will be fine.

for distortion and setting gains. Right now I am running 125w RMS to my stock honda speakers in the front doors. As long as I maintain low distortion, the speakers will play much louder than i ever intend to play them. Overpowering will not kill a speaker, underpowering and distortion will.

There are HUNDREDS of 4 channel amps that will work. I just sold one for $50. Look in the classified section or ebay. See if you can't find a deal on a Phoenix Gold Saphire 4.0 or 5.0. Great little old school amp that is a hell of a deal usually.

**megagoo** · 12-30-2005, 03:34 PM

ok that makes sense. i know that signal clipping will kill a speaker a well as underpowering from my dealing with guitar speaker cabinets. i forget there is a sensitivity adjustment knob on most amps that should keep me in the safe zone

next undertaking is finding a single 12" speaker + amp to power it so i can get rid of my trunk-hogging two-10" bandpass box. i saw a link with an amp that does 4 channels + 1 for a subwoofer. maybe thats an option for me...

thanks
eddie

**crowdesign** · 12-30-2005, 04:36 PM

I have JL Audio components $400 bucks at a set ( I didn't pay that ), powered by a Jl Slash Series 300/4.... Push 75rms per channel.

**lez** · 12-30-2005, 04:53 PM

Originally Posted by Will Albers

Overpowering will not kill a speaker, underpowering and distortion will.

Ok so I turn up the volume on my 250w rms home hifi with its full size speakers, go as far as I can without causing distortion, pause the cd, connect my 25w bookshelf speakers in place of my full size cabinets, press play and all will be fine.....

I wont have overpowerd them.

While we are on this train of thought, please explain, and be as technical as you can I wont mind, how 'underpowering' a speaker will kill it?

**Fusion-One** · 12-30-2005, 06:19 PM

Using an underpowered amplifier, and pushing it so hard that it reaches the point of clipping.. at which point dangerous, dirty, and very squary power is hitting the voice coils is more likely to cause a damaged speaker, than using an amplifier which is stronger than the speaker, with the gain turned down and properly adjusted to match the speaker, as you can be quite sure your speaker will never see a clipped signal... obviously if you push 10x the peak rating through a speaker, its going to cause problems... what he meant was a newbie is less likely to experience accidental speaker death using a proper amp.

I can attest to this myself, based on personnal experience... my first audio install, I blew an infinity 1230w (1200W Peak, 350wrms) using a 35w amp in about 2 minutes, because it was clipping so hard the voice coil burned out.

I'm now running the same type of subwoofer (another infinity 1230w) with a 300wrms JBL amp running full throttle, and it hasn't hiccuped yet.

**Fusion-One** · 12-30-2005, 06:23 PM

Also, megagoo, I highly suggest the infinity 7540a/7541a 4ch amp

Its a very nice amp, with very good SQ, and enough power to push pretty much anything you'll throw at it. You can find em brand new on ebay for ~200$ shipped. Like this one

Best of luck getting that front/rear fade going on.