Too many Watts?

Deaner · 04-14-2008, 01:06 AM

Red face Amp and Speakers Question
I currently have a weak 140Watt amp,
It does not provide my speakers or sub with the power that I was hoping for so I was thinking about getting a 400 Watt amp.
But my speakers are only rated for 200 Watts, and I have no idea what my subs are rated for...
Could this damage my system?

scott_fx · 04-14-2008, 02:51 AM

not if you set your gains correctly but just adding more power may not be your best option.

ArcaneDreams · 04-14-2008, 11:27 AM

So are you running your speakers and your sub off of 1 amp?

If so, then you can use that 140 watt amp just for your speakers, and get a second amp for your sub.

You may not get that much more sound by upgrading for a larger amp for your speakers.

rapper_bob · 04-14-2008, 11:51 AM

your best off finding out what rms your sub is and then posting it on here and people will guide you to what amp is right for you. getting a more powerful amp around the 800w marker would be a benefit if your sub is around 200 - 300w rms. and i think your speakers are around 100w rms? or just do what arcanedreams says " just get another amp to power your sub" so, the 140w amp for your speakers and a 2nd amp around 400w for your sub?

CrArC · 04-15-2008, 01:32 PM

A lot of people would say for low-bass applications (ie, not subwoofers) not a lot of power is needed and a 140 watt amp would be ok as more power might not be utilised.

I think that's twoddle

My answer would be to go for as much power as you can afford. Speakers are FAR MORE at risk from being underpowered than overpowered!! In fact, as long as the crossovers are set up correctly, huge amounts of over-power will do almost nothing. So just set it up at the volume you want, and enjoy.

I run my speakers off a 600 watt amp - loud enough to hurt, and my subwoofers off a 4000w beast that lurks in the boot. (Unfortunately only 1000w of that is utilised as it is multi-channel and I had no choice, which is why -now that I can afford it- I'm switching to a 2kw monoblock)

That reminds me: for subwoofers, go for Class D monoblock amps. They're pricier, but generate way less heat and are way more efficient, and are usually designed purely for subwoofer applications.

ArcaneDreams · 04-15-2008, 01:50 PM

600 watts to 4 speakers would be overkill in this situation.

His 150 watt amp would work fine with his current speakers. He could just get a second amp for his subs.

That would be the most cost effective way to do it.

Speakers are very tiny compared to subwoofers. They do not need near as much power to move such a small object.

50-75 watt speakers can compete easily with a 500 watt subwoofer.

CrArC · 04-15-2008, 01:59 PM

From the standpount of cost effectiveness, there would be nothing wrong with using the 150w amp for the speakers, I totally agree. But I disagree on the idea of a bigger amp being overkill!

plus, Deaner's own words were it doesn't "provide the power that I was hoping for".

I severely doubt the amp puts out 140watts RMS anyhow. In fact, on the assumption that it doesn't, it may even perform weaker than 50w per channel head unit. To me, 400 watts sounds ideal for a starting point for basic speakers, especially if you remove the lower frequencies from the audio signal.

scott_fx · 04-15-2008, 05:25 PM

Quote: Originally Posted by CrArC

Speakers are FAR MORE at risk from being underpowered than overpowered!!

well... not really. they are far more at risk because you usually push an amp into clipping when you dont have enough power, not because you dont have enough power. if you have a clean signal you wont harm a speaker by under powering it

Quote: Originally Posted by CrArC

That reminds me: for subwoofers, go for Class D monoblock amps. They're pricier, but generate way less heat and are way more efficient, and are usually designed purely for subwoofer applications.

just to be clear:
class d are usually lower quality (sq wise) then say an a/b and there for cheaper. Distortion is most easily heard around 1khz so you dont have to be as concerned in subwoofer applications.

Quote: Originally Posted by ArcaneDreams

Speakers are very tiny compared to subwoofers. They do not need near as much power to move such a small object.

That is kind of a blanket statement. there are many other factors that come into play, maybe most important would be headroom. I am a proponent of running more power then needed for your mids (and highs).

CrArC · 04-15-2008, 05:43 PM

Quote: Originally Posted by scott_fx

well... not really. they are far more at risk because you usually push an amp into clipping when you dont have enough power, not because you dont have enough power. if you have a clean signal you wont harm a speaker by under powering it

So... what you are basically saying, is that they are more at risk from underpowering, than overpowering?

or basically, exactly what I said but in a more pedantic and complicated way. :P haha, dead right though, even small exposure to DC current can kill a speaker.

scott_fx · 04-15-2008, 06:44 PM

well... not 'from' being underpowered. but... yeah we are on the same page :-)