Arfboy

Yep yep. :thumbup:

mikesta21

idk guys this thread is getting kind of tense
on a lighter note
maybe you guys can tell me what ishould do to replace my rear speakers and what kind of head unti should i get as well for my 93 prelude
2legit2quit recommended a pair of 100$ polk speakers, but i wouldnt mind spending more if the sound is considerably better
lol
thanks

b00gers

This thread is doing ok.

If you want more info, start a new thread.

chod

if my front speakers are 50rms and my back speakers are 55rms.. do you think its okay if i get 50x4rms amp?

b00gers

You will be fine. I am assume those are RMS ratings at 4 OHMs and that your speakers are 4 OHM.

skip259

Actually, you'd be better off with an amp that's rated higher. Look for the RMS rating and the peak rating. You'll want an amp that is rated at 1.5 times the power of the RMS ratings. If you used a lower powered amp, and try to push it to the limits to achieve the specs of your speaker, then chances are, you'll blow them.

now, to add fuel to a fire that's already brewing here, you always want to OVERPOWER your speakers. reason for this - using a bigger amp, getting CLEANER sound to your speakers is always better than trying to get the max output from your amp in trying to get higher spl. Running a clipped signal is NOT what you want to do. That's a sinewave and it's a surefire way to kill your system - hence user error.

Here's a brief description of my DJ rig - folded horn subs, 750 rms, 1500 peak. I'm using a QSC PLX 3402 amp in bridged mode, pushing out 3400 watts. I did a party last weekend, pushed those things to the max, had plenty of headroom, had a good clean signal. Did they burn out? naw. They worked perfectly.

My infinities in my car, 85 watts rms, 150 peak. my amp is a 4 channel amp, 139 watts per channel, and a seperate mono-block amp for my sub. everyhting is overpowered, and runs like a champ.

need i say more?

Arfboy

Always want to overpower? That's broad and leaves way too much room for discussion. Would you want to hook up your Infinities to my Diamond D7402 and let me feed them 1600W continuously?

And FYI, a sine wave isn't necessarily a clipped signal, so don't make that oversimplification. A clipped signal is a sine wave with the "tops" and "bottoms" clipped - a square wave. A sine wave by itself plays fine and doesn't damage speakers.

True, it's safer to pair speakers with amps that are of similar power ratings, rather than with amps of lower power ratings. However, what YOU'RE falsely assuming is that the amp with a higher rating is actually OVERPOWERING the speaker. This is not always the case unless the head unit settings and amp gains are adjusted so that the amp actually provides power greater than the speaker's capable of handling. When you buy a big amp and adjust it conservatively you usually avoid overpowering, thereby actually underpowering them or properly powering them. Don't confuse buying a big amp with the term "overpowering."

When you get an amp with power ratings lower than the speaker's handling capability and adjust it in ways to cause a clipped signal to damage the speaker, the more direct reason for the damage is OVERPOWERING. This is because during clipping, the amp's output is about double that which it puts out normally. Can you really argue that this increased power output isn't OVERPOWERING?

Links with further information:
Mythbuster #1 - "Underpowering damages speakers"
Underpowering speakers
Does low power kill speakers

nevrdun

I recently found this thread and thought I would offer my two cents.
There are a lot of variables that are missing from the question. It is neither better to over power or under power. The amount of power isn't nearly as important as the signal and the signal to noise ratio of the amp. The signal starts at the deck. Don't buy a cheap deck they will never produce good clean sound regardless of what amp is powering the best speakers. If your amplifier is amplifying a poor signal it can't magically produce good sound.

Here is what it boils down to. Same headunit, same speakers(reguardless midrange or subwoofer), same VOLUME, a higher power amplifier will be better because the gain will not be as high as a lower power amp to achieve the same volume.

If anyone would like me to elaborate please ask. I wanted to keep it fairly short.

b00gers

I think the people that chime in the most in this thread knows the correct answer. It is the question that can be taken differently.

Because the question was vague to begin with, it can be interpreted in many ways. I answered the question including everyday variables, and so did others. Arfboy answered the question in the purest literal sense and so did others. Other people sidetracked a bit and offered some good knowledge and information.

afrodeziak2k

i second that most everyone was saying the right answer just a different perspective, but hey thats waht debate is. But on a side note a pretty straight forward question, If I have a 4x100watt amplifier, when I run two sets of speakers(ie. front and back) and they have two different ohm ratings(4ohms in front and 3 ohms in rear) how does this work? BTW the amp is capable of operating down to 2 ohms. I just want to know what type of power output to expect, does it even out at likek 3.5 ohms or cus its differnt chanels remain at 3 ohm and 4 ohm? Thanks