Ok, most likely a stupid question from a stupid user :D

Is it bad to put too much power to a speaker with an amplifier? Say 300W to a speaker rated at 220W max? Would it blow it or what?

Any responses greatly appreciated.

Andrei.

It's not stupid at all, in fact, it's a very good question.

Firstly, forget Maximum and PMPO power ratings altogether. In the real world they don't mean anything useful. So, we're looking at RMS only.

An amplifier should always have a higher RMS power rating than a speaker. Why? Well, if you send too much power to the speaker, it will distort, but it will be able to stand quite a significant amount of distortion before breaking beyond basic repair (ie. reconing or seized voice coils).

However, if the amp is distorting before the speaker then the clipping signal from the amplifier will be sent to the speaker. A clipping signal sent to a speaker is VERY, VERY BAD!!! Even if the speaker is rated at a much higher RMS value, the square waves in the clipped signal will destroy the speaker much, much sooner than if the speaker was overdriven.

it some way it is bad! but the more power you send to you speaker, the less it will distort! of course thats considering you are running a real 300wrms amp! not those audioline/boss ****!

someone please explain as this is too long!

:D

My plan.4 Pioneer speakers (2 6" and 2 6X9s) The 6" are rated at 220W (not rms) and the 6x9s at 350W. I want it powered by a 6 channel 1100W JBL Amp. Two of the channels are bridged to make 4... Is this too much? And any probs with the amp bridged this way?

no there is nothing wrong with brideging channels !
my front splits receive 240Wrms, and they are very happy!
of course you have to careful with the volume knob!
i would advise you not to go for 6*9 as they are not good when you 'IF" add a sub!
as they create all sorts of distorting and cancelling bull****!
also they tend to distort earlier than any other round/hex/square speaker! if i were you i would spend most of the cash on some high quality front splits and leave the rear alone, as really you dont want music to come from the back (think concert), back speakers are only for passengers!

no no no NO sub for me!
Just replacing factory speakers with higher quality ones and amplifying them!!! HOT4s recommended it and they sed its way better than getting a sub cos you get quality as well!

Don't go underestimating subs, yes they are capable of massive bass, the kind of bass that rattles bolts and fixtures loose all over your car, but they are also good for very nice, smooth and clear low volume bass aswell.

A very popular steup is, good set of front splits, sub in rear both amped, sub running off a low pass filter and splits either running normal frequencies or off a high pass filter. And maybe some 6x9's in rear running straight off head unit for some simple rear fill. High pass filter is good for real real loud, ear spliting high frequencies, but running all frequencies you get good all round sound.

It all comes down to personal preference though, if you think a certain setup sounds alot better then any other kind of setup then that is the one for you. But don't go setting your sound system up just going by some thing you've read in a magazine, have a listen for yourself first, you may have a different opinion.

no no no NO sub for me!
Just replacing factory speakers with higher quality ones and amplifying them!!! HOT4s recommended it and they sed its way better than getting a sub cos you get quality as well!

Also an amped sub with un-amped splits compared to just amped splits then the splits would be better, unless you want to rattle your car real good. But putting an amped sub with amped splits and you have the best of both worlds :dancin: .

Well im also doing this setup to be different than everyone else! Don't think i havent considered a sub! Ive been considering one (or up to 3!) for ages! And someone else on AM said his mates setup was like what i mention almost and ppl thought he actually had a sub! Furgot who it was but yeh. We'll see what the future beholds.

Dont furget quality would be better than just plain bass!

if u wanted bass and replace the factory 6x9's, why didn't u get 7x10's? the quality is pretty much the same but sound quite good when amped, especially if u don't want subs! and make sure u secure parcel shelf as much as possible! replacing with a custom MDF would be great if u can b bothered, i did this in my old car.. made a huge difference!

Power = control, you can never have enough power, just beware of the volume you play it at. Never go off the MAX power potential of an amp. Always look at the RMS figure and if it is at 12V, 12.6V, 13.8V or 14.4V. Also look at the THD that the amp achieved that figure. Yes a boss amp got 4x 50WRMS :clap: but it was at 14.4V with over 1% THD and @ 2ohm. You should also factory the voltage in when buying as well. Say if you plan to run a sub off a Jaycar 2x 150WRMS the 438WRMS that it makes is @ 14.4V, and although the amp has the potential to make over 500WRMS, most is lost as heat. It also means you are going to only give your sub around 300 - 350WRMS @ 12.4 - 12.6V.

Does anyone know what the RMS rating for Hertz ESK-165s is. They say 140watt on the back my im thinking thats a max rating. My amp is a 320watt coustic feeding 80watts to each front ch too which the splits are connected. Would 80watts be the right amount for them?

I donno couldnt find 7X10s at Strathfield Car and Audio :P I'm not planning on spendng more that 1500 on a sound system like that! (includin cd player, speakers, amp) And my car will be a wagon, so the 6X9s are basically in the tailgate!!! I'll try and remember what you said, Mr ©harisma! Thanks. All i needed to know is that lotsa power is ever too much?

One more Question. This amp has a built in crossover...so could i wire 2 of the channels for the 6X9s, another 2 for the Front speakers and the other 2 for the tweeters???

Thanks.

Does anyone know what the RMS rating for Hertz ESK-165s is. They say 140watt on the back my im thinking thats a max rating. My amp is a 320watt coustic feeding 80watts to each front ch too which the splits are connected. Would 80watts be the right amount for them?


ESK165 are 70WRMS.. I have the HSK165 which are 100WRMS and they run very well with the same amp as you which actually puts out 40WRMS@ohm; although the speakers will have more potential if I give them more power. The 80WRMS rating you are looking at is only when running at 2ohm/channel.

I donno couldnt find 7X10s at Strathfield Car and Audio :P I'm not planning on spendng more that 1500 on a sound system like that! (includin cd player, speakers, amp) And my car will be a wagon, so the 6X9s are basically in the tailgate!!! I'll try and remember what you said, Mr ©harisma! Thanks. All i needed to know is that lotsa power is ever too much?

One more Question. This amp has a built in crossover...so could i wire 2 of the channels for the 6X9s, another 2 for the Front speakers and the other 2 for the tweeters???

Thanks.


Personally i would ditch the 6x9's idea and get a 10inch sub. Something like a 27A Focal ( yes it is an 11inch sub ) or a Boston 10.5lf ( or even a 8.5lf) or JL10W0 or Hertz items to name a few. Have you bought the amp / splits / HU etc yet?

Personally i would ditch the 6x9's idea and get a 10inch sub. Something like a 27A Focal ( yes it is an 11inch sub ) or a Boston 10.5lf ( or even a 8.5lf) or JL10W0 or Hertz items to name a few. Have you bought the amp / splits / HU etc yet?
mate, check my signature lol

Im turning 15 in two months! and Im an early planner!! Still I want to do my setup :)

mate, check my signature lol

Im turning 15 in two months! and Im an early planner!! Still I want to do my setup :)

:headbange sorry my bad. Still for that money i would try and get a h/u with mp3, 2 pre outs ( one for front stage and one for sub ), ummm some hertz, focal, boston, rainbow etc splits, the amp will be what brings you unstuck, however you could use 2x cadence amps that are $189, rated at 2x 50WRMS or 1x 300WRMS when bridged, 1 amp for the sub and one for the splits. But when you factor in that you need 2 wiring kits, the SRx3 on special would be a better choice. Lastly for a sub look above. Maybe when you go to buy the system you will have more money :D :dancin:

In answer to your original question:
As was said, FORGET the max power output. It is a USELESS figure. Find out the RMS figures for everything before you buy it. Companies use the MAX OUTPUT figure to lie. IE:
Pioneer claim MAX 240W on some speakers that only put out 50wrms, on the other hand
JL Audio claim MAX 120W on 60wrms speakers. The JL's will sound better everytime.
(NOTE: just an example, don't want people flamming over exact figures/part numbers).

And YES, it is good to slightly over run speakers. Say running 60wrms into speakers that can handle 50wrms. OR 1,500wrms into subs that handle 1,400wrms (like me :D :badgrin: ).
However, if you over run them by too much, then you will blow-up (melt) your speaker. IE:
My mate forgot to 'un-bridge' his amp when hooking up to his speakers from his sub. 130wrms into 50wrms (240w MAX) speakers. Cranked them, clear as a whistle (for about 3mins) until they died and stunk out his car.

WRMS is the continous power handling. Always look for this figure. If you get a pioneer speaker that claims 240w MAX and a (example) JL Audio amp that claims 260w MAX. You MIGHT be getting a speaker that can take 50wrms and an amp that puts out 140wrms. You will melt your speakers in no time at all (talking minutes, not days).

Also, i would agree with Mr charisma, go a good pair of splits and a 10"/12" sub, will sound a great deal better than 6x9s (or 7x10s) and won't distort as quick either. A lot of decks are now coming with subwoofer level control (pioneer is good for this). It basically allowes you to control the volume of your subs, so you can turn it up or down as much as you like.

Anyway, sorry for the long post.
Cheers,
Cam.

Also Alpine deck and some JVC would be other deck options ( in your price range ). Shyt 1500WRMS into a sub? Would that sub be a DD? hmmm i guess that it is quite loud :D