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Car Audio Discussion
General Car Audio
Trying to make sense of the rules for matching amps to speakers
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<blockquote data-quote="ThxOne" data-source="post: 8824371" data-attributes="member: 675210"><p>Assuming reputable components are being discussed...</p><p></p><p>A speaker rated at 50w rms will/should have NO problem handling peaks/burst of music well above its rms rating.</p><p></p><p>An amplifier rated at 50w rms should have no problem peaking at a little above its rms without major distortion.</p><p></p><p>In reality, that 50w rms rated speaker should handle 75w rms from an amp all day or even 100w rms because music is dynamic so it will not demand full power all the time as sound is being produced by the speakers. It will bounce around from needing just a few watts to needing many. The problem is distortion. Distortion (clipping) makes the speaker pause at the top and bottom of its movements which allows the voice coil to heat up and eventually it will break. </p><p></p><p>So matching a 50w rms amp to a 50w rms speaker is not the ideal as it will distort quicker when the speakers needs more power for those peaks in the music. Since a speaker of good quality can handle burst of power (watts) above its rating it is a good idea to use an amplifier with an rms rating that is more than the rms of the speaker. This allows that headroom and moves the distortion further away.</p><p></p><p>My opinions are:</p><p></p><p>25w rms speaker - 50w rms amp</p><p>50w rms speaker - 75 -100w rms amp</p><p>75w rms speaker - 100 - 125w rms amp</p><p></p><p>And so on. Too much power can fry the speaker too. I would not suggest a 250w rms amp on a 125w rms speaker for too long.</p><p></p><p>Hope this helped.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="ThxOne, post: 8824371, member: 675210"] Assuming reputable components are being discussed... A speaker rated at 50w rms will/should have NO problem handling peaks/burst of music well above its rms rating. An amplifier rated at 50w rms should have no problem peaking at a little above its rms without major distortion. In reality, that 50w rms rated speaker should handle 75w rms from an amp all day or even 100w rms because music is dynamic so it will not demand full power all the time as sound is being produced by the speakers. It will bounce around from needing just a few watts to needing many. The problem is distortion. Distortion (clipping) makes the speaker pause at the top and bottom of its movements which allows the voice coil to heat up and eventually it will break. So matching a 50w rms amp to a 50w rms speaker is not the ideal as it will distort quicker when the speakers needs more power for those peaks in the music. Since a speaker of good quality can handle burst of power (watts) above its rating it is a good idea to use an amplifier with an rms rating that is more than the rms of the speaker. This allows that headroom and moves the distortion further away. My opinions are: 25w rms speaker - 50w rms amp 50w rms speaker - 75 -100w rms amp 75w rms speaker - 100 - 125w rms amp And so on. Too much power can fry the speaker too. I would not suggest a 250w rms amp on a 125w rms speaker for too long. Hope this helped. [/QUOTE]
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Trying to make sense of the rules for matching amps to speakers
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