Modern vehicle manufacturers tend to design their car audio systems with irreplaceable stereo head units. But you can still improve your sound with aftermarket speakers and amplifiers. These mini-amps are easy to install and make a big difference in your car’s audio!
Important Features
It’s no fun to run a bundle of wires from the back of a car stereo through a maze of dashboard components, into the flooring, under some seats—or worse, into the trunk—and then back to the head unit again as you loop in a large amplifier.
Power requirements force you to run a dedicated circuit, usually from the battery and through the firewall of your vehicle. The whole process is a complicated task that will have you questioning whether or not it’s worth your time.
Mini-amplifiers are a total game-changer, though. They’re powerful enough to provide cabin-filling sound through your superior replacement speakers but small enough that you can install them in the dash, very close to the head unit in most vehicles. The power requirements are modest and often allow you to directly tap into the positive and negative leads that also power your factory stereo. Some mini-amplifiers also have additional features that can significantly improve the source audio from your existing car stereo.
Here’s a list of the most important features to look for in a mini-amplifier:
- Channel count: If you have an OEM stereo system, you typically need a four-channel amplifier to drive the main cabin speakers. However, some trucks and small cars might only need a two-channel.
- Channel power: Root Mean Square (RMS) and PEAK watts per channel determine how much power is delivered to each speaker. RMS watts provide continuous power with little or no sound distortion. PEAK power is the maximum power an amplifier can briefly generate on a given channel. Each speaker must be able to handle the rated RMS and PEAK power (or more) on the amplifier channel to prevent speaker damage.
- Channel flexibility: A flexible amplifier features channel bridging, which means it supports many channel and power configurations. For example, if you have a two-channel amplifier that produces 90 watts per channel, bridging those channels produces approximately 180 watts on a single channel. A four-channel amplifier with 75 watts per channel might support many additional configurations, such as two channels at 75 watts each (the usual for standard speakers), plus one channel at 150 watts (usually for a subwoofer), or two channels at 150 watts each (for two subwoofers). If you don’t mind sacrificing front versus rear fader volume configuration, you can also run four speakers off just two channels (left and right). This frees you up to bridge the other two channels and double up power for a subwoofer.
- Sound processing: If your head unit could use a little help with sound quality, look for an amplifier that provides additional sound processing. Simple solutions usually include some form of configurable bass boost or manual EQ. Advanced amplifiers might include a microphone that listens to your car audio, and then automatically configures frequency equalization and speaker delays to deliver the best possible sound to the cabin. This is helpful when a factory stereo only has simple bass and treble controls, instead of multiband equalizer controls.
- Crossovers and filters: Most amplifiers either have simple low- or high-pass filters, or a configurable crossover for each channel set. The purpose of filters and crossovers is to provide the correct frequencies to each speaker. A low-pass filter blocks high frequencies, and a high-pass filter blocks the low. If the exact cutoff frequency is fixed, you have a simple filter. If you can adjust the low- and high-pass frequencies, you have a fully-featured crossover. This allows you to control the exact frequencies at which the sound crosses from one speaker to another. For example, you might enable a low-pass filter for a subwoofer channel with the frequency set to 80 Hz. For the cabin speakers, you would also enable and set the high-pass filter to 80 Hz. In this example, 80 Hz is the cutoff frequency at which sound crosses over from the sub to the cabin speakers. This allows the sub to handle most of the bass, without risking distortion or damage from high frequencies. The cabin speakers will handle the low-mid-, mid-, and high-range frequencies, without risking distortion or damage from low frequencies. If possible, set crossover frequencies in the car stereo head unit; if not, use the amplifier, but not both.
- Source signal support: Most amplifiers support a line-level input from a pre-output on a stereo head unit. But many factory stereos don’t provide pre-output connections, so amplifiers also usually support high-level inputs. This means you can use the head unit speaker wires as direct inputs to get the audio signal.
- Auto-sensing turn-on: Aftermarket car stereo head units typically provide a remote turn-on wire (usually blue) that signals the amplifier to turn on. Most factory car stereos don’t have this wire, so a good amplifier can detect when sound is coming in over the high-level speaker wires to signal that it should turn on.
- Power requirements: With a mini-amplifier, ease of installation is more important than the overall power output. Many 45 or 50-watt (RMS), four-channel amplifiers draw a minimum amount of power, which allows you to tap directly into the positive and negative leads for the car stereo head unit. This way, you don’t have to run a new circuit from either the fuse box or car battery, which can get complicated.
Best Overall: Alpine KTP-445U and KTP-445A
The Alpine KTP-445U/445A is an excellent mini-amplifier. At 7-7/8 x 1-1/2 x 2-9/16 inches, it’s easily small enough that you can install it in the dash near the car stereo receiver. The 445U is the universal model, which you can easily install and configure to work with any head unit.
The KTP-445A is an Alpine receiver-specific model. It’s identical to the 445U, but it makes wiring much easier if you have an Alpine head unit. It includes an Alpine-specific wiring harness to connect the amplifier directly to the head unit.
The Alpine can drive 45 watts (RMS) x four-channels. You can also bridge two of the channels to achieve 90 watts (RMS). This allows for a 45 watts x four-channel configuration, 45 watts x two-channel + 90 watts x one-channel configuration, or a 90 watts x two-channel configuration.
It doesn’t include crossover or filter support, which indicates this amp is designed as a just-add-power (and probably speakers) application. The result is powerful, distortion-free sound that can take your factory stereo to the next level or be a strong component of a larger aftermarket system.
Best with Sound Processing: Kicker KEY180.4
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