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10 best amplifiers in a car

It also provides work with an external volume control. The amplifier is connected to the head unit with a pair of standard «tulips» and has a pair of similar outputs for connecting a two-channel amplifier to the rest of the frequency bands. Convenient solution – the fact that all the regulators are brought out to the plane from above, therefore, after fixing the amplifier in the trunk, they will remain easily accessible. Moreover, if you and this power is not enough, the amplifier supports work in a pair with the second «in the bridge» – To do this, it provides for a synchronization port (signature – Bridged Mode) and Master / Slave switch, which respectively specifies the role of a particular amplifier in a pair (lead or slave). Set of settings – classic: cutoff frequencies, sensitivity, bass boost, phase rotation.

And how then «rock» subwoofer or rear speakers? The https://cars45.com/listing/bentley/continental/2013 amplifier stage will have to be powered through a powerful voltage converter, and this is both dimensions and heating (and the efficiency of amplifiers and pulse converters is by no means one hundred percent) – in a torpedo, built into a radio tape recorder, such a device can no longer be shoved. So it’s better to buy more sensitive speakers and an easier amplifier than to try «rock» low sensitivity extra watts.

The crossover has three options for working – bypass (the amplifier works over the entire frequency band – useful when connected to a pair of speakers or two-channel component acoustics without a subwoofer), with a fixed high-pass filter, «cutting off» frequencies below 80 Hz (for them, respectively, the subwoofer will have to answer), or with an adjustable low-pass filter (if an amplifier is used «into the bridge» as a subwoofer single channel). Yes, and the design itself «as in the textbook»: Even as a PWM controller in the voltage converter used the canonous microcircuit TL494. The amplifier can also work in bridged mode as a single channel – in this case, he has only one input (left channel). If you need exactly amplifier for subwoofer, then there are two options – either a single-channel amplifier or a two-channel bridged amplifier. If you want add power to both the front and rear speakers, then you will need 4 channels.

But which amplifier is better to choose from a variety of models presented in stores? Let’s try to figure it out. Talk about amplifier power it is impossible without breaking away from the distortion factor and the sensitivity of the acoustics. The capabilities of standard or self-installed head units (or, more simply, radio tape recorders) are quite limited, and first of all – inexorable laws of physics: even not at nominal 12 volts, but real 14-14.5 V when the generator is running for a 4-ohm load, the source will give no more than 52 W of DC electrical power. The circuit of the terminal stages was originally made as a bridge, that is, you can safely connect a single-coil to the outputs «sub», hoping to get the maximum power, not all single-channel speakers can do this (they have a pair of outputs designed strictly for two-coil speakers or connecting two subwoofers).

The amplifier controls are simple: the gain control, «subsonic» (in the range from 15 to 55 Hz), bass boost (up to 12 dB, smooth), phase shifter (two-position – 0 and 180 degrees), LPF (50 to 250 Hz). Connection – only «tulips» line inputs, outputs for cascading subwoofer and rear amplifiers are also provided. But naturally, don’t forget about power consumption (100A fuse hints) and related power and cooling requirements. Presence on amplifier «tulips» both input and output will make it easy to assemble a cascade circuit – for example, if you need to give a lot of power to the subwoofer, and the broadband acoustics only «to lift», then the two-channel rear amplifier can be connected to the line outputs of the subwoofer amplifier, and already it – to line outputs «heads».

The most «clean» (and even then with reservations) class A is considered so beloved by audiophiles, but the efficiency in it is minimal – which means that the amplifier will load the battery and generator, giving most of the spent watts to warm up the trunk. Simply put, before us is an amplifier for sufficiently powerful, but still amateur installations, when the owner of the car does not need an abundance of adjustments, but the ability to connect to the power outputs «heads» (for example, if the head unit is left) just by the way. Set of settings typical up to the range of FNH and SABSONIC.

Such an amplifier will sooner or later go «walk» on the trunk, especially in winter, when the plastic becomes fragile. Since distortion inevitably increases with increasing output power from amplifiers, the sound will be worse on less sensitive speakers with the same amplifier. That is, the amplifier is made correctly, but somehow «without soul»: well, he will also find his audience of decibel lovers. It is enough to remove the plastic protective cover to access the settings.

On 4-ohm speakers, the distortion is expected to be less. As befits «two-channel», it is also possible to work in bridged mode on a subwoofer speaker: for this, a switchable low-pass filter is provided, adjustable in the range from 40 to 500 Hz.

10 best amplifiers in a car

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p> The study of sharp jumps in volume is good. What does the amplifier have «in the asset»? High-level inputs, adjustable HPF and LPF.

Amplifier sound quality is largely determined by the class of work of its final stages. However, the bass boost in two-channel mode is less than in single-channel mode – up to 3 dB, the amplifier is capable of delivering a 12-decibel boost to the subwoofer. And the last, not by value, but only by order.

To maintain the quality, you will have to use a more powerful amplifier, which will work on a more comfortable part of the THD curve for the ear. There is one more nuance: the closer the power delivered by the amplifier stage to the maximum, the more distortion in the signal. A good amplifier for the car, but still, for the money, I would like to have sound «evenly». As for the often called «digital» class D amplifiers, then their efficiency reaches 90%, they are compact, they load power sources to a minimum, they heat up a little. It is possible to connect directly to the final amplifier of the head unit in the absence of line outputs on it. «Wake up» the amplifier can either by a signal on the Remote line, or when a signal appears just at the high-level inputs, that is, to work with standard radio tape recorders, the possibility of connecting the amplifier is structurally deprived, it is completely ready.

And yes, really, he plays he playing… but «somehow not very», In the style of the unforgettable Denis of the ship, which considered that the main thing in singing – It is to sing loud. If you connect both the front and the rear, and even the frequency bands in the installed acoustics, there are many… In general, 8 channels on car amplifiers surprise no one. A couple is not forgotten «tulips» output to an additional amplifier. But getting good sound from them is harder and more expensive. The sound of the amplifier for its positioning is not the worst, although, of course, in high-quality tweeters there are flaws in the elaboration of high frequencies «digital» path can be felt, and when working on a subwoofer speaker, it will become noticeable that the real capabilities of the amplification path are far from the stated figures: the power converter cannot store enough energy in the capacitor bank of the smoothing filter for the amplification stage to work through powerful sound peaks.

Note that in component acoustics, the use of separate channels in different frequency bands is also often practiced, therefore, four-channel amplifiers are sometimes used only in front or rear acoustics. Therefore, listeners who are demanding on sound quality use amplifiers even at those powers that, in theory, would provide itself «head»: working for «correct» section of the frequency response, a good amplifier for subwoofers and speakers will provide a minimum of distortion, while at the same time having a margin for working out loudness peaks. Therefore, they are primarily relevant for subwoofers – it is there that the power is maximum, but the narrow bandwidth will mask many of the flaws inherent in class D. I am glad that the possibility of cascading connection through line inputs-outputs, and high-level inputs is provided. Bass boost – without a smooth adjustment, a three-position switch, the gain control is smooth, but there is no phase regulator. In general for installations «no frills» he is fit – the main thing is not to forget, then an attempt to crank the volume to the full will not only spoil the sound very noticeably, but also lead to obvious overheating.

Connection of an external volume control is provided. The presence of smooth adjustments of cutoff frequencies, bass amplification and phase will allow you to accurately adjust the sound to your taste. Let’s start with its appointment. The sound of the amplifier does not cause rejection – it is quite capable of coping with low-sensitivity acoustics, and not letting out the flaws of the sound microrelief on a high-sensitivity.

The bass booster works in both single-channel and dual-channel modes, which is also a plus – you can raise the bottoms on the back «pancakes», and not installing a subwoofer, if the quality of the speakers and the strength of the shelf allow. Moreover, by connecting two channels to the bridge, you, if desired, will receive an amplifier 2.1 for subwoofer and front speakers. The signal-to-noise ratio is also within acceptable limits, if we are talking about sound quality, and not buying a subwoofer amplifier just for vibrating the back with the next «masterpieces» electronic music. However, the last use for him – not the best option, first, second and third of all it is a stereo amplifier for the mid-high frequency or the entire band. It remains only to make the appropriate connections and select the modes and settings of the rear and front pairs of amplification channels – in general it really turns out to be universal «upgrade option».

Nevertheless, its developers have achieved an excellent THD for class D of 0.108 / 0.644% at 4- and 2-ohm loads, respectively. The amplifier can be used in four-channel mode as «three-channel» or include front and rear channels in the bridge. Broadband class D amplifiers with good sound quality at all frequencies are still much more expensive than comparable in sound «analog».

So in any more or less serious sound installation, the amplifier – this is a must have thing. No plastic «ears» fastenings, especially on heavy high-power amplifiers: no matter how many of them the author came across installed in client machines or brought in for repair, they all had cracks or even broken off mountings. That is why on two-channel amplifiers, filter switching is provided, which allows either to cut off all mid and high frequencies when the amplifier is connected to a subwoofer, or to cut out low frequencies if it works with front speakers paired with «sub», or leave the signal spectrum unchanged when there is no subwoofer in the car, and the front acoustics «plays» across the entire frequency band.

Sensitive speakers will provide the same volume with less amplifier power than «stupid». But at the same time, concerns appear in the head to the account that this amplifier did rather with an eye on sound pressure competitions than on listening to music. In addition to the standard four-channel mode, the amplifier can operate as «two plus two» for multichannel acoustics (the stereo signal is cut by crossovers into two bands), «one plus two» (subwoofer is connected «into the bridge», the other two channels work for mid / high frequency acoustics through external crossovers or broadband speakers), or «swing» two stereo channels bridged. Note that nonlinear distortions are minimal in the region of average powers – that is, exactly where the amplifier will be mainly used. What is the difference?

A two-channel amplifier is more versatile – it will be possible, by removing the subwoofer, switch to broadband acoustics, or by buying a more powerful «sub», cascade with a new subwoofer amplifier. What can we definitely attribute to the advantages of class D – so this is the dimensions and weight of the amplifier: it is in comparison with «purely analog» single-channel AB and even more A is much smaller, lighter, and even more so it does not turn into «stove» during continuous operation at high power. Therefore, in automotive acoustics, if we talk about «pure analogue», then in class AB – the sound of high-quality amplifiers practically does not suffer, but the efficiency is already higher.

Naturally, pay attention to a set of adjustments and inputs-outputs: if there are no line outputs on the head unit, and you are not going to change it, then you will definitely need an amplifier with high-level inputs.