How Does a Car Amplifiers Work?

How Does a Car Amplifiers Work?

Are you curious about car amplifiers?

The vehicle amplifier is an independently-powered electronic circuit that boosts inaudible sound signals for the loudspeakers and subwoofer. A good car amplifier has high RMS, multi-channels, and boosts sounds with less distortion. 

Amplifiers use lots of power and produce louder volume if you want to upgrade the sound system of your car.

You want to know how does a car amplifiers work. In this article, you will get all the information related to the car’s sound system. 

Uses of Amplifiers

Amplifiers can be used for many purposes and offer various benefits to users. Amplifiers can be used to power speakers instead of low-power stereos. You can also use them to power a full speaker system. Amplifiers drive speakers with much better sound quality and higher volume. 

New Technology Amplifiers

Old amplifiers use class A/B design, and they have poor efficiency. Moreover, old amps produce heat as well. Modern and class D amplifiers produce more efficiency and great sound. New technology amplifiers have a much smaller size, run cool, offer 90% efficiency, and more installation possibilities. 

The Purpose of a Car Amplifier

It is used to convert a small audio signal into greater output to drive speakers with clarity and high sound. A perfect example of a car amplifier is “subwoofer.” However, it takes lots of power to slam. 

How Does A Car Amplifier Work?

The purpose of the amplifier is to convert a small electric current into a larger one. There are plenty of ways to do this. It depends on you how you are going to achieve this, and what you want to do? Amplifiers use a special internal power supply circuitry to supply it with high power. Sections take a conditioned audio signal, boost the signal, and deliver it to the speaker’s terminals.

All the amplifiers have basic sections for driving speakers from only a +12 source. Some sections are essential, and some are optional. Nowadays, all the amps have the following subsections in their design.

  • A DC-AC high power switching power supply.
  • Noise prevention circuit.
  • Bridging circuitry.
  • Speaker crossover circuitry.
  • Speaker level input stages. 

The last one is a product-specific option, so it might or might not be included in all products. However, all the other car amplifiers have good power. Some electronic components of amplifiers are attached to the metal body of the amplifier. Some power is speakers, and some are wasted as heat. For cooling high-power transistors, they are attached to a heavy metal body. 

How to Turn on and Off Car Amplifiers?

You can turn the amp off when you are not using it by a “remote on” wire. This wire is connected to the dedicated wire on the stereo. It can also be connected to ignition wire. The amplifier will be turned off when the ignition switch is off. The remote wire is when at 0V, turn off the power to SMPS, and it stops running. When it happens, then it doesn’t take any power from the battery. It is better to use a tiny wire as the remote wire because amplifiers draw only a small amount of current. 

Why Do You Need to Add an Amplifier?

If you are a lover of loud music, then you need amplifiers. A power amplifier will bring life to your music. So, let’s have a look at some of the benefits of adding an amplifier. 

  • Better sound quality
  • When you add amplifiers, they give you a power source to drive speakers without straining. External amplifiers are different from the built-in amplifier, and they are designed without any compromise. In simple words, you can enjoy more defined and cleaner volume levels. 

  • Power for speakers
  • The in-dash receiver of your car might not be suitable for your upgraded speakers. When you add high-quality and upgraded speakers to your vehicle, they require more power to provide peak performance. Peak performance is not achievable by using the in-dash receiver. 

  • Power for subwoofer
  • Subwoofers require much higher power, and the in-dash receiver couldn’t provide that. So, you need a separate amplifier to fulfill this need. 

  • Louder sound without distortion
  • When you are using speakers with a built-in receiver, you can’t enjoy the music at peak volume. So, a good amplifier can help you by listening to louder sounds without distortion. 

    Other Amplifier Features

    Channels differentiate amplifiers from each other. Amplifiers are available in multiple configurations, such as from mono to six channels. Each channel is best for different speaker setups. For each speaker, you need to have at least one channel. In a single-car, you can still use more than one amplifier.   

    Each amplifier must match with the system they are going to power. Most of the amplifiers have a high pass and low pass built-in features that make them ideal for powering woofers. 

    The Importance of Power in Car Amplifiers 

    In other words, power is the wattage that amp sends to speakers. Since the amplifier’s purpose is to increase the strength of audio signals, the power of amp is very important. The power of the RMS should match the power of speakers. The power is different in every car audio system. An optimum ratio for RMS is somewhere between 75 and 150 of the power that a speaker can handle. It is better to slightly overpower the speakers than underpowering them. 

    Conclusion

    People are curious about the car amplifier system. They want to know why they need an amplifier when they already have some built-in receiver. They also want to see how a car amplifier works. Amplifiers are used to boost the small electronic signal into a greater one to drive speakers. Moreover, amplifiers are used to solve sound problems and improve sound quality. Built-in car stereo can’t provide the same amount of power as an amplifier can. 

    You are going for a long drive, and you don’t want music distortions during your journey, then you need to add amplifier in your car. You will have to keep few things in mind while purchasing an amplifier. It’s RMS must match with the speakers. So, for better sound, you need to add amplifiers. 

    Efforts have been made to get the information as accurate and updated as possible. If you found any incorrect information with credible source, please send it via the contact us form
    Author: Sky Hoon
    He loved the future of self driving car and cannot wait for one. In the meantime, he loved to read up all about car and components like a computer.
    Read His Personal Blog
    Back to blog