Car Amplifiers

Many of us are happy with the standard volume output of our car stereos, but for some there is a requirement for a little more. This is achieved by connecting a specialist car amplifier to a larger set of speakers. There are specialist companies that will install and customize amplifier systems, or if you are technically minded you can carry out the work yourself, but first you have to choose the right amplifier for you and your budget.

Priced from around $20 to $20,000 with as many makes and varieties as you can imagine, choosing a car amplifier can be tricky at the best of times. Selecting the right combination of speakers and music player to work with your amplifier is an interesting mix of exact science and artistic intuition. Don’t forget that the whole system needs to be connected together – wireless connections are now becoming available but not yet common, and there is a bewildering choice of connectors and cable types, signal boosters and noise suppressors that you can use.

The whole car amplifier system has to fit somewhere in the car, often several places, and most components will need cooling, usually airflow, and protection from damage or from them overheating and damaging the car. Above all with a lot of the systems used it is vital to remember that it all needs power. A standard car battery and alternator combination is often inadequate even when driving, and if you want to use your car amplifier with the engine off then alternative systems have to be designed and installed.

Whatever the car amplifier you decide on, the speaker box has to be just right. There will always be a compromise between the aesthetics and the space available, but the acoustic performance of a speaker box is dependent on size, shape, position, direction and materials, so just slinging something together will not use your car amplifier to its best advantage.