Is the sound quality on your car stereo at best, awful? But uncertain what to do about it? It's about time you invest in an amplifier for your stereo, but what are they exactly?
Most of us have little knowledge when it comes to electronics, hence, it can be very difficult for those of us who are not in on this 'loop of knowledge' to know what to exactly purchase. Often going up to the sales assistant for advice is a task that at least makes one sweat, as the sales assistant tries to sell you extra products that you will probably not want or need. Going into a shop with even a little knowledge is certainly better than going in naive and unarmed.
Car stereos are these days not the simplest of electronics, as they have a number of gadgets that are designed to improve sound quality - one of these being the amplifier. This is a separate system from your stereo, which aims to amplify audio signals when the cars' stereo's amplification is insufficient. It strengthens the audio signal when driving, so that the sound is at an appropriate level for car speakers when driving.
Amplifiers or amps, as they have been appropriately shortened to, are classified under the number of channels they have. A channel is one power or speaker output of an amplifier. Most people who want a reasonable signal and sound quality will go for either a two to four channel amp, whilst those with a specialist interest in car stereos will choose a amp with a bigger number of channels, as the more channels you have the more adds on and gadgets you can have.
When considering purchasing an amplifier it is highly important to ask questions about the amps efficiency and power. By efficiency, I mean how efficiently the amp consumes and distributes energy. For instance, an amp might consume 100 watts of power from the battery, and only distribute half of this to the speakers, whilst the rest is transformed into heat. In the amps specifications, it will tell you the minimum and maximum output of energy as well as the power output (in ohms).
Amplifiers are also classified into A, A/B,B and D. These divisions refer to the way the amp operates, for instance class A are inefficient power consumers but the sound output is generally better. These are, however, rarer than their counterparts. The most common amp is the A/B class - a highly efficient amp that provides excellent quality sound output. Whilst, a class D is the most efficient model, reaching up to 80% efficiency, and is often combined with highly inefficient subwoofers, so that the stereo and its additional equipment don't use too much battery power. An amp is one part of a car audio system, however it is not necessary, unless you want subs and in turn, overall better sound quality.
If you're interested in car audio, particularly amps, subs and car CD Mp3 Players, take a look at what www.caraudiowarehouse.co.uk have to offer.
