A car’s amplifier plays the role of producing a powerful sound system. Although, this experience can be short-lived due to reduced power in the sound system. Oftentimes, this problem could result from not having enough power supply from the car or a bad installation of the amplifier. If your car amplifier happens not to be giving that powerful sound, you might start looking for solutions on how to make car amplifiers more powerful.
There are several certain ways to maximize the car amplifier. You can either tweak the electrical setup of the amplifier in the car or customize a few elements in the sound system. Other alternatives include changing the speakers and setting the amplifier’s gain to match that suggested by the manufacturers.
This piece aims to guide car owners on how to make car amplifiers more powerful.
Reasons Why Your Car Amplifier is Not So Powerful
Just in case you don’t have prior knowledge about car amplifiers while wondering, what does an amplifier do in a car? Amplifiers are important in the sound system of the car. These help to give a good high-quality music experience while boosting the low-level audio signal that the head units generate. This makes it powerful enough to shake the speaker’s cones, hence, creating sound.
With that said, several things might make a car amplifier not produce enough power that you desire.
Poor or Bad Electrical Connections.
This is one of the foremost reasons a car amplifier might not function well enough to provide power. It might be due to bad connections, or maybe the wires are damaged. When the amp is unable to get power, it clips before reaching max output. If this is the case, there might be a need to check the electrical connections with the car.
In some cases, the engineers may not properly install the device after doing repairs. However, it’s rare to notice this kind of fault for a new car. Since most car amps are built-in with the protect mode feature, the amplifier would likely go into this mode until properly installed. The protect mode serves as a safety measure to prevent the amplifier from spoiling.
Not Enough Power Supply From The Car.
The car amplifier runs on the electrical current the car generates. This means that if anything should go wrong with the vehicle, it can also affect the amplifier. With that said, if the car’s battery is not supplying enough energy, you might not get that power they desire.
Other times, the problem might be from the alternator. This happens if there is more than one amplifier in the car. If the alternator’s power does not correspond with that of the several amps in the car, it poses a problem for the amplifiers.
Blown fuse.
Sometimes what makes the car amplifier not get enough power might be that the fuse is damaged. This can be due to an unnatural flow of current in the car, or it might simply mean that the fuse is old; therefore, if your car amplifier is not getting enough power, best to check the stereo fuse in the removal plastic panel. If the metal filament in the fuse is broken or the fuse is broken, that’s likely the problem.
How To Make Car Amplifier More Powerful
Nothing beats the effect of a powerful car amplifier. It helps to generate the perfect sound that you’ll love to vibe to from your car’s speakers. However, while it is mostly possible that the car’s amplifier might not be powerful enough, the problem can also be the speakers. Therefore, it’s crucial for you to confirm which it is before messing with the amplifier.
Regardless, if the amplifier of the car is the issue and it’s not getting enough power, it is possible to improve the power efficiency. Increasing the power of the car amp gives it a better chance to function at optimal standards just the way manufacturers designed it. Furthermore, you will be able to get a better car audio listening experience. Below are a few methods on how to make a car amplifier more powerful:
1. Lower The Final Ohm Impedance.
This is one of the first ways to get the ultimate power from the car amp. All you have to do here is reduce the ohm load on the amplifier. This helps to also reduce the electrical resistance of the amp providing more power in turn.
There are quite a few series and parallel diagrams online showing the wiring process for any ohm load, but it’s best to find the one stable enough for the amp in the car. In this case, you might ask, what happens if an amp is too powerful for speakers? Setting up an ohm load circuit that offers too much power might cause the amp to go into protection mode.
2. Bridge The Car Amplifier.
This is suitable for two-channel amplifiers. All there is to do is join or bridge the channels so that they form one unique channel. How bridging works is that when you connect the positive signal from one channel to a negative channel, it doubles the power one channel can send across the amp. In other words, it helps to optimize the potential of the system.
This method is quite ideal, and it offers that extra boost of power that you might be looking for in an amp. For anyone looking for how to increase car amplifier wattage, this is a step to consider.
Regardless of altering the electrical setup of the amplifier, there are also different ways to modify the power of the amp. You can get extra equipment or change the installation process.
3. Change The Speakers.
As simple as it sounds, sometimes it’s best to consider changing the speakers for that extra power. Most speakers get better over time. That said, you can’t expect the sound from a 2020 vehicle model to be the same as that of a 2018 version.
Also, not all car manufacturing companies put much effort into the audio sound system of a vehicle. Therefore, sometimes it’s best to do the upgrade yourself. The slightest change will likely save from the everyday issue of amplifiers and speakers. To even get a more powerful sound, it’s possible to switch coaxial speakers with sub-woofers and component speakers. However, be prepared for extra costs.
4. Set The Amplifier’s Gain Properly.
A badly set amplifier gain will not only produce less power, but it can cause the amplifier to give off a bad noise. With that said, most times, all it takes is just setting the amps gain properly. The idea is for the gain control to be just ideal for producing the right amount of power and for the installer to level the output of speakers in the audio system.
Most amp manufacturers put the setup process in a manual with different suggestions, but this isn’t always the case. Therefore you might have to set it up yourself. However, it is crucial to note that setting the amp’s gain control isn’t as easy as many might think. It requires not just a serene environment, but you have to be able to tune in frequencies for a proper amplifier gain. Therefore, to prevent damaging the speakers, consider asking for an expert’s aid.
5. Add Another Amplifier.
Since an amplifier helps to make for a good sound system, you can say having one or two extra might not be a bad idea. Well, it is possible to use an extra car amplifier to get that extra power. This is efficient, especially since the speakers in the car function way better with an extra amp in the vehicle. The addition helps to create a stronger sound system in the car.
It is possible to add 2 or 3 amps to the car. However, the charging system of the vehicle must be able to give the amp enough power to run. If it turns out there is not enough power for the amps, you might have to consider upgrading the alternator in the vehicle. Furthermore, best to bear in mind the wiring process of the amps gets more complex the more the amplifiers you select.
6. Adopt High-quality Wires.
Most people don’t realize that a bad or low-quality electrical connection can make the car amplifier not get enough power. This theory stands since electricity is equal to power according to the laws of physics. Furthermore, a good cable makes it way easier for current to flow through the sound system for that wonderful experience. Therefore, it’s crucial not to buy short or cheap wires when fixing the vehicle’s amplifier.
7. Using a soundproof material in the car.
This is vital to help block out any surrounding noise or vibration that might affect the sound production by the car’s amplifier. What these materials do is that they convert sound waves to heatwaves so that you as a driver can get that relaxed feeling all through the journey. The materials for soundproof material mostly consist of asphalt material and sheets of butyl. And they are mostly fixed on the doors and windows of the car.
Tips to Maintain Your Amplifier and Car Audio system
If you’ve just invested in fixing the amplifier or getting an upgrade for the car’s audio system, it is crucial to know how to maintain the system. This prevents any future problems for a long-lasting experience. The main tips for maintaining the car audio system are:
Check power connections frequently.
Depending on the road you drive on, bumps can switch or alter the circuit wiring of the audio system. The chances are even higher for a complex sound system. Therefore, it is crucial to make out time to check all the wiring, maybe once a month or whenever doing a total car check. What to check for includes the battery, terminals, ground, and any other thing that might disturb the transfer of current.
Don’t Overuse Or Overdrive It.
Now that you know how to increase car amplifiers’ wattage, you might want to blast music all day. While it is fun to blast music, it’s best not to overdo it. Amplifiers and every other component of the audio system are electronics as well. If you overuse them, they can get spoilt.
Furthermore, after an installer has fixed everything on the amplifier gain, it’s better not to mess with the settings. It takes time to fix the gains settings back to normal, and if it’s used wrongly, it can fry the speakers entirely.
Keep the amplifier cool.
Sometimes the amplifier can likely start to overheat. This can be due to the device’s low quality or maybe the amplifier’s bad placement. Some other times the car’s temperature might be too high, and this tends to affect the amp. Excessive heat can cause the circuits to get fried, which can alter the power of the amp.
Therefore, it’s crucial to provide a fan that will help to cool down the amplifier. While at it, you should also install the amplifier in a place with enough space. Regardless of these cooling methods, it is always best to buy quality amplifiers for your car. Always go for brands like Sony, Pioneer, JVC, Kenwood, and Alpine. They offer the highest quality in the market.
Wrap Up
Not getting or feeling your car’s sound system, searching for ways how to make the car amplifier more powerful? Well, there are a few ways to give the car amp more juice to get that perfect sound might desire. It can be either by tweaking the electrical settings of the amp or adding extra equipment to give the amplifier a boost. Sometimes, the amplifier gain might need proper settings to work at full power. To learn all there are, read up.
