Increase output of Audio Amplifier. Very simple amp.

[fastline]

Guru, I believe you are spot on in this deal. As I poked around on the amp, the output pins showed continuity between the + of one speaker and - of another which is likely to be series wired for 4ohm load to amp since subs are 2ohm. Trying to Run the amp at 2ohms probably won't turn out good.... It could/should make more power if I simply disconnect one sub and connect one, then get another identical amp and power the other. The amp states 100w but is the SMALLEST 100w amp I have ever seen being only about 4x4".

I think I have since decided for now to terminate the OE amp and install an already owned PPI amp that can provide 250w at 4ohms. Yes, that is too much but just like a throttle, that does not mean I have to use all of it. I suspect 50w/speaker would be all they could handle. If I need to amp back, it will already be wired and I can swap in 10 min.

Upon finding the time, I plan to try a shallow mount sub and design an enclosure to fit in the specific location (hidden) which I would think would be 10x better. However, some people swear by just amping the OE module. Like you say though, if this becomes nothing more than "the ultimate one note sub", it will have to go. I demand clean, tight, accurate subs. DBs are overrated if they sound like crap.

 

[WTP Pepper]

You must have a seriously expensive car then do you drive a Rolls?.

A standard bridged car amplifier (without inverter) can provide 16W RMS in to a 4 ohm load, four channels give you 64W RMS, and it's not difficult to clip the amplifiers, particularly on peaks.

Nope. I just don't like too much noise when driving. 1watt in a confined space is a fair amount.

 

[WTP Pepper]

You must have your own version of Trading Standards as we do in the UK. Report them as they are quoting RMS which is a recognised unit of power. This clearly cannot supply that.

 

[Nigel Goodwin]

Nope. I just don't like too much noise when driving. 1watt in a confined space is a fair amount.

1W in a car would be inaudible, or heavily distorted.

 

[KeepItSimpleStupid]

The sub amp could very well be class D rather than AB, but the power supply still has to be quite large. My car came stock with 100 W RMS amps.

 

[Nigel Goodwin]

The sub amp could very well be class D rather than AB, but the power supply still has to be quite large.

It doesn't really make any difference, the power output is still entirely dependent on the HT voltage available, either the standard 12V, or whatever inverter is used in a higher power amp.

 

[WTP Pepper]

1W in a car would be inaudible, or heavily distorted.

Seriously? What do you drive? A tractor?
Why would it be distorted at 1W?
My home HiFi is 30W/channel and is very uncomfortable to listen to in a large room anywhere near half volume (what ever that is with a log pot).

 

[Nigel Goodwin]

Seriously? What do you drive? A tractor?
Why would it be distorted at 1W?

Because to be audible in a car it would need to driven very hard, and would frequently clip on peaks.

A 16W car amplifier may only run at 1W average, but peaks will hit a great deal higher.

The smallest single ended car radios are 4W, and those often go distorted on peaks in normal listening, which is why almost all are bridged these days.

My home HiFi is 30W/channel and is very uncomfortable to listen to in a large room anywhere near half volume (what ever that is with a log pot).

A home is a great deal quieter than a car

And as you're obviously aware, the volume knob position has little to do with the output power as it's dependent on the input level.

 

[fastline]

Is that 30w home system tube by chance? I still have not got a clear answer why the rated power of tube systems is usually a LOT lower than SS systems. My home system consists of (2) 18" subs rated at 1250w RMS each, and mains amp that weighs 110lbs and rated at 380wpc at 8 ohms. I have been known to take the volume all the way to the max. I would guarantee at that level it would be uncomfortable for anyone over 30 or really anyone for any length of time. BUT, at half volume many could listen for hours bcause it is super clean and accurate, NOT distorted.

I am only familiar with guitar tube amps but do agree that a 30w guitar amp can make your ears bleed... I still cannot seem to figure the difference but I remember reading in clean 2ch audio "of all the watts in your amps, getting the first watt right is the most important". Just means who really cares how many watts you have if they are distorted, shitty watts.

 

[audioguru]

Double the power creates sounds that are only a little louder. 10 times the power sounds twice as loud because our hearing's sensitivity is logarithmic, not linear then we can hear a pin dropped on the floor in the next room and also hear an extremely loud racing car go past.

 

[Nigel Goodwin]

Double the power creates sounds that are only a little louder. 10 times the power sounds twice as loud because our hearing's sensitivity is logarithmic, not linear then we can hear a pin dropped on the floor in the next room and also hear an extremely loud racing car go past.

You must live in an interesting place if you get racing cars going past?

Mind you the Canadian Grand Prix is a street circuit.

 

[audioguru]

You must live in an interesting place if you get racing cars going past?

Mind you the Canadian Grand Prix is a street circuit.

I was going to say, "Jet airplanes" but new ones are quieter now and they fly very high.

My daughter took me to the Grand Prix car race that was very noisy. My son took me to an entire day of driving race cars that were very noisy.
My new car is very quiet except its tire squeal whenever I accelerate or corner.

 

[KeepItSimpleStupid]

@fastline

I've heard that phenomenon too where seeming low wattage solid state amps sound less loud than a tube amp. I did a listening test with a 100 W solid state against a low wattage Macitosh amp with Klipsch Voice of the Theater speakers that had horn tweeters.

I "think" the horns were the reason for the loudness. They like high voltages and the solid state amp constrains this to the power rail. In a tube amp the load Z constrains this.

 

[Nigel Goodwin]

Valve amps sound louder because they are distorted, and distorted sound is much louder than clear sound.

 

[WTP Pepper]

Valve amps sound louder because they are distorted, and distorted sound is much louder than clear sound.

Marshall Amps PLC UK built their reputation on this for 100 years. Valve amps saturate because the the output transfomers saturate giving a large amount of second harmonics which are more pleasing on the ear than a MOSFET amp which clips and gives third harmonic distortion and sounds quite nasty.

Without any distortion a valve amp sounds the same as a MOSFET amp. Forget "warmness" or "colour". These are terms dreamed up by HiFi magazines and non technical sales druids.

 

[Nigel Goodwin]

Marshall Amps PLC UK built their reputation on this for 100 years.

Not for 100 years obviously

And not just Marshall either.

A big part of them sounding 'louder' is because they heavily compress the sound, the louder peaks are clipped and distorted, and thus the quieter parts are much closer in loudness to the loud parts.

The same thing happens a little with transistor amps, but you can't do very much clipping as it soon starts sounding 'nasty'.

My PA amp limits preventing clipping at all, so it always sounds clean - I've even had a scope on it checking the output levels, which are correct for 200/400W as specified. But it's a class-D amp, and you really don't want to clip a class-D amp