Do I Need an Amp for My Car Speakers?

No matter what the model of your car is – new or old, you want a blasting music system to play over your ears when you hop in. So the most frequently asked question is, “do I need an amp for my car speakers?”

Gladly, the amplifier fulfills the need to a great extent. And for sure, adding a fantastic sound system to your vehicle doesn’t demand you to have any exceptional technical skills since there are thousands of ready-made tutorials awaiting your glimpse to watch and learn. 

You don’t even need to call an engineer to load your car with the amplifier. 

But the question is, why do you need an amp for speakers? Or, how do you know if you need to have a new amplifier for your car? 

What are the features it needs to have to avoid future damages, and what are the signs of a bad amplifier? 

We are going to answer each of them in this detailed buying guide of car Amp!

What are the car amplifiers for? 

Let’s begin with, what is an amp and what’s the function? 

Look, everyone loves their car to be loud not only for some show-off but it gives them a thrill that relieves stress, helps their serotonin to rush, and makes them feel livelier. 

And the loud music comes from the tiny, elegant device that is fixed in your car’s dashboard that is termed an “Amplifier”. 

The simple job it is made for amplifies the weaker signals and transforms them into stronger and louder ones. 

You get the factory amp built-in already or may want to replace it with a more efficient one if it doesn’t function properly. 

In all, if you are after gaining the best audio coming out of your sound system, you have to be wise enough to while buying the car amplifiers. 

The guide we’ve made is undoubtedly going to help!

What if the car amplifier stops working? 

First, don’t get panicked– even if you find out something has popped up, causing a problem with the car amplifier, and it no longer makes the sound you used to love, maybe it is dusty inside there. 

All you need is to have a dry piece of cloth, start mild cleaning, and play the music. 

It will help, but it needs some consideration if it doesn’t and keeps producing the awful sound. 

How to find the amplifier is malfunctioning?

If you are very new to driving and love music to listen to in the car, you may find it difficult to find the root of the problem with an amplifier. 

Well, over time, it may begin to malfunction, or maybe the built-in amplifier that comes with your car is not as efficient as you were expecting it to be. 

But what else is the case? Your amplifier has failed to produce the desired bass and sound that your eardrums love. 

You may want to replace the old amplifier if:

• It usually gets hotter after some minutes of operation, it seems to become hot upon touch then there are some wiring issues. 
• You turn it on, and after some time, you start feeling some burning rubber-type smell, it may be your amplifier, turn it off immediately and see if the smell goes or not. 
• You hear more distortion than the music. 
• It doesn’t turn on at all, and if it turns on, it keeps cutting out.  
• It is losing the efficiency of producing the loud sound bass rather than producing weak bass. 
• You hear the whining and humming sound more than music. 

If you continue to experience any of the mentioned problems, then replacing an amplifier is the only option left. 

But let’s find a bit more about the problems mentioned: what these signs indicate about your amplifier and where it is stuck or if there is any chance to fix it without replacing it.

Why does an amplifier malfunction? 

The amplifier is an electronic device, it may undergo some wear and tear. While the only thing that baffles is the actual reason behind the problem. 

If you successfully grab it, it’s easy to get the solution. So, let’s discuss each problem and the culprits behind it. 

1. Excessive heating of an amplifier

First, it should get hot until being run for long hours and with frequent drives. But if it does, there might be due to any reason mentioned below: 

• The grounding issue, maybe it is not done correctly. 
• Lack of cooling system or ventilation in your car. 
• Poor-quality wires are used in the audio system, which makes it pull more energy to produce sound; you may need to replace wirings. 
• Blown Speakers can also make amp overheated. 
• It has been producing too high bass because the production of high bass requires more energy.
• It may not be mounted properly. 

If there’s everything fine with them, and it is still causing the problem, replace it. 

2. Amp causing the burning smell

Burning smell has also got some reasons: 

• Lose grounding 
• Overloading your amp with many other unnecessary things. 
• Frequent overheating. 
• Wrong mounting 
• Speakers placed too close to the amp. 
• Poor quality and inefficient amplifier.

3. Distortion or noise

No sound system can completely eliminate the distortion, but many premium devices can produce the sound with much-reduced distortion. 

If there’s more distortion than music that is ruining your journey, then it is due to: 

• The dust trapped in an amplifier 
• Amp is not getting enough current or power to produce the desired bass. 
• Overheating is another reason for it. 
• The amplifier is swamped with unnecessary stuff, cleaning your dashboard. 
• Fix wiring if they’re damaged. 

4. The device is not turning on

Check if it is getting enough power to get turned on. If the power supply is fine, but the amp is silent, then it may be due to the following reasons:

• Wrong size of fuse
• Poor grounding
• Wrong mounting 
• Check if all the wires are intact. 
• Small sized wiring kit. 
• Have worked for longer than guaranteed. 
• Poor quality amplifiers 
• The problem in the charging system of the vehicles. 
• Improper installation 
• Voltage problem to the sound system 
• Frequent overheating.

5. Amp can no longer produce strong bass

It may be due to certain reasons: 

• Lack of power supply. 
• Voltage problem 
• Frequent operation for long hours 
• Amp has gotten old to produce strong bass. 
• Inefficient or poor amp. 

6. Unusual sounds 

It irks a lot, especially when you have a long way ahead! Humming and whining sounds may be generated due to a wide range of reasons:

• Poor grounding
• Improper installation and mounting
• Bad antenna cable 
• Problem with the car’s charging system 
• Bad RCA cables. 
• Defective head unit. 

If you can fix the problem being caused by your amplifier, go for it while you may also consider replacing it with the all-new premium amplifier that can produce blasting sound for years. 

By the way, are you planning to buy one? 

Yes? 

You may need to look for some features before purchasing to ensure you pick the right product that firmly sits on your expectations.

Well, we’ve got you covered and have enlisted the features you always need to look at and ask the seller. 

Features of an amplifier you need to look while purchasing

• What’s the warranty?

It comes as no surprise that buyers always look for a warranty. Whether it’s a tiny electric car or a giant engine, the warranty comes first. 

Unfortunately, some amplifiers bear any warranty. While some manufacturers avoid honoring the warranty, there’s a reason behind it if the authorized retailers do not purchase the product.

Because the unauthorized dealers purchase an amp. What happens to it, how they keep the amp, and how they sell it to the consumers, so they simply don’t issue a warranty in that case. 

You have to be very wise while purchasing amplifiers, and always buy it from a reputable and authorized source. 

You may also call the company that supplies all the goods. 

On the other hand, this digital era has enabled us to purchase the premium quality amp directly from manufacturers’ websites also, if you need to check the reviews first, go for it!

• The size of an amplifier matters

When it comes to buying an amplifier, new buyers mostly pick the heavier and larger amplifier for cars; they assume it to be efficient in producing sound. 

At the same time, they don’t fit in the dashboard or are difficult to fit under the seat. 

Make sure it has to fit right in the dashboard firmly. Buyers might think that a large amp can store more machinery means they function better than smaller ones. 

Thanks to technology it is possible to incorporate all the necessary functions in small or even tiny amps. 

The size of the amplifier matters so, always make sure it has to be easily fitted in an area made for. 

But no matter what the size is, it has to produce mind soothing high bass as long as the warranty goes. 

• Wiring of an amplifier

This is the most crucial thing you have to look for. Be a little wise so that the sellers couldn’t fool you on the name of “Good wirings”. 

Check the material of the wires and always choose the long wires. Premium quality amplifier wires are made of “Oxygen-free Copper, ” an excellent conductor for carrying signals. 

The wires are lasting and more durable than any other on the market. Low-quality wires are usually made of Copper Clad Aluminum. 

Though copper is a good conductor, aluminum reduces the efficiency to a great extent, it carries less current, the sole purpose of using aluminum is to provide rigidity and thickness to the wires. 

Since not all products are original on the market, you’ve to be extra careful while purchasing. Several Chinese brands are mimicking authentic products, which have no warranty and reduced durability. 

• Ask other features

Make sure you are choosing the right amplifier for your speakers. It has to provide you with everything you need to pull off with an exceptional sound system. 

Ask the authorized sellers if the amplifier can work on the ohm load you’re going to provide it with? 

Does the concerned amplifier have a sound filter system or not? Can it work with the subwoofer? Can it directly be connected with the factory deck? 

The average working hours to avoid overheating and overloading to store durability for long. 

Also, ask if the seller can provide a professional approach and install the device in the car dashboard.

But whether they offer it or not, try not to install it yourself to avoid damages to the wires. 

You may find it difficult to buy a premium-quality amplifier with the maximum features on a low budget. 

You can get a good-quality and excellent-designed amplifier within $500. 

What are the benefits of car amplifiers?

• Built-in car factory systems have a weak audio system because the major focus of the manufacturers is not car stereos, unfortunately. Your premium car amp can back this up. You can achieve great levels of sound, which speakers fail to reach. 

• With the amplifier, you can tune it the way you want! You can explore various options with the device unlike your factory system with only Turn-On and “Turn-Off” buttons. You can play around with different options until you get the desired level you’ve been yearning to pull off. 

• The benefits are not limited to the sound and bass, amplifiers are also used to control power utilization but to avail of the benefits, you have to buy a robust and high-quality amplifier. 

• If the car battery is not enough to stand the power inputs and outputs, the amplifier shares the burden of blowing the speakers by providing them enough power. 

Conclusion

Do you need a car amplifier for speakers? The shortest answer is YES! 

If your car factory system is worn out and cannot produce the bass you love, buy a new one, and don’t forget to check the features mentioned in the blog! 

Enjoy your ride.