Is it worth buying and installing an amplifier in the car audio system? Yes of course! We have a lot of amplifiers on the market. Manufacturers are outdoing each other in the capabilities and functions of such devices.
Which amplifier to choose – introduction
The basic amplifiers available in stores are two and four – channel amplifiers. They are mainly used to power a subwoofer and a simple car audio system. We can also meet five-, six- and eight-channel amplifiers, as well as those with a built-in DSP processor. Such a processor gives us great possibilities in terms of correction and setting the entire acoustic band in our car. We will tell more about DSP amplifiers and its tuning in the next car audio guides. In short, I would like to add that it is done from the level of a computer and a dedicated program, and using a measuring microphone. It cannot be done at home without having the proper knowledge of how a particular speaker plays, what frequency spectrum is reproduced or how to divide it.
Let’s go back to the subject of the basic car audio installation. Currently, the most popular modifications are good speakers in the front and a subwoofer in the rear. It is worth investing in a 4-channel amplifier. Depending on the budget and musical preferences, we choose an amplifier that will have the right power and acoustic qualities. Contrary to appearances, the way an amplifier sounds is also important, not only the speakers themselves. It is also worth remembering that the entire system will sound like its weakest element.
If you decided to buy a 4-channel amplifier, check if it has any built-in filters. They are necessary to properly set the amplifier. The main low-pass filter is used to cut off the appropriate acoustic bandwidth for the subwoofer to reproduce only the lowest frequencies. It is an essential component of the amplifier.
Another important element is the subsonic filter. It allows you to cut off frequencies that the subwoofer is unable to reproduce. In practice, this means a cut from the bottom, i.e. from zero to 20-30 hertz. Our ear cannot hear such frequencies, and the loudspeaker will tire of playing them all the time. We can also meet the bass boost function, which, as the name suggests, is used to boost certain frequencies. However, we try not to use such functions in amplifiers because bass sounds unnatural then, but it will work for lovers of strong techno or dance sounds and for the proverbial breaking of the trunk lid.
