Car Stereos: 2005 Acura TL - Amplifer, acura tl, 2005 acura tl

Question
Hello Brian,

My husband has a 2005 Acura TL, I would like to surprise him for Christmas with an amplifier for his car.  Could you make any recommendations for a high quality product that would work well for that specific car?  He will also want to ad a sub in the future.

Thank you,
Teresa


Answer
Hi Teresa,

As a general rule, you can use just about any amplifier in any car.  There really aren't any amplifier features that would make one work better (or worse) in an Acura TL versus any other type of vehicle.  Given the TL's factory audio setup, though, it's questionable whether you'd gain any sound quality improvement just from installing a new amplifier.

There are various types of amplifiers available for different purposes in an audio system.  For example, if you wanted to boost the power to all the speakers, you might use a multi-channel amplifier--a 4-channel or even 6-channel design.  If you're mostly looking for more bass, you'd probably choose a "mono" amplifier--this is a single-channel design that's generally just used for subwoofers.  I wouldn't recommend just buying an amplifier alone as an upgrade; an amplifier is just one part of the audio system, and it should be selected with the rest of the system in mind.

Your husband's Acura has a fairly sophisticated factory audio system that already includes a separate 6-channel amplifier.  I don't think it would be a good idea to try replacing the factory amp with an after-market multi-channel amplifier, unless you're planning to install new speakers and sound processing, and (more or less) build a complete after-market system from scratch.  On the other hand, adding more bass, in the form of a mono amplifier and subwoofer, is something that could be done fairly easily in the TL.

One option might be to look at an amplified subwoofer system, like an Infinity Basslink.  This is a subwoofer with a built-in amplifier; it delivers a pretty impressive low-end boost, but takes up less room and is easier to install than a separate amp/sub combo.  It's not made for really loud bass output, though; if your husband wants a lot of bass (and doesn't mind losing much of his trunk space) then a more powerful mono amp and a larger subwoofer system might be the way to go.

If you'd like to send a follow-up, with a bit more information, I can try to give you some other ideas.  The main consideration is: what kind of sound quality upgrade are you looking for with the amplifier?  Is your husband looking for clearer sound, louder output, more bass?  Is there some limitation of the factory system that he wants to overcome?  There might be some other solution that would be a better fit than an amplifier.

Hope this helps!

Brian