Car Stereos: 1998 Chevy Malibu CD Receiver Amp Power, watts rms, chevy malibu

Question
If I want to replace my factory installed cd casette receiver in my 1998 Chevy Malibu and want the same amp power, how many watts rms do I need in my new CD receiver?

Answer
Hi Andy,

Sorry about the late response on this one.

Unlike after-market head unit manufacturers, OEM radio manufacturers don't generally publish power specs for their head units; and I don't know of any independent testing that has been done on these either.  So I can't tell you what the RMS power rating of your Malibu's head unit might be.  However, I'd expect it to be somewhat similar to a typical after-market head unit; ie, about 15-20 watts per channel RMS.  Just about every after-market deck includes an amplifier that's rated between about 17 watts per channel and 22 watts per channel RMS.  

There's really no reason you need to find an identical match for the factory head unit.  If you're keeping the stock speakers, I don't think they're any more or less likely to fail with an after-market deck than the stock head unit, regardless of the power rating.  In general, I'd look for ease of use and the features you want when shopping for a new CD player, and don't worry too much about the power spec--there's really not a lot of difference between 17 watts and 22 watts.

Hope this helps!

Brian