QuestionI know your not the Car Audio guy but I have a pair of 4 inch Rockford Fosgate speakers for my car and a 100-watt amp to hook up to them. I dont know the specs but Im almost positive that the amp is too powerful for the speakers but my friend has the same exact setup in his car and his speakers haven't blown out or anything. So I'm wondering if it would be ok to run this 100 watt amp to the 4 inch speakers. Thanks.
AnswerI am a volunteer (which you found in the Car Audio section), and you start off by telling me you know that am not the car audio guy. :|
I would have to presume that you have no idea what the International Auto Sound Challenge Association is (of which I retired from 8 years of Pro 251-500 watts and Sound Quality and SQ/Enhanced SPL classes). I have been doing pro car audio since 1977... Did you even read my Allexperts BIO?
<sigh>
Another volunteer might presume that most people read the BIO's and then this comment of yours would not be so.... innocent. I will not go there.
At anyrate..
It is easier to blow up speakers with too LITTLE of a power amp. Using one that is too small leads to the user setting the level of the amp too high which creates clipping (distortion) and amplifier/speaker damage.
Set it up accordingly when you adjust the amp level so that you do not clip the input signal from the headunit (lower settings are always better). You will want the level set that so that even with the deck all the way up and some bass added, the amp will not clip.
Remember that if you want it loud, doubling the speakers used will give you a gain of 6db while doubling the power will only give you 3db. So do not even try to set the input level for the amp too high!
*You will only risk damage and they will not gain one watt by doing this (once the proper amp input level is set). What it will do is make the music very loud at low volumes and very distorted at high volumes (eg. a very touchy volume control).
That is about all I got to say about that...
Good luck.
