Car Stereos: gs=experts;, watts rms, infinity speakers

Question
hello i have a jvc headunit 20w rms x4, 50w max x4  and infinity speakers 120w max and 45w rms.
Can i turn the bass all the way up and not bust them ,or do i need to be carful?

Answer
Hey bud

If you turn the bass up all the way, you'll pop your speakers.  Even though the RMS rating on many headunits these days sounds good, the truth is, most radios don't push more than 10 watts rms.  Most of them are around 6 watts regardless of what the box says.  

Infinity speakers blow out easily, keep that in mind.  Also, most people think that too much power will blow up a speaker.  The truth is, most speakers blow out because of not enough power.  The harder you push your radio, the more distortion it will push out.  Distortion is what kills speakers most of the time.

Anyhow, to answer your question:

No.  Just because you put the bass up all the way doesn't mean it will sound good.  I especially wouldn't do it with a headunit.  Even if you get an amp that is rated at 25 watts x 4 rms, it will be a lot more powerful than your headunit.  If you want bass, invest in a small sub.  If you want help designing a system on a budget, let me know.

Thanks

Dave