If you want your favorite 6.5” speakers to sound heavenly inside your car, you certainly have to provide them with the best amplifier widely available in the market today. For your best car speakers, it is a great move that you have the finest sounds emanate from a source highly regarded as the heart of your car’s stereo system, the amplifier.
A car amplifier is the heart and soul of a downright enjoyable car speaker system and pairing it with similarly lively subwoofers creating the best sound quality possible. We have assembled a list of 5 of the world’s most popular amplifier brands and we are just glad to tell something about them, but first, have a look at some facts about car amplifiers.
What is a car amplifier do?
Just like any other type of amplifiers, a car amplifier boosts electrical signals across your car’s speaker system. Although much smaller than home amplifiers as car dashboard space is often limited, a car amplifier has similar functions. Concerning basic car audio, the amplifier handles low-power output signals from radio, CD player, and other auxiliary connections, and boosts the electrical signals up to the point that it can power up subwoofers and car speakers.
How to match an amplifier with a speaker?
What matters most in car audio is the power ratings. The aim is to match the power handling capacity of your amplifier with the power of your speakers (top 10 best car speaker ) or subwoofers (best car subwooters 12 inch or best car subwooters 8 inch) . As the rule of thumb would suggest, the RMS power should be considered as the true power and nothing else, as other “power” is mute and almost useless when comparing them within the system.
Find out below our in-depth explanation of the different types of power concerning audio systems.
- RMS (Root Mean Square) Power Ratings
As one of the most used “power” term in the audio system, the RMS power rating is the continuous power that an amplifier could sustain, or a speaker can drive. The RMS power rating is also considered as the most accurate representation of the statistical measurement range of various quantity and is addressed to the voltage or current passing through the audio system.
Although the RMS power has its imperfections and inaccuracies, it is still the real depiction of the continuous power so far as the industry is concerned.
- Max or Peak Power Rating
No matter how you put it, the Max or Peak power rating is the amount of power an amplifier or the speaker could handle in a short (or abrupt) burst without damaging the system. It should not be confused with the RMS, as it is described as the continuous power, while the Max or Peak is the “instant” power in a short period of time.
How to choose the best car amplifier?
Now you know some basic facts about audio systems, it is now time to make a decision in picking the right amplifier for your car, with these criteria:
1. RMS Power Rating
Pick the amplifier that matches the RMS Power Rating of your speaker if you already have a pair. If you do not have at the moment, better to choose the same brand of speakers and amplifier so they match perfectly.
2. Best sound quality
Choose the one with the best sound quality and not just the bass. You are certainly making your car as your second home, in fact, you might be spending half of your adult life inside your car. It is only proper that you pick the finest sound your amp can provide while you are reminiscing memories.
3. Versatility
Pick the one that could provide the maximum convenience while you maximize the potential of your amplifier. Why choose the one that could only give you powering up a set of speakers if there is an amplifier that could utilize more than a pair? Or an additional subwoofer channel to boost the sound? These things add up to your entertainment, so why not pick a versatile amplifier?
4. Cost
And finally, weigh more about the amplifier’s cost-effectiveness and qualities when dealing with price. Not all low price brands are inferior and those high-priced ones do not necessarily have the ideal traits. Use your instincts and vast knowledge on what other reviews have to say.
Best choice
Planet Audio AC1500.1M Monoblock Car Amplifier - 1500 Watts Max Power
Premium pick
Rockford Fosgate R500X1D Prime 1-Channel Class D Amplifier
Best value
BOSS Audio Systems R1100M Monoblock Car Amplifier -1100 Watts Max Power
5 Best Amplifiers for Car
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PREMIUM PICK
The Rockford Fosgate brand is a great option for fine and cost-effective products which offers a wide range of merchandise, including amplifiers. The Rockford Fosgate R500X1D Prime Amplifier is one of those products that the company should be proud of. This amplifier is a high-performance one that is a compact Class D device which is quite better as an alternative for upgrading your car’s audio system without the high price tag.
The R500X1D Prime 1-Channel Amplifier is designed using the DTM (Dynamic Thermal Management) technology. The DTM is a 3-stage thermal system that enables forced air to evenly dissolves heat away from the amp. One other process, called MEHSA (Maximum Efficiency Heat Sink Application), is a trademarked operation that permits air to escape more air from the MOSFET (metal oxide semiconductor field-effect transistor) gadgets to the conductor.
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5 of 5 Stars
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BEST CHOICE
The Planet Audio AC1500.1M Car Amplifier is currently one of the best-sellers in the market and also one of the least expensive audio equipment for your car. The Anarchy AC1500.1M, as this audio equipment is popularly known among car enthusiasts, is a 1500W Mono Class A/B amp that is so powerful and capable of high and low-level inputs. If you purchase this one, the remote control for a subwoofer is included, which is sometimes not included in other similar products.
The Anarchy is quite amazing, as this could enhance bass control where it has the Variable Bass Boost so you could adjust the low bass within the range as you would like it to be. Having the Anarchy in your arsenal of audio equipment will also give you more freedom to connect this system to any source unit that you may desire without the hitch.
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5 of 5 Stars
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The Rockford Fosgate PBR300X4 is a 300W, 4-Channel, and 4-ohm only amplifier. It comes in a full-range amp that is quite a hit among car lovers with minimal space to spare on their dashboard. This amplifier is also great for large motorcycles, ATVs, luxury boats, hybrid-electric vehicles and other recreational automobiles. The various applications make the PBR300X4 a one-of-a-kind amplifier for a wide range of the market.
The price is also competitive considering it cost less than $200 with superior quality compared to many expensive brands. If you are adept to a speaker system with great sound quality, the Rockford Fosgate PBR300X4 really has the punch!
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5 of 5 Stars
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BEST VALUE
Certified as a Class A/B power amplifier, the Boss Audio R1100M Riot is a monoblock and MOSFET equipped amp system that is surprisingly cheaper than most audio equipment of its class. MOSFET equipped amp systems to have higher-grade of quality compared to most FETs (Field-effect Transistor) because having this capability requires less current in operation, hence they are more suitable for car audio systems.
The Boss R1100M Amplifier has a total output of 1100 Watts and an impedance rating of 2 to 8 ohms. It has an RMS power of 825 Watts at 2 ohms and a Peak Power of 550 Watts at 4 ohms, more satisfying specifications among other powerful amp systems.
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5 of 5 Stars
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The Rockford Fosgate R600X5 Prime Amplifier has a classic look which you will be mistaken for a closed laptop on first glance. But mind you, this 5-Channel amplifier has too many features compared to other high-end brands. Despite its higher price compared to other brands, this wonderful amplifier boasts of several high-quality attributes that you can’t find in other amp systems.
The Prime Series R600X5 can boost 4 speakers at the same time with 50 Watts RMS each. This, in simultaneous operation of powering up a subwoofer with up to 300 Watts RMS. The R600X5 is truly fully-packed with traits that are not available in other brands and it maintains sizable dimensions (16.5 X 10.3 X 4.3 inches) making it still an awesome space saver to medium-size cars.
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5 of 5 Stars
Conclusion
If we are going to choose among the 5 best amplifiers for cars listed above, without further ado, we go with the Rockford Fosgate R600X5 Prime 5-Channel Amplifier. We find this brand satisfying majority of our criteria (versatility, RMS Power Rating, and sound quality) in choosing the perfect brand for our car. Although the R600X5 5-Channel Amplifier is among the most expensive ones, we find it reasonable enough considering its immense and admirable features.
We also find the Rockford Fosgate R600X5 Prime Amplifier can run an entire car audio system, we don’t need to buy more stuff to fill the void. A true cost-efficient decision and a really great brand, indeed.
