Is it ok to supply slightly more watts to speakers than they are rated for? My current speakers ( 2 x 6 1/2 , 2 x 6x9 ) are rated for 60W RMS/225W Max per speaker. I received a great deal on a 4-channel amp that pushes 75W RMS/300W Max per channel. I know the speakers are rated lower, but how much of a problem is this gonna cause for my speakers? Is the amplifier going to blow out my speakers? I am pretty good with electronics and such, but this is the first time that I've had TOO much power. Thanks in advance for your help!

 

It's not a good idea. You can try it. I don't think it would cause a fire. It may blow them up eventually though.

 

very simple buddy jsst done gu full pawar srryu im dasuwwasted

 

I think he's saying don't turn it up to full power. Gain is your input level though. If you turn down the gain, that's the input level, not the output level. Be careful. Overpowering a speaker will make it sound good to it's last bump, and then it will melt the coil.

 

you can slightly overpower it just depends on the quality of the speaker as to how its going to react to they extra juice. some high brand stuff can take it for extended periods of loud play. but if you bought cheap stuff expect it to blow up after a bit of high stress on the drivers.

 

I've always overpowered my speakers with no ill effect. You have to be smart about it though. Dont crank the gain and then crank your system. Make sure your gain is set at the correct voltage to match your stereo outputs. Underpowering them is harmful too, so if you match the power of the speakers to the power of the amp you will be safe. If you are overpowering them by a little, you should be just fine. The ratings you gave, in my opinion, make for a perfect setup. I ran 50 watts RMS to the stock speakers for 5 years. Sounded great and never blew one speaker. Also, make sure your are sending the correct frequencies to the correct drivers. Sending bass frequencies to a tweeter is never a good idea.

Should sound good! Congrats on the deal. fing02.gif

 

All of my speakers are overpowered, and I've never had any problems, however I don't run at full volume either.Also consider your losses between your amp and speakers, and other factors. Your amp is most likely rated 75W @ 14.4V, under perfect test conditions. My car runs at 14.1V. Also take into account your line losses. When you take all of this into account, you probably aren't much higher than 65W.

Overdriving your speakers by 10W is a risk, but a very small one.

 

I have all Pioneer Premier speakers. They definitely weren't the super cheap kind of speakers. I figured it would be ok, kind of like putting a nice stereo with stock speakers. I'll be installing the new amp under the passenger seat and a new JVC stereo in the dash. I'll be posting again if something goes wrong. Thanks for your input guys!

 

Ok. So i installed everything. I ran a short clean ground. The power/ground wires are 8 gauge. The main fuse amperage matches the rating of the amplifier. I double checked all connections for breaks, grounds, and polarity with a multi-meter. All of my connections are soldered and wrapped with heat shrink tubing. All of my wires are bundled together in groups (i.e. all speakers in one bundle). The power/ground and RCA wires are on opposite sides of the install. Before I apply any power to anything, I turn down the bass boost, crossover points, and gain knobs on the amplifier.

After I start the car, I turn on the head unit. Since this was the first time the head unit was turned on, the volume and bass settings are all at a minimum level. First thing I hear, is a fizzing noise and two soft pops. I turn up the volume a little at a time and can hear music (I inserted the closest CD). Using the Fade and Balance controls, I cycle through to see if I can hear all four speakers. Of the 4, I can hear 3 of the speakers as clear as crystal. Turns out, the initial pop was the coil blowing out on the front driver side speaker.

Obviously, I am returning the amp for a full refund. As of now, I will be buying a different 4 channel amplifier and a set of 6 3/4" Polk components from Crutchfield. That leads me to my next question(s).

Does anybody know what could cause this? After I pulled the speaker out, the entire unit smelled like smoke. I was unable to make the cone move without excessive force. Is it possible for one channel on the amp to be problematic? My main concern is that if I get a new set of speakers and an amp, I want to avoid making the same mistake. I tried to be as detailed as possible to avoid the simple problems/solutions. Any thoughts? Thanks again guys!

 

^^ That would be called "power on thump" which causes the maximum output for a short time at startup on all the speakers as the capacitors charge and mosfets turn off in the amplifier. Most likely the power on thump exceeded the maximum rating of the speaker and caused them to blow.

It is possible, but most likely the amplifier just took out the weakest link.