Can a car stereo headunit that has an internal amp power my 6 1/2 speaker?

eze716 asked:


i have 2 pairs of alpine 6 1/2′s. they have an 80 watt rms, and i was told that an amp with a 50×4 rms could push them well. so should i just buy a headunit with 50×4 rms or should i get a totally separate amp to power the speakers. im looking at this headunit specifically http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/NEW-JVC-DOUBLE-DIN-CAR-CD-MP3-XM-IPOD-PLAYER-RECEIVER_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQ_trksidZp1713Q2em153Q2el1262QQcategoryZ43947QQihZ022QQitemZ350156305392

This entry was posted on Saturday, May 23rd, 2009 and is filed under Car CD/MP3 Players. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
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4 Responses to “Can a car stereo headunit that has an internal amp power my 6 1/2 speaker?”

  1. briandye@ymail.com on May 24th, 2009 at 4:22 am

    if theyre really nice, id buy an amp, so it wont strain your radio, but you would be fine either way

  2. FurbiesAndBeans on May 27th, 2009 at 10:49 am

    Almost all head units have an internal amp of 16×4 RMS. 50×4 is just the max rating used as an advertising scam. It will work, but you would get a much better sound quality with an amp.

  3. Tim on May 30th, 2009 at 2:37 am

    yes in most cases just a powered head unit can power mid-way and high’s speakers like 6×9, 6 1/2, tweeters and so on .. just not speakers classed as woofers.

  4. Capt. I know enough on June 2nd, 2009 at 1:24 am

    If you want a quality sound, amp ‘em. Speakers can produce a sound with little wattage, but the low end will not be there. When you crank it up the sound quality will suffer too.

    A small stereo or two channel or four will give you a better sound with your new investment. An amp a wiring kit maybe a few hours and there you go; and maybe only an extra 200 out the door.

    Like I always suggest, a powered sub may be the answer to the missing lows. Run the 6.5 off the head unit and drop in a powered sub and you off.

    Go down to the local install and listen to the step ups they have. It won’t sound exactly the same but you can here the difference between powered speakers and amplified ones.

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