How Many Watts is Good for Car Speakers?
Car stereos are very important; they keep us entertained when driving. The type of car you are using doesn’t matter; having the perfect stereos with the correct wattage does. So How Many Watts is Good for Car Speakers?
The best way to drive, especially if you are going long distances, is to put on your stereo and groove to your favorite jams with your volume up.
If you don’t know how to go about this, don’t worry, this article will answer any questions you may have regarding car speakers, stereo wattage, amps, and more. You only need to read to the end.
Understanding Watt, Car Sound Systems, and Power Rating
An easy way to think of wattage is as a unit of measurement for electrical power. So, a stereo watt is the amount of energy that your speaker handles when producing sound. This brings us to the question, how does wattage affect our stereo audio performance?
For a start, you have to understand the following:
Wattage Rating
Wattage rating means your car stereo’s maximum capability handles power under a particular situation. It is important to note that this doesn’t necessarily mean the watt rating indicates how much energy the stereo is processing.
To answer the question, How Many Watts is Good for Car Speakers? If your car stereo is integrated into an amp, it will be processing 0 watts of power.
Total Harmonic Distortion (TDH)
We use this term to determine audio systems’ low sound pressure levels. This is a situation where the RMS power performance is below par.
TDH is the distortion the stereo faces when it gives out a sound signal; on average, the total wattage or actual power is less than 0.1%. This is as a result of less power.
Speaker Impedance
This parameter tells you how much resistive power your speaker will draw without getting into many technicalities. We measure it in Ohms. It helps rate speaker level inputs, watts RMS per channel, and determines the maximum power of the car audio amp chip.
Decibel
Decibel, abbreviated as dB, is a measurement of sound strength by comparing it to a level on a logarithmic scale.
Don’t be intimidated by the lengthy definition. Simply said, you can’t add two integers on a logarithmic scale like you can with natural numbers. A double does not mean “twice as much” on a log scale.
Because it is a logarithm number, 100dB does not represent double 50dB, but rather many times higher than 50dB.
Level of Sound Pressure (SPL)
The perceived loudness is measured in SPL, and the pressure determines the loudness in the sound wave of most speakers.
On a rough scale, a 10dB rise in sound level results in double the loudness but doubling the wattage only; this results in a 3dB increase in SPL.
Understanding Amps and Sound System
For short, amplifiers or amps serve as a support to the car stereo speakers. Their role is to take the low audio input and amplify it to sound louder with more volume. Understanding the type of amp needed for your car is very important, as it will answer the amount of watts your stereo uses.
Every car stereo comes with a built-in app from the factory, but installing a customized amp can be the game-changer; it will completely change the way your stereo brings sound. This is because of an upgraded amp gas, better subwoofer setup, and ingenious wiring.
Required Watts for Your Car Radio
Before you make any step to enhance your stereo amp or your overall audio experience, it is essential to know what the stereo is already made up of and how many watts the car stereo already has. Analysis from spec sheets reveals that the average stereo Watts in cars should be around 8-10 watts RMS.
The per-channel wattage output of the car stereo or amplifier determines the loudness of the sound system.
The car stereo has a power range of 8 to 30 watts.
How Do I Convert RMS Watts to Peak Watts?
In a nutshell, RMS wattage = 0.7071 X Peak Wattage.
The RMS wattage is always less than the peak wattage. Most OEM car stereos are branded “50 wat00 watts.”
This 50 x 4 watts rating is the peak power rating, which differs from RMS readings.
How Many Watts Is Good for a Factory Car Stereo?
On average, you should be able to get as much as 200 watts of power from a car stereo that supports up to four channels with 50 Watts each. However, the real-world RMS rating will be between 15-18 watts RMS maximum when considering factors like traffic noise.
Factory car stereo is relatively low on power wattage. These factory speakers are suitable for a car if you don’t mind getting great sounds, but if you do, you need to work on your stereo system. Car speakers are essential, especially for sound enthusiasts.
For better sound, the standard factory wattage needs an external amplifier or aftermarket amp for more watts; this means a better sound pressure level and overall improved audio equipment.
How Many Watts is Good for Car Speakers?
There’s no way to answer this question accurately; the wattage best suitable for your stereo is determined by several factors such as:
Car Type
If you have a sedan car and you roll your window up, you will get a full grasp of your stereo even if you have a low-watt radio, and there won’t be a need for you to crank up your volume.
On the other hand, when you drive a pickup truck or a convertible, you will be more exposed to external noise, so you will need more power to listen at the same volume sufficient for a sedan. Generally, the noise that comes from outside of these kinds of cars suppresses the sound that your stereo produces.
Speaker Type
Car stereos with less sensitivity make use of more wattage to play songs when compared to a stereo with a higher decibel rating. Then again, if your stereo and amp are integrated, it will also influence the RMS wattage.
If you want to get the best out of your acoustic sound, your car stereo ratio should be between 0.75 to 1.5, somewhere in between the RMS wattage and your speaker’s power. It is always better to have extra energy or more dynamic headroom in reserve; it will come in handy when you need it the most.
Does Improved Wattage Translate to Improved Car Stereo?
It has already been established that more wattage automatically translates to more car speaker processing power. This also means that there will be more considerable dynamic headroom with little or no sound distortion.
With the above in place, when you play a song on your stereo, the lead guitar solos or female vocals will sound way better since the stereo will now be able to take up to 300 watts. On the downside, it will consume a lot of power from the price you have to pay for listening to better sound.
But if you don’t have sufficient wattage in reserve, sound quality will not be too excellent as some song segments will be noticeably distorted.
Final Thought (How Many Watts is Good for Car Speakers?)
To sum it up, standard factory car stereos are excellent with pretty good sound quality. However, you can make it even better by customizing it with improved speaker wattage and electrical power.
The factory system of both front and rear speakers has good sound and enough power, but car owners can customize or do a factory system upgrade for higher efficiency speakers.
Finally, you should watch how many watts your audio system generates. Wattage power is essential.
Customizing aftermarket car stereos will produce better sound compared to the factory stereo.
