Car audio question about speakers?

[Andre]

im getting 5.25 inch polks. they are 200watt max 90 watt rms. and 93db. now my dad said i need an amp for these speakers, but i am getting a new alpine head unit with 50 watt max and 18 rms. So can someone explain all this to me, and if i need an amp and whatever else i need. Probably getting installed at best buy.

 

[KaeZoo]

You do not need an amplifier, but adding an amp will help you get the most from your new speakers.

The speakers' power rating tells you the maximum recommended power level to use with the speakers. It does not imply a minimum power rating. In other words, while the speakers can handle up to 90 watts RMS, they'll work perfectly well on 18 watts.

The "93dB" is a sensitivity rating. This tells you the speaker's output level with one watt of power. A speaker with a high sensitivity doesn't need as much power to reach a given volume level, compared with a speaker with a lower sensitivity rating. 93dB is actually a relatively high sensitivity rating, which means that these speakers will work fairly well with a limited power source like a head unit.

If you want more power, you might try looking for Alpine's KTP-445 power pack. This is a 45 watt x 4 RMS amplifier that's quite inexpensive, and is designed specifically to use with Alpine head units. It's extremely easy to install, and will more than double the head unit output power.

 

[inktownlegend]

you will need an amp because the radios internal amp is not powerful enough to properly push those speakers so as you begin to turn up the volume the sound will start to distort and the bass will be heard with static--- you will send the radios amp into clipping

Clipping occurs when an amplifier is asked to deliver more current to a speaker than the amp is capable of doing. When an amplifier clips, it literally cuts off the tops and bottoms of the musical waveforms that it's trying to reproduce, thus the term. This introduces a huge amount of distortion into the output signal. Clipping can be heard as a crunching sound on musical peaks.
that causes distorted sound which will damage your speakers