dumb speaker qusetion

[hammer1]

okay, at 43 years old i should know this, and i did when i was 20, but when a stereo output say 220 watts, thats only 55 watts per channel, right?
i need to get new front door speakers, since i can only crank them up so much untill they crack, and its juuuusst at the point when i want them louder.
so if i get speakers with 55 watt capacity, or more, i should be okay, right?
hammer

 

[60wag]

You'll be ok. The problem with wattage ratings, especially with car stereos, is that they are mostly BS. The distortion levels accepted at the "rated power" are really high. They also calc the max wattage at a min speaker impedance - an impedance that is lower than any actual speaker you end up using so its a useless rating. More is better but more is usually more $. 55 watts actually sounds a bit low in todays array of overinflated specs. I haven't shopped for speakers in a while but what would it take to bump up to a 100w rating? I'm really happy with the cheapies I put in my 60 - $55 is think. Panasonic EAK-DS130. Unfortunately I don't think they're available any more. Maybe there is newer model number? They sound good but I don't really crank it up that loud. They're also good because the tweeter is seperate from the 6.5" main driver. That makes them narrow enough to fit in the stock door location with the stock grill. They tweeters are mounted up at the top of the door. The image is quite nice.

 

[brett76]

that is correct. and get the correct wattage speaker and not to much more. otherwise you start getting that dirty sound

 

[89s rule]

that is correct. and get the correct wattage speaker and not to much more. otherwise you start getting that dirty sound

can you explain the dirty sound? I dont understand and/or have never heard that. Are you saying dont get too high of a rated speaker b/c it will sound bad if it is only pushed by say a 30w amp?

If you are I have to disagree. I will wait b/f I go into all that and see what u really mean and why.

 

[Blue 60]

The 55watts per speaker is typically going to be the RMS wattage level as opposed to the MAX wattage level. (Don't ask. I can't remember what RMS stands for) RMS is what you get when there is consistent signal level. MAX output comes into play when the signal spikes causing temporarily higher volume output. (Clipping also can occur here too...) I would tend to get speakers that will handle MORE than what the amp will put out. (BTW, I think that just 10 or 12 yrs ago, 35 watts per speaker was the most wattage that the amp/head makers were putting out at the time...) 55 watts/speaker will be quite loud fully cranked. As long as it is a decent head unit from a decent company the distortion/fuzz factor really won't be much of an issue for 99% of regular daily users. Just those crazy audiophiles... Hope this helps

 

[Blue 60]

I almost forgot. Speakers w/ rubber surronds=good. Foam surrounds=bad. Paper cones=bad.

 

[Derrick Willis]

The 55watts per speaker is typically going to be the RMS wattage level as opposed to the MAX wattage level. (Don't ask. I can't remember what RMS stands for) RMS is what you get when there is consistent signal level. MAX output comes into play when the signal spikes causing temporarily higher volume output. (Clipping also can occur here too...) I would tend to get speakers that will handle MORE than what the amp will put out. (BTW, I think that just 10 or 12 yrs ago, 35 watts per speaker was the most wattage that the amp/head makers were putting out at the time...) 55 watts/speaker will be quite loud fully cranked. As long as it is a decent head unit from a decent company the distortion/fuzz factor really won't be much of an issue for 99% of regular daily users. Just those crazy audiophiles... Hope this helps

RMS stands for root mean squared. In short it means that about 77% of the max or peak to peak wattage