Question about matching speakers and amps. Can I run 50 watts through a speaker rated for 45RMS?

[TagALong]

Hello all,

I'm preparing to start overhauling the sound system in my 96' LX 450 but I've run into a snag. The speakers I have are a pair of JBL GX528's and a pair of JBL GX628's. The smaller ones, the GX528's have an RMS rating of 45 watts and a peak of 135 watts. The larger ones, the GX625's have an RMS rating of 60 watts and a peak of 180 watts. I'm completely new to this area and am a little confused as to how to choose an amp for speakers. As of right now, I don't have an amp. The amp I'm looking at right now is the Kicker Key 200, which has an output of 50 watts per channel and is a four channel amp. Would it be ok for me to pair this with my speakers even though they're not rated for 50 watts constant. From what I understand, the RMS is the bottom of the scale and the peak is the absolute top. Am I right in thinking that I can safely sit in between those numbers and not blow my speakers?

 

[DannyG]

I know this is an old post and all, but just wondering if you went with the Kicker Key amp? Also, you should have been fine, just don't run the system wide open...

 

[Karate Chopped]

Roughly roughly you will be fine. Just know that its usually better to over power (and turn the volume down) than to under power. Think of it like this, the speaker is a mass being pushed forward and backward by an amp. If you amp is too weak, it cant move the speaker mass fast enough, resulting in a flat sound. Most people make the mistake that if their system sounds s*** they need to buy new speakers, but in reality your speakers will only ever do what the amp tells it, so buy a new amp first and then speakers.