I've read that a car battery puts out on average around 12.5-13.5V... How can I give more voltage to my amp (to get it closer to 14.4V)? Do I need to upgrade my battery? my alternator?
Replies (2)
alanjlamore on 04/27/2005 16:45:20
The car battery gives approx. 12 Volts (plus or minus a half volt) to your electricals when your vehicle is off.
When you turn the car on, your alternator takes over and keeps the battery charged, and gives your electricals around 13-14.4 volts.
A lot of companies guage their amps with a 14.4 volt input to get the highest numbers they can in a "realistic" environment in a car, since some vehicles can put out UP TO 14.4V.
I've heard that the average vehicle's alt gives about 13.5ish.
I personally don't hear a difference when my truck is off (12V) from when it's on (14.4V). I had a voltmeter hooked up to my amp's power wire and it showed 14.2-14.4V when the truck was running.
If you want to compare amps just compare them with the same input voltage.
If you're trying to match a sub and an amp it won't make much of a difference if you're getting 50-100 watts RMS more or less than what the sub(s) can handle.
swez on 04/27/2005 18:32:30
Pretty much as Alan mentioned here. Most cars will put out 13.5 volts on average. Depends on the regulator that is mated with the ALT.
You can measure the voltage at amp with a DC voltmeter. That's the number that matters most. In general terms, the higher the voltage source, the output we can get from a given amp. However, most amps do have regulated power supplies and only allow a pre-determined amount of voltage to enter the amp. If you have an unregulate power supply in the amp, even more power is possible at the output stage.
Swez
Replies (2)
alanjlamore on 04/27/2005 16:45:20
The car battery gives approx. 12 Volts (plus or minus a half volt) to your electricals when your vehicle is off.
When you turn the car on, your alternator takes over and keeps the battery charged, and gives your electricals around 13-14.4 volts.
A lot of companies guage their amps with a 14.4 volt input to get the highest numbers they can in a "realistic" environment in a car, since some vehicles can put out UP TO 14.4V.
I've heard that the average vehicle's alt gives about 13.5ish.
I personally don't hear a difference when my truck is off (12V) from when it's on (14.4V). I had a voltmeter hooked up to my amp's power wire and it showed 14.2-14.4V when the truck was running.
If you want to compare amps just compare them with the same input voltage.
If you're trying to match a sub and an amp it won't make much of a difference if you're getting 50-100 watts RMS more or less than what the sub(s) can handle.
swez on 04/27/2005 18:32:30
Pretty much as Alan mentioned here. Most cars will put out 13.5 volts on average. Depends on the regulator that is mated with the ALT.
You can measure the voltage at amp with a DC voltmeter. That's the number that matters most. In general terms, the higher the voltage source, the output we can get from a given amp. However, most amps do have regulated power supplies and only allow a pre-determined amount of voltage to enter the amp. If you have an unregulate power supply in the amp, even more power is possible at the output stage.
Swez
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