Good thing everybody is saying what’s so bad about having a 2,000 Watt system, instead of why somebody would want one. I have an 800 W in my Dakota pickup, and it’s just the right size for two 10 inch subs. If I had a bigger vehicle, I would probably get a bigger amp, and bigger speakers (I built the speaker box myself, and made it as big as the dimensions behind the seat would allow).
When my parents (who hate loud bass) ride in my truck, i turn the subwoofer level control down to about 1/3, and I’ll play one of their CDs. They always say how good it sounds, because it has much more distinct bass tones than they’re used to listening to. It makes all types of music, from country music to New Mexican music sound much better.
I assume they are talking about a 2k W amp, and those are always rated at peak power, simply because it’s bigger than the RMS value.
So, having an amp of 2,000 W isn’t really that much, especially since most notes won’t hit that high, and will stay in the lower ranges. Also, it’s much more likely that there are actually two amps. One, four-channel (bridged into two) for the subs, that’s probably 1,600 W; and one, four-channel (not bridged), 400 W that is used to power speakers in the doors.
Building such a system myself (although the project has stalled). When I am done, there will be 1550w driving 6 speakers and a sub. The thing is, the amount of power in the typical head unit is insufficient to play music at a decent volume without distortion. It almost gets you there, but not quite. If you look at most car stereo manufacturers, the head units put out 25x4 across the line. The only thing extra money gets you is a gaudier faceplate. The back end is the same on all units, so if you want a louder stereo you can’t just order a more expensive head unit, you have to go whole hog and get external amps. Whether that is by design to get you to plunk down for more gear or not, is a question I will leave to the tin-foil hat crowd.
Furthermore, even the best 6x9 speakers are going to have weak bass in any case so you need a sub. That means two amps. Car stereo amps are rated without mentioning the distortion levels, and so the ratings are pretty meaningless. It says 800w on one of mine, but that is not comparable to a home component. The Klipsch sub in my living room is rated at only 400 watts, but I guarantee it puts out more than my van’s sub will.
Could I be obnoxious at a stoplight when I am done? Sure, but I am not that kind of guy. Also realize that these folks go in for “EQ” which essentially means turning up the bass so it plays at distorting levels. If you run with flat EQ, it just sounds like a really good loud system, not the “thumping” you hear at the stoplight. Also the type of music makes a difference. Rap is made to do this with. Led Zep, not so much.
Plus, as a hobby it is not that expensive. My amps cost less than $400 for the two, the head unit was maybe $150. Speakers run about $100 each, and even adding in the kewl capacitor and wiring kit, for not a whole lot of money I’ve got something pretty impressive. I would be surprised if I broke $1300 on the whole shebang. Of course doing my own install saves a lot of cash, but I am having a lot of fun with the installation. All of this is something that appeals to the adolescent in me, and oddly enough, it also appeals to real adolescents. When you consider some of the things that the kids today could be spending their money on, this seems to be a pretty harmless pursuit!
I don’t particularly like it when I am next to one of these “thumping” guys either, but I don’t hate on them. This is what they are into. They are not doing it to bother you (well, in most cases). Hope this helps.
And I wonder if some of the people snarking in this thread have ever even heard one of these killer systems play their own favorite music with reasonable equalization. It will be a revelation, I promise. I have had some high end gear in my time (B+W home speaks that ran over 6 grand) and some of the best sound you can hear is in a properly done vehicle system.
/All I need now is that deep cycle auxiliary battery…
//Slippery slope to Richie Incognito land…
HA! I had a Pioneer Super-Tuner 8-track. In fact, I still do. It’s in my '76 Chevy Plow truck!
The package I got with my new Pathfinder came with an upgraded Bose stereo. Honestly, I have no idea how good or bad someone might consider it, but it sounds great to me.
Needing a beater pickup, I bought an old one, - it had a Kraco CB, and a Muntz 4-track tape deck, which predates 8-tracks, even. Complete with a few tapes even, which look like 8-tracks, mostly. “Red Foley and your favorite piano rolls”. For giggles, I tried to get 'er working, but the belts had atrophied in place.
I was talking to a guy a couple of weeks ago who said he has seen people with high-powered audio systems driving around wearing earplugs while blasting the music with their windows open.
I have nothing against loud music, or big assed stereo systems. They do sound better at proper volumes.
What chaps my hide is the guy that has the EQ screwed up beyond all belief, his amp clipping like there is no tomorrow, his windows down, and the volume set to 11. When this guy is next to me at a stop light, and I can’t hear my 400W Dolby Pro-logic system in my car, I begin to think that he is an asshole.
Oh well in 20 years when I can still hear, and he is deaf as post I will point and laugh. Karma can be such a bitch.
But… but… I can quite understand why you’d want a killer amp to get great sound in your home, where you can actually sit and listen to the music. But in a vehicle, frankly, it’ll never sound great, as it has to compete with engine noise, road noise and wind noise, and you’re sitting in a big echoey tin box. That is why it’s pointless putting expensive hi-fi in a car.
I spend a good deal of time with the engine off. That’s why I need the deep cycle battery. Almost all automobiles aren’t echoey, they are upholstered throughout. Again, I challenge you to go listen to a proper car audio system. Beware though, you may find yourself plunking down a couple of grand. I guess it all depends how much time you spend in your vehicle. I spend a LOT of time there.
I dunno, I think if I was gonna plunk down a couple grand for a music-related expense in my car because I spend so much time in it, I might just invest in a large collection of CDs to listen to.
Oh, but I thought of a reason why I would like to have one of those super-powered car stereo systems. Find someone out for a morning jog, and drive next to them with the windows rolled down and the stereo pumping out “Chariots of Fire”
It’s for special “who’s got the most BASS” contests, often sponsered by car stereo chains and whatnot.
You cannot safely listen to a 2000 watt stereo in the confines of your car. I would not be suprised if the stereo equipment takes up 90% of the interior of the car anyway.
Oh, and if you see someone on a bike, you cue up “Bicycle Races” by Queen. If it’s a girl driving a Ford Mustang, of course, you play “Mustang Sally”. Unless she’s in a Shelby GT500, in which case you play the Cobra theme from the GI Joe movie.
Allthese kids who balst their ears with car stereos, IPODS, boomboxes, etc., are they damaging their hearing/ Will there be a big market for hearing aids, in 10-20 years? just a thought-but my stepson is already showing signs of hearing loss-but he keeps his ear buds plugged in!
There’s already a big market for them. And it’s getting bigger, for the reasons you give.
My wife is an audiologist, and where once she had mainly senior citizens as patients, she is seeing younger and younger people all the time. In their case, it’s not aging that is causing their hearing loss, but the fact that they have played music so loudly all their life. Given that people like to crank it up into earbuds (which fit so well, there is little room for any of the sound waves to escape except into the ear itself), damage will occur, and my wife will have another patient.
I should say that like any good practitioner, my wife urges prevention: don’t crank up the volume in your car, from your Ipod, etc. But (sorry, but I gotta say it), by the time patients come to see her, her words are falling on increasingly deafer ears.
I guess it all depends how much time you spend in your vehicle. I spend a LOT of time there.