Rms

[4thgenowner]

Im looking at buying a radio for my car. I want it loud but not too loud. I saw a radio in walmart that has 15 watts rms on 4 channels, is this good? Im sound system stupid so any help is appreciated.:tup:

[astroglyph]

Re: Rms

umm...RMS isnt really a measurement of good, lol, but if you have factory speakers, i think that 15 watts rms, would be a noticeable improvement. Basically, RMS is how many watts its produces...umm...normally i guess would be the best word for it, alot of manufacturors try to fool people into buying their product by bragging about huge wattage claims, but thats usually max watts, and thats at the peak of a bass hit usually. you should match the rms wattage of ur head unit/amplifiers, to the rms rating of your speakers, and for best performance, the hu/amps should be at least 3/4 of the speakers rms ratings. if you put too many watts to ur stock speakers, ur gonna blow em, so just be careful

[Nikos95]

Re: Rms

alot of manufacturors try to fool people into buying their product by bragging about huge wattage claims, but thats usually max watts, and thats at the peak of a bass hit usually.

Very close actually most companies rate their max power output at 1khz and 1% THD *Total Harmonic Distortion*

They say the average ear can hear any level of distortion above .1% THD.

Very good point though, where RMS doesn't mean everything.

Exp. I have a Denon car amp that has Dual power supplies, its a 4 channel amp rated at 50 watts x 4 RMS. Now this amp is rated at <.007% THD +/- <.1db at 10hz-50khz which means there is less than .007 distortion at its rated power of 50 watts, and that at its maximum output there is less than .1 decibel difference between a 10hz note to a 50khz note. Basically its a very good amplifier!

VS-

My old Pioneer amp which is rated at 125 watts x 2 RMS. Amp is rated at .05% THD and +/- 3db at 20hz-20khz. Which means a extremely noticable difference in sound quality.

In recievers there is much more to look at, some companies use a solid copper chasis for the radio to block out electrical noise from other items surrounding the unit. They all have different ratings, and different options on how to set and control your sound *EQ type*

Never pay attention to a radio that says 40x4 45x4 50x4 60x4 those are all Peak power ratings not RMS. Its a selling point because people like big numbers.

Play around with them in different stores, see what one you like, they pick is the best way to go. Alot of times if a salesmen tries to talk you into a deck for 20$ more from a different company odds are its for a good reason and you should look further.

Don't forget ease of use if thats important to you.

Good luck let us know what you got.

[Earnhardt132000]

Re: Rms

Before you buy it, check the model with us. Also, you can usually find prices of head units a lot less on the internet than at retail stores.