JBL amp power?
- Thread starter Brook24v
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93medusa
New Member
I think it is about 85 watts, could be wrong though
pathogenic
New Member
The sub amp is 85 watts RMS correct.
I am honestly surprised though, stock doesn't really hit hard at all. You'd probably do a lot better even with a cheap little amp putting out around 200w.
I am honestly surprised though, stock doesn't really hit hard at all. You'd probably do a lot better even with a cheap little amp putting out around 200w.
93medusa
New Member
Stock in a SHO is not that weak, I am a strong believer that the JBL system was designed very well, the weak point is the Ford head unit that was used to run it. If all the speakers are in good shape, that JBL system sounds pretty good
(using cd as a source of course, FM blows). You'd be supprised how hard that little 6-1/2 inch sub can kick. If you upgrade to an aftermarket head unit and use it's preamp outputs to drive the stock amps, you weill be VERY supprised how good it sounds. I'm not saying it is better than most aftermarket systems, but you'd be really supprised at how it comes alive with a good source.
oh and P.S. a cheap little amp putting out "200 watts" is probably producing less "real watts" than the JBL.
(using cd as a source of course, FM blows). You'd be supprised how hard that little 6-1/2 inch sub can kick. If you upgrade to an aftermarket head unit and use it's preamp outputs to drive the stock amps, you weill be VERY supprised how good it sounds. I'm not saying it is better than most aftermarket systems, but you'd be really supprised at how it comes alive with a good source.
oh and P.S. a cheap little amp putting out "200 watts" is probably producing less "real watts" than the JBL.
pathogenic
New Member
You can get an amp that puts out around 200w "real watts" for pretty cheap. I can guarantee you'd be much happier with that. If you're satisfied with 85 though more power to ya, you won't end up like me, having blown hundreds on stereo equipment and still unhappy. headbang
93medusa
New Member
If I had a choice between a pyramid 200 watt amp, and the factory jbl amp, I would take the factory. If you are refering to brands like Kenwood, Sony, etc, then you are right, they are most likely better than stock. I don't classify those as cheap amps though, those are the middle of the middle class amps.
I agree the stock system is actually fairly decent. My only complaints are that the input sensitivity on the 4-channel amp was set way too low. With that said, when the compression circuitry kicks in at highter volume setting on the head unit, the sound still just isn't loud enough. I have had an aftermarket JBL amp running my highs for quite some time now, off of the factory head unit, and I actually had to turn the gain down some, to take advantage of the head unit's compreesion (auto volume/loudness control) circuitry. This way it would limit levels that could distort my highs, but it still played loud enough when cruising on the highway with the windows open - something the factory setup won't allow 
.That tells me, from having to turn the gain down a bit under half way, that the output line level signal (which actually is a balanced signal by the way) is a more than most aftermarket decks' line out's provide. And the only other complaint I really have pertains to the sub setup. I think firing up to the rear window with a little wimpy 6.5 inch sub in a sealed enclosure was a crappy design. The 6.5 inch can't hold it's own trying to push a decent amount of air in a cabin as big as the Taurus's. A nice tuned ported enclosure, mounted in the trunk would have been a better solution (even if they kept the 6.5 inch driver). That way it could actually have some room to build a nice sound wave, allowing a nicer low-end frequency range to the cabin. Think about how decent one of those Bazooka bass tubes or a small bandpass enclosure (even with a single sub) would sound in the trunk of a car like the Taurus. Not too bad actually. And quite possibly, upping the mono sub amp's power to saw around 100 watts would've helped also. The 15 watts RMS from the JBL 4-channel is pretty adequate, seeing it's drving smaller speakers through less of a "current-robbing" frequency range, seeing that the singals are electronically high-pass crossed-over in the amplifier's preamp section. The speakers themselves can actually handle more power, but it should remain "clean" power. I've driven all four main speakers off of my JBL gt-180 and they sounded great crossed over, played very loud, and never ever blew a tweeter. @ 6 ohms a piece, they were getting around 33.75 watts each RMS power. They handled it fine and sounded great. Although, I do feel that the factory speakers and amplifiers matched each other a bit better in terms of overall EQ, just as they were designed to do. But of course, if one really cared to do so, could use a 32 band EQ to help fix that. I'm still thinking up a nifty design to run three factory subs, in a bandpass design enclosure in the trunk, along with running 3 sub amps. I think it would sound nice, it would be practically free to do (since I have 3 factory sub drivers laying around). I just need to aquire two more sub amps, and up the 4-channel amplifier's sensitivity through a glance of the amp's internal schematic. just a fun little project, and it will keep it stock, and cost next to nothing. It'll keep me occupied... thumb
<small>[ March 03, 2004, 03:53 PM: Message edited by: DJ SHO ]</small>
.That tells me, from having to turn the gain down a bit under half way, that the output line level signal (which actually is a balanced signal by the way) is a more than most aftermarket decks' line out's provide. And the only other complaint I really have pertains to the sub setup. I think firing up to the rear window with a little wimpy 6.5 inch sub in a sealed enclosure was a crappy design. The 6.5 inch can't hold it's own trying to push a decent amount of air in a cabin as big as the Taurus's. A nice tuned ported enclosure, mounted in the trunk would have been a better solution (even if they kept the 6.5 inch driver). That way it could actually have some room to build a nice sound wave, allowing a nicer low-end frequency range to the cabin. Think about how decent one of those Bazooka bass tubes or a small bandpass enclosure (even with a single sub) would sound in the trunk of a car like the Taurus. Not too bad actually. And quite possibly, upping the mono sub amp's power to saw around 100 watts would've helped also. The 15 watts RMS from the JBL 4-channel is pretty adequate, seeing it's drving smaller speakers through less of a "current-robbing" frequency range, seeing that the singals are electronically high-pass crossed-over in the amplifier's preamp section. The speakers themselves can actually handle more power, but it should remain "clean" power. I've driven all four main speakers off of my JBL gt-180 and they sounded great crossed over, played very loud, and never ever blew a tweeter. @ 6 ohms a piece, they were getting around 33.75 watts each RMS power. They handled it fine and sounded great. Although, I do feel that the factory speakers and amplifiers matched each other a bit better in terms of overall EQ, just as they were designed to do. But of course, if one really cared to do so, could use a 32 band EQ to help fix that. I'm still thinking up a nifty design to run three factory subs, in a bandpass design enclosure in the trunk, along with running 3 sub amps. I think it would sound nice, it would be practically free to do (since I have 3 factory sub drivers laying around). I just need to aquire two more sub amps, and up the 4-channel amplifier's sensitivity through a glance of the amp's internal schematic. just a fun little project, and it will keep it stock, and cost next to nothing. It'll keep me occupied... thumb<small>[ March 03, 2004, 03:53 PM: Message edited by: DJ SHO ]</small>
