An amplifier increases the power of the signal being fed to it by taking energy from its power supply and matching the signal but increasing its amplitude. Amplifiers use many different methods for converting these electrical signals and have been categorized into classes.

Class A/B: Greater than 50% of the input signal is amplified while the other percentage is “off”. These amplifiers have a small amount of current flowing through the output transistors all the time which almost eliminates crossover distortion. Class A/B has great sound quality but is not as efficient as class D. These amps are most commonly used to drive speakers.

Class D: Also known as switching amplifiers, class D amps have output transistors that are completely turned “on” or “off”. This means that when the transistors are on, there is almost no voltage across them but when they are off there is significant voltage but no current flowing through it which makes these amplifiers very efficient at the cost of sound quality. These amps are most commonly used to drive subwoofers.

Other Classes: You may see classes such as GH, bD, X, FD, etc. by some manufactures. These amplifiers tend to be either class A/B, D or a hybrid of the two but with improvements to their designs that can make them more efficient or offer better sound quality.

D (23)

A/B (6)

Number of Channels

Each channel on an amplifier will power one speaker using a positive and negative cable. There are various types of amplifiers, each designed to power a certain number of speakers. Monoblock amplifiers, also known as single channel, are designed to power one or more subwoofers. These amplifiers often have very high power ratings. On the other hand, multi-channel amplifiers power multiple speakers, usually at lower power ratings. 2-Channel and 4-Channel amplifiers can power car speakers or low powered subwoofers. Occasionally you might see a 5 or 6-channel amplifier that can power speakers and subwoofers at the same time. The most common setup is a monoblock amp to run subwoofers and a 4-channel amp to run door speakers. Check out our Knowledge Base for more information.

Total RMS Power Output

Total RMS power is measured by multiplying RMS power per channel by the number of channels, and is calculated at the lowest level of operating impedance.

RMS power is the amount of continuous power, measured in watts, that an amplifier produces is called RMS power. The higher the RMS figure, the louder and cleaner your music sounds.

The RMS output figure is much more accurate than the peak rating when comparing products.

Up to 249.99 watts (4)

250–499.99 watts (9)

500–999.99 watts (13)

1,000–1,499.99 watts (1)

1,500 watts or more (1)

Total Peak Power Output

The total peak power output is measured as the wattage per channel multiplied by the number of channels, and is calculated at the lowest level of operating impedance.

It is measured during a brief musical burst, such as a sudden drum accent. Some manufacturers display peak power ratings on the face of their products to increase the appeal.

The RMS power rating is more accurate, and we recommend using it for product comparison.

500–999.99 watts (13)

1,000–1,999.99 watts (7)

Minimum Impedance Unbridged

The lowest impedance the amplifier will handle when it is not bridged.

2 (26)

1 (2)

4 (1)

Minimum Impedance Bridged

The lowest impedance the amplifier will handle when it is bridged.

4 ohms (21)

Not Bridgeable (5)

Remote bass/level controller

If the amp comes with a bass/gain remote you will be able to control the level of your bass from your dashboard. Typically bass remotes also include a 16-20 ft. wire for installation.

Optional (17)

No (10)

Yes (1)

Preamp Outputs

Many amplifiers are equipped with RCA preamp outputs which pass the original music signal from the source to additional amplifiers. This is known as daisy chaining because the source connects to the first amp, and the first amp connects to the second amp, etc. The advantage to daisy chaining is you only need one 2-channel RCA cable to transfer the signal from the head-unit to the amplifier, and then one additional cable for each amp being daisy chained.

Built-in Crossover

A crossover is a type of filtering system that permits only certain frequencies to play. A Low-Pass (LP) crossover allows only frequencies below its setting to get through which is good in the case of some subwoofers. A High-Pass(HP) filter allows frequencies above its setting to pass through, this is normally used on speakers.

When a crossover is set to FULL it means no filtering is added and the full frequency spectrum is allowed through the amplifier. Filtering is important because feeding a speaker frequencies it cannot reproduce effectively creates distortion.

Speaker Level Inputs

Speaker level inputs are commonly referred to as high-level inputs and vice versa. This input type allows you to get your audio signal directly from the speaker wire in your vehicle, instead of using RCA cables. The advantage of this is factory integration, as most stock radios do not have RCA outputs to run amplifiers.

No (13)

Yes (10)

Optional (4)

Yes - with included adapter (2)

Maximum Input Gauge Size

This is the largest gauge wire that will fit into the power and ground terminals of this device. The lower the gauge number, the thicker the wire is. For example, a 4 gauge wire is thicker than an 8 gauge wire and thus has higher current carrying capacity. Always do your best to get this size wire to reduce the risk of damage to your components.

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