Tag: Factory Speakers

When it came time to put an audio system in my Chevy Tahoe, I looked carefully at all the brands we carried and after months of going back and forth with different system designs, I decided JL Audio was the way to go. I didn’t want to just replace the factory speakers with JL’s and I didn’t want to just put a subwoofer enclosure in the trunk. I wanted to build a vehicle where our master installer Tom Mangs could really stretch his legs. He was given the equipment I picked out and when he asked how I wanted it installed, I simply said “Make it different than anything else out there”. With no real budget or time restriction, I knew we would be in for a treat.

It’s a common question. And it involves making an additional investment in your car stereo purchase which can make a huge difference. So why should you add an external power amplifier to your car?

Let’s take a look at what a power amplifier actually does. Put simply, an amplifier takes the low level output from a source device (CD player, tuner or MP3 player) and brings its output level to a range that can drive speakers. This range, or power output, can vary depending on the size of the amplifier. Many car audio systems- both OEM and aftermarket- contain power amplifiers even though you might not know it. They can range from built-in amp stages that are actually inside the chassis of the radio to separate external amplifiers that can be located under a seat or in a rear side panel of the vehicle.