How Loud Do Car Speakers Get? (Might Surprise You)

Car speakers are an essential feature of automobiles. It keeps your mind engaged when you’re stopped in traffic and puts you in a good mood.

It is, therefore, natural for car owners to ponder upon how they can improve and most importantly, maintain the audio system.

One of the most common improvements in a car audio system is replacing a car’s sound system with a new one, giving your retro car some latest car audio equipment.

There’s nothing wrong with listening to music while driving, but what happens when the volume becomes too high? Loud music can be a distraction, taking your concentration away from the road.

Here’s How Loud Car Speakers Can Get

Car speakers can get as loud as you want. It all depends on what after-market car audio system you have installed and the watts of your system. Factory-fitted audio systems however do follow noise regulation and limit their RMS (Root Mean Square) output.

Meridian car door surround sound speaker
Meridian car door surround sound speaker

Related:

Why Are Decibels (dBs) Important?

A decibel is a unit of measurement for noise or loudness of sound.

The abbreviation is dB, used as a standard, and is a logarithmic system.

How Powerful Is A Factory Car Stereo?

Car head unit with radio and cd player
Car head unit with radio and cd player

Before you begin boosting your audio experience, you must first determine how many watts the factory-installed radio in your vehicle already has.

The normal wattage for default stereos in automobiles, according to specification papers, is between 8 and 10 watts RMS.

How Many Watts Should a Factory Car Stereo Have?

However, this information might be confusing because peak and RMS wattage are two quite distinct metrics for measuring audio performance.

Your car audio may produce up to 200 watts of power if the amp chip is supplemented by four channels of 50 watts of peak power each.

However, when external road noise from traffic is considered, the real-world RMS value might go as high as 15-18 watts RMS at maximum.

How Many Decibels / Watts Are Loud For A Car Speaker?

Power rating in speakers simply refers to the maximum wattage the speakers can handle without damaging the passives.

It does not indicate how loud it will be by itself, but it also refers to the amplifier watts built into it.

You may need to consider sixty watts of electrical power on each speaker for a loud sound.

The cone throw must be huge since the speakers are tiny, and the magnetic gap must be extremely broad to tolerate dust and debris. This affects speaker efficiency.

Therefore 240 watts of power delivered through four automotive speakers is not the same as the power delivered by four 18-inch woofers in a horn enclosure, midranges, and tweeters match. 

This final array is audible in a normal-sized living room; if such sound could be jammed into a car, it would be deadly.

If you prefer loud music, traveling at 60 mph with the windows pulled down necessitates the 4X60W array. Under these conditions, the 4X20 would appear to be rather modest.

In Decibels, What Is The Loudest Automobile Sound?

The trunk and backseat are filled with six 15-inch speakers and two amplifiers.

The world record for the loudest regular car is held by an 18-inch woofer that reached 170.3 dB, which is louder than most rock concerts.

How Many Decibels / Watts Are An Average Car Speaker?

Hyundai Tucson 2017 rear door speaker
Hyundai Tucson 2017 rear door speaker

It’s not easy to provide an exact answer to this query. Because decibels are measured at a specific distance and with a specific level of power, imagine a subwoofer with 100 watts of power that outputs 100 decibels.

At a distance of 3 feet. Using this as a reference, determine how many decibels are generated at larger distances or with a higher power. 

In addition, positioning the subwoofer directly on the floor in a corner will increase perceived loudness owing to the “coupling” effect of reflected sound. Your subwoofer should always match or surpass the decibels level of your system’s mid and high components.

A suitable listening volume is usually between 90 and 100 decibels. 110 dB becomes unbearably loud to the point that you can’t converse over it.

An average 12-inch car speaker in a car produces around 100 dB/watt. 2.83 volts into an 8-ohm load, 2 volts into a 2-ohm load, or 1 volt into a 1-ohm load, an 18-inch woofer certified at 110 dB/watt. You must have at least 110 to 114 dB/watt to compete for in-car sound.

How Many Decibels / Watts Is A Good Car Speaker?

A watt, in scientific terms, is a unit of measurement for electric power. It generally refers to how much energy your car speakers can take when delivering sound.

Before you begin boosting your audio experience, you must first determine how many watts the factory-installed audio in your vehicle already has. The sensitivity of standard car audio is between 85 and 110 decibels. This means it can blast sounds reasonably without interference at a low wattage.

Because each speaker is unique, you should consult an audio specialist to choose the best speakers to connect with your present stereo system if your original equipment manufacturer’s stereo is rated at 10 to 15 watts RMS (Root mean square) per channel or less.

You will need speakers with a highly accurate rating (over 90 decibels). If you have already upgraded your stereo to a high-powered system, then you should match the RMS to the specifications in the user handbook.

Closing

The music system in the car is among the most important aspects of the vehicle that should not be neglected. Long or short rides would be quite uninteresting without a nice soundtrack.

Overall, while trying to figure out how many watts is ideal for a vehicle audio system, it’s a good idea to look into all of the alternatives. However, keeping your speakers within their safe operating range is always advisable.

We recommend that you should not overturn your car stereos to avoid having a damaged system. Before making such modifications to your car, consult the professionals and ensure you know what you’re doing.

Sources 

How Many Watts Is Good for A Car Stereo?

How many decibels is the average car stereo?

How Many Watts Should a Car Stereo Have?