If you’ve grown to dislike your current car audio system or you just want to upgrade it — one of the first things you would look at is the power output. Increasing the power output will have a significant impact on the audio experience in your car. Car audio systems come with built-in car amplifiers that are usually enough to power the speakers that come with it. If you want to add a bit more juice, you would need the best 2 Channel car amplifier.
What is a car amplifier?
The goal of the amplifier is to boost the strength of the audio signal to be powerful enough to power the speakers to their fullest. Your phone usually produces a very lightly powered audio signal which is enough to power your headphones. If you run this signal through a 2 channel car amplifier, it will be able to power highly powered speakers. But buying just any 2 channel car amplifier is not good enough if you’re looking for premium sound.
Why do I need the best 2 Channel car amplifier?
Having the best 2 Channel car amplifier is of importance if you’re trying to achieve a high-quality sound. Usually, the low-end car amplifiers are enough to power the speakers, but more often than not they suffer some drawbacks. Adding just power doesn’t guarantee that you will have distortion-free audio. Having the best 2 channel car amplifier will produce the sound the way it was supposed to be heard. If you want to impress your friends with the crystal-clear sound and accurate lows — that is the way to go.
But where do you even start looking for the best 2 Channel car amplifier?
If you’re not very familiar with car amplifiers or with audio in general, then you might find it a bit hard at the beginning. When you are on the hunt for a good car amplifier — you need to consider many key features and specifications. There is a huge diversity of products, features, and specifications. In order to find the one that suits you best — you need to know how powerful you want your speakers to get.
Standard car audio systems usually come with no more than 10 W of RMS power in total for the whole car. While that is enough to give you some sound when you need it, it is not enough to provide you the level of enjoyment that you are probably looking for. It is usually not enough to cover up all the noise from the car without sounding distorted. If you’re looking for a small bump in power — going with 200 W amplifier is more than enough to power your speakers. If you want your car to be heard from a far away distance — you should go with 1000 W car amplifier, or even more.
To give you a better perspective of how much amplifier power output you are looking for, you need to know the exact RMS power of your speaker bodies. Usually, the front-seat speakers come with a bit different power than the ones at the back, so you should choose the ones that are with less. When you take the RMS power, you would want to multiply it by 0.8 or 80%. The result is the minimal power output per channel you are looking for. If you multiply it by 1.45 or 145% you will get the maximum power output per channel that you are looking for to power your speaker bodies.
Right now the car amplifiers market is oversaturated with products, most of which tend to score to the lower-end. I’ve personally been disappointed in a product quite a few times. Over the past few months, I have been trying to upgrade my car audio to something that would fit my To help you with your search, I’ve prepared a list of my top five choices for the best 2 Channel car amplifier that you can find in 2018.
| # | Image | Brand | Price |
| 1 |                      |
Pioneer | $64.50 |
| 2 |                       |
Kenwood | $73.98 |
| 3 |                      |
BOSS Audio | $46.74 |
| 4 |                          |
Pyle | $49.99 |
| 5 |                        |
Rockford Fosgate | $86.65 |
1. Pioneer GM-A3702
When it comes to audio equipment, Pioneer is a worldwide leader. They are well known around the world with a long brand heritage. Many of their products are being used by world-famous DJs, singers, producers, and the typical audiophiles. One of their great products is the GM-A3702 2 Channel car amplifier.
The GM-A3702 is a 2 Channel bridgeable car amplifier with a maximum power capacity of 500 W. The device features automatic recognition of which input mode should be preferred — either RCA or speaker level. It will also turn on automatically as you turn on the receiver. If the device is connected to an OEM receiver or a receiver without RCA output and speaker level output, the amplifier will automatically power up in sync with it. It features Hi-Volt input level control and a balanced isolator input circuit.
2. Kenwood KAC-5206
With a maximum power output of 400W, the KAC5206 ranks as the second best 2 Channel car amplifier. Manufactured by Kenwood, worldwide known manufacturer of car audio, Hi-Fi home, and professional/personal audio electronics. The amplifier is type Class AB with an impressive signal to noise ratio of 95 dB.
Most amplifiers nowadays come with a small frequency response range. Unlike most amplifiers, the KAC-5206 comes with the mind-boggling frequency response range of between 5 Hz and 50 kHz (+0 dB, -3 dB). The impedance of the input is 10k Ohm while the speaker impedance is 4 Ohms (2 to 8 allowable). Another great additional feature that you might find useful is the low pass filter. At any time you have the power to cut at 80 Hz with up to -18 dB / oct.
3. BOSS Audio R1100M
If you wish your car to be heard from very far away, or you just happen to have 1000 W car speakers laying around — the R1100M is the best way to go. With a maximum power output of 1100 W, this beast can be heard from over a hundred meters! BOSS Audio is well known for their premium car audio system electronics.
The R1100M features three audio output channels. There is an 1100 W channel, a 550 W channel and a third 413 W channel. The impedance of the 1100W channel is 2 Ohms while for the rest it is 4 Ohms. The device features an ultra-wide frequency response range — from 9 Hz to 50 kHz +/- 1 dB. It supports high and low-level input methods. Other great feature that you will find useful are Variable Low Pass Crossover and Variable Bass Boost technologies. It also features a remote control for the subwoofer, allowing to control your audio easily from any car seat, or even outside!
4. Pyle Hydra PLMRMB2CB
If you’ve recently read our review of the top 5 picks for the best portable DVD player — you are probably familiar with Pyle. Part of their car amplifiers lineup is the PLMRMB2CB — the fourth best 2 Channel car amplifier. It features a maximum power output of 200 W and is perfect for those who are looking for quality over power.
One of the features that separate the Pyle car amplifier from others is the Bluetooth-powered connectivity. You don’t need to use cables only for this one, it can operate simply with a Bluetooth connection. The maximum range for its coverage is 10 meters or 30-35 feet. Despite its compact size, this little beast is a powerhouse. It features two 100 W channels at 4 Ohms, two 200 W channels at 4 Ohms, and two 300 W channels at 2 Ohms. It also supports both AUX and RCA audio input connection.
5. Rockford Fosgate R150X2
If you’re looking for the high-end sound, then you should probably give the Rockford Fosgate R150X2 Prime a try. The device features a sleek black casing and is compact, perfect for almost any car. It comes with a cast aluminum heatsink with top mount contorls.
The R150X2 features two 50 W output channels at 4 Ohms, two 75 W output channels at 2 Ohms each and a 150 W output channel at 5 Ohms. The channels are bridged. It accepts both High level & RCA level inputs. The included crossover reaches 12 dB per octave. There are four Gauge power/ground connectors available.
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