Sometimes, you just need to crank up the volume. Car audio systems must overcome a good deal of ambient noise--a vehicle traveling down the highway in the company of other loud engines is surrounded by a high Car Amplifiers background clatter level. Factory-installed head units have a modest expanse of amplification (generally about 10 watts per carrier or less), and numerous aftermarket head units have at least twice that. The besides power the amp included with your CD or cassette muscle man delivers, the cleaner the fit from the speakers. But be careful--a receiver rated at 50 watts maximum power probably old-fashioned no exceeding than 20 watts of clean power. For that reason, serious mobile listeners eschew the modest amplifiers built into head units and instead opt for powerful external amplifiers.
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