Power supply for Amp

[icecoolwas]

will a 12V 6AMP Car battery charger power a Infinity reference 300 Watt rms Amp? Or shall I just get a car battery and connect the charger to it and then to the amp? Im trying to build my own home system.

[paulb]

1. No (battery chargers put out more than 12V, could damage the amp; also 12V * 6A = 72W, not enough)
2. Maybe. Or maybe just keep the battery on the charger when it's not connected to the amp. Safest not to connect the amp, battery and charger at the same time.

[keantoken]

If you're just using it for listening in a small space, IMHO 72W is enough. However, you should install proper 6A fuses and remember not to turn the volume way up.

You can use a DPDT switch as the on switch to automatically switch the battery to the car charger when you turn it off.

This is what I would do, but if you want more than 72W you will need a more powerful supply.

- keantoken

[icecoolwas]

Hmm Okay So This is going to be my setup basically

Logitech x-230 with a 4" sub
Infinity Reference 300 watt rms amp
Infinity Reference 1252 12" 300 watt rms Subwoofer
Audio RCA to 3.5m Phono Jack
Headphone splitter
Car battery charger
Possibly a car battery
2.1 sound card

The logitech x230 would be the mids and the sub is just there it would connect into the headphone splitter
RCA connects to amp, and the other side would go into the splitter
the splitter goes into my pc's soundcard
the infinity sub connects to the amp
car battery charger powers amp or car battery

Is that setup okay? I know I will lose some quality by splitting but as far as i know you cannot have 2 soundcards working at the same time.

[Andre Visser]

Car battery chargers usually output pulsated DC, you will need a battery and then there is still a good chance that it will generate noise if you listen while charging the battery.

[keantoken]

Whether or not splitting will degrade the quality will depend on the equipment, but the ear is the best measuring device.

If you have a Creative soundcard I would recommend the KX drivers. And if you use Winamp get the kernel streaming plugin (google for "winamp kernel streaming plugin"). You can also try the low-latency waveout plugin from winamp.com. IMO it sounds better but on my system it has serious bugs.

Since you are using a soundcard for your source I would recommend getting a soundblaster, if what you have isn't already one. Note, most other creative cards aren't nearly as good. Some on these forums recommend a good USB DAC.

- keantoken

[paulb]

Originally posted by keantoken
You can use a DPDT switch as the on switch to automatically switch the battery to the car charger when you turn it off.
- keantoken

Get a BIG switch if you do this. Most switches are rated for AC current, DC is much harder. A big automotive rated switch would work.