Car audio to in house conversion

[leanham44]

Hi folks,
total new kid to the audio scene (I literally know NOTHING). Im here seeking a few answers. Basically, Ive seen a 700w mini amp thats designed for a motorbike (I think) that can be powered by a 12v adaptor that can plug into the mains (I think...).
My vision is to create an audio piece out of a vintage chest of drawers and was wondering of this would be suitable? Could I hook up that amp with no problems and would I be able to run car speakers from it with any problems AND... more importantly, would the sound be any good?

Any help is greatly appreciated!

Thanks in advance ladies and gents!

 

[Perry Babin]

Most of those mini-amps are only about 20W/channel. Post a link to the amp you're considering.

The specs should give the current draw. You'll need a supply rated to deliver a bit more current than the maximum current draw rating of the amp.

If it's rated for 4 ohms or 2 ohms per channel, you will be able to use most car speakers (coaxials and such). Some woofers may have too low of an impedance for the amp.

 

[leanham44]

Hi Perry, Thanks for getting back to me, thats awesome! Heres a link to the 'amp' that I spied over here in the UK. Like I say, I know NOTHING about audio electrics at all. Basically, I'd like to bang some speakers on the outside of a chest of drawers (probably with some kind of internal box to stop any kind of vibration) and I need something to power it all. I was just wondering if this was a suitable option. Do you think it would be too quite?!

700W Mini Hi-Fi Stereo Amplifier Amp mp3 iPod Motorcycle 12V | eBay

Thanks

 

[Perry Babin]

That's 20w/ch. It will play about as loud as two channels of a standard car audio head unit.

 

[leanham44]

Do you think it would be suitable to make a stereo system to build into a piece of furniture or do you think id need a little bit more 'oomf'? I had spied this... you think it would do a better a job?

Pyle Pro Home DJ IPOD / IPHONE Stereo Hifi Party 150w USB Amplfier Amp System | eBay

 

[asmith]

I would say it would be junk. It says 700w on the top of the unit, but is realy a 20 watt per chanel amp. You would be much happer with an old Pioneer receiver from the 70's for the same money.

 

[sreten]

Hi,

Describe what you really want, and want to achieve in a total system,
from the media you want to reproduce, the form factor of the piece,
(why you want the form factor, would you change it for sound quality),
and the sort of sound quality your after, along with your idea of budget.

I'll sort you out, I know a lot of the cheap options available in the UK.

rgds, sreten.

 

[Perry Babin]

That one may be worse. The owner's manual states that it's 15w into 4 ohms at 1% THD. That means that it's likely already clipping at 15 watts.

I'm guessing that you're not in the US but maybe you can find the equivalent of the following amp where you are:
4x100W @ 4 Ohm TK2050 Class-T Digital Audio Amplifier Board 320-302

You'll have to add a power supply. One person was using a laptop power supply. Those should be easy to find.

 

[leanham44]

Ahhhh thats interesting. Whole new world for me that! haha. So, if I had a power supply for that (is there some kinda of 'input' socket to power it?) could I just connect up some speakers and away I go? Also, with that... would I be able to connect my ipod (my primary audio source) and finally... does that kinda thing have volume controls etc...

 

[Perry Babin]

The spec sheet and the user manual on the page for that amp (linked) will tell you most of what you need to know.

The volume is determined by the level of the input signal (including an ipod).