The stock car stereo in your car or truck’s dash has an amplifier built-in, so why replace it? There’s a variety of reasons why you need an amplifier for your car’s stereo but the bottom line is, an aftermarket amp does a much better job than a head unit alone. Most amplifiers aren’t designed to squeeze inside a dash, so they don’t have to compromise on components, power or size. That results in an amplifier that can provide much clearer music with far less distortion, especially at higher volumes. And if you’re boosting your bass with a car subwoofer an amplifier is essential. Without it the big speaker won’t get the power it needs.
Our best car amplifier buying guide is filled with products chosen by our editors and cover everything you need to know. We’ll explain what channels are and how many you need. We’ll bring you up to speed on power ratings and how to match an amp to your speakers. (You never want to skimp on watts, but you can have too much of a good thing.) We’ll delve into tricky subjects like impedance, which you do need to know about if you want to buy the best amplifier for your car.
A four or five channel amp could power your subwoofer as well as your car speakers, but you might decide to give it it’s own amp. If that’s the case, take a look at our guide to the best mono subwoofer amplifiers. (Sometimes also called single channel amplifiers.) This guide covers the three classes of amplifier so you’ll learn why we prefer Class D, but you can also take a look at our amplifier classes defined article for more information. It even explains the role of CEA2006 certification, in case you’ve wondered what those markings mean.
The number one goal when we create our car amplifier buying guides is to present you with trustworthy information and products that you can have confidence in buying. If you’re curious about how we compile our products in these lists, be sure to take a look at how we compile our buying guides. We’re always updating these lists to keep them fresh with the latest products too so be sure to bookmark our page for the next time you’re in the market for a car amplifier!