Car speakers cannot operate themselves, and to function correctly, they need an amplifier.
Speakers are just transducers. To produce sound, speakers take an amplified electrical signal from car amplifiers and then convert it into mechanical energy, which moves the speaker cone back and forth.
Although all of us use car speakers daily, many are wondering if speakers are AD or DC.
All car speakers are AC devices, as they receive AC signals from the amplifier. The confusion arises as the DC battery powers the speakers, but the current goes through the amplifiers that boost the signal and prepare it for playback using AC power.
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Tip: To verify whether car speakers are AC or DC, you can set a multimeter to ~ AC VOLTS at the output terminal of the amplifier and play a tone. You will see voltage fluctuation in the terminal.
If you do not have a multimeter at home, I recommend using a AstroAI TRMS 6000, which is easy in daily usage and can measure not only all the electrical parameters but also a surface temperature.
The Amplifiers use a DC input power source, and they have built-in transformers which convert DC into AC.
Why Do Car Speakers Use AC Rather Than DC?
AC is a type of current that alternates its direction of flow, and frequency is the number of cycles per second and is expressed in Hz. DC, on the other hand, flows in one way and does not change its directions.
A direct current will not make any sound because it moves the cone either in or out.
In contrast, the alternating current will move the cone both in and out due to a change in the direction of the current. That makes AC suitable for speakers.
How Are Car Speakers Powered?
An amplifier powers the car speakers via speaker wire. The amplifier has a negative and positive wire at the output, which is input to car speakers.
These wires send amplified signals to speakers at various frequencies. Then the signal is transferred to the mechanical energy and is passed through a voice coil.
The current from the amplifier induces an electromagnetic field inside the voice coil. Since the magnet is fixed and with a change in frequency, the voice coil moves freely.
Both speakers and amplifiers have positive (+) and negative (-) terminals. Therefore, always connect the positive terminal of the amp with the positive terminal of the speakers and the negative one with the negative ones.
If you interchange and connect positive with negative terminal, then the output of all speakers will be unsynchronized and unpleasant to our ears.
Let me show you the waveforms of speakers A and B.
Case 1 – When the same terminals are connected.
In this case, speakers A and B positive terminals are connected to the positive polarity of amp and negative vice versa.
The output of speakers A and B is synchronized and in phase with each other. Therefore, the resulting output is higher in amplitude without noise when all speakers are connected in the same way.
Case 2 – When positive and negative polarities are interchanged
In this arrangement, I connect positive and negative terminals of speaker A with the positive terminal of the amplifier and the same with negative.
Just interchange the wiring of speaker B – positive of the speaker with negative of amp and so on.
The outputs from speakers A and B are out of phase resulting in noise.
What Voltage Do Car Speakers Run At?
Car audio equipment is designed to operate at a lower impedance than home audio appliances.
Car amplifiers have to supply enough voltage to car speakers to get power output (sound) at realistic listening levels.
Most car speakers have lower impedances around 4 ohms. So to deliver 100-watt output from standard 4-ohm speakers, it takes peak to peak 60 volts. To achieve this, the amplifiers are set at +30 V and -30 V.
According to ohm’s law
P = E2/R E = Voltage and R = impedance
The power doubles each time as you lower the resistance by half.
As we know, there is a limited amount of voltage available in the car stereo, approximately 13.8 volts.
Therefore we have only 13.8 volts to apply to our car speakers, and if the speaker is of higher impedance, it will not be able to produce sound.
The Head unit’s internal amplifier cannot drive even up to one-ohm resistance. So we need power amplifiers to amplify the signal.
The amplifiers have internal step-up transformers. A step-up transformer converts lower voltage alternating signal to higher voltage signal by stepping it by.
For example, if you have a 1:2 step-up transformer, it will convert 12 volts into 24 volts.
Do car speakers use alternating currents?
YES, car speakers use alternating currents to produce sound.
The voice coil in the speaker is nothing else than an electromagnet. The electromagnet is a coil of wire usually wrapped around a piece of magnetic metal, such as iron.
Unlike permanent magnets, electromagnets can reverse their polarity with a change in the current direction, between north and south pole polarity.
As we pass alternating current from the amplifier, an electric field is induced, constantly pulling the cone inwards and outwards. Repeated motion of the cone creates sound waves in the air.
This cone’s motion depends on the frequency output of the amplifier, and several frequencies are played simultaneously, all at the same time ranging from 20 Hz to 20 kHz.
The more complex a sound wave is, the harder it is for the speaker to produce sound.
To maintain the quality of sound, more than one speaker has to be connected to the system.
This type of system does an excellent job of splitting the frequency spectrum among different speakers. This reduces the workload from the speaker and helps produce accurate sound quality.
The splitting of frequencies and sending them to different speakers is done by using crossover networks. The most common crossover network is two-way crossover.
There are two types of filters in the two-way crossover – low pass filter and high pass filter.
The output of the low pass filter goes to the speaker responsible for producing low-level frequency signals. The output of the high pass filter goes to the speaker responsible for high-level frequency signals.
Can I Convert AC Speakers to DC?
You can convert the AC speakers into DC speakers, and to do this, you must know electronic circuits and soldering skills.
For this task, I recommend you take help from a professional. The converting process, although not too complicated, is time-consuming.
To do this, you need a rechargeable lithium battery of 12 volts for car speakers, soldering equipment, a multimeter, loose wires, and clips.
- First, remove the speaker and circuit from the case carefully.
- Now on the circuit board, you will see various capacitors, diodes, a transformer, IC, etc.
- Locate the ac source on the circuit board with the help of a multimeter. Usually, this point is located near the big capacitor, and then solder two wires at each end. You will use these wires to connect the positive and negative terminals of the lithium battery. And now, connect the speaker to the circuit board.
When the battery is connected, you can check the circuit by giving any sound input to the speaker. Of course, you will hear some noise, and you will have to adjust the volume, and bass to fine-tune the output.
What Is the Difference Between AC and DC?
AC and DC are two types of electrical current. AC stands for alternating current, which means the current changes direction periodically.
This type of current is supplied by power companies and used in most household and commercial electrical systems.
DC stands for direct current, which means the current flows in one direction. DC is used in specialized applications, such as car audio systems and electronic devices that run on batteries.
Speakers are always powered by AC because the electronic components require a steady supply of AC power to function correctly.
What Are the Consequences of Connecting Car Speakers to Direct Current?
Connecting car speakers to DC power can seriously affect the speakers and the overall audio system.
First and foremost, speakers are designed to work with AC power, and running them on DC power can cause damage to their electronic components.
This can lead to distortion of the audio signal and decreased sound quality.
Additionally, because DC power does not change direction, it may cause the speakers to overheat, which can further damage the speakers and potentially even cause a fire.
Another issue with connecting car speakers to DC power is that it can put undue strain on the car’s electrical system.
This is because the car’s electrical system is not designed to handle the additional load of running speakers on DC power, which can lead to problems with the car’s battery or alternator and can even cause damage to the car’s wiring.
Does Car Radio Send AC or DC Signal to Speakers?
Car radios send an alternating current (AC) signal to the speakers. This is because an AC signal is a more efficient way to transmit audio information. Also, it is easy to filter out unwanted noise or interference that may be present on the signal.
Here are a few key points to explain why this is the case:
#1. The radio in a car uses an electronic circuit called a radio frequency (RF) amplifier to increase the strength of the incoming audio signals. This amplified signal is then passed through a detector, which converts the RF signal into an audio frequency (AF) signal.
#2. The AF signal is an alternating current, meaning that the current flows in one direction for a short time, then changes direction and flows in the opposite direction, and so on.
This is in contrast to a direct current (DC) signal, which flows in only one direction.
#3. An AC signal is used because it is a more efficient way to transmit audio information. The audio information is encoded in the amplitude, or strength, of the AC signal.
The amplitude can be easily varied to convey different volume levels, and it is also easy to filter out unwanted noise or interference that may be present in the signal.
#4. The AC signal is then passed through the amplifier in the car’s sound system, which increases the strength of the signal and sends it to the speakers.
The speakers convert the AC signal back into sound waves, and this is what you hear.
Conclusion
As we have gone through a lot of detail regarding car speakers, you get an idea of how your car speakers work.
All car stereos use speakers which operate on AC and are powered by AC.
The proper wiring of car speakers with an amp will result in good sound quality and makes your journey memorable.
FAQ
What Is the Difference Between Speaker Types?
Speakers come in different types and designs, such as passive and active. Passive speakers do not have their own power supply and rely on an external amplifier.
On the other hand, active speakers have a built-in amplifier, making them more convenient and portable.
Both passive and active speakers are AC devices, meaning they will always need AC power to run.
Can I Use DC Voltage to Power My Car Speakers?
Your speakers will always need AC power to run. While it is technically possible to convert DC voltage to AC to power speakers, it is not recommended and not practical for most situations. It’s best to stick with using AC power for your speakers.
What Is the Role of an Amplifier in Car Audio?
An amplifier is an electronic device that increases an audio signal’s amplitude, making it louder. As you know, in car audio, the amplifier takes the audio signal from the car stereo and amplifies it before sending it to the speakers.
Without an amplifier, the audio signal would not be strong enough to drive the speakers and produce sound.