I was wondering what the stock speakers put out in a 2001 f-150. The reason I'm asking is because I think they sound pretty satisfactory and I'm looking around for a cheap set of speakers and new head unit. If anyone know's what the stock speakers put out watt wise please post here.

Thanks.

 

Ziggy, Speakers don't "put out" wattage. You may be confusing that with how much wattage they can handle. Either the head unit or a dedicated separate amplifier is what "puts out" wattage. And the amp's output capabilities and the speakers' handling capabilities should be matched to a certain degree to each other for optimum use.

And, if you are replacing the head unit and speakers, the old speakers' capabilities are meaningless.

 

Oh no, I don't OWN the f150 I'm comparing to, I have an old bronco and am in the market for speakers. I like the way the speakers sound in the truck and would like to know "what they can handle" so I can base my shopping on that. I've listened to speakers in-store but I don't think they grasp the "in the truck" sound since it's a closed space and the store wasn't. I just need to know what the stock speakers "can handle" (apparently not "put out" ,...sorry about that) in terms of watts.

 

Ziggy, I would never recommend putting stock speakers in anything. While they may "sound good" to some, it's all relative to what you are used to hearing. When compared to what is available on the market, they are extremely poor. But, that's not to say that you couldn't be happy with them. Many people are perfectly happy with a stock system. I'm not sure about power handling capabilities, but I would guess less than 20 watts RMS.

 

It said 25 watts in the back of our 2001 screw's stock speakers.

 

I'm not putting stock into it...i'm comparing. Let me try to put it in an understandable way over the internet (one thing i hate about the internet...never can really explain something the way you want to)

Alright. My dad has an f150. I have a Bronco.
My dad's f150's speakers sound good to me. My speakers (in my bronco) don't. (they really barely even work...83 bronco xlt with stock everything.)

So, what I want to know is, what do the speakers in HIS f150 have (in watts) so I can go somewhere either online or local to compare those numbers to get something of equal or greater sound from the store to put in my bronco.

I hope that was a little more easy to understand, sorry about the confusion.

25 watts? Is it really? That doesn't seem right...and what does RMS mean? Sorry but I'm just now getting research in. Any other info I may need?

 

Ziggy, The amount of power that any speaker will handle has very little to do with how it "sounds". There are speakers that can handle 1000 watts that won't "sound" as good as a high end speaker that may only handle 100 watts. The power handling has to do with how much heat the voice coil can dissipate without being ruined. It's possible a voice coil can handle a lot of heat and not be in a speaker of good quality.


25 watts is a reasonable number for a stock system.

RMS is a specification that shows how much power a speaker can handle CONTINUOUSLY without damage, or how much power an amp can supply continuously.

 

Yup, thats what it said on the back of the stock speaker.

 

So, the higher RMS the better?
Alright. I'll look into it. Does the head unit's RMS output have to be the same as the RMS the speakers can withstand?

 

No, higher does not mean better. You can buy speakers for $25/set that can handle big, big power. And there are "high end" components that can only handle 30 watts or so. Don't get caught up in this "watts" race. It's vastly overrated. As far as your "main" speakers, not subs, if you were to buy some "off brand" of speaker that could handle 100 watts, but is otherwise a piece of crap, it will in no way sound as good as a high end speaker that may handle only 30 watts. There is so much more to a speaker than how much power it can handle.


Since the RMS rating of most amps is a sinewave rating and not a "real world" rating, like in your Bronco would be, the amp's RMS can easily be 50% higher than the speaker's RMS. Example, a speaker of 100 watts RMS can be used with an amp of 150 watts RMS with no trouble. You have to realize that these ratings are only CAPABILITIES.


If you are planning to power your speakers with a HU, keep in mind that a HU's RMS rating is only going to be 15-20 watts. These 50x4 ratings you see are almost always peak. And HUs are not well suited for high volume listening over long periods. They are designed and intended for mid level volumes, at the most. Clipping and distortion can be HUGE factors when using a HU to amplify AND listening at LOUD levels.

 

Alright. Easier question.

I want my sound to be loud and deep. What do you recommend in size? I am not going to get a subwoofer and preferrably not an amp.

 

That's tough to answer because I have 30+ years audio experience and what I consider to be loud and deep will not be what you consider loud and deep. If you want something to use with a HU, try something like a 2-way Infinity Reference Series. I don't know what size you can fit into your Bronco, but those speakers will sound about as good as anyhting will used with only a HU as amplification.

 

MOST IMPORTANTLY!

Arguing about watts this and watts that, those speaers aren't even the right size for your bronco. Another thing, even if you do swap em successfully, it WILL sound different. The enclosure makes the speaker, and it is doubtful that the bronco will be as tightly sealed, and have similar amounts of interior volume-as your dad's pickup.

I'm not trying to say it's gonna be worse, it will definately be different - maybe better?...

 

another thing, the stereo of your dad's truck is considerably better than what comes in your bronco, i think it was maybe 5-7 watts, the f150's are in the range of 15 watts... per channel. In this case it's an old vehicle, with very old speakers- which are most likely falling apart. It won't take much to improve it...

If you are on a budget, don't follow the "you need amps" suggestions, just get the correct speaker size, replace what you have - you could probably do it for 50$-100$, a new head unit will also help, but not if you have 25 year old paper speakers...


Hope you find something for your bronco!!

 

RMS means root means square, which is .808 of a amps peak output. It directly correlates to a speakers wattage capability . What you need to know is if the amplifier is rated watts per channel into a 8,4,2 ohm load & +/- .5% total thd(total harmonic distortion) the lower the better, or whatever the amps output states & the speakers capacity should match. This is not the gospel, but it is 95% correct. Basically don't buy speakers at a autoparts store & spend $35-60 a pair & you should be okay