I just replaced the OEM 25watt speakers with Lightning Audio 225 Watt speakers. The clarity is awesome, but the volume is hardly an improvement over the previous speakers, even though they have about 10x the wattage. My friend has 240 watt'ers, and they will get much louder than mine. So, do I need a sub, or is this an inadequacy of my headunit (Pioneer DEH-P3700MP)?

Thanks in advance for your help/advise.

 

General rule of thumb is speakers are the voice of the system (clarity and quality) while power is the volume. More power will give you more volume. So yes the low power output from your pioneer is the problem. I wolud look at an amp for your front speakers.

 

Also consider a speakers sensitivity, this determines its ability to reproduce volume at a set wattage.

 

Yes, you need more power. Your new speaks are getting the same amount of power as your stock ones, so volume really wont go up much.

Also-remember that '225 Watts" is just a BS number they throw out there. I dont think I would give anything Lightning Audio more that 50 watts

So like notinbutaford said, buy a nice little 50x2 or so watt amp to stick on them and it will make a huge difference.

 

Like Bartak1 mentioned, ratings are bogus sometimes. And aside from that fact, the power handling capability of a speaker has little to do with how loud it will play given a certain amount of power input. Power handling also has nothing to do with the sound quality capabilties of a speaker. A really horrible sounding speaker can be made with voice coil windings that can handle lots of power. As was also mentioned, the sensitivity is more key to what affects the "loudness". For example, a speaker rated to handle 50 watts RMS that has a sensitivity of 93dB theoretically will play just as loud with 50 watts actually being supplied to it as a speaker rated at 87dB sensitivity will play with 200 watts input. On the other hand, a speaker with 93dB sensitivity given 200 watts will only play 3dB louder than a speaker with 93dB sensitivity given 100 watts input. This is a perfect example of WHY manufacturers put these ridiculous numbers on their equipment. They are there to fool and/or confuse the unknowing. But the manufacturers don't want you to know this. They want you to think 250 watts on a $50 set of speakers REALLY means something.

While on this subject, amplifying an entire system with a HU is a recipe for a really crummy system for a couple of reasons IF high volume is desired. The amp in a HU has very limited power supply capabilties compared to a dedicated amp. But we alll want more volume, so we push the HU to the edge and it sounds like crap AND ends up being the center of a problem system. HUs are for people who can be HAPPY with low to medium volume from their audio system. Nothing more. A system can never be truly complete without dedicated amps and speakers that can cover the entire humanly audible frequencies. Those components combined with proper installation are what gives a system that "slam" and "pop" and loudness that is so wonderful.

 

Well, I just want to be able to hear my music clearly on the highway. At around 70 mph, my OEM speakers were completely inaudible due to road noise in the area (Grooved pavement, etc.) I don't even have pipes...so thoses factory speakes just had to go. But, no, I'm not a crazy roker. In fact, the music I listen to is all classic rock (ie: eagles, Steve miller, etc.), so if an amp is all I need to be able to more clearly hear this, Than that's what I'll get.

Is this what I should get, given the type of music that I listen to?

BTW, Thanks for the info on wattage, handling, etc. I'll let my friends know, since they all are like I was when I bought my speakers: OBLIVIOUS.

THX

 

I would invest in some kind of sound dampening for the doors. That can be the equivalent of much more amplifier power. For example, if you can gain 3dB by doing some work to keep out road noise, it's the same as doubling amp power. Some people go to an extreme and do the whole interior of the cab, floor, doors, ceiling, everything. That combined with a decent amp, and the system should be able to give you what you want. But you still need to add sub/subs to complete the capability of the system to reproduce the full frequency spectrum.

 

You just need to decide how far you want to go. If you are simply looking for more volume from a simple system just amplify the front speakers, no need to spend money on amplifying the rears. If you want to add a sub you can add a multi channel amp to accomplish that at the same time. As far as road noise simply add some dynamat to the doors and be done. Going beyond that, to get that truck whisper quiet would be a major investment in time and money. Much easier to buy a 2004+ f150 than quite down an older one.