Sound system louder when engine off?

[501]

I think my sound system sounds louder and better when the engine/ignition is off? Certainly the sub feels much stronger. Could this be related to the battery? i.e. more power is available so its supplying more power to the amps and sounding better? I thought it might be my exhaust and other noise pollution making the sound seem less distinct while driving but I dont think thats the case. Could it be a sign that I need a new battery, or just a stronger battery?
I'm running 2 amps, one mono is 200w powering a sub. The other is a 4 channel powering Rockford Fosgate t162s components at the front and Hertz coaxials in the rear. This is the 4 channel amp, I don't believe my power requirements are anything extreme:

http://www.talkaudio.co.uk/index.php/index.html/_/reviews/amplifiers/diamond-audio-d1-3004-r311

cheers

 

[Stoo.]

Have you uprated the alternator?

 

[501]

nope

 

[ctr-tom]

Have you done the big 3 under the bonnet. Basically the 3 cables, usually 4 gauge, but 0 gauge being the best which include

Battery to chassis

Engine to chassis

Alternator to battery?

 

[Cracksta]

this is because you have road noise.

if the car is idle, it sounds better, this is normal, i get this too.

Your alternator will be charging your battery higher than 12v, whilst with the car off, your battery is being drained from 12.5v down, so the power thing is not what you think.

 

[Cracksta]

my setup is more powerful using alpine 4 x 100W RMS + 500W RMS Vibe CBR12" subwoofer + sound deadning all round

 

[501]

Have you done the big 3 under the bonnet. Basically the 3 cables, usually 4 gauge, but 0 gauge being the best which include

Battery to chassis

Engine to chassis

Alternator to battery?

Wouldn't have a clue tbh lol

this is because you have road noise.

if the car is idle, it sounds better, this is normal, i get this too.

Your alternator will be charging your battery higher than 12v, whilst with the car off, your battery is being drained from 12.5v down, so the power thing is not what you think.

Well I suspected it could be the absence of road noise misleading me in regard to the sound/volume of the speakers, but i'm sure the sub thuds much louder when the engine is off... But you seem to understand how it works better than me so maybe i'm wrong I suppose

my setup is more powerful using alpine 4 x 100W RMS + 500W RMS Vibe CBR12" subwoofer + sound deadning all round

My speakers are also rated at 100w RMS each and the sub is 400w RMS but my amps are only 4x 50w and 200w for the sub. What would be the outcome of getting stronger amps? cause they already seem to push the speakers to their full potential. The gain is up slightly, the HU IC amp thing is off and i've tuned it so my sound doesn't distort until around 30/35 on the HU volume (depending on track). What would be the benefit of me having an amp with 4x 100w as opposed to my current 4x 50w at 4ohms? I only ask cause I dont really understand lol.

 

[jordbalboa]

capacitor

 

[Cracksta]

to simply put it, your amp is whats giving your speakers the power it needed, so your amp is giving 50w RMS to each speaker which is 50% of what your speakers are capable of (strictly speaking).

The quality of amp you have plays a role too, dont just look at Watts only, thats why there is a big price jump from say halford's Sony/JBL/Fli Amps and Focal/Infinity etc.

50w RMS from a good quality amp is better than an ebay unknown amp which says 120w RMS.

Its all down to your ears, do they sound good enough to you, do you wana waste money buying a better amp powering not so good speakers, have you made sure your wiring is using the correct gauge etc.

IMO, just leave it as is. The subwoofer is probably what you'll notice the difference the most.