Speaker wattage vs head unit

[2006TJ1]

I took advantage of the discount on those Polk 522s from crutchfield the other day, and mine came in today.
before I put them in, I just want to make sure I don't need an amp- I know my head unit says continuous wattage is around 22 and the speakers are 100 continuous. does that mean they just won't run at peak performance or will they short out the head unit without an amp?
I'm brand new to this so hopefully it's not too dumb of a question

 

[Chris]

Nope, you don't need an amp. Your head unit will power them just fine at 22 RMS.

Sure, they might sound a bit better with an amp powering them, but my head unit i the game as yours and mind sound amazing with no amp (I'm using the same speakers too).

 

[Jerry Bransford]

A speaker's continuous wattage rating is kind of like a highway with a 120 mph speed limit... the speed limit/continuous wattage specs don't mean you need to be able to hit those speeds or wattages to enjoy them. Those Polks have something like a 90 or 91 dB Sensitivity rating (which means they work fine with lower power levels) so they don't require a lot of watts to put out a lot of sound. They'll sound great with your 22 RMS (continuous) watts. That amount of power is plenty for the Polks.

 

[bobthetj03]

I too, took advantage of that deal and grabbed the DB522's. Installed them in the roll bar sound pods and they sound great. I'm running about the same deck power as you. The key to a well balanced system is to add some bass to it. Doesn't need a lot. @Chris just finished upgrading his sub and speakers, so he can give you account on the improvement.

 

[2006TJ1]

I have these waiting to be installed, the adapter plates coming from @bobthetj03 and a friend who is selling me a set of Rockford Fosgate 5.25" speakers for the dash... all I'll need is a sub.

I am timid to put a sub in the console (mine didn't come with one stock), I feel like it will rattle everything... @Chris do u recommend?

 

[Chris]

I have these waiting to be installed, the adapter plates coming from @bobthetj03 and a friend who is selling me a set of Rockford Fosgate 5.25" speakers for the dash... all I'll need is a sub.

I am timid to put a sub in the console (mine didn't come with one stock), I feel like it will rattle everything... @Chris do u recommend?

It won’t rattle as long as you don’t crank the sub volume. I set my sub at half the volume and it doesn’t rattle at all. I wouldn’t want it full volume anyways, as that’s way too much bass anyways, and then it drowns out the treble and mids.

 

[skrelnik]

I took advantage of the discount on those Polk 522s from crutchfield the other day, and mine came in today.
before I put them in, I just want to make sure I don't need an amp- I know my head unit says continuous wattage is around 22 and the speakers are 100 continuous. does that mean they just won't run at peak performance or will they short out the head unit without an amp?
I'm brand new to this so hopefully it's not too dumb of a question

Definitely far from a dumb question. Audio is difficult but once you commit and get the hang of it, it gets more enjoyable, and addicting!

Those Polk 522s want 100 watts, so your head unit will power them with 22 watts, and they will sound real nice. Personally I would use an amplifier on them, and maybe a few months down the road you get a Jeep itch and find a nice 4 or 5 channel amplifier to power your system. You can find good used ones out there as well, either on the DIYMA forums, or surprisingly the BMW forums have a lot of good quality used brands. There is a great Q&A section on Crutchfield to help you as well. See below link:

Audio is addicting! My next step in my build is to get the Polk DB 6502 for the overhead speaker pods. In my research I found three brands that offer a 6.5" that will fit, these Polks (652 or 6502), a set of Kenwoods and a set of Kickers. Polk had the best value so I am going that route, and then intend to move my current 5.25" up front. MOst other brands are roughly 7mm too large to fit in the opening, like Focal, Hertz, Morel, Memphis, MTX, Illusion and my personal favorite, Audiotec Fischer.

https://www.crutchfield.com/S-Z9uxvFJIyNs/learn/learningcenter/car/speakers_faq.html

 

[JMT]

I have these waiting to be installed, the adapter plates coming from @bobthetj03 and a friend who is selling me a set of Rockford Fosgate 5.25" speakers for the dash... all I'll need is a sub.

I am timid to put a sub in the console (mine didn't come with one stock), I feel like it will rattle everything... @Chris do u recommend?

Don’t put it in the console then. Personally, I wanted that space, so I put it under the rear seat. It’s a Rockfor Fosgate PS-8, which is a self powered 8” sub. Works wonders for your system and won’t break the bank or take up useable space. Several on here use them

 

[2006TJ1]

Definitely far from a dumb question. Audio is difficult but once you commit and get the hang of it, it gets more enjoyable, and addicting!

Those Polk 522s want 100 watts, so your head unit will power them with 22 watts, and they will sound real nice. Personally I would use an amplifier on them, and maybe a few months down the road you get a Jeep itch and find a nice 4 or 5 channel amplifier to power your system. You can find good used ones out there as well, either on the DIYMA forums, or surprisingly the BMW forums have a lot of good quality used brands. There is a great Q&A section on Crutchfield to help you as well. See below link:

Audio is addicting! My next step in my build is to get the Polk DB 6502 for the overhead speaker pods. In my research I found three brands that offer a 6.5" that will fit, these Polks (652 or 6502), a set of Kenwoods and a set of Kickers. Polk had the best value so I am going that route, and then intend to move my current 5.25" up front. MOst other brands are roughly 7mm too large to fit in the opening, like Focal, Hertz, Morel, Memphis, MTX, Illusion and my personal favorite, Audiotec Fischer.

https://www.crutchfield.com/S-Z9uxvFJIyNs/learn/learningcenter/car/speakers_faq.html

my buddy that's selling me the RF speakers has a used 1000W 5 channel amp that he said he'd sell me for cheap too so hopefully I can get my hands on that pretty soon... then I'll just need a sub

 

[bobthetj03]

I have a 400 watt 4 channel amp someone could pick up on the cheap. This brand was some entry level stuff built by Audiobahn back when they were in business. they were gobbled up years ago.

 

[johnny deeker]

The trick is to not to use speakers with a lower capacity than the head puts out. That results in damage to the speaker. You've got it right. At an spl of 91 or 92 you might have increased the efficiency over the stock speaker. Result? Possibly more volume, certainly better sound. Well done.