i think if he pursues this it's gonna be one hefty project,and be far from plug and play
i wanna see it

Paralleled batteries will give you increased current capability - at the same voltage.

Jeff Mackwood

ps. While this sounds like an interesting "what if" project, I still don't understand its inherent advantages (if any) over using an amp designed for home use. If the real driver is cost, then I'd suggest picking up some good used amps (like NADs, Carvers, etc.) off eBay - likely for less than the cost of all the bits and pieces you'll need to buy to use car amps - and with better sounding results. I've acquired five different stereo power amps that way.

ps. I remain highly skeptical of the claimed power output ratings (and other specs) for most car amps. I have a hard time equating 1 claimed car amp Watt with 1 claimed home amp Watt.

i'm glad you said "most" i agree there(ratings on most car products are a joke) but i don't doubt the power in my truck. i would much rather sit here and listen to my home system not my truck sytem in my home

Some years ago I used a 2 channel Kenwood 12volt DC car amp bridged to put out 150watts rms to power a sealed 12inch sub. I used a 12volt DC crossover to feed the signal into the amp so that I was only amplifying the sub frequencies. All of this was powered by a RadioShack AC to DC converter that weighed about 20 lbs and cost about a hundred dollars. The crossover had a remote gain control that I adjust from my seat. All this was gear was placed behind furniture to be out of site. It was visually unappealing. It did not sound too bad, performance was more dependent on sub room placement than any thing else.

You would first need to know some more specific information about the amp you intend to modify. Specifically, the circuit configuration and the rail voltages and the current demands need to be understood. Then the power supply would have to be designed to meet those same requirements. Here's a pretty good tutorial with some insight into power supply design for audio power amps. To actually modify the car amp the DC-DC converter would have to be disconnected or removed and replaced with the newly built supply.

Tekdredger-

Thank you very much!! This is just what I need to understand. Is there anyway to know about amp’s circuit configuration and the rail voltages and the current demands? Is it possible to know these parameters with some testing equipment? I probably need some books or experienced technician to guide me through this project. But, I think this will be a fun project. Audio is interesting isn’t it? And that’s why I love to try different things.

By the way, have you ever done this kind of project before on your own?

Thanks again.

tek, i was getting into that link before i got company,i'll get back to it later.this site is so useful.glad to see the topic starter back

It's been a very interesting (and lengthy!) discussion and a fun subject. Battery power for car amps in a home theater seems most likely way to get the best sonic performance out of car amps, but the cost of the batteries and a battery charger will negate any savings in buying car amps over home theater amps and you'll have to deal with the hassle of shutting the system down and recharging the batteries (with the duration between charges dependent on the number of amps and number of batteries). You would need at least three or possibly four of the batteries that painttoad suggested (at close to $150 a pop) plus charger(s) to yield enough power for a few hours of intense home theater use. That's a lot of cost and a lot of hassle - a Model 7100 would be cheaper than batteries, charger(s), and amps to provide comparable power.

A power converter of some sort is a much more user-oriented solution to operating a car amp on 120VAC power, but again you are looking at incurring a healthy cost. I stumbled across tekdredger's very nice tutorial link earlier today while looking for information on amp power supplies, and it does seem to be a very good insight into the power side of amp design. It also looks like a great deal of work and cost when home theater amp makers have already done the work and tucked it into a metal box.

As far as car amps versus home theater amps in general, I've noted at least a few clear differences. Car amps are routinely rated at 4 ohms, whereas home theater amps are usually rated at 8 ohms (sometimes 6) - this makes the car amps seem a good bit more powerful dollar-for-dollar, but in a home theater system that routinely has 6 ohm and 8 ohm speakers you'll have to adjust car amp power ratings downward accordingly. Also, there should be a cost difference watt-for-watt between the two: home theater amps are saddled with a large transformer (crammed full of expensive copper wire) and rectifier required to produce DC power. Taking into account the cost of such a power supply and the differences in power rating, you can get a good home theater amp from several respectable manufacturers (including Outlaw) for comparable or less money than required to buy car amps and arrange for power supplies or batteries.

I would not want to pursue the project and I don't know that it can be done for less money than a home theater amp, but it would be a very interesting sight to see if somebody went through with it.

i've liked this post , i don't think it's feasible but has kept me going.
gonk, i had a pair of 4x6 2-ways,that were rated at 3 ohms to "coax more power from the amp"

Tekdredger-

What are the materials I need to prepare for the new power supply?

Thanks