Logitech Z2300 In Car

[Th0m3v]

Hey, I have a Logitech Z2300 2.1 Speaker System that has 200watts RMS, and a max peak power of 400watts. I want to install these into my car. Could I buy an inverter and plug it straight into the cigarette lighter and get it all powered up? If so - how much wattage do I need on my inverter?

Or do I need to wire it straight to the battery on the car itself to get the power I need?
In other words: Is there a limit on how much wattage a inverter can draw from a cigarette lighter?

Please help me on this, I've heard others doing this - I just have no idea how they did it, so any inputs/help/suggestions are greatly needed and appreciated!

 

[makkem]

Hi
is there a plate or do you have a manual that details the power consumption of your audio system.
Most car cigarette lighters in cars are fused at 15 Amp which would give a power handling of about 180 Watt which may not be enough for your needs .

 

[Th0m3v]

Hi
is there a plate or do you have a manual that details the power consumption of your audio system.
Most car cigarette lighters in cars are fused at 15 Amp which would give a power handling of about 180 Watt which may not be enough for your needs .

Hey, I checked up the spesifications:
Z-2300
Audio Quality Certification: THX certified
Total RMS Power: 200W [FTC rated power]
Total Continuous Power: 120W [Estimated]
System THD: Better than 0.05% before clipping
Total Peak Power: 400W
Power distribution: 120 W (Subwoofer) + 2 X 40 W (Satellites)
Subwoofer: 120 W @ 8 ohms
Subwoofer Size (inch): 8
Satellites: 80 W (2 X 40 W) @ 8 ohms
Satellite Size (inch): 2.5
Frequency response: 35 Hz - 20 kHz
Signal to noise ratio(SNR): @ 1kHz > 100dB
Sound Pressure Level (SPL): 117db

So would it work in the cigarette lighter? And how much wattage do I need on the inverter? Thanks!

 

[makkem]

yeah,this is quite complicated technically but using normal industry methods the power consumption will be in the region of 65W ,then there is inverter efficiency which can be anywhere between 40 and 95% lets say 80% which brings us to about 80watt.
So yes it will run off a lighter socket and you will need an inverter in excess of 80 Watt.

 

[Th0m3v]

Hi
is there a plate or do you have a manual that details the power consumption of your audio system.
Most car cigarette lighters in cars are fused at 15 Amp which would give a power handling of about 180 Watt which may not be enough for your needs .

yeah,this is quite complicated technically but using normal industry methods the power consumption will be in the region of 65W ,then there is inverter efficiency which can be anywhere between 40 and 95% lets say 80% which brings us to about 80watt.
So yes it will run off a lighter socket and you will need an inverter in excess of 80 Watt.

Are you saying that if I get a inverter of 100watts I will be able to run the system at 100% sound level? for a long time? Are there anything else I need to know, is there any benefits by getting a higher wattage inverter? Thanks.

 

[makkem]

Yes you would be able to run it with music at 100% but you would be liable to get hearing damage at that level in a car.
Yes a bigger inverter would give you smoother and fuller bass but your maximum would be 180 Watt into a lighter socket.

 

[Th0m3v]

Yes you would be able to run it with music at 100% but you would be liable to get hearing damage at that level in a car.
Yes a bigger inverter would give you smoother and fuller bass but your maximum would be 180 Watt into a lighter socket.

So are you saying it's not safe to have a power inverter bigger than 180 in the lighter socket in a car? I think I heard other people putting 300 through 800 into that thing. :0

 

[wip99gt]

The biggest lighter socket inverter I've seen was 600 watts. Some newer vehicles do have larger than 15A fuses for them which makes it possible as lots of people use those sockets and they put more in newer vehicles. A 15A fuse at 14 volts is still 210 watts. With the car not running it's 180 watts because the battery will only be around 12 volts. Now ACTUAL the efficiency of most of those inverters are usually around the 80-85% range which will give you 150-180 watts. You'd most likely be fine with just the speakers running but adding anything else could cause problems if you have an older vehicle. Easiest way to check would be a quick google search.
You can get better quality inverters which you wire straight to the battery. They cost more though as well. I use a 2100 watt inverter in my truck and it was around $400 Canadian for it. It does have a better efficiency and puts out cleaner power than the cheap ones though. If you go this route I'd recommend just getting a cheap head unit and some new speakers as the cost will end up close to the same as a proper installation. Good wires and a fuse and holder will increase the cost $30-50. With it being black Friday weekend you could find a head unit and 4 speakers for around $200 to $250.

 

[Th0m3v]

The biggest lighter socket inverter I've seen was 600 watts. Some newer vehicles do have larger than 15A fuses for them which makes it possible as lots of people use those sockets and they put more in newer vehicles. A 15A fuse at 14 volts is still 210 watts. With the car not running it's 180 watts because the battery will only be around 12 volts. Now ACTUAL the efficiency of most of those inverters are usually around the 80-85% range which will give you 150-180 watts. You'd most likely be fine with just the speakers running but adding anything else could cause problems if you have an older vehicle. Easiest way to check would be a quick google search.
You can get better quality inverters which you wire straight to the battery. They cost more though as well. I use a 2100 watt inverter in my truck and it was around $400 Canadian for it. It does have a better efficiency and puts out cleaner power than the cheap ones though. If you go this route I'd recommend just getting a cheap head unit and some new speakers as the cost will end up close to the same as a proper installation. Good wires and a fuse and holder will increase the cost $30-50. With it being black Friday weekend you could find a head unit and 4 speakers for around $200 to $250.

Thanks, very informative! One question though: are you saying that if I buy for instance a 300w inverter for the cig. socket it'll be too much? Or doesn't it matter how big the inverter is, as long as I don't draw more power than 180W?

Also, these are the power specs on the speakers:
Total RMS Power: 200W [FTC rated power]
Total Continuous Power: 120W [Estimated]
Total Peak Power: 400W
Power distribution: 120 W (Subwoofer) + 2 X 40 W (Satellites)

I don't understand anything about power, so I ask you - does this information tell you how much power it will use from a power inverter in the cig. socket on 50% volume, 75% or 100%? It says continious power is 120W, does this mean it uses 120W continiously when running maxed out at most times?

Sorry for asking alot, but I'd really like to try this, because im borrowing a car for a while, and I don't want to set up something permanent. 😛

 

[wip99gt]

From looking online the average power output of the Z2300 was around 85 watts with spikes to 150. It has a class ab amplifier which are usually around the 60% efficiency range. That means the power usage will be around 130 to 250 when full blast. You'll most likely be fine with a 300 watt inverter and using the lighter socket.
Now when they say RMS it means more like average power over time. So you might see 250w but will also see 150w. The total continuous power means the maximum wattage the speakers will handle for long periods of time. Total peak is what the maximum power usage the system can handle. For the most part these can be used for guidelines. The problem is every company rates differently.Take for instance how you can buy a cheap 1000 watt home theatre in a box and yet a nice 250 watt amp will be louder, even hooked to the same speakers. Now this might not be the best description as I mostly deal with large AC transformers and DC engine systems. Car and home audio are just a bit of a hobby for me so someone could probably give a much better description.

 

[Th0m3v]

From looking online the average power output of the Z2300 was around 85 watts with spikes to 150. It has a class ab amplifier which are usually around the 60% efficiency range. That means the power usage will be around 130 to 250 when full blast. You'll most likely be fine with a 300 watt inverter and using the lighter socket.
Now when they say RMS it means more like average power over time. So you might see 250w but will also see 150w. The total continuous power means the maximum wattage the speakers will handle for long periods of time. Total peak is what the maximum power usage the system can handle. For the most part these can be used for guidelines. The problem is every company rates differently.Take for instance how you can buy a cheap 1000 watt home theatre in a box and yet a nice 250 watt amp will be louder, even hooked to the same speakers. Now this might not be the best description as I mostly deal with large AC transformers and DC engine systems. Car and home audio are just a bit of a hobby for me so someone could probably give a much better description.

Great explaination! Thanks! - I'll try it then, buying a 300w inverter to the cigsocket! Any spesific advice on a "kind" of inverter I should use, or is it all the same?

 

[wip99gt]

Manufacturer names really vary as to the country you live in. Belkin and Energizer are decent cheap brands. Some of the higher end Go Power ones are pretty good as well. Those and the moto master ones are the only brands I've used though and none failed on me. My Go Power 2100watt is pushing 5 years now with 350,000 km on my truck down lease roads in Northern Canada while running laptops, loadbanks, and drills. I still have my 250watt moto master and that thing is close to 8 years old now.

 

[Th0m3v]

I want to say that I was using the Logitech Z-2300 in my car with an inverter through cigarette socket for years, only problem was when I forgot to turn off the inverter for the night, my battery was often too drained to start. And the fuse needed to be replaced pretty often, usually every few days to weeks.