Consumer Electronics

How Much Does an Amplifier Cost

Cost of Electric Amplifier

There are many different uses for an amplifier but the most common use is for a guitar. Electric guitars require an amplifier if you want to be able to hear it from more than just a few feet away. These types of amplifiers can be adjusted to omit different sounds depending on the type of song you’re playing and how large of an audience you are playing for. On most high quality guitar amps, some of the settings you will find are volume and gain, which will affect the distortion.

Factors of Cost

Music stores are the most common places to find a guitar amp but you can also find lower quality amps at general stores such as Meijer, Walmart, and Target. These amps will cost less but you will sacrifice quality. Higher priced amps will have a higher power output which will increase the overall sound quality. Besides just guitar amplifiers, another popular type of amplifier would be for a car stereo. If you have a set of subwoofers in the back of your car, you will need an amp to compensate for the extra power needed to run these.

For a car amplifier to power your car subwoofers, you should look at spending no less than $60 but no more than $300. There are different set ups depending on how many subs you need to power and the wattage of them. There are different power outputs and numbers of channels to connect your speakers to so you are bound to find the perfect amp for your system.

If you are looking for an amplifier to hook up to your electric guitar, you are looking in a higher price range of $75-$800 unless you are looking at extremely big and/or high quality amps for large venues which can cost as much as $2,000. To narrow it down a bit, a low quality 5 watt guitar amp will cost $75 to $400 but a 280 watt will be in the range of $300-$1,600.

What’s Included

There are a wide range of features your amp could come with depending on the price you decide to spend. Amps will have various numbers of channels and different amounts of total wattage depending on the cost. There will also be more settings on the more expensive amps that could reduce the need for a specialized foot petal if you’re looking into a guitar amplifier.

If you purchase your amp from a reputable manufacturer your amp should come with a warranty. Most will only be 30 days but some could be longer. You should also receive some sort or cables or cords which you will need to connect to your device in order for it to work.

Extra Costs

To install a car amplifier to your stereo, you may need to pay an installation fee for a professional to properly install your amp. It doesn’t take much skill or labor but if you are not knowledgeable in the field, it may be difficult to figure out. A guitar amp shouldn’t involve any sort of installation fee.

Sometimes your amp won’t come with the cables you need for it to connect to your device so those will need to be purchased separately. Other times you may just want longer cables and those do cost extra.

Ways to Save Money

High quality amps do cost extra money but often times, stores will put them on sale if they are overstocked or it is a holiday. Try to find one on sale to save a bit of money as older models are often discounted to make room for the newer models.

Purchasing a used amplifier is also another route to take. These are often more than 50% cheaper than the cost of a brand new one. Most of the time you should be able to find them up to 80% off. Just be sure to test it out before you purchase it to make sure it works properly.