Speaker wiring

[ltnate3]

Ok don't blast me too much for this question. I have an amplifier with the following ratings: 2 x 200W RMS @ 4 Ohm Stereo, 2 x 300W RMS @ 2 Ohm Stereo.

My question is how do I wire my 4 Ohm speakers to get the higher output at 2 Ohms from the amp?

 

[IamEli]

How many 4 ohm speakers do you have? It depends on the number of speakers you have as to what ohm load you will be able to run. I can help you with this, just let me know.

 

[ltnate3]

How many 4 ohm speakers do you have? It depends on the number of speakers you have as to what ohm load you will be able to run. I can help you with this, just let me know.

Right now I'm running 4 speakers off one 4 channel amp and 2 speakers off another 4 channel amp. Thanks for the help.

 

[IamEli]

Im guessing that the set of 4 speakers are you door speakers and they are all 4 ohm and the set of 2 speakers are your subs and those too are 4 ohm. If you wanted to run all 4 door speakers off this new 2 channel amp, you would be able to wire the 4 - 4 ohm loads down to 2 - 2 ohm loads, but you will not be able to wire the 2 - 4 ohm loads too a single 2 ohm load. The only different load that the 2 - 4 ohm load set of speakers will be able to run at is either a single 2 ohm load or a single 8 ohm load depending on wiring. Just let me know exactly which set of speakers you are trying to hook up too which amp and we will figure something out.

 

[ltnate3]

Im guessing that the set of 4 speakers are you door speakers and they are all 4 ohm and the set of 2 speakers are your subs and those too are 4 ohm. If you wanted to run all 4 door speakers off this new 2 channel amp, you would be able to wire the 4 - 4 ohm loads down to 2 - 2 ohm loads, but you will not be able to wire the 2 - 4 ohm loads too a single 2 ohm load. The only different load that the 2 - 4 ohm load set of speakers will be able to run at is either a single 2 ohm load or a single 8 ohm load depending on wiring. Just let me know exactly which set of speakers you are trying to hook up too which amp and we will figure something out.

Ok, my door speakers are all 4 ohms running off a 4 channel amp and my rear package speakers (6x9) are 4 ohm also running off another 4 channel amp. Right now I'm not running Subs so that's not a factor right now.

 

[IamEli]

Well, depending on what the wattage is of the current 2 - 4-channel amps, you may not want to change anything. Unless the wattage on the current 4-channel amps is a lot less, there will not really be any advantage to putting this 2-channel in. But if you really wanted too, you can take, for example, the two left door speakers and run them in parallel makeing that load 2 ohms, and then doing the same for the right two door speakers, then you would have each set of speakers getting 150 watts. Do you kind of understand what I am talking about or not really??

 

[IamEli]

Here is a really simple drawing of what I am talking about, each blue box is a speaker from one of your doors, you wire the two left ones in parallel giving you a 2 ohm load for one channel, then you do the same for the right side and you will have a 2 ohm load for the other channel. There for you will be pushing 300 watts to each side of your car or 150 to each speaker. BTW, if you do this, you had better have some pretty door door speakers to handle that wattage.

 

[IamEli]

Its all good, hope it works out. Let me know what happens.
Good luck!

 

[ltnate3]

Here is a really simple drawing of what I am talking about, each blue box is a speaker from one of your doors, you wire the two left ones in parallel giving you a 2 ohm load for one channel, then you do the same for the right side and you will have a 2 ohm load for the other channel. There for you will be pushing 300 watts to each side of your car or 150 to each speaker. BTW, if you do this, you had better have some pretty door door speakers to handle that wattage.

Thanks, that helps a lot. That's what I was thinking but was too chicken to try it without asking.

 

[ltnate3]

Its all good, hope it works out. Let me know what happens.
Good luck!

Does this mean the other 2 channels of the 4 channel amp cannot be used once I wire in parallel?

 

[IamEli]

Hmm, okay, im a little confused now, is the amp that you want to run at 2 ohms a 4 channel amp or a 2 channel amp?

 

[ltnate3]

Hmm, okay, im a little confused now, is the amp that you want to run at 2 ohms a 4 channel amp or a 2 channel amp?

4 channel

 

[IamEli]

well, as long as that 4 channel is stable at 2 ohms bridged you should be okay. But you will only be able to use 2 of the 4 channels if you bridge it. On the amp where you connect the speaker wire it should show you how to bridge the amp, i.e. which (+) and which (-) to hook up. Again, this image is a generic basic hook-up how a 4 channel works normally and bridged.