QuestionQUESTION: Planet Audio AC1000.2 amp, 250 watts RMS per channel @ 4ohms
Kicker Audio DX500.1 mono amp
Rockford Fosgate 200 watt RMS, 2ohm shallow sub
(2)Kenwood 6x9s 160 watt RMS pair, 80 watt RMS, 4ohm
2006 Ford Fusion SEL
Hello,
Above is everything I have to work with (minus the wiring). I'm going to wire the sub-woofer to the Kicker amp and I know that the RMS is matched up on those two together but I was wondering if I could hook up my AC1000.2 too my Kenwood 6x9s and install them in the back deck of my Fusion. I know that the amp is overpowering if I wire each speaker to a separate channel but if I wire the speakers in parallel to run 8 ohms and then hook them both to a single channel, would that work?
If you need anymore information just let me know.
Thanks
ANSWER: If you paralleled the 6 x 9s that would bring their parallel impedance to 4 ohms which would give the same voltage feed to the speakers as if they were wired separately. If they are 2 ohms 4 ohms then the parallel impedance load would be 2 ohms - which is alright but the power delivery drops off at that low of impedance AND the amp is running under more heat distress.
I would not recommend, therefore, paralleling the 6 x 9s.
Maybe you meant putting the 4 ohm speaker in series to get 8 ohms. That would be a find solution as well.
But don't worry about matching power of amp to speakers. It really means nothing in reality. If the amp is overpowered, just don't run the volume up too high when cranking music through the system. The extra power of the amp will give you headroom for dynamic music and give better audio sound quality.
All the best.
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QUESTION: Thanks for the information, that clears up a lot. Just wondering what you would do personally. I know a smaller amp would be good but that's out of the question, as I'm on a budget.
The way I look at it I would try to run them in a series to get the 8ohms like you said and hook them to one channel to not over power them too much. I know you said its hard to overpower them but 250 watts to a 80 watt speaker seems like a little too much? I'm sure the music would get cranked up every now and then, as all high school kids stereos do. I just don't want to hear a pop and be out $60 in speakers.
Do I guess the real questions are:
Would it sound good with the speakers in a series to 8ohms running on one channel?
And
Would hooking each speaker up to a seperate channel be too much for each speaker?
Thanks for answering my questions, I greatly appreciate it!
ANSWER: No, I said not to get hung up on power. That is the least consideration with your system.
Lower power is actually more dangerous because - in most amplifiers - when over driven the output turns to a square wave at peak music pulses and can ruin speakers quickly. So with amp too big or too small in power you must be careful with the volume control.
Hooking speakers independent is always the best solution. Speakers in series have a higher Q factor and the bass or lower frequency response becomes less well defined - at least with good quality speakers.
So, get moving on it. Let me know the outcome.
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QUESTION: Hello,
Finally got it all in and it works pretty good. It sounds a little muffled with the sub in the trunk but that's expected. The 6x9s are pretty quite too, but I'm sure if I installed some grill on then instead of the almost half inch of stuff on top of them they would sound better. Thanks for all the help, I do greatly appreciate it. It's always hard to find specific answers online and I'm defineltly going to come back here if I ever have any more questions.
Sincerely,
Brad
AnswerWishing you the best.
Sub location is key. Just putting it in the trunk is sometimes not ideal; moving it around inside the truck and aiming it differently can make big differences. But, it requires some experimentation. You should move anything that is blocking the sound coming out from the six by nines. They need to be free of obstructions.....
