Amp/Speaker wiring question:
Thread Starter
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Member
Joined: Oct 2000
Posts: 20
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From: New London, WI USA
Amp/Speaker wiring question:
I'm just wondering if anyone here can help with a wiring question? It has to deal with ohms and series vs. parallel and all that good stuff. If someone can help me I'll post the question in more detail. Thanks much,
Herd Bull
Herd Bull
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Joined: Feb 2001
Posts: 176
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From: Laporte, IN USA
Ask away Herd Bull. There are plenty of members willing to give advice and knowledge!
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97 F-150XL 4.2V6, 5 spd, 2wdlb, Kenwood cd, MTX 4ch amp, MTX 12"sub, MTX components in doors
Future 16x8 Daytona wheels, 265/75 tires, rhinoliner, perf stuff
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97 F-150XL 4.2V6, 5 spd, 2wdlb, Kenwood cd, MTX 4ch amp, MTX 12"sub, MTX components in doors
Future 16x8 Daytona wheels, 265/75 tires, rhinoliner, perf stuff
Thread Starter
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Member
Joined: Oct 2000
Posts: 20
Likes: 0
From: New London, WI USA
Ok here we go. I just purchased a PPI 5540 5 channel amp. I'm running 2 sets of 6.5" Infinity Kappa 3ways in both the front and rear doors. I'm also running a single 10" dual voice coil Image Dynamics sub in an enclosure built by Brian (Lariat4wd). The sub is a 4 ohm sub but stable down to 1.75 ohms I believe. If you're into car audio you know the capability of these subs.
My first question is the 4 channels on the amp can be run @ 8 ohm (30watts x 4) or 4 ohms (60watts x 4). What would be the ups and downs from running these in either way.
Question number 2. The sub can be run either 4 ohm (120 watts x 1) or 2 ohm (200 watts x 1). Keep in mind the sub is a dual voice sub. I think this matters. I know the sub will handle the power but am I better off to run it at 120 watts or 200 watts. And how can I tell which way it's hooked up?
I had it installed at a local shop but now they really don't want anything to with it. Also the box may be a bit on the big side. I get a ton of very very bottom end. But for the music I listen to (Bizkit, Godsmack, Stabbing W., NIN) I don't need it to hit that low. The amp has a crossover in it but I lose a lot of sound volume when I turn the crossover up. I'm thinking if I can take about .2 cubic feet out of the box it will titghten up the bass. The sub needs (.3-.75) cubic feet. I'm at around .67 with poly so it's already playing bigger with the fill.
I know it got kind of long and if anyone would want to talk about this we could maybe get together on the phone or something. Thanks guys.
Herd Bull
My first question is the 4 channels on the amp can be run @ 8 ohm (30watts x 4) or 4 ohms (60watts x 4). What would be the ups and downs from running these in either way.
Question number 2. The sub can be run either 4 ohm (120 watts x 1) or 2 ohm (200 watts x 1). Keep in mind the sub is a dual voice sub. I think this matters. I know the sub will handle the power but am I better off to run it at 120 watts or 200 watts. And how can I tell which way it's hooked up?
I had it installed at a local shop but now they really don't want anything to with it. Also the box may be a bit on the big side. I get a ton of very very bottom end. But for the music I listen to (Bizkit, Godsmack, Stabbing W., NIN) I don't need it to hit that low. The amp has a crossover in it but I lose a lot of sound volume when I turn the crossover up. I'm thinking if I can take about .2 cubic feet out of the box it will titghten up the bass. The sub needs (.3-.75) cubic feet. I'm at around .67 with poly so it's already playing bigger with the fill.
I know it got kind of long and if anyone would want to talk about this we could maybe get together on the phone or something. Thanks guys.
Herd Bull
Senior Member
Joined: Feb 2001
Posts: 176
Likes: 0
From: Laporte, IN USA
Your Infinity 6.5's are rated as 4 ohm speakers, so that is the load your amp is pushing. If the sub is wired in parallel across its teminals (+ to +, - to -) it is wired for a 2 ohm load, series (+ to -) the amp gets an 8 ohm load. The 2 ohm load would be best as the amp is giving its best power (200w) at that load. The box seems to be just fine size wise. You may want to try removing the fill and adjusting the gains on the amp. If the amp has a bass boost, usually centered at 45Hz, to disengaging it or lowering its level. Hope this helps
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97 F-150XL 4.2V6, 5 spd, 2wdlb, Kenwood cd, MTX 4ch amp, MTX 12"sub, MTX components in doors
Future 16x8 Daytona wheels, 265/75 tires, rhinoliner, perf stuff
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97 F-150XL 4.2V6, 5 spd, 2wdlb, Kenwood cd, MTX 4ch amp, MTX 12"sub, MTX components in doors
Future 16x8 Daytona wheels, 265/75 tires, rhinoliner, perf stuff
Member
Joined: Apr 2001
Posts: 28
Likes: 0
From: Westminster, Co. USA
Chuck is leading you in the right direction.
First, the components are running at 4 ohm, and you can't change that without giving up horrible amounts of sound quality. You'd have to have the front and rear run in series to 2 channels only.
Next, The box is actually going to be right on the money. If it's .67 with poly after speaker displacement, it is about perfect. If that doesn't include the speaker displacement, you actually have around .5 cubic feet. Still should play well.
Now, to tell how the sub is playing, look at the wiring. If the + terminals are connected, and - terminals connected, you are running parallel (2 ohms), if the wiring goes from the + on the amp to + on VC A, then - on VC A to + on VC B, and - on VC B back to - on amp, then this is series (8 ohm).
8 ohms would be a very inefficient use of that amp, so you should stick with 2. Now for the crossover, you should probably have it set around 60-90 Hz for best results.
Make sure the gain is not up too high which would cause you a problem for SQ. Also, check to make sure the deck is not using the Loudness feature if it's aftermarket, or the C feature if it's OEM. And for the bass/treble settings, Bass should be set to flat at most for optimal performance.
If you still want to 'remove' some air, try duct taping a book shut, then taping it down. This would allow you to remove it if you were unhappy with the produced sound. Cut 2x4s are another option, but securing them and removing become a much bigger issue.
Try some of this out, and let us know if you need more help.
First, the components are running at 4 ohm, and you can't change that without giving up horrible amounts of sound quality. You'd have to have the front and rear run in series to 2 channels only.
Next, The box is actually going to be right on the money. If it's .67 with poly after speaker displacement, it is about perfect. If that doesn't include the speaker displacement, you actually have around .5 cubic feet. Still should play well.
Now, to tell how the sub is playing, look at the wiring. If the + terminals are connected, and - terminals connected, you are running parallel (2 ohms), if the wiring goes from the + on the amp to + on VC A, then - on VC A to + on VC B, and - on VC B back to - on amp, then this is series (8 ohm).
8 ohms would be a very inefficient use of that amp, so you should stick with 2. Now for the crossover, you should probably have it set around 60-90 Hz for best results.
Make sure the gain is not up too high which would cause you a problem for SQ. Also, check to make sure the deck is not using the Loudness feature if it's aftermarket, or the C feature if it's OEM. And for the bass/treble settings, Bass should be set to flat at most for optimal performance.
If you still want to 'remove' some air, try duct taping a book shut, then taping it down. This would allow you to remove it if you were unhappy with the produced sound. Cut 2x4s are another option, but securing them and removing become a much bigger issue.
Try some of this out, and let us know if you need more help.