5-channel amp question

[goodrich 10+ year member]

can i run the 4 channels @ 4ohm and run the 5th channel @ 2ohm at the same time on this amp? it's a Soundstream TRA 880.5

5-Channel Amplifier

RMS Power Rating:

4 ohms: 60 watts x 4 chan. + 200 x 1

2 ohms: 120 watts x 4 chan. + 400 x 1

4 ohms bridged: 240 watts x 2 chan. + 400 x 1

Double sided glass epoxy circuit board

Protection: thermal overload, speaker short, reverse and over voltage

Cooling fan incorporated directing into heatsink

HP/LP 12dB/oct Crossover

CEA-2006 Compliant

PWM MOSFET power supply

Platinum plated signal input jacks

LED indicator for power on and protection

Muting circuit for soft turn-on and turn-off

Adjustable input sensitivity control

Dimensions: 24.3"L x 10.75"W x 2.6"H

Click to read more...

 

[Apollyon 10+ year member]

It should work fine, I run my Arc Audio 5150XXK that way

 

[doug 10+ year member]

can i run the 4 channels @ 4ohm and run the 5th channel @ 2ohm at the same time

Can you do this with all (or most) 5-channel amps? I was wondering this exact same thing. I was thinking of maybe getting the Kicker ZX700.5.

 

[JBLCAMRY 10+ year member]

Yep, worked good like that for my CS500.5

 

[mavster 10+ year member]

Yep, you can...i've done it already

 

[audioarsonal 10+ year member]

they are made to run like that.Usually the 5th channel is a sub channel and can be ran lower then the other four channels.

 

[doug 10+ year member]

Excellent-- thanks for the responses. I searched around on here last night and was thinking this was the case, but I needed to make sure.

I also read on another thread that you can use a 4-channel amp and bridge two channels to run the sub, use the other two to run fronts, and use your head unit to run the rears. Are there any major drawbacks to that approach?

 

[audioarsonal 10+ year member]

No real drawbacks with that other then the front speakers won't be amplified.Just watch the ohm loads when you start trying to use that 4 channel for a sub.They arent made to run usualy below 2 ohm bridged mono so keep that in mind.

 

[UCF52 10+ year member]

Excellent-- thanks for the responses. I searched around on here last night and was thinking this was the case, but I needed to make sure.
I also read on another thread that you can use a 4-channel amp and bridge two channels to run the sub, use the other two to run fronts, and use your head unit to run the rears. Are there any major drawbacks to that approach?

If you are using the 700.5, then you can bridge amp 1 and amp 2 to run the left fronts and the right fronts (respectively) and then run the sub off of the sub channel - this should give close to 175x2 @ 4 ohm for the fronts and 500x1 @ 2 ohm for the sub. Then you can use the head unit to power the rears.

This is how I have mine set up (minus the rears). There is a thread that shows how the RCA's are run - if you need help let me know.

 

[doug 10+ year member]

Well with the 700.5 I wouldn't need to bridge anything, just use it straight up with everything at 4 ohms. If I get some other 4-channel amp, that's when I would use the HU to power the rears and the 4-channel amp for fronts and bridged for sub.

BTW, got any install pics of your car? Mine's a 2003 Mustang Mach 1.

 

[UCF52 10+ year member]

Well with the 700.5 I wouldn't need to bridge anything, just use it straight up with everything at 4 ohms. If I get some other 4-channel amp, that's when I would use the HU to power the rears and the 4-channel amp for fronts and bridged for sub.
BTW, got any install pics of your car? Mine's a 2003 Mustang Mach 1.

Oh, gotcha. Keep in mind that the sub channel is stable down to 2 ohms. As for the pics... well no, but I need to take some anyways, so if I can find the time to take them soon I will definitely post some up. What are you planning on running?

 

[doug 10+ year member]

Head unit is a Panasonic CQ-HR1003U (already installed). Fronts are a Canton 6.5" component set (installed). Rears are currently stock but I have both some Alpine Type-R 6x9s and some Infinity Reference 6x9s to choose from to put in the rear deck inside some MDF enclosures. The Mach 460 system amps are powering everything right now, but all that stock stuff will be tossed soon. I also have an old Phoenix Gold 30-band EQ and a cheap Lanzar crossover yet to install.

I have two old school Precision Power amps that I don't know exactly how to use yet-- a PPI-2075AM (75x2) and a PPI-4100AM (25x4). I thought to maybe use the 75x2 on the fronts (and sell the 25x4), get a mono sub amp, and use the HU to power the rears. Or, sell both PPI amps and get a 4 or 5 channel to power everything.

The other headache is that I already have a pre-made urethane sub enclosure from Rockford Fosgate (similar to a StealthBox or ThunderForm but crappier) that I'm gonna use in the trunk, and the sub that came with it disintegrated before I even got to install it. So now I'm trying to find something to go into that box that will both fit airspace-wise and use the same mounting holes. I think an Image Dynamics ID10 will work (I hope so-- they look pretty good on paper).

Wow, I hijacked the hell out of this thread, huh?

 

[UCF52 10+ year member]

Head unit is a Panasonic CQ-HR1003U (already installed). Fronts are a Canton 6.5" component set (installed). Rears are currently stock but I have both some Alpine Type-R 6x9s and some Infinity Reference 6x9s to choose from to put in the rear deck inside some MDF enclosures. The Mach 460 system amps are powering everything right now, but all that stock stuff will be tossed soon. I also have an old Phoenix Gold 30-band EQ and a cheap Lanzar crossover yet to install.
I have two old school Precision Power amps that I don't know exactly how to use yet-- a PPI-2075AM (75x2) and a PPI-4100AM (25x4). I thought to maybe use the 75x2 on the fronts (and sell the 25x4), get a mono sub amp, and use the HU to power the rears. Or, sell both PPI amps and get a 4 or 5 channel to power everything.

The other headache is that I already have a pre-made urethane sub enclosure from Rockford Fosgate (similar to a StealthBox or ThunderForm but crappier) that I'm gonna use in the trunk, and the sub that came with it disintegrated before I even got to install it. So now I'm trying to find something to go into that box that will both fit airspace-wise and use the same mounting holes. I think an Image Dynamics ID10 will work (I hope so-- they look pretty good on paper).

Wow, I hijacked the hell out of this thread, huh?

Haha, just a little. Where do you have your midbass/tweets mounted? I did my midbass in the doors (mdf baffle, deadened) and my tweets in the Mach 460 sail panel with a little plexiglass baffle. Just curious because it's surprisingly rare to come across fellow mustang owners; at least for me it is.

 

[doug 10+ year member]

Where do you have your midbass/tweets mounted?

Stock locations. I had a shop do it, so I don't think they took time to make MDF baffles for the woofers or anything, but I may redo it myself one day. The tweeters look completely stock, so I was pretty happy about that part.

 

[denim 5,000+ posts]

The kicker is good, you could grab the JBL 755.6 and bridge the rear two channels.