Bunch of Questions About Speakers and Amplifier Help

[chartman18 10+ year member]

Hey, I am looking for a good/great 4-channel amplifier to power my fronts and rear Infinity Kappa speakers, but Im at a lost of thought of where to go after looking around.

The speakers are:

Front: Infinity Kappa 62.7i (6.5", 75 watts RMS, 225 watts peak)

Rear: Infinity Kappa 682.7cf (6x8", 100 watts RMS, 300 watts peak)

Now, the part that confuses me, is the 'ohms'. It says it has a 2-ohm impedance, but Im not sure if that means its automatically 'played' in 2-ohms, or if it just can handle 2-ohms, or if it HAS to be in 2-ohms? That part confuses me, because then I dont know what amplifier to look at based on that. I want the front and rear speakers to get exactly their RMS ratings or more but not to the point where they will be pushed too hard. Im thinking 100-150 RMS should be good for all four? Any ideas on that?

As for the amplifiers, I was looking around and came across these amplifiers:

4-Channel: Hifonics ZXi 4406 (4 Ohms: 55 watts RMS x 4, 2 Ohms: 110 watts RMS x 4)

4-Channel: Hifonics ZXi 6406 (4 Ohms: 85 watts RMS x 4, 2 Ohms: 170 watts RMS x 4)

Now I know alot of people say the Hifonics are overrated in terms of RMS power, but what does everyone think of those two amplifiers and which is better, wired in 4 or 2 ohms? And the RMS power they give out, will it be too much for my speakers since their RMS is lower than the 2-ohms that those amplifiers put out?

If anyone can help me out, I would appreciate it! Thanks guys!!

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[chartman18 10+ year member]

Bump. Any help please?

Thanks.

 

[Hintzyboy 5,000+ posts]

If your speakers have a 2 ohm impedance, then they can only be played at 2 ohms. Find an amplifier that can do 100wx4 @ 2 ohms. Post abudget and I can help you a little more in the selection process.

 

[Hintzyboy 5,000+ posts]

http://www.woofersetc.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=product.display&Product_ID=3807

This one should be good

 

[chartman18 10+ year member]

Actually, that amplifier seems too expensive for what it can do. The Hifonics puts out way more than that at both 2 and 4 ohms for under $200. I dont want to put out more than $175 on a 4-channel amplifier.

And how do you exactly wire up my speakers with my 2-channel Boss Chaos amplifier? Im not sure if its wired up right?

Any other help/suggestions?

 

[Hintzyboy 5,000+ posts]

The Titan 6406 should be fine. Hifonics amps are overrated, so you'd probably have problems with clipping if you try to get the power you need out of the 4406.

As for the boss amp, junk it. Boss sucks it hard:naughty:

 

[chartman18 10+ year member]

The Titan 6406 should be fine. Hifonics amps are overrated, so you'd probably have problems with clipping if you try to get the power you need out of the 4406.
As for the boss amp, junk it. Boss sucks it hard:naughty:

Haha, my Boss amp, you dont have to tell me. I got it for free from a friend.

As for the 4406, you say it may clip? Im not entirely sure what 'clipping' is, but I seen it around on the forums mentioned, but paid no mind to it. Its only 10 watts RMS over 100 watts (what the rear speakers RMS is) so it shouldnt be bad right? And I know Hifonics amps are overrated, but I dont know.

Hmmm?

 

[Hintzyboy 5,000+ posts]

"Clipping" simply means sending a distorted signal through the speaker, which will dramatically shorten the life of said speaker. The more you push an amp to its limits(turning the gain all the way up), the more you run the risk of clipping the signal. With the larger amp, you won't be getting as near to maxing it out, because you'll have the gains turned down a little so you don't overpower the speakers. It will run cooler and will provide cleaner power, ultimately prolonging the life of your amp and your speakers.

 

[chartman18 10+ year member]

Oh I see now about clipping. So if I had a powerful/more rated amplifier, it would have a less chance of clipping because the gain would be set down/low?

Alright, anything under $175 for a great 4-channel that would push 100 watts RMS?

Does anyone think the ZXi 4406 is a good choice for this?

 

[DaveDSMer 10+ year member]

http://www.crutchfield.com/S-RwDFGotVbFu/cgi-bin/ProdView.asp?g=120&tab=essential_info&i=489AP1040#Tab

http://www.sonicelectronix.com/item_1703.html

 

[chartman18 10+ year member]

Wow, that Phoenix Gold amplifier looks good. What does everyone think of those in terms of reliability and performance? Good sound?

As for those amplifiers, I believe I may 'have' to wire my speakers up 2 ohms as someone in this thread said they are meant to be wired in 2 ohms (my speakers say they are 2-ohm impedance), so if I wired those amplifiers to all 4 of my speakers in 2 ohms, I'd be at 125 watts RMS for each speaker by both amps.

Is 25 watts RMS extra ok for my speakers if the fronts are 75 RMS and the rears are 100 RMS?

If its ok, and you guys approve of Phoenix Gold, should I get that over the Hifonics ZXi 4406 with 110 watts RMS per speaker?

Help/Ideas?

 

[Hintzyboy 5,000+ posts]

Go with the PG. If you set your gains correctly, then you won't be running more than the speaker's rms anyway. That's the whole point of what i explained to you earlier. Set the amp to what you need for each speaker.

 

[chartman18 10+ year member]

Go with the PG. If you set your gains correctly, then you won't be running more than the speaker's rms anyway. That's the whole point of what i explained to you earlier. Set the amp to what you need for each speaker.

Yeah. How do I know where I should set my gains (please dont tell me to read the Gains Tutorial, lol, because it didnt make much sense to me since Im a beginner/amateur) and how would I know where my speakers are at in terms of RMS wattage?

Anybody else agree on a Phoenix Gold over a Hifonics?

 

[DaveDSMer 10+ year member]

you could just take it to a professional installer that has the tools to set it properly if you don't want to do it yourself.

 

[chartman18 10+ year member]

Well, Im not that big of a beginner, lol. The internet is all I need to figure things out.

So it'd be easier and less time/cost consuming if someone explained to me how to properly set my RMS wattage AND how to hook up my speakers in 2-ohms wiring?

Also, once again, does anyone else agree with the Phoenix Gold over the Hifonics ZXi4406 amplifier?