DSP + Amp. How many channels does DSP need to be?

[Rysandro 10+ year member]

Ok I'm new to all this...

I have 6 speakers that I want to drive actively.

2x Tweeters

2x6.5 Woofers in Doors

2x 6.5 Woofers in tailgate

I plan on getting two PDXF-4 to drive all 6 speakers, this will leave me with 2 channels available for one of the PDX4 incase I decide to go 3-Way Front stage in the future.

The question is do I need a 6 input/output channel DSP to have all 6 speakers active?

Or does it not matter how many input/output channels the DSP Is since its esentially a Pre Amp and its the PDX-4's that will truly power the speakers?

I ask because I like the price of the Audison Bit 10, but it's listed as 4 input channels and 5 output channels, but I wanna have 6 speakers with active crossovers.

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[West]

You need one amplifier channel for every speaker if you want to run a truly active setup.

For good performance you would want to go with a 6 channel DSP or a 5 channel DSP if you want to bridge the subs in the rear, but still better off with 6 independant channels. Something with time alignment would be very good.

The best option is to have a deck that you can program all the crossover/time alignment settings with and send the signal to the amps. With all the HU's out there, I wouldn't see any reason not to get one designed with active crossovers in mind (6-8 independant channels) and possibly autotune/timealignment which is gonna save some headaches.

You could use those amps to independantly control the active setup with as few as two RCA outs but you would need a way to split the signal (with y connectors or an external DSP) and there would certainly be a loss in SQ. Most of the higher end decks now come with at least 6 independant channel outputs anyway.