Newb With a Couple Questions

[Static08]

Hey everyone, I have a couple of questions about setting up my new subs to my amp and the recommended wire gauge. Firstly, I recently bought 2 10" Kicker CVR dvc 4 ohm subs and have a hand me down Sony XM-2150GSX 2/1 channel amplifier. The specs for the amp and subs are the following:

Amp

760W max power

150W x 2 into 4 ohm

380W x 1 into 4 ohm

190W x 2 into 2 ohm

Subs

800W Peak and 400W RMS each sub

Now I realize my amp is not the greatest just a temporary amp to get me by. So What would be the best way to hook the subs up to the amp? My second question is in regard to the amp kit wire gauge I should get. I had recently purchased an 8 gauge kit which would probably be fine for this amp but I do plan on getting an amp that will at least match the subs rms power rating or close to it. So should I be looking at a 4 gauge kit instead or will 8 be fine if say I got an amp that pushes for instance 600-800w rms? Thanks.

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[GearGuy2001 10+ year member]

With 2 Dual 4 Ohm subs you can wire them to either 1 ohm or 4 ohms, the later (4ohms) is your only option as the amp most likely couldnt handle 1 ohm (dont feel bad few can).

Wire it like this

8awg is pushing it in almost all situations, 4awg is a better choice but honestly look into 0awg

KnuKonceptz does a good job with wiring and its cheap compared to most other brands, One reason is because Its Copper Coated Aluminum (CCA) which I was somewhat worried about myself but after installing it in my car I have no regrets and no complaints.

http://www.knukonceptz.com/

If you decide 4awg check out this kit: http://www.knukonceptz.com/productDetail.cfm?prodID=KFX-AK4

and with 0awg check out these:

http://www.knukonceptz.com/productDetail.cfm?prodID=KLM-AK0

http://www.knukonceptz.com/productDetail.cfm?prodID=KARSS2.6M

and if you need speaker wire this also

http://www.knukonceptz.com/productDetail.cfm?prodID=KAR12SS

 

[jrwalte 10+ year member]

Since it is a two channel amp you could actually wire each sub in parallel to each channel for a 2 ohm load, but since the specs say you don't get more power at 2 channel 2 ohm over 1 channel 4 ohm, you might as well go with the easier wiring/setup mentioned by GearGuy.

As long as you never plan on going over 1200 RMS 4g would be fine for you. I'd definitely not install the 8g. And be sure to do the Big Three in the same wire gauge as your power wire. Check out the sticky in the wire/installation forum if you aren't familiar with the 'Big Three'.

 

[Static08]

Thanks for the info guys. I'm a little confused with the diagram as I cannot see the back of the amp. Here is a photo of my amp.





Is this the same way to connect it in this diagram by connecting sub 1 to the Left terminals and sub 2 to the right terminals on my amp?

 

[Static08]

Would the KnuKonceptz KOL-AK4 kit be fine also for my current amp and future amp? It's the only one I can find on ebay.

 

[helotaxi 5,000+ posts]

since the specs say you don't get more power at 2 channel 2 ohm over 1 channel 4 ohm

If you ever find an amp that says it does different power into a 4 ohm bridged load than it does total into 2 ohms stereo, either the amp is a POS or the specs are a fabrication indirectly indicating that the amp is a POS. As far as the amp is concerned, 4 ohms bridged and 2 ohm stereo are the exact same thing.

A 4ga kit will be more than enough for your current amp and will have your planned upgrade covered as well. No reason to run 1/0 for a modest system.