please help with amp/wiring question 8 speakers+sub

[jmurphy 10+ year member]

is there an amp that can power 8 speakers+sub (4x) 6.5" 200w (4x) 6x9 400w pioneer, 12" pioneer sub dont know watts

currently there is an amp that looks cheap and says 1800w max it is 5 channel, but it cant even power half of them without going into protection mode at 3/4 volume with all the gains and stuff at minimum, also the previous owner wired it so that 3 speakers 2x 6.5" and 1x 6x9 are all spliced into one set of speaker wire, does this work or do i need to rewire this, i would prefer not to, this is for a party bus and for other people to use so i dont care what it sounds like aslong as it is balanced, doesnt cut out, and the amp doesnt go into protection mode.

I dont want to spend a ton of money as this is not for my own personal use, please help, i have a picture of the setup but these forums wont let me post a picture because im new...

keep in mind i dont know much about amps, wattage, ohms, or anything except the basics..

thanks in advance

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[05trailblazer 10+ year member]

what brand is it??

 

[jmurphy 10+ year member]

i think the amp is cadence, the bus is at my shop right now so i cant check not sure of the model number or anything except that it says 1800w max on it

 

[ColterDC 10+ year member]

Sounds like you're willing to buy another amp?

If so just go buy another amp that will power the sub and use your current one to run the other speakers since I'm betting that without having to power the sub that the current amp would run the other speakers without cutting off.

 

[ColterDC 10+ year member]

(4x) 6.5" 200w (4x) 6x9 400w pioneer

I'm guessing these are peak watt numbers, so the rms watts are probably less than half that.

(4x) 6.5" 80rms each (4x) 6x9 160rms each = 960rms watts total

If your current amp can handle that, just buy a mono or bridgeable amp to run the sub and you're done (minus some wiring work)

 

[jmurphy 10+ year member]

Sounds like you're willing to buy another amp?
If so just go buy another amp that will power the sub and use your current one to run the other speakers since I'm betting that without having to power the sub that the current amp would run the other speakers without cutting off.

the amp actually wont run the other speakers even without the sub hooked up, im not sure whats wrong all the knobs are turned to minimum and ive tried on the 2, 4, or 5 channel setting and none seem to work i dont know if its something with the wiring or the amp just isnt strong enough to run 6 speakers??

 

[ColterDC 10+ year member]

also the previous owner wired it so that 3 speakers 2x 6.5" and 1x 6x9 are all spliced into one set of speaker wire, does this work or do i need to rewire this

Ideally you want the speakers hooked into the correct "section" of the amp based on their placement within the vehicle (Front left, front right, rear left, rear right).

So without knowing where the speakers are located in the vehicle, we cannot tell you if it should be rewired.

 

[ColterDC 10+ year member]

i dont know if its something with the wiring or the amp just isnt strong enough to run 6 speakers??

Or possibly both.

If you can get the model #'s of the amp and speakers that would help in determining if the amp is capable of running your 8 speakers minus sub (Assuming the wiring and amp are in good working order)

 

[jmurphy 10+ year member]

im pretty sure your correct about the rms, although i dont really understand that? is the amps peak 1800 and does it have a rms? not sure how that works, not sure if the amp just cant push enough through one channel to power three speakers on each side or what? if so how would i rewire it so an amp with 5 channels would power 6 speakers, and the 5th channel is just for subs im guessing?

 

[jmurphy 10+ year member]

i will get the model numbers tomorrow, the vehicle is about 30 minutes away, and for all i know the speakers and amp could be junk

 

[jmurphy 10+ year member]

just curious are you able to run more than one set of wires to each channel???

 

[jmurphy 10+ year member]

here is a picture its not like a normal car setup obviously, but all the 3 on the left and right side are all spliced together on a single set of wires

 

[ColterDC 10+ year member]

just curious are you able to run more than one set of wires to each channel???

Yeah.

Thinking about this further, it's possible that the guy who wired it also didn't know about ohms and if you're presenting a lower ohm to the amp then it's rated, that could be causing major problems.

Rockford Fosgate® - Woofer WiringWizard

 

[ColterDC 10+ year member]

all the 3 on the left and right side are all spliced together on a single set of wires

Yeah that's F-ed up.

You might want to consider pulling those speakers out and rewiring it correctly. At least that's what I'd start with.

Also on the subject of rms watts. It's highly possible that even if it was wired correctly that the amp is around 750 rms watts, whereas all those speakers and the sub are coming in around 1200 or more rms watts.

 

[jmurphy 10+ year member]

im pretty sure the guys i got it from didnt know ANYTHING about wiring, they had the tv, dvd player, amp, and HU all grounded by a 20 gauge wire running all the way to the front of the vehicle when there is another battery less than 2 feet away in the back, they also didnt have any of the wiring to speakers soldered, taped, or anything just open wires twisted on the ends of the speakers...looked like a 10 minute job