What can power what???

[Depression 10+ year member]

Hello all, I have a question important to my next systems budget. it's pretty basic, but I am not exactly sure on the answer. again I have had many systems and seen many systems but lack true knowledge on system "science"

Basically..."CAN" I power all my speakers from one amp!!!!. I know this "CAN" be done...but what are the up sides and down sides....sample system would be something like ...2 seperates in doors )mids and tweets and 1 or 2 subs.

Mainly......... how is this done in simple terms and what type of amps should I consider if planning to do this..Only a 4 Channel?

An Amp with very High and low pass crossovers??? etc.

Would a Fosgate 551X be good for something like 2 80 watt RMS Mb Quartz and a single 350Watt Sub..

for example I have had the MTX 6304 come highly recommended for a 4 speaker coaxial set up with a single 10" sub,mainly because of the HP/LP slope on this amp..... but this always seemed too little amp for me for too many speakers

Or is it better to go with 2 amps?

Basically..... what do I need to look for when shopping for an amp to power an entire system??????????????????or should I dish out money for a classD mono for subs and a seperate 2 channel for components???

it's not really the price of amps alone bothering me..but the extra stuff that will be entailed in a 2 amp set up (including hardware and instalation)..it puts me just over budget!!!!

When I see an amp for sale that says "2 channel at 150 watts each at 4 ohms"..I assume "Okay this amp can only power 2-150 watt speakers" explain how this is not the case in scientific terms

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[Bavarian3 10+ year member]

u can definetly power everything off an amp. the only downside is its hard to get an amp that can safely power ur speakers and be powerful enough to power a sub. so if u want lots of bass ur gona need alot of power which u couldnt send to speakers. I personally wouldnt touch fosgate amps theyr very overpriced and i havent heard anything good about the new ones. u should get a nice set of components for the front then 12" sub. U could get a 100x4 amp. use the first 2 channels for the speakers then the second 2 channels and bridge it to the sub. i duno its not really an easy task using one amp to power everything thats for sure.

 

[taylor 10+ year member]

you could go with a 5 channel, ppi even made a 6 channel....it's really up to you, if you want massive spl you will want a dedicated sub amp.

 

[b0mbrman 10+ year member]

u can definetly power everything off an amp. the only downside is its hard to get an amp that can safely power ur speakers and be powerful enough to power a sub. so if u want lots of bass ur gona need alot of power which u couldnt send to speakers. I personally wouldnt touch fosgate amps theyr very overpriced and i havent heard anything good about the new ones. u should get a nice set of components for the front then 12" sub. U could get a 100x4 amp. use the first 2 channels for the speakers then the second 2 channels and bridge it to the sub. i duno its not really an easy task using one amp to power everything thats for sure.

What's so tough about it?
No distribution blocks, one amp rack, only one set of power wires to snake through, etc.

Look at my sig...I'm using three 4-channel amps right now //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/smile.gif.1ebc41e1811405b213edfc4622c41e27.gif

 

[Bavarian3 10+ year member]

What's so tough about it?
No distribution blocks, one amp rack, only one set of power wires to snake through, etc.

when i said its not easy to power everything with one amp that had nothing to do with wiring. An example, Explain to me how u will power a set of 80wrms components 100wrms midbass drivers and a two 600wrms subwoofers all off one amp. Hard isnt it?

 

[Depression 10+ year member]

Again, for Budget reasons I am considering this. I feel I can get 1 "REAL GOOD AMP" but only afford " 2 decent amps" if I go for 2,

Almost every time I ask a "Know it all" or "store salesman" about what I want to do for my speaker set up initially their first question is "WELL DO YOU WANT 1 or 2 AMPS"...like this is a "crucial decision". essentially I am not going "BIG" on my system..but because it is in a Show truck I want to go "Proffesional" in products and install.....I may not have 4 amps and seperates all over the truck....but I want "GREAT" products on the inside...and with a budget..this becomes a "decisions..decisions"....thing!!!!

any advice on good amps to power this set up.

and when looking at amps can you guys explain the whole 2 channels into 4ohms means xxx watss...etc...

I know this seems like alot to ask but I am a quick learner....

what can amps do...in amount of speakers they can power.....AND POWER WELL!!!!!

 

[azngurlbaybee 10+ year member]

when i said its not easy to power everything with one amp that had nothing to do with wiring. An example, Explain to me how u will power a set of 80wrms components 100wrms midbass drivers and a two 600wrms subwoofers all off one amp. Hard isnt it?

Well if you wanna take it that far...no, you can't power 5 speaker systems off a 4-channel amp (without using the rear channels of the deck for the rears)
Now, regarding that 600-watt subwoofer, what does that 600 mean?

That's how much power it can handle--not how much it needs

So let's say you were running a Koda component set and a Brahma 12 in the rear (similar to what I've got). The Kodas have a sensitivity of 88 and the B12 has a sensitivity of 84.

In order to have a flat response curve up to 108 dB, you'd somehow need to get 100 watts to the fronts and 320 watts to the sub--something that's no problem with a 4-channel amp (and again, similar to what I've got)

"But that Brahma is 1600 wrms!" You say. "Shouldn't it have exploded by now?"

Weird...it hasn't happened yet //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/wink.gif.608e3ea05f1a9f98611af0861652f8fb.gif

 

[defiance 10+ year member]

when i said its not easy to power everything with one amp that had nothing to do with wiring. An example, Explain to me how u will power a set of 80wrms components 100wrms midbass drivers and a two 600wrms subwoofers all off one amp. Hard isnt it?

Nope, not at all. Take 1 4x125 such as the avionixx 800.4, put the first set of channels and bridge them to a single 4 ohm (or dual 8 ohm, or dual 4 ohm DVC) sub for 400+ watts, then take the other set and put them through a good 3-way passive crossover network. That would sound dam'd awesome. And heck, if you set up your enclosure right, you can get away with not using midbasses (dependent upon your vehicle & setup), which would make it almost too easy...

I'm kinda thinking about the same thing, haven't decided whether to run two identical 2-channels or one 4-channel... Can't really see any advanteges to the 2-channel route at this point...

 

[Depression 10+ year member]

Thanks Defiance....just the kinda Explanation/answer I was looking for. For Fun I thought I would call CRUTCHFIELD....I got some idiot who sounded like a telemarketer rather than a good Tech person..he Said something dumb...

Said If I did this (run all speakers on a 4 Channel amp)...It would not work because I would need to send equal amounts of power to the Front speakers as to the Sub..I'm pretty sure that is not the case.

Whatever..most of the time I get good answers from Crutchfield.....

 

[Bavarian3 10+ year member]

Well if you wanna take it that far...no, you can't power 5 speaker systems off a 4-channel amp (without using the rear channels of the deck for the rears)
Now, regarding that 600-watt subwoofer, what does that 600 mean?

That's how much power it can handle--not how much it needs

So let's say you were running a Koda component set and a Brahma 12 in the rear (similar to what I've got). The Kodas have a sensitivity of 88 and the B12 has a sensitivity of 84.

In order to have a flat response curve up to 108 dB, you'd somehow need to get 100 watts to the fronts and 320 watts to the sub--something that's no problem with a 4-channel amp (and again, similar to what I've got)

"But that Brahma is 1600 wrms!" You say. "Shouldn't it have exploded by now?"

Weird...it hasn't happened yet //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/wink.gif.608e3ea05f1a9f98611af0861652f8fb.gif

what do u mean "shouldnt it have exploded now" when did i say something like that?

Now why would u want to have a 600wrms sub and only send it half of its handling power. Im not sure what ur saying about response curves and sensitivity. Dont bother explaining it i dont care but its kool u know that much about it. but yeah, as much as u talked about what u just talked about u didnt say how u could do a full system off one amplifier. It can be done of course, i never said it couldnt be done, i simply said "it would be hard".

Take 1 4x125 such as the avionixx 800.4, put the first set of channels and bridge them to a single 4 ohm (or dual 8 ohm, or dual 4 ohm DVC) sub for 400+ watts, then take the other set and put them through a good 3-way passive crossover network. That would sound dam'd awesome. And heck, if you set up your enclosure right, you can get away with not using midbasses (dependent upon your vehicle & setup), which would make it almost too easy...

This is a good way to do it. I agree, and u definetly dont u need midbass drivers. Nice components up front are good enough. Even tho ur plan sounds good there arent very many single woofers that can be wired to a 4 ohm load. DVD 4 ohm can not be wired to a 4 ohm load. Get 2 of them then yeah. So like i said before, it can be done, its just not easy. There are plenty of amps out there to suit ur budgets needs. But do whatevers clever.. //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/crazy.gif.c13912c32de98515d3142759a824dae7.gif

 

[azngurlbaybee 10+ year member]

Now why would u want to have a 600wrms sub and only send it half of its handling power.

What does "handling power" mean?

 

[Bavarian3 10+ year member]

What does "handling power" mean?

what does RMS stand for exactly. i dont know but i do kno that the "R" stands for RECOMMENDED.

i really dont see the point ur trying to prove. Everyone knows a sub can get moving fine without its fulfilling its RMS.

 

[taylor 10+ year member]

RMS stands for

Root Means Squared

and capone, you need to get a little more education before you EXPLODE, you can send a sub half the power if you **** well want to, it will perform fine, just don't expect max spl out of it if that is what you are going for....example, i am tossing 150 watts to my rear sub and it will take 400, does that matter at all, no, it sounds great and as a matter of fact i have earned myslef 2 second place finishes and a 1st in local Sq shows....Even with actual iasca judging....cap spl at 130db etc.

Obviously if he's telling you about response curves and sensitivity you should listen to aviod making uneducated answeres.

And yes a midbass drivers are a must unless your specialty happens to be box design....mine is not...so i need them...i run 2 4 channels in my car, it is a much more flexible way to run speakers/ subwoofers....but again thats me....i also have a sub up front so i need the flexiblity for tuning reasons.

 

[azngurlbaybee 10+ year member]

what does RMS stand for exactly. i dont know but i do kno that the "R" stands for RECOMMENDED.

Okay, well I guess I can see why it might be hard for you to run a 4-channel amp //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/biggrin.gif.d71a5d36fcbab170f2364c9f2e3946cb.gif

 

[taylor 10+ year member]

hahahah //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/biggrin.gif.d71a5d36fcbab170f2364c9f2e3946cb.gif