Anyone good with car audio?

[84cutspreme]

I have a few questions regarding my audio setup....any and all input appreciated

-1st, what the hell is the difference between 2 & 4 ohm ratings?
-2nd, with 1000watt max & 350watt nominal sub-woofer, what would be a suitable wattage to have @ each sub?
-3rd, with 2x subs, would I go with a dual channel amp, mono, 3 or 4 channel?
-4th, should interior speaker get their own amp? should I be amping them through deck/receiver? Or no amp @ all?


Ask for any more info if needed

 

[442Jayp]

i kno for a fact you should have a 4 channel amp just for your interior speakers and a 2 channel amp hooked to your subs...makes the sound more clear and lets the amp on the sub push them as much as they can

 

[crucial118]

You can also go with a 5 channel amp. It will power the interior speakers and a sub.
Answers to your questions.
1. Speakers have ohm ratings. Depending on the wattage applied and the ohm stable amplifier you have, and arrangement of speakers(parallel, or in series) depends on which ohm speaker to get. Ex. If you have to 4 ohm speakers in parrallel, the resistance drops to 2 ohms(due to Ohm's Law in parallel circuits}. The amp needs to be at least 2 ohm stable, and your wattage goes up when resistance goes down.
2. If 350 is the rms for the sub you should try to stay around that when looking for amps. 350x2=700 watts of power or around that.
3. With 2 subs you can go with a mono as long as the amp is stable at that resistance. Parallel: 2 4 ohm subs in parallel=2 ohms resistance. 2 4 ohm subs in series=8 ohms resistance. Most use 2 channel though.
4. Depending on how much sound you want you can get away with powering interior speakers through a good head unit...ie Alpine, Kenwood, etc. But if you are into your music you should go with an amp for your interior speakers. Sounds a world of difference. Good head units provide clear signals with which to amplify.

 

[Veltboy618]

You can also go with a 5 channel amp. It will power the interior speakers and a sub.
Answers to your questions.
1. Speakers have ohm ratings. Depending on the wattage applied and the ohm stable amplifier you have, and arrangement of speakers(parallel, or in series) depends on which ohm speaker to get. Ex. If you have to 4 ohm speakers in parrallel, the resistance drops to 2 ohms(due to Ohm's Law in parallel circuits}. The amp needs to be at least 2 ohm stable, and your wattage goes up when resistance goes down.
2. If 350 is the rms for the sub you should try to stay around that when looking for amps. 350x2=700 watts of power or around that.
3. With 2 subs you can go with a mono as long as the amp is stable at that resistance. Parallel: 2 4 ohm subs in parallel=2 ohms resistance. 2 4 ohm subs in series=8 ohms resistance. Most use 2 channel though.
4. Depending on how much sound you want you can get away with powering interior speakers through a good head unit...ie Alpine, Kenwood, etc. But if you are into your music you should go with an amp for your interior speakers. Sounds a world of difference. Good head units provide clear signals with which to amplify.

Good info! I have to learn that stuff

 

[crucial118]

Yeah, I tinkered with car audio growing up and did all the wrong stuff. Then when I got into the electrical apprenticeship it all started to make sense to me.

 

[jacobdavis1979]

In mileybu i run a 2 channel 800 pioneer bridged to a 4 ohm single voice coil 15 fosgate and i have a 200 watt 4 channel pioneer i use to run 2 3 inch bostons in the doors and 2 boston 6 x 9s. this is just my opinion u dont have to do this but i never run a mono(1 channel) amp. i always use a 2 channel and bridge it to one sub or a 4 channel and bridge it to 2 subs but thats only with subs with speakers i run one per channel. use a decent sized amp for subs so u can have the bass that u want . and i use a small amp so u can control gain for interior speakers cuz if u dont and u turn the cd player 3/4 of the way up they will distort so use a small amp to prevent that

 

[jacobdavis1979]

and ohm load thats just where the subs make there best power at. if its 4 ohm 1000 watt rms sub thats the power it will make at 4 ohms( with the right amp of course ) if u drop the to 2 ohm the power will change drastictly and in some cases damage ur equipment. most of the time its best to match ur ohm load.




im not tryin to sound like a know it all or be an *ss lol cuz everyone has there own opinion and im just passin along what i know lol 🙂

 

[crucial118]

When you get real good with it you can have 2 subs in series and parallel. Use a mono amp rated at 2 ohm stable(should not overheat and blow fuses at 2+ ohms). 2 subs, dual voice coil at 4 ohms each. Each sub, in series will be at 8 ohms(vc1+vc2). Then if you parallel the subs it will drop down to 4 ohms(8/2 because same ohms). Then you can use the mono amp to power 2 subs.

 

[crucial118]

and ohm load thats just where the subs make there best power at. if its 4 ohm 1000 watt rms sub thats the power it will make at 4 ohms( with the right amp of course ) if u drop the to 2 ohm the power will change drastictly and in some cases damage ur equipment. most of the time its best to match ur ohm load.




im not tryin to sound like a know it all or be an *ss lol cuz everyone has there own opinion and im just passin along what i know lol 🙂

The ohm rating on an amp is the stable rating for that amp. I you go below that the amp can overheat. The ohm rating on the sub is what it is rated at (therefore the amp needs to be rated at least that for the amp to not overheat). A 1 or 2 ohm stable amp will not damage an 8 ohm sub, but a 2 ohm sub will damage a 4 ohm rated amplifier.

 

[jacobdavis1979]

When you get real good with it you can have 2 subs in series and parallel. Use a mono amp rated at 2 ohm stable(should not overheat and blow fuses at 2+ ohms). 2 subs, dual voice coil at 4 ohms each. Each sub, in series will be at 8 ohms(vc1+vc2). Then if you parallel the subs it will drop down to 4 ohms(8/2 because same ohms). Then you can use the mono amp to power 2 subs.

lol yea im not that good. i know enough to get it goin and poundin hard but i still got alot to learn about stuff like that