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Hooking up 3 subs to one amp

7K views 16 replies 8 participants last post by  2loud2k2xd 
#1 ·
I have a 2 channel amp that can go 100x2 @4 ohms, 200x2 @2 ohms, & 400x1 @4 ohms bridged. I'm thinking of hooking up 3 low wattage subs to it, how would I do that wiring wise? And how would the power be split? Can you run two or more subs off of one bridged channel? I think I need clarification on channels of music and number or speakers, because a car audio guy told me I could run 4 coax speakers off a two channel amp, but I would lose the ability to fade from front to back, but I could still use balance from left to right.
 
#3 ·
KeWLKaT said:
you could, you will have to wire them in parallel.

its gonna give you something funky though OHM-wise. but it will work.

check to see if your amp is 2 ohms stable.
exactly

contact the sub manufacturer and the amp manufacturer. talk to them and see if the ohm load will be off. if it is, DO NOT wire it up and power it. it will fry the amp and subs.
 
#4 · (Edited)
if your subs are 4-ohm each, you could wire two in parallel, and hook those up in series to the third, which would give you a 6-ohm load on your amp bridged to one channel. but i'm not sure how that would sound... it could color the sound, but at least it won't cause any damage to the amp.

if the subs are 2-ohm each, i would wire all three in series for a 6-ohm final load. they will sound fine, and again there will be no strain on the amp.
 
#6 ·
or you could wire them all in parallel and have it sound super good for 30 min until you fry your amp :eek:
 
#7 ·
i don't see how you have a choice but to have it bridged to one channel. you don't want two subs on one channel and one sub on another.

here's another idea: run the amp in 4-channel mode, and have one sub per channel and leave one channel unused. but then you have to split your input signal among three channels... that will reduce your signal to noise ratio.
 
#8 ·
southpawboston said:
if your subs are 4-ohm each, you could wire two in parallel, and hook those up in series to the third, which would give you a 6-ohm load on your amp bridged to one channel. but i'm not sure how that would sound... it could color the sound, but at least it won't cause any damage to the amp.

if the subs are 2-ohm each, i would wire all three in series for a 6-ohm final load. they will sound fine, and again there will be no strain on the amp.
the first method would work fine as far as the amp is concerned, but it would provide unequal power to the subs. that's just asking for cancellation issues and you'd probably be better off just running 2 of the speakers.

the second option, although not delivering full power from the amp would work just fine.

it'd be really helpful to know the make/model of the subs and amp though so we know what options are even possible.
 
#9 ·
Well I was just asking for the knowledge, because I was thinking about getting 3 8" subs. But today I got 2 JL 10W1v2 8 ohm subs. So I have those two subs, plus the Arc Audio KAR 400.2 amp ( 100x2 @4 ohms, 200x2 @2 ohms, & 400x1 @4 ohms bridged ). Those subs are rated for 150W (assuming thats RMS), so what would be the best way to wire them? If I bridge it, how many watts would each sub get? I think it would be too much.
 
#14 ·
oh, the box building stage. me and nick tried this the other night. im sure if we had GOOD wood (shut up, i know what youre thinking) instead of some been rained on 1/2" MDF and instead had some solid, non-warped 3/4" or even 1" MDF, it could be a lot nicer. once he gets a little $ together, the box will be a lot nicer. ive been thinking of building myself one once i find the carpet so it doesnt look like a wood box
 
#16 ·
Well I got my box built. A basic, sealed enclosure that fits right up close to the seats and still gives me tons of trunk space. But now when it comes to adjusting my amp, I've got some questions. How do I know where to set the crossover? I want Low Pass mode, but at what frequency? I've searched JL's site and can't find a reccomendation, or something that says the subs safe frequency range or anything.

http://mobile.jlaudio.com/products_subs.php?series_id=15

^^^ Thats my subs right there, but the only thing I see on their table that has to do with frequency is Free Air Resonance (Fs), which I have no idea what that is. Any help?
 
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