I am not to knowledgeable on sound systems. But If I want to run 4 speakers on one amp would I need a 4 channel amp? 2 channel amp? Or is a regular amp just find? What does 4 channel and 2 channel mean? And Is it possible to run 4 speakers off one amp of would I cause an overload of some kind?


Thanks

Jeff

 

More info would help and what are you trying to accomplish? What speakers, size and location.

 

Think of each speaker as a channel. So if you want to run 4 speakers - 2 front and 2 rear off of a single amp, yep you need a 4-channel amp.

Then there is the issue of impedence. Speakers can come in 8ohm, 4ohm, and 2ohm varieties, same with the amps. You have to match the impedence of your speakers with those of your amp. So say you have 4 ohm speakers, you need a 4 channel amp with 4ohm impedence. Many amps can be bridged and provide a variety of impedence and channel output capabilities - it varies by amp, so you just have to read the specifications for each one.

Lastly, there is wattage. If a speaker is rated at 200 watts RMS (think of this as nominal or continuous) and your amp is putting out 40 watts RMS per channel, your speakers are way under powered and won't sound good. Conversely, if you have an amp outputting 100W RMS but your speakers can only handle 30W RMS - you can blow them. Always compare RMS ratings - not peak power ratings. Peak power is just an industry gimmick to make you think you are getting a really powerfull system when you are not. Ideally you want to be in the same range - say pushing 50W RMS per channell to 50W RMS speakers.

Once you get into ALOT of continuous power - say 400-500W RMS or more, especially if powering 2 amps, a 4 channel for your front and rear speakers and a single or double channel for subs - you need to add a capacitor to get the strain off of your cars electrical system. These too can be expensive.

That's amps in a nutshell.

Earl

 

The problem I have is that in my 66 coupe the receiver is only a 30watt receiver and the middle speaker is a 30 watt speaker so sound is loud and fine. I have two kick pannel speakers hooked up to that receiver but they are 160 watt speakers and there is no sound comming out of it because the receiver does not have enough power to power them. so I am going to buy a new CD receiver that has aux input so I can hook up my ipod and hide it in my glove box. I want to run the two kick pannel speakers of it and install 2 6x9 in the back. (since I am going thru all the trouble I figue why not). I am looking at amps want to know do I need to get a 4 channel amp since I will have 4 speakers or a 2 channel amp and that that means

thanks

 

In that case you're best off w/ a 4 channel amp. You could use a 2 channel amp and wire them differently so that your amp sees the right load... but that's a whole different story you don't need to get in to. The reason you want the 4 channel is so that each speaker gets the proper sound. ie, most music is seperated into left/right channels, and you'll want a 4 channel amp to have one channel for each right and left, plus you'll be able to adjust the levels of front and rear sound to make it sound right for you.
There's other ways to do it to, but the 4 channel amp will be the easiest and sound just as good as any other way. Good luck.