EATMYSOX

Hello....

I am a total noob to car audio stuff and have spent hours looking for the answer to my question but have not found the information I am looking for so I am hoping someone here can help me out.

Here is my setup: (yet to be installed)
HU: Pioneer DEH-P980BT
Front Components: CDT Audio ES-620 (4 ohms)
Rear Coax: JBL GTO527 (2 ohms)
Sub: JL Audio 12W6V2 (Dual 4 ohm Voice Coils)
Amp: Soundstream TRA880.5 (60 x 4 + 200 x 1 @ 4 ohms) and (120 x 4 + 400 x 1 @ 2 ohms)

Now my question is this. I want to run the entire system at 2 ohms because I need the wattage to power the speakers that I have. So how do I go about running 4 ohm speakers at 2 ohms? Does it just have to do with wiring them in a certain way to create a 2 ohm load? I have been told a few different things by a few different people. One person told me that you need 4 ohm speakers all around and then you can wire it to run at 2 ohms. Does that mean that I need 4 ohm rear coax'es? Someone else said that it doesn't matter if I have 2 ohm rear speakers and that it can still work.

To say the least I am confused....can someone please clear the air for me.

Any help is much appreciated in advance!

Thanks a lot.

RScooby

iTrader: (3)

First of all you already have all of your equipment so you can only do what you can with what you have now.

Your amp is a 5 channel amp, and with the equipment you have listed it will be running like this:

60x2 to the front CDTs + 120x2 to the JBLs + 400x1 to the w6.

Unfortunately you can't just run the system at 2 ohms. The only way to do so would be to get another set of the CDTs and run 2 pairs in parallel with each other. That way the amp will see a 2 ohm load, but even then the 120 watts of power will be split between the 2 pairs and each pair will only see 60 watts, exactly the same as if you run only the one pair at 4 ohm.

As an added bonus running at 4 ohm will result in less distortion from the amp, resulting in cleaner sound.

As a general rule of thumb if you maintain the same driver in a speaker system and double the power to it you're only going to gain about 3db of volume.

If you want my opinion I would get rid of the JBLs and get a different set of speakers which you like and are 4 ohm. Your system will be more balanced, the amp won't have to work as hard, it'll play cleaner and it'll be easier on your car's electrical system.

Alternatively keep everything you have and tune for your fronts, then tune your rears. The gain will be much lower than the fronts and you aren't going to be utilizing the fact that they're 2 ohms.

Hope that helps a little

EDIT: P.S. - 60 watts is still a descent amount of power to run interiors.

EATMYSOX

Thanks for the help RScooby. Just one question about what you wrote...
You said that I will be running the fronts at 60 x 2 (4 ohms) the rears at 120 x 2 (2 ohms) and the sub at 400 x 1 (2 ohms). So how come I can run the sub which is 4 ohms at 2 ohms and I cannot run the front's which are 4 ohms at 2 ohms?

Thanks

bigb7000

your sub is a dual 4ohm... your fronts are single 4 ohm...

RScooby

iTrader: (3)

As stated above although your sub is one speaker is has 2 voice coils each with a 4 ohm load. You will want to wire these in parallel so that the amp will see a 2 ohm load for the sub portion of the amp.

maltesechicken

Running an amp at 2 or 4 ohms is not a switch or a setting but a result of the speakers you have.

As stated the front and rear stage will be running at 4 and 2 ohms respectively because that is the impedance of those speakers. For the sub, since it is a dual voice coil and each coil is 4 ohms, you have two wireing options: Wire the coils in series and get 8 ohms, or wire the coils parallel and get 2 ohms. Since your amp cn handle a 2 ohm load and you want as much power as possible, you will go for 2 ohms. Therefore your amp will see a 4 ohm front, 2 ohm rear and 2 ohm sub. If you want 2 ohm all around, get 2 ohm speakers for the front, or get a second pair of 4 ohm speakers for the front. But bear in mind, that when you combine two pairs of 4 ohm speakers to acheive a 2 ohm load, the speakers will share the final wattage of the two ohm load: so your front speakers will still only see 60 watts.

Hope this helps.

EATMYSOX

Thanks to all that have answered my questions.