I need help wiring my system. This is what I have: Nakamichi 4 channel amp: 50w * 4. Bridged @ 4ohms=200w * 2. Bridged @ 8ohms=100w * 2.
2 10" Pheonix Gold Octanes: 250 watts RMS each speaker but they are dual voice coil (each coil is 4ohms) Someone told me to just wire each coil to a channel, but then someone else told me that doing so can mess up your subs. Also, if I bridge the amp, do I set it in mono or stereo? Any help is appreciated. Thank you.
the only way you would be able to do it is run each sub in a series and yield a 8ohm load from each and then run them mono 100watts /sub at 8ohms. You really dont have the write vc set up for your amp. if you had dual 2ohm subs you would be better off.
Jennifer, you're trying to use the wrong amp for your subs. That amp you have will be good for powering components like the fronts and rears. If you're set on using it with the subs then try this. Get a DMM and measure your subs. See if you're really getting 4ohms on each voice coil. Also wire them in parallel (pos to pos and neg to neg) and measure the total load. Some subs will yield 3ohms - 3.5ohms. If that is the case, you can power each sub in bridged mode (200w x 2). Sure the amp will run a little hotter than normal, but it should be okay. In bridged mode, you will want to operate in mono. Get a rca splitter to mono out the input terminals or if you have a switch on the amp, use it. You might want to just get a mono sub amp and use your existing 4 channel to power the front and rear speakers. It'll sound much better overall.
Ok, I ended up bridging the amp and wiring each sub to measure 8ohms, therefore getting 100 watts to each speaker. It's ok, it's not as loud as I wanted it to be, but I guess until I get a 2 channel amp it will have to do. I have a switch on the amp, should it be on mono or stereo? Thanks, Jennifer