Car audio noob question

[CLuTZ]

Hey guys, i'm a bit of a noob when it comes to Ohms and channels etc on amps, but i've got a 600w 1 channel monoblock amp, and I was wondering if there is ANY way to make it a 2 channel amp.



dre

 

[olly]

monoblocks are specifically made to power subs dre..

i don't think there is anyway to change it to a 2 channel..

 

[BobWrinkle]

Run 2 pairs of cables off it

 

[CLuTZ]

Run 2 pairs of cables off it

I was thinking that, but is this dangerous??

 

[GSRSOL]

Run 2 pairs of cables off it

I was thinking that, but is this dangerous??

]\


yeah....not a good idea :?

 

[BobWrinkle]

It's not dangerous, All it means is you are sharing the power.

By being a single channel it will also not be left and right you will get both channels on both sides.

You wont break anything by doing it but it wont sound as good as seperate channels...generally.

 

[gsr07]

Cant make a mono into 2. mono is for subs only
running 2 things off a mono is not dangerous, unless you wire it in a way that will overload it. ie if you have 2 dual voice coil subs at 4 ohm per coil and wire it in paralell which will mean its at 1ohm and if your amp isnt 1ohm stable it can cause damage.

 

[omad]

it's a bit old, but what exactly are you wanting to do with the setup dre?

 

[doommachine]

Yeah, even if you make it 2 channel, it will not be proper stereo... unless you want to drive 2 subs, but as gsr07 says, it's possible, just inefficient and if you screw up the resistance the amp will fry, and probably your speakers too.

 

[CLuTZ]

it's a bit old, but what exactly are you wanting to do with the setup dre?

Run a pair of 6x9's off a monoblock amp

 

[bazeng]

u should be able to run em in parallel..

not sure how it will affect the audio quality but as it should divide the power equally....(watts)

as for resistance (ohms), in series it would multiply, but in parallel it should stay the same.....

might be best to ask a physicist...

sorta lost touch with ohms law... might have to refresh my memory as im having to use it at work these days

 

[omad]

it's a bit old, but what exactly are you wanting to do with the setup dre?

Run a pair of 6x9's off a monoblock amp

If you're not putting in a sub, sell off the monoblock and buy a decent 2/4 chan. It's not worth it.

 

[BobWrinkle]

might be best to ask a physicist...

for real?

ask any electrician, electrical tech etc.

Leave the physicists out of it until you want ot ask the tough questions

 

[doommachine]

Eh, I wouldn't run 6x9's off one channel, it will sound pretty average, running only one channel into two speakers. Mono.. eh..

However - if you use 2 * 4 ohm speakers (most car audio speakers are 4, afaik), in parallel, you will be driving a 2 ohm load. So, if your amp can only hand 4, then, boom. Or, if you run them in series, you will be driving 8 ohms, so less volume, although this is debatable.

If you can get 2 8 ohm speakers, then in parallel you will be driving 4 ohms.

 

[omad]

Eh, I wouldn't run 6x9's off one channel, it will sound pretty average, running only one channel into two speakers. Mono.. eh..

However - if you use 2 * 4 ohm speakers (most car audio speakers are 4, afaik), in parallel, you will be driving a 2 ohm load. So, if your amp can only hand 4, then, boom. Or, if you run them in series, you will be driving 8 ohms, so less volume, although this is debatable.

If you can get 2 8 ohm speakers, then in parallel you will be driving 4 ohms.

OK, so maybe I should have gone into more detail. You CAN technically run them, yes. But it will sound like poo. Monoblocks are designed to run a sub and are D-class amplifiers. Most of them don't even go above about 200Hz. Even if they did, the sound quality would be average to say the least. Now, before you tech nuts out there say that there are D-class units available for normal speakers, yes. There are. But they are DESIGNED to do this, and a monoblock is NOT one of them.

In short, as I said above, if you've no plans for a sub, sell the monoblock and buy a 2 or 4 channel. If you're simply running an extra set of speakers in the rear (in addition to some rears, say, in the door) check your current amps specs. Most 2/4 channel amps will drive a 2ohm load per channel when they are not being bridged. So you could probably run the 2 sets of the amp at much the same power per speaker.

 

[doommachine]

heh.. good point that, it is no doubt designed with bass delivery only in mind. Go to caraudioaustralia.com, check the forums, you will probably be able to swap for something more suitable. They love subwoofers there.