With my Legacy Red Series 2 amp @ 1800 watts, has ports for 2 speakers...Now, what does a 2-1 channel amp mean?
second thing.I have 4 speakers...and the amp only has 2 ports, which holds 2 speakers. Is there a connect i could put onto the amp to get more bridges, or anything else? i hear i can put it to the battery...but is that a do-it-at-home project?
Replies (22)
compvr15s on 11/2/2005 22:56:25
if it is a 2 channel amp, that is all it well ever be. you can use it as a 2 channel amp or you can use it as a 1channel bridged amp. this amp would be good for a set of subs or some higher power midbass speakers.. but if you want to wire 4 speakers to an amp and get the full fade affect you will want to go witha 4 channel amp, wiring each speaker to its own channel.
lilschtive on 11/3/2005 18:34:25
see yeah...i dont have a 4 channel amp thats why i was wondering if there is any other way to wire?
compvr15s on 11/3/2005 19:13:38
yes you can wire more than 2 speakers to the amp, but you have to match the ohmic load of the speakers to the amp, if your amp can only go to a minimal of 2 or 4 ohm then do not drop any lower than that or you are at risk of ruining your equipment.... but you can definitly wire more than one speaker to one channel.. if you want to you can run your left front and rear off of the left channel and then right front a rear off of the right channel... to do so your need to run the speakers in paralell. pos of front and rear speaker to pos on the amp and then neg of front and rear to the neg terminal of the amp... this will give you a 2 omh load if your speakers are singal 4omh voice coils, which most aftermarket interior speakers are.... by doing this you will lose your fading option though, if you want to just run rear speakers you will not be able to just fade to the rear and get output from those speakers....
lilschtive on 11/3/2005 22:14:44
ok this is a lot better than a i thought..
this is what i was giong to wire:
behind me and the passenger seat: two 8'' mtx subs/speakers
then..in the passenger seat (in one box with seperated champers) ill put the two 10'' JL subs...ill wire the right sub with the passenger seat mtx..and the left sub with the left mtx..Sound ok??
Also, does it matter which of the bridges i put it into ( as long i as i make it + and -)
lilschtive on 11/3/2005 22:15:12
where can i find how much the amp can hold? the ohm?
compvr15s on 11/4/2005 15:19:49
Legacy LA1870 is this the model you have? if so it is 2 omh stable in stereo mode (left and right) and 4omh stable as a bridged signal. id imagine its probably about 250-400 watts x2 rms. and probably about 600-900 watts rms into a 1omh load.. as for 2 channel mode that rms is probably at 2 ohms, so if you just wire a single 4omh speaker to one channel you will get half that prolly about 125-200 per channel. that is still rather high for interior speakers so you will need to set your gains correct or you will destroy your speakers, need more help or have more questions, feel free to ask, good luck,
compvr15s on 11/4/2005 15:27:40
ok i just read your post about the subs, i totally overlooked that.. before you wire anything we need to know exactly what subs you have. 4omh or 2ohm. if you do not have spec sheets you can usually look on the bottom side of the magnet on the sub, and it will say 2ohm, 4omh, 2omh+2omh, 4ohm+4omh. and maybe even 8omh... but we need to know this before we can wire up the subs... if it was me in this situation, i woupld probably just stick with the 2 10 inch JL subs. you probably wont even notice the 8s unless yo have them crossed over alot higher than the 10s because the 10s are going to play everything the 8s will plus some of the lower notes better... what vehicle are you working with? car or truck, if its a car this will be alot easier, we can help you optimize your space with an enclosure that will help reach what you want. if this is a truck its going to be a little harder but im sure we can still direct you to a box that will help with your bass needs... you can have a great subwoofer but have it in a poor box and it will sound lil crap. and same with lower level subs you can place them in a well built box and make them sound alot better than you can imagine.. so if you have your subs ina cheap quick made box this may be part of your problem.. you need a sturdy air tight enclosure for you sub to perform correctly or a properly tuned and built ported box...
lilschtive on 11/4/2005 18:53:40
i have a 2 door truck
my sub box is fine, it sounds great all sealed up. thanks swez for the help
The JL subs ive tried out already, and its awesome bass...But i wanted the MTX also, because they are 8 inch subs, with a speaker output on the top, so i will get more trbele, and hear the song, while a lot of bass.... get it?
The JL subs are 8 ohm each
trunkisloud on 11/4/2005 19:23:08
dude...you should just get some components for the front and just run one set of subs.....it will sound way better plus it will take up less space
lilschtive on 11/4/2005 21:50:15
the front only holds like a 3-5 inch speakers..and i have 2
compvr15s on 11/5/2005 00:38:19
have you ever heard of a kick pannel? this is a sort of mini enclosure that holds 5.25 6.5 inch speakers and so on, they are placed at the front of the vehicle down by the floor boards. they also improve sound staging and really just sound good. so if your vehicle only holds a 3.5 in the dash you may want to look into a set of kick pannels for a set of components, run those off of one channel or a seperate smaller amp. if it was me personally i would not want a speaker box sitting on my passenger seat. know how easy that is for a thief??? i have never broken into anything in my life but how hard is it to break a window, unlock a door and unscrew the wires to the box and off i go, or if small enough just take it right through the window.... im not tryin to tell you what to do but im really doubting the 8s are going to increase your sound performance any. good luck
lilschtive on 11/5/2005 01:47:12
the speaker box houses the 10's....the 8's are behind the seat, lcoked up
swez on 11/5/2005 06:47:43
CompVR pointed out a very good issue here. Theft is a big business in car audio gear. Whatever can be seen, can be snatched. Once they get in, just following wires, will lead them to everything you have installed to date.
Also, there's a safety aspect to consider too. Ever been in a car accident? Things go flying about like projectiles when the vehicle stops abruptly. Even worse if t-boned or have a roll over type event.
I can tell you from experience, this is no laughing matter. Cruising along, minding my own biz, when some bonehead pulls out into my path. One has only a few milli-seconds to evaluate and react to the event we did not cause. I was fortunate to only have a 10 lb briefcase sitting on the passenger seat. But, the rollover event put everything in the car, into motion. It was not like an amusement park ride either.
OK, got the picture? A flying subwoofer box hits the dash, breaks into pieces and now we have many flying objects that can potentially kill (or seriously injure) the driver and any passengers.
Care to re-think your mounting strategies?
Swez THINK
Victor on 11/5/2005 06:59:24
Yeah, i would definiely not want to have a flying woofer box inside my car..
lilschtive on 11/5/2005 11:58:24
i came here to ask questions about installing andhow-to's....i know its a safety issue..but my main topic was about "bridges" and it still hasnt gotten answered...back to the subject:
Can i hooked up my two 10' JL audio subs (8 ohm each) with my two 8'' MtX speaker/subs...WITH my amp that only holds TWO speakers?
lilschtive on 11/5/2005 11:59:19
if you guys thought my truck was compact..its not...its 2 door you know with back seats...sorry for the confusion...The box is tight right behind the passenger seat
swez on 11/5/2005 13:46:54
Psssttt.... Lilguy... I am whispering to you. Do you hear me? Good... listen closely OK?
(still whispering) There may be good reasons why no one is responding to your questions. Here's a few to consider:
1. Some may not understand your goals as they are very much off the beaten path of well planned installs
2. Others may not answer know the answer to your question?
3. Still others may be getting a "wee bit" annoyed by the new kid with all the strange questions and a touch of "Mr. Know-it-All" attitude
(still whispering)... If you want help here, it pays off big to be polite, read the FAQ's and DIY articles. They contain most of the answers new folks need to know when getting started. That's the secret to working with this team of talented journeymen. Do you get the picture now? A smart lad like yourself, I am certain you do. Assuming you do... here's a few options to consider.
====================================================
Since you have a 2 channel amp, there is one option you may wish to consider here. It is called "Tri-mode" operation. Here, each 8" speaker is wired to its own amp channel. One is Left channel, the other is right. You'll have them in stereo. If you can find a way to mount them to your front doors, this is an excellent start to a great sounding front stage.
The 10" JL's are 8 ohms right. You must wire them in series to each other. That give you a net 16 ohm load. Now, take the positive wire of the these subs, and connect to + on Channel 1. The - wires from these subs will be connected to Channel 2's, Neg speaker terminal. Now you have equal power to the 8's and equal power to the JL subs. Here's a link that shows how to use a 2 channel amp in Tri-Mode configuration:
http://www.bcae1.com/trimode.htm
Note: The picture shows a single woofer of 8 ohms, bridged to Channels 1 & 2. Since you have 2 woofers at 8 ohms each, the safest way to do this is to wire both JL's in series. That gives you a 16 ohm load. That will be safe for your amp.
WARNING: If you try to run a 4 ohm load as shown, (both JL subs in parallel) it may damage your amp.
Give it a try and see what kind of bass results you get from this configuration. Few people use this technique anymore. The better way to go, would be to use your Red series amp to power only the JL's in full bridged mode. Then, use a separate amp to power your 8's and highs.
I have a few other ideas to greatly improve your system performance later. But for now, try the configuration noted above. Read the link carefully.
Swez ;-)
lilschtive on 11/5/2005 19:57:30
i dont think i have been very mean at all..i have gotten a lot of great advice from you guys..
Swez- that link looks GREAT! Give me your opinion on this:
-I screw the huge box i have....I make a new one foor only ONE 10' JL sub...It will be smaller, and better measurements..i will use the tri-mode option and hook up the one JL sub and the two MTX sub/speakers
--Will this still be a loud system?
swez on 11/6/2005 06:45:37
Yes, if the amp has adequate power and you port that JL sub in the recommended box, it should be plenty loud.
Consider mounting the 8's in custom kick panels or door mounts. This will give nice lows to the front cabin of your truck and all that will be needed are some good tweets and crossovers to round out the package.
What is the model number of your MTX speakers? Knowing that, we can help you in tuning them to a usable range and well matched tweeters.
Swez
PS What are the fuse values on that Red Legacy amp?
lilschtive on 11/6/2005 13:01:37
the 8's are already built in a custom box when i bought them from the manufacture...I think im going to keep them behind me
trunkisloud on 11/6/2005 14:49:40
hmm....usually pre-fab boxes are just something to help sell the product...unless the enclosure is specifically designed for those subs......if the box has a horn and a tweeter on it....you gotta do somethin different...where did you buy these subs from?...
BgDustin4 on 11/10/2005 17:16:54
thats a lot of reading sorry lol i have no ideas but i know kick panels are called kick for a reason i kicked the crap out of this dude speaker geting into his car one time he was so mad :)
second thing.I have 4 speakers...and the amp only has 2 ports, which holds 2 speakers. Is there a connect i could put onto the amp to get more bridges, or anything else? i hear i can put it to the battery...but is that a do-it-at-home project?
Replies (22)
compvr15s on 11/2/2005 22:56:25
if it is a 2 channel amp, that is all it well ever be. you can use it as a 2 channel amp or you can use it as a 1channel bridged amp. this amp would be good for a set of subs or some higher power midbass speakers.. but if you want to wire 4 speakers to an amp and get the full fade affect you will want to go witha 4 channel amp, wiring each speaker to its own channel.
lilschtive on 11/3/2005 18:34:25
see yeah...i dont have a 4 channel amp thats why i was wondering if there is any other way to wire?
compvr15s on 11/3/2005 19:13:38
yes you can wire more than 2 speakers to the amp, but you have to match the ohmic load of the speakers to the amp, if your amp can only go to a minimal of 2 or 4 ohm then do not drop any lower than that or you are at risk of ruining your equipment.... but you can definitly wire more than one speaker to one channel.. if you want to you can run your left front and rear off of the left channel and then right front a rear off of the right channel... to do so your need to run the speakers in paralell. pos of front and rear speaker to pos on the amp and then neg of front and rear to the neg terminal of the amp... this will give you a 2 omh load if your speakers are singal 4omh voice coils, which most aftermarket interior speakers are.... by doing this you will lose your fading option though, if you want to just run rear speakers you will not be able to just fade to the rear and get output from those speakers....
lilschtive on 11/3/2005 22:14:44
ok this is a lot better than a i thought..
this is what i was giong to wire:
behind me and the passenger seat: two 8'' mtx subs/speakers
then..in the passenger seat (in one box with seperated champers) ill put the two 10'' JL subs...ill wire the right sub with the passenger seat mtx..and the left sub with the left mtx..Sound ok??
Also, does it matter which of the bridges i put it into ( as long i as i make it + and -)
lilschtive on 11/3/2005 22:15:12
where can i find how much the amp can hold? the ohm?
compvr15s on 11/4/2005 15:19:49
Legacy LA1870 is this the model you have? if so it is 2 omh stable in stereo mode (left and right) and 4omh stable as a bridged signal. id imagine its probably about 250-400 watts x2 rms. and probably about 600-900 watts rms into a 1omh load.. as for 2 channel mode that rms is probably at 2 ohms, so if you just wire a single 4omh speaker to one channel you will get half that prolly about 125-200 per channel. that is still rather high for interior speakers so you will need to set your gains correct or you will destroy your speakers, need more help or have more questions, feel free to ask, good luck,
compvr15s on 11/4/2005 15:27:40
ok i just read your post about the subs, i totally overlooked that.. before you wire anything we need to know exactly what subs you have. 4omh or 2ohm. if you do not have spec sheets you can usually look on the bottom side of the magnet on the sub, and it will say 2ohm, 4omh, 2omh+2omh, 4ohm+4omh. and maybe even 8omh... but we need to know this before we can wire up the subs... if it was me in this situation, i woupld probably just stick with the 2 10 inch JL subs. you probably wont even notice the 8s unless yo have them crossed over alot higher than the 10s because the 10s are going to play everything the 8s will plus some of the lower notes better... what vehicle are you working with? car or truck, if its a car this will be alot easier, we can help you optimize your space with an enclosure that will help reach what you want. if this is a truck its going to be a little harder but im sure we can still direct you to a box that will help with your bass needs... you can have a great subwoofer but have it in a poor box and it will sound lil crap. and same with lower level subs you can place them in a well built box and make them sound alot better than you can imagine.. so if you have your subs ina cheap quick made box this may be part of your problem.. you need a sturdy air tight enclosure for you sub to perform correctly or a properly tuned and built ported box...
lilschtive on 11/4/2005 18:53:40
i have a 2 door truck
my sub box is fine, it sounds great all sealed up. thanks swez for the help
The JL subs ive tried out already, and its awesome bass...But i wanted the MTX also, because they are 8 inch subs, with a speaker output on the top, so i will get more trbele, and hear the song, while a lot of bass.... get it?
The JL subs are 8 ohm each
trunkisloud on 11/4/2005 19:23:08
dude...you should just get some components for the front and just run one set of subs.....it will sound way better plus it will take up less space
lilschtive on 11/4/2005 21:50:15
the front only holds like a 3-5 inch speakers..and i have 2
compvr15s on 11/5/2005 00:38:19
have you ever heard of a kick pannel? this is a sort of mini enclosure that holds 5.25 6.5 inch speakers and so on, they are placed at the front of the vehicle down by the floor boards. they also improve sound staging and really just sound good. so if your vehicle only holds a 3.5 in the dash you may want to look into a set of kick pannels for a set of components, run those off of one channel or a seperate smaller amp. if it was me personally i would not want a speaker box sitting on my passenger seat. know how easy that is for a thief??? i have never broken into anything in my life but how hard is it to break a window, unlock a door and unscrew the wires to the box and off i go, or if small enough just take it right through the window.... im not tryin to tell you what to do but im really doubting the 8s are going to increase your sound performance any. good luck
lilschtive on 11/5/2005 01:47:12
the speaker box houses the 10's....the 8's are behind the seat, lcoked up
swez on 11/5/2005 06:47:43
CompVR pointed out a very good issue here. Theft is a big business in car audio gear. Whatever can be seen, can be snatched. Once they get in, just following wires, will lead them to everything you have installed to date.
Also, there's a safety aspect to consider too. Ever been in a car accident? Things go flying about like projectiles when the vehicle stops abruptly. Even worse if t-boned or have a roll over type event.
I can tell you from experience, this is no laughing matter. Cruising along, minding my own biz, when some bonehead pulls out into my path. One has only a few milli-seconds to evaluate and react to the event we did not cause. I was fortunate to only have a 10 lb briefcase sitting on the passenger seat. But, the rollover event put everything in the car, into motion. It was not like an amusement park ride either.
OK, got the picture? A flying subwoofer box hits the dash, breaks into pieces and now we have many flying objects that can potentially kill (or seriously injure) the driver and any passengers.
Care to re-think your mounting strategies?
Swez THINK
Victor on 11/5/2005 06:59:24
Yeah, i would definiely not want to have a flying woofer box inside my car..
lilschtive on 11/5/2005 11:58:24
i came here to ask questions about installing andhow-to's....i know its a safety issue..but my main topic was about "bridges" and it still hasnt gotten answered...back to the subject:
Can i hooked up my two 10' JL audio subs (8 ohm each) with my two 8'' MtX speaker/subs...WITH my amp that only holds TWO speakers?
lilschtive on 11/5/2005 11:59:19
if you guys thought my truck was compact..its not...its 2 door you know with back seats...sorry for the confusion...The box is tight right behind the passenger seat
swez on 11/5/2005 13:46:54
Psssttt.... Lilguy... I am whispering to you. Do you hear me? Good... listen closely OK?
(still whispering) There may be good reasons why no one is responding to your questions. Here's a few to consider:
1. Some may not understand your goals as they are very much off the beaten path of well planned installs
2. Others may not answer know the answer to your question?
3. Still others may be getting a "wee bit" annoyed by the new kid with all the strange questions and a touch of "Mr. Know-it-All" attitude
(still whispering)... If you want help here, it pays off big to be polite, read the FAQ's and DIY articles. They contain most of the answers new folks need to know when getting started. That's the secret to working with this team of talented journeymen. Do you get the picture now? A smart lad like yourself, I am certain you do. Assuming you do... here's a few options to consider.
====================================================
Since you have a 2 channel amp, there is one option you may wish to consider here. It is called "Tri-mode" operation. Here, each 8" speaker is wired to its own amp channel. One is Left channel, the other is right. You'll have them in stereo. If you can find a way to mount them to your front doors, this is an excellent start to a great sounding front stage.
The 10" JL's are 8 ohms right. You must wire them in series to each other. That give you a net 16 ohm load. Now, take the positive wire of the these subs, and connect to + on Channel 1. The - wires from these subs will be connected to Channel 2's, Neg speaker terminal. Now you have equal power to the 8's and equal power to the JL subs. Here's a link that shows how to use a 2 channel amp in Tri-Mode configuration:
http://www.bcae1.com/trimode.htm
Note: The picture shows a single woofer of 8 ohms, bridged to Channels 1 & 2. Since you have 2 woofers at 8 ohms each, the safest way to do this is to wire both JL's in series. That gives you a 16 ohm load. That will be safe for your amp.
WARNING: If you try to run a 4 ohm load as shown, (both JL subs in parallel) it may damage your amp.
Give it a try and see what kind of bass results you get from this configuration. Few people use this technique anymore. The better way to go, would be to use your Red series amp to power only the JL's in full bridged mode. Then, use a separate amp to power your 8's and highs.
I have a few other ideas to greatly improve your system performance later. But for now, try the configuration noted above. Read the link carefully.
Swez ;-)
lilschtive on 11/5/2005 19:57:30
i dont think i have been very mean at all..i have gotten a lot of great advice from you guys..
Swez- that link looks GREAT! Give me your opinion on this:
-I screw the huge box i have....I make a new one foor only ONE 10' JL sub...It will be smaller, and better measurements..i will use the tri-mode option and hook up the one JL sub and the two MTX sub/speakers
--Will this still be a loud system?
swez on 11/6/2005 06:45:37
Yes, if the amp has adequate power and you port that JL sub in the recommended box, it should be plenty loud.
Consider mounting the 8's in custom kick panels or door mounts. This will give nice lows to the front cabin of your truck and all that will be needed are some good tweets and crossovers to round out the package.
What is the model number of your MTX speakers? Knowing that, we can help you in tuning them to a usable range and well matched tweeters.
Swez
PS What are the fuse values on that Red Legacy amp?
lilschtive on 11/6/2005 13:01:37
the 8's are already built in a custom box when i bought them from the manufacture...I think im going to keep them behind me
trunkisloud on 11/6/2005 14:49:40
hmm....usually pre-fab boxes are just something to help sell the product...unless the enclosure is specifically designed for those subs......if the box has a horn and a tweeter on it....you gotta do somethin different...where did you buy these subs from?...
BgDustin4 on 11/10/2005 17:16:54
thats a lot of reading sorry lol i have no ideas but i know kick panels are called kick for a reason i kicked the crap out of this dude speaker geting into his car one time he was so mad :)
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