Expert: Cleggsan - 6/12/2009

Question
My question is regarding a car audio system.  I have a 600 Watt amplifier and two 400Watt RMS (800Watt peak) subwoofers.  Each subwoofer has one voicecoil.  How do I wire them so that the Amp won't overload and blow?

Answer
ONE:  The speakers must be matched to the amplifier.

TWO:  The "blowing" when they are wired to match impedance to the amplifier is a function of you not turning up the loudness/volume control too high.  If you over crank the system it will blow either the amplifier or the speakers eventually.  You must learn to keep it below the overload point (high distortion).

THREE:  You must wire the speakers such that the impedance loading on the amplifier is equal or higher than the rating of the amp, but never lower.

FOUR:  Go to your amplifier specifications and find out what its impedance rating is.  Is it a mono block amp, stereo or stereo bridge amp?  Once you determine all that, go to this web page where you can find the right wiring diagram for your system.  But, you must know the specs on the amp before you can choose:

http://www.crutchfield.com/S-ZZNyO3OjUGD/learn/learningcenter/car/subwoofers_wir...

The above page has every combination that one might run across. It is a very well prepared set of diagrams.

Good Luck.  Let me know more if need.

C