speaker wiring

dougie07

Can you wire component speakers (say the Polk mm6's) the same you would subs, to lower the impedance? Is this a good idea, or should you just wire them straight to the amp? Thanks.

Doug

PolkThug

Originally posted by dougie07
Is this a good idea

no.

PoweredByDodge

yes you can do it... there should nto be a problem with it at all... and no, it is not a bad idea.

if you want to take two momo mm6 component sets (for example) and have both pair of speakers (one pair = two woofers and two tweeters... two pair = 4 woofers and 4 tweeters) running off one amp... you can do it.

just get a stereo amp... like ont that's 150 x 2 at 4 ohms... so when u run it at 2 ohms it'll be 300 x 2 (or so). that'll give you 150 watts PER speaker, 300 watts per pair, 600 watts total to all 4 speakers.

if you're talking about nixing the crossover and wiring the woof and tweet in parallel to drop the impedance, dont even think about it.. it wont work... you'll damage both the woof and tweet -- probably the tweet first obviously, but since their frequency ranges dont over lap for that much, you'll actually still be at 4 ohms for about 80% of the audio spectrum.

Jstas

Don't use Class-D amps for full-range speakers either.

As far as reason NOT to do this, well...

1.) 2 ohm loads offer more available power but, the amplifier is not so good at controlling a 2 ohm load as it is controlling a 4 ohm load. Sound quality will drop and system load will increase which can introduce distortion and interference.

2.) Removing crossovers from the mix makes your tweeters get signals they are physically incapable of producing. The same goes for woofers. This leads to physical distortion and sounds like crap. You'll also drastically shorten speaker life.

3.) Tweeters and woofers in a component set many not be 4 ohms even or 8 ohms or even 2 ohms even. The crossovers add and subtract impedance too. So unless you can get accurate impedance ratings of each speaker, it'd be best to keep those crossovers in the mix. Otherwise you could inadvertenly drop the impedance too low for the amplifier to handle properly. Then you could end up letting the magic smoke out and as we all know, electronics run on magic smoke and if you let it out, they don't work no mo'!

dougie07

So would it be better to run two pairs of mm6's off a single HiFonics Zeus ZX6000, or off two Nemesis NX600's? Or is there a better combination? I would like to stick with HiFonics because I've already got a Brutus BX1500D running my subs, but if there is a better amp to run the speakers with, I'd be open to suggestions. Are there any downsides to mixing amp manufacturers? Thanks for all your help. Between this forum and howstuffworks.com, I've learned a great deal about car audio. Thanks again.

Doug

p.s. I'll be sure and keep the magic smoke where it's supposed to be. lol

PoweredByDodge

well the nemesis is only 225 bucks at sounddomain...the zeus is 375... they do the same power ... depends on your budget and stuff man. if the zeus is actually that much better, than sure its prolly worth it. i'd probably get the zeus. but that's jut me.. i'm sure hte nemesis aint bad at all.


just know one thing -- you will have no fader control between the two sets... each set will get the same power... period. if they're both in front and in similar locations this wont be a problem, but if one set is in front, one in back and you're trying to stage the sound... it wont be too good.

dougie07

Would the HiFonics Warrior Eagle be too much power for a set of MM6's? Its bridged RMS rating is 160 x 2, while the mm6's recommended rms power is 150. Would the 10 extra watts cause damage? Here are links, in case you need them:

mm6's

HiFonics Warrior Eagle

Thanks for any help.

Doug

dougie07

I thought editing a post would change the date to the date you edit it, but I guess not. Anyways, i just had another question or two (please see previous post). Thanks.

Doug

sntnsupermen131

thanks for posting the links...many people do not...
anyways
160 watts will not hurt those speakers at all
i have more than 200 watts going to mine without a problem
-Cody

dougie07

I've been searching around a bit, and found this pheonix gold tantrum 600.4 , at sounddomain. I've never owned, or known anybody that does own a pheonix gold, but I've heard a lot of good things about them on this forum. I actually never even heard of PG til I joined the forum. Anyways, I was wondering if I could get some PG vs. HiFonics comparisons. Is either of these amps better than the other for running speakers (probably mm6s )? Any good or bad experiences with PG would be helpful. Thanks.

Doug

PolkThug

Originally posted by dougie07
I actually never even heard of PG til I joined the forum. Any good or bad experiences with PG would be helpful. Thanks.

Doug

This doesn't really help you, but Phoenix Gold has been around a long time. I bought PG sub wires about 9-10 years ago. They made good wires, but I have no idea about their amps.

Jstas

First off, I had a Hifonics Warrior Eagle amp when the came out the first time! It was an incredible amp then and it is an incredible amp now!

The amps are super clean and maybe even a little under-rated. That Eagle amp would not be too much for you MM6's to handle. Over-powering speakers with clean power is better than underpowering them. I wouldn't worry about it and I think that that Eagle amp with those MM6's would make beautiful music together!

Hell, the Warrior series is what put Hifonics on the map!



As far as Pheonix Gold goes, they make excellent amps and wires and EQ's and other electronics just stay away from the speakers. They can handle alot of power but just aren't all that smooth. You can find better stuff for the price.

As far as comparing Phoenix Gold to Hifonics, I think the Phoenix Gold stuff is, on average, more powerful than the Hifonics stuff but in my experience, the Hifonics stuff is cleaner. It's really a difference of power or finesse. The Hifonics stuff will be more finesse than power although they do have stuff that posts impresive numbers. Hifonics stuff has beefy power supplies and output stages and quite a few of thier amps are 2 ohm stable in bridged mode. You don't see that a whole lot. Phoenix Gold has alot of stuff with just flat out raw power. They are great for subs but can be a hit or miss for full-range depending on what speakers you have chosen.

If it was me, I'd go with the Hifonics amps. Nothing against Phoenix Gold it's just that Hifonics is more suited to the task that you are asking. If you wanted to use a Phoenix Gold amp, that is entirely up to you but my experience tells me that you will be happier with the Hifonics than the Phoenix Gold.

There is also the Polk Audio amplifiers. The C300.2 will have similar numbers to the Hifonics and Phoenix Gold amps and probably do just as good a job.

dougie07

Thanks for the info Jstas. I was leaning a bit towards HiFonics, mainly because I've got a Brutus running my subs and it's been great. I'm also a big fan of sound quality. My Polk subs are great in that area, I would just like some speakers to match up to them. anyways, thanks again for the help.

Doug