2 channel amp with 4 speakers?

[bigboo_VHB]

My head unit only has 2 sets of pre-outs, so i wanted to use 1 set for speakers and the other for subs. Some one said i could wire the speakers so it would be: left front and rear on one channel then right front and rear on the other. I know i will lose rear fading ( i think, some setting like that). So i have 4 infinity kappas and i wanted to get this amp. The amp is RMS Power @ 2-Ohms: 200W x 2. If i wired it the way i said would that be 100 watts to each speaker? if that worked is there a setting on the amp that would allow me to decrease the watts to each channel? The kappas are rated at 75 rms. So if all this works out would this be an ok amp wiring kit?

P.S.sorry i dont know so much about car audio. If anyone would recommend a better amp that would be cool too. im just looking for something in the price range 150-250 usd.

[kcourtad]

are you useing a aftermarket headunit for it??? or stock... and with my 2cents in car audio its alwas better to have a over powering amp then one thats under powered... my subs in my car are rated for 300 watts a peace and there is 2 subs... but i run a 1600 watt amp... but there is controls on the amp depending on what kind you get with all the stuff to tune it to your likings...

[bigboo_VHB]

i have a Kenwood KDC-MP335

[Kolk1]

Do it the right way, and only run speakers up front, and use the subs as rear fill. Its a stereo, not a surround sound system.

Edit, sorry for the blunt reply, Im stuck in the SQ swing right now, and one thing the judges look at, is where the sound is coming from. If it sounds like its coming from the windshield, you get a max 15 points, but lets say the music sounds like its on top of you(surround sound) you could get as low as 1 point.
Modified by Kolk1 at 7:38 PM 3/16/2008

[xtwoonamatchx]

is it possible to just get a pair of RCA splitters? i know ive used tehm for hooking stuff for my tv... split each the red and white, then run them to 2 amps... dont know if this could work... might not get as good of a signal to the amp... is it 2volt or 4volt preamps? if its 4 volt, im sure you would be find doing that, but if its 2 volts... you may want a second opinion...

http://www.casecooler.com/rcasplitcab1.html

2 of those ^

( i just googled "RCA splitter")

EDIT: i researched it....

http://malaysia.answers.yahoo....zl2FF

it looks to be okay... i would do that way instead of messing with the connections on the amp...

if you do that, then you would be able to use 2 amps for the speakers and one for the sub.... or just get a 4 channel amp... but liek i said, messing with the set up of the amp could be a bad idea... they kick out a lot of power, meaning if you mess up, it could be bad... just my opinion.

[kcourtad]

should be a rc in and rc out on your amp

[xtwoonamatchx]

yeah didnt really look at the amp.. it has a pass-thru and an input, so you just "piggyback" the amps... but why not just go for a 4 channel amp? you can probably find one on the lower end of the prices...

[jfanaselle]

A 4 channel amp would still require two sets of rca jacks (4 rca plugs total) on the head unit to function properly. 4 channel amps basically act as two seperate two channel amps, in the sense that they will have two independent sets of inputs and controls (usually), but will only require one connection to power.

Splitting the rca jacks on the head unit is a possibility, but you're going to experience half of the voltage at the amplifiers from the car stereo. If your pre-outs are rated at 4 volts, this probably won't be a problem becuase you'll still end up with 2 volts at each set of inputs on the amp(s). If your head unit is rated any lower than 4 volt pre-outs, then I probably wouldn't go that route. If you do decide to split them, I would recommend making the split as close to the amplifier(s) as possible, to prevent running an already weakened signal a long length with two seperate cables.

Another option would be to simply run multiple sets of speakers off of your amplifier. I used to have a setup like this in my old Mazda Protege.As long as your amplifier is two-ohm stable, you won't have any problems connecting a front and rear speaker to each of the left and right sides. Typically in this type of setup, the output wattage of the amplifier doubles because the resistance is cut in half, so you shouldn't experience any weaker sound. The only drawback is that you'll usually experience more THD (total harmonic distortion) from the amp in this type of setup, but I guarantee that it won't be noticable to even the most trained ears, only a scientific measuring instrument.

The final way you could run it is to simply power the rear speakers from the head unit. This is how I have my car setup right now. I have a 75 watt RMS x 2 channel amplifer powering my Polk Audio components in the front, and the rear Sony 2-way speakers are being powered by the head unit. Most of the time, I have the stereo's fader adjusted all the way to the front, so I don't hear anything from the rears (taking a page from Kolk1's book here ) but when I have rear seat passengers and they want to hear something other than my subwoofer, I adjust it so there's some sound in the rear for them.

Hope all that info helps. If you decide to run any of these setups and need more help, just let me know and I'll do my best to answer your questions. Good luck with the install!

[bigboo_VHB]

Yesterday after work i went down to the audio shop. He told me different way to do it:

1) Buy a new head unit

2) Wire the left front and rear, right front and rear on a 2 channel amp. I would lose rear fading in the back since the rears are connected to the front.

3)Sound Processors. Which he said they mostly used for factory car stereos. What it does is give you more RCA outputs. This HERE