Car audio amp question: amp powers a bass and tweeter that are in two locations, can I bridge the connections

[Rowboat]

My factory speaker system in my car has a bass speaker in the front door and a tweeter in the dash. The dash speakers are an odd size and are not readily available. The factory system includes an amp that feeds them.

I would like to replace the bass speaker with a 2 way speaker. Can I bridge the two outputs on the amp and send both signals to the 2 way and let it play them both?

 

[jtvang125]

Mostly likely not because most factory amps are not bridgeable. Best bet is to replace the door speaker and tweeter with a component set.

 

[LS21]

depends if the freq filters are inline to the factory speakers or if theyre on the amp... if signals were filtered pre-output line then id imagine itd be horrible

 

[DisgruntledVirus]

Originally posted by: jtvang125
Mostly likely not because most factory amps are not bridgeable. Best bet is to replace the door speaker and tweeter with a component set.

This

 

[Rowboat]

Ah thats a real shame, thanks for the input.

 

[tracerbullet]

Even still you may run into sound issues. Many if not most or all factory amps have preset EQ's to deal with the characteristics of the actual speakers included with the car, and also any funny acoustic properties of the inside of the car as well. Whatever sound is tailored right now might sound fine or downright horrible with a different set of speakers. You'll also want to verify that you're replacing like for like (4 ohm w/ 4ohm, not 6 or 8 or any other funny rating that may be part of the factory system). You'd want to verify crossover poitns as well, you may find that replacing a bass driver in the door with a set of 2-ways still only yields bass sound if that's what's being fed to it instead of a full range signal.

I'd consider replacing the head unit and speakers both, but that's just me. You might try finding a used speaker. Many cars have dedicated web forums where someone might have spare parts left over from having replaced a whole system.

 

[cheesehead]

Get a new head unit and some decent components. Buying the used latter may make some sense: well-made speakers can last far longer than their cheaper counterparts.

If you're lucky, your car has a single left and right audio output connected to some passive crossovers. If this is the case, remove the original crossovers and plug in your coaxes directly.