Few questions about car stereo installation.

[mobogasm]

I just picked up some car stereo equipment, 2xJL10w6's and a 500 watt amp, and a box. I was just curious as to about some ohmage questions. My speakers have dual 6 ohm voice coils. My amp is rated at 2x250 @ 2ohms, 1x500 @ 4 ohms. I read on JL's website that the speakers can be wired in either a parallel or series fasion @ 6 ohms or .5 ohms. I'm confused here, I want to push 250 watts to each speaker so how do I go about wiring my system? I'm not gonna wire it myself I'm just curious as to how it should be done. I mean if amp is 2x250 @2 ohms what are the speakers @ 2 ohms and how do I wire them. Thanks for any insight.

 

[Muadib]

You need to call Crutchfield.

 

[kt]

With your 2 DVC speakers, there are 3 ways of wiring it. All series, all parallel, and a combination of series and parallel.

DVC in series and drivers in series you get a nominal impedance of 24 ohms (not recommend)
DVC in series and drivers in parallel you get a nominal impedance of 6 ohms (recommended for the amp you have)
DVC in parallel and drivers in parallel you get a nominal impedance of 1.5 ohms (would only recommend it if you have an amp that is stable to 1ohm)

 

[mobogasm]

ok so if i wire it series parallel then what wattage will i be getting to my amplifier? please don't tell me i bought the wrong amplifier, seems like all the amps in this range were similar to the ohmage/wattage ratings. I just want atleast 200 watts per channel preferrably 250.
Also, what would you recommend I buy for wiring and whatnot. Is there a good package I should buy or should I ask for certain grade/brand wire when getting this installed?

Thanks for the help. I"m a newB to card audio.

 

[NutBucket]

Well, you've got 4 voice coils to deal with. First thing to do is check the specs on your amp. Which one did you get? Like KT said, if its 1 ohm stable, wire everything in parallel and bridge the amp. That'll get you the most power. If your amp is not 1 ohm stable, wire each speaker in paralled and your amp will see a 3 ohm load on each channel. That won't get you 250W per channel but maybe something like 220 or so. I doubt you'd notice much difference.

 

[kt]

It's difficult to tell how much power you get from your amplifier if you are going to run it in series and parallel. Your amp will see an impedance of 6 ohms, and the rating on it is 500watts @ 4ohms. So, you'll definitely not get 500watts, but you'll get above 250watts to both speakers tho. I only have one question, are you sure you didn't have the two rating mixed up? I mean, usually it's 2x250@4ohms and 1x500@2ohms. If you decide to return the amp and get another, I would recommend you to get a D-class amp. Since you'll be driving the subwoofer only with the amp. D-class amps are ideal for driving subwoofers and you'll get A LOT more power out of it and run cooler. BTW, what brand is the amp you have?

 

[Viperoni]

My suggestion:

Wire each drivers coils in parallel, and each driver (with its 3ohm load) to its own amp channel.

 

[mobogasm]

I purchased a Rockford Fosgate 500s amplifier. Someone please let me know what is the best configuration for this amp/speaker combo.

Specs from RF website:
http://www.rockfordfosgate.com/ezcompare/ezcompare/model_info.asp?visitid=1031093&model=10058944

Punch 500S
Year: 2002
Channels 2
Per channel power 125 W X 2 @ 4 Ohms RMS
250 W X 2 @ 2 Ohms RMS
500 W X 1 @ 4 Ohms Bridged RMS
Total power 1000 Watts
Bridgeable Yes
Crossover HP 50-210Hz 12dB per Octave

LP 50-210Hz 12dB per Octave
Tone controls Bass Control

0 to 18 dB @ 45 Hz
Signal input Low level -

Quantity - 1

Type - RCA(pr)

Voltage -250mV - 6 volts

High Level -

Quantity - 1

Type - Plug(multi-pin)

Voltage -.5 - 11 volts
Line output
Phase control
Power input Connector - Block

Wire gauge - 8
Speaker output Block
Power supply topology MOSFET /
Output topology
Display Power -

Position - End mounted

Type - LED
Heatsink Type -Cast
Protection Thermal

Short

Overload
Remote control Included

Type - Wired
Controls -
Bass
Class
Marine use
Specifications S/N 100dB A-weighted

Damping Factor >200

Slew Rate 30 Volts/ms

IM Distortion <.05%

Stereo/Mix mono
Frequency response 20 to 20k Hz +/- .5 dB
Dimensions 2.40 X 9.80 X 13.35 (inches)

 

[NutBucket]

Ok, your amp is not 1 ohm stable. Double checking crutchfield they list the max bridged impedance (ohms) as 4, unbridged 2. So you're going to want to wire each woofer in parallel and run the amp unbridged. Each channel will see a 3 ohm load. That's your best bet.

 

[mobogasm]

THanks for the help guys. THis is just really confusing to me. I just don't quite grasp why they rate the amp @ 2 ohms and @ 4 ohms when you can't even wire these speakers @ those ratings..... There is not way to really tell EXACTLY what kind of RMS you are receiving correct. Thanks for the info though. What do you guys think a fair price for installation is? I was told not to go to CarToys (not sure if that store is nationwide). Do you think it would be alright to go to CircuitCity or should I really do some research and try to do it myself? My dad is an electrician so I'm sure we could figure it out .

 

[Doodoo]

Im pretty sure you can install it urself...they rate the amp at 2 and 4 ohms cuz most subs are 4 ohms....w6's are 6 ohms and are meant to be installed in sets of 3's.