What happens when you connect 2 car audio amps in series to a speaker?

Cattlegod

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May 22, 2001
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does anyone know?

my first impression says that it will over load the amps, but if you connect 2 batteries in series it works fine. i'm wondering if anyone knows for sure or has any first hand experience with this.

also, what happens if you connect two car audio amps in parallel with a speaker?

thanks
 

kt

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Apr 1, 2000
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a better question would be how are you going to do that?? Don't tell me you are going to connect the two amps wire together, that's a good way to fry your amp.
 

Cattlegod

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the same way you connect 2 batteries in series or parallel.

why do you think it will fry?
 

Ameesh

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rolleye.gif
 

Theslowone

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I don't think it will help you any, not sure, but connecting an amplified signal to an amp is just going to go to the input, and output the normal amount that would normally come out.(this is the best outcome i can think of, the other is probably blowing the second amp). And batteries are hooked up in parallel to add the voltages together. neg to pos, pos to neg.

Voltage and Power are not the same thing.

Edit: I don't know the more and more i think about it the more it sounds half way feasible.
 

Cattlegod

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the reason i'm asking this question is today i saw a car with 3 18" speakers in it that was powered by 6 amps.
 

Theslowone

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I too have seen 8000+ watts thru 4 amps hooked up this way to two DDs "burping" them for a car show, but I am not sure how it was hooked up.
 

BillGates

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The second amp is also going to amplify the noise and distortion that the first amplifier created, plus whatever the head unit created.... Plus I don't know that it's possible to begin with, unless you have DVC subs and amps that are exactly matched.....same lot and everything.
 

Thegonagle

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To hook them up in series would be a foolish thing to try.

The amps you saw were probably in parallel. I would assume that the amps were probably designed with this capability in mind, or else other precautions were taken to make sure they would not be damaged.
 

Capn

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You'd probably blow the second amp. The first one would only try to drive the impedance of the second amp, which I imagine is pretty high. So the second amp has a higher input signal, and would then try to amplify that higher signal. I guess depending on the load on the second amp it could get overloaded and you'd have a nice doorstop.. So you don't gain anything by doing this.
 

Evadman

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Feb 18, 2001
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Amp in series = 2 dead amps. Amps do not work like batteries. Batteries put out DC, Amps put out AC. And besides, amps are not made to be wired together, in parrallel or in series. The only way a amp MIGHT survive is in parrallel. Most will blow a fuse the second they are turned on.
 

Capn

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<< Batteries put out DC, Amps put out AC >>



Well audio amps put out AC, not all amps though.
 

GonzoDaGr8

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Apr 29, 2001
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i saw a car with 3 18" speakers in it that was powered by 6 amps.
I can guarantee you that those speakies were dual voice coil..Meaning that there is 2 voice coils in each speaker and each voice coil gets a separate input. 2 +'s, 2-'s. There is no way to series up two amps..
 

kt

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<< the reason i'm asking this question is today i saw a car with 3 18" speakers in it that was powered by 6 amps. >>


you should've just said that to begin with.. have you heard of DVC (Dual Voice Coil) subwoofers? Those 3 18" speakers you are speaking of are probably DVC subs. DVC subs needs 2 pair of inputs. Does that answer your question? In which case, those each of those subs are powered by 2 amps.

edit:
uhmm.. damn AT forum, didn't load up the whole thread.

edit2:
you guys must know that it's nearly impossible to amplify an already amplified signal. the impedance to the amp is way too high for an amplified signal to drive. only try if you are in need of a nice looking doorstopper or a HUGE heatsink.
 

Thegonagle

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<< I can guarantee you that those speakies were dual voice coil..Meaning that there is 2 voice coils in each speaker and each voice coil gets a separate input. 2 +'s, 2-'s. .. >>


Duh, of course! That's almost certainly how it was done.

(Dual voice coil have two inputs that are 100% electrically isolated.)