Maybe a dumb question.....but what would you do?

[Woollie]

I have 6.5" splits in the front of my VE which are rated up to 210 watts and coaxials in the rear which are rated to 180 watts. My question is when I decide to add an amp to my system am I better off buying a bigger 2 channel amp and just amping the front splits or am I better off buying a 4 channel amp and amping the 4 speakers.

The 2 amps I am tossing up with are rated as follows and I'll be using speaker level inputs as well:- ALL KENWOOD

4 channel has 60w x 4 rated power (MAX 720 Total)
or
2 channel has 170w x 2 rated power (MAX 1000 watts)

Would I get better sound by just using the 2 channel connected to the front splits and leaving the rear off the head unit? I don't think the 4 channel is going to be powerful enough anyway.

I do think I'll be adding an extra amp and sub down the track if this helps my decision.

[kcpwns]

May as well go the four mate. If you were going to remove the rears I'd say the 2 channel. Also try and state rms power as talking in peak can get confusing. Rms is the actual power whereas peak is a made up number manufactures use.

[Woollie]

They are the rms ratings. I just don't think 60w x 4 would be quite enough to power the 4 speakers do you?

[StoneX]

The speaker ratings you stated are not RMS ratings. Either give us model numbers or give the speaker's actual power rating so we can determine if the amp will have enough power.

[Woollie]

OK, I'm looking at these amps at the moment:-

Kenwood - KAC-9405

Kenwood - KAC-7205

I should also add that my speakers are JBL GTO series which are 2 ohm. They do have 4 ohm capability though.

[StoneX]

Come on, man. Speaker models or their power rating! We can't tell you 60Wrms amp will suit ??Wrms speakers.

[edit]
Looked GTO speakers up myself...

Do you have GTO608C splits? They're 210Wmax and 70Wrms at 2 ohm.
Do you have GTO638 coaxials? They're 180Wmax and 60Wrms at 2 ohm.

If yes, the 4 channel will be fine. It makes 90Wrms at 2 ohm which will suit those speakers well.

[Woollie]

Sorry dude, I didn't think it mattered that much otherwise I would have put the model of speakers on there too. Yes, they are the speakers...

Thanks for the info StoneX, big help. I really did prefer to amp all 4 speakers but some say just amp the front 2 because that's where most of the sound should come from anyway.

So I'm guessing that if the speakers are 2 ohm then the amp will produce more power?????

[StoneX]

It is preferable to have most, if not all the sound coming from the front. It's what I prefer but many of my mates prefer to have 4 speakers, so if you have the extras in the back you might as well have the option to crank them up, especially when you have rear passengers.

Yes, the speakers are a fixed impedance of 2 ohm. That means the amplifier that powers them must be able to supply it's power to a 2 ohm speaker, which those amps can and the 4 channel makes 90Wrms when powering a 2 ohm speaker.

The link below explains it a little bit... The whole site is useful if you're interested in learning a bit about how it all works.
Speaker Impedance vs Power Output

[Woollie]

Thanks for that. I've done heaps of reading on this as well as installing the amp so hopefully I'll have no trouble doing it myself. Hopefully a full day and I'll have it done seeing the speakers are already in the car.

Thanks for the link too

[Woollie]

Would this 4 channel amp be better than the above one I have stated???

Clarion Australia | XH5410

[StoneX]

I put Kenwood and Clarion on par so it's not better. It has more power but the Kenwood already has enough for the speakers you have. If the Clarion costs the same or less, then you might as well get that.

[Woollie]

The clarion is about $100 dearer.....not worth it?

[Hektic]

Myne where perviosly wired just to the front i then decided to hook up the rear ones too, much better sound IMO and its balanced ,

[HCVP]

Myne where perviosly wired just to the front i then decided to hook up the rear ones too, much better sound IMO and its balanced ,

It's not balanced , music recorded in analogue has only 2 channels so there is no need, nor signal, for rear speakers.

[MAG00]

Myne where perviosly wired just to the front i then decided to hook up the rear ones too, much better sound IMO and its balanced ,

If you go to a concert, with the band in front of you, would you expect to hear music from behind? No. It is ideal that your front sound stage is more dominant, and that your sub bass blends in (as our ears can't determine the location of the source of thelower frequency), by eliminating vibrations etc. that allow our ears to locate the position of the subwoofer.

[StoneX]

The clarion is about $100 dearer.....not worth it?

Not unless you think you might upgrade your speakers in future.

[Woollie]

If I end up getting the 4 channel Kenwood and only run it to the front speakers would they then be overpowered? I have put a bid in on one and I may end up winning and be stuck with this amp anyway.

[Woollie]

If you go to a concert, with the band in front of you, would you expect to hear music from behind? No. It is ideal that your front sound stage is more dominant, and that your sub bass blends in (as our ears can't determine the location of the source of thelower frequency), by eliminating vibrations etc. that allow our ears to locate the position of the subwoofer.

It would be great to be able to put subs in the rear door

[StoneX]

If I end up getting the 4 channel Kenwood and only run it to the front speakers would they then be overpowered? I have put a bid in on one and I may end up winning and be stuck with this amp anyway.

You only overpower speakers if YOU turn up the volume to high. You can do this with a low powered or high powered amp. You just need to make sure the sound is still clean, no distortion and no smell, and your speakers will be fine.

[Woollie]

I might as well just hook up the 4 speakers and see how that sounds.

[wraith]

If I end up getting the 4 channel Kenwood and only run it to the front speakers would they then be overpowered? I have put a bid in on one and I may end up winning and be stuck with this amp anyway.

It wouldn't be a problem assuming you set the gains right.

[Woollie]

Can anyone enlighten on how I connect the amp through the input (RCA) so that I can bridge it to 2 channels. It's a 4 channel amp but I only want to run my 2 front speakers off it. I know how to connect the speakers up but what about the input? If I only have one RCA do I need a splitter or something so that the amp is receiving signal for both A & B channels? The amp says it's 4,3 0r 2 channel but only has mono or stereo selection.

[MAG00]

You need two splitters like this for one RCA. Plug one splitter into the left RCA from the headunit and plug the splitter into the left bridged channel (1 and 2). Plug the other splitter into the right RCA from the headunit, and plug the splitter into the right bridged channel (3 and 4).

[Woollie]

Thanks for that