Please god help

[BRadGfromMalibu]

I am totally new to amps, subs and watever else and I just bought a 12" 400 watt Audiobahn sub which is RMS i think which is 800 watt max power and (2) 380 watt pioneer 6 by 9's how big of an amp do I need to get nice power. I think I need a 4 channel.

[GlassWolf]

ok first steps are these:

tell us the RMS power handling or the model of the subs (each) and how many ohms and voice coils each sub is? (dual 4 ohm, single 4 ohm, etc)

I assume the pioners are 4 ohms each.

what are your front speakers?
does your head unit have 3 sets of RCA outputs for amplifiers? (front, rear, and sub)

[BRadGfromMalibu]

okay they are 2 Pioneer TS-A6921 find at http://www.pioneer-eur.com I got them in spain max power 380 nominal output power 80 watt


The 12" sunbwoofer is a AW1251T Audiobahn recommended RMS power is 400 watts Peak power is 800 watts impendance is dual 4 ohms subwoofer wiring options (can be wired at 2 ohnms or 8 ohms) thats wat it said go to web sites to find more


I have a new car with good stereo and a factory 10 inch sub in trunk thinking of splitting it and going to amp (can i do that) I want to put 6 by 9's and sub in trunk since i don't thave room.

[Chris from Washington]

When you say 'splitting' I'm guessing you mean you want to maintain your factory deck and add an amp and the sub right? not sure of the car, but most of the time you can do this with a line level converter. Basically it converts speaker level, to RCA and you run that to your amp.

Cons of this is, the results are never really that good.

What do you mean by putting 6x9's in the trunk? I hope you don't mean lying on the floor (lol).

Another thing, when looking at specs of speakers and amps. Just ignore the Max ratings, and only looks at the RMS ratings. Max is basically a worthless spec that many manfactures put on the box to make you go 'wow'.

[geolemon]

I assume you are in Spain?

I never understood the European's obsession with rear speakers... 6x9's in particular.

Anyway - that comment really pertains more to a larger design question... more an issue of fundamentals... of acoustics... of sound quality:
Why not invest in your FRONT speakers instead - THEY should be your main speakers, they are what defines your soundstage.
Rear speakers are actually a complex, advanced subject.
Why? Check this out:
http://www.betteraudio.com/geolemon/phasing/phasing.htm
...now you'll understand my initial comment.

But ignoring ALL of that for the moment:

A 4 channel amp can do what you want (or think you want) quite well.

If you bridge channels 3 and 4 of the amp to a sub, while running channels 1 and 2 to your 6x9's, you'll have roughly twice the total power going to the sub as you have to the 6x9's - which generally is actually a nice balance of power, really. Many systems I've done that were a simple component set up front, and a sub in the rear - and one 4 channel amp running just like this.

However, most 4 channel amps are 2 ohm stable (per channel) which means if you bridge two channels together, you'll end up with one more powerful channel that is only stable to 4 ohms, not two.
...so, your subwoofer needs to be a 4 ohm subwoofer... or if a dual voice coil subwoofer, those voice coils each need to be 2 ohms, and you need to wire them together in series to get the 'final' 4 ohm load that the amp actually sees.

That's critical!

[geolemon]

I assume you are in Spain?

I never understood the European's obsession with rear speakers... 6x9's in particular.

Anyway - that comment really pertains more to a larger design question... more an issue of fundamentals... of acoustics... of sound quality:
Why not invest in your FRONT speakers instead - THEY should be your main speakers, they are what defines your soundstage.
Rear speakers are actually a complex, advanced subject.
Why? Check this out:
http://www.betteraudio.com/geolemon/phasing/phasing.htm
...now you'll understand my initial comment.

But ignoring ALL of that for the moment:

A 4 channel amp can do what you want (or think you want) quite well.

If you bridge channels 3 and 4 of the amp to a sub, while running channels 1 and 2 to your 6x9's, you'll have roughly twice the total power going to the sub as you have to the 6x9's - which generally is actually a nice balance of power, really. Many systems I've done that were a simple component set up front, and a sub in the rear - and one 4 channel amp running just like this.

However, most 4 channel amps are 2 ohm stable (per channel) which means if you bridge two channels together, you'll end up with one more powerful channel that is only stable to 4 ohms, not two.
...so, your subwoofer needs to be a 4 ohm subwoofer... or if a dual voice coil subwoofer, those voice coils each need to be 2 ohms, and you need to wire them together in series to get the 'final' 4 ohm load that the amp actually sees.

That's critical!

[geolemon]

The 12" sunbwoofer is a AW1251T Audiobahn
...impendance is dual 4 ohms

Just saw this...
You won't be able to use a 4 channel amp, or else you'll end up with an insignificant amount of power for your sub, compared to the power you will be sending the 6x9's.

What you need is a single 4 ohm sub.

If you wish to keep this subwoofer, what I would suggest is a mono amplifier for the subwoofer - you want one that'll make it's full power at 2 ohms (a stereo amp, or multi-channel amp won't, unless it's rated down to 1 ohm stereo, which 99% of them aren't).

Then, I'd rethink this whole "power the 6x9's" thing through.
Read that link I posted.

I'd suggest you'd be better off running the 6x9's off your deck - keep them at "ambient" levels, for rear "fill" - unless sound quality isn't really a focus of yours.
I'd pick up a small stereo amp to power your front speakers - you want those well overpowering your rear speakers (or, maybe you are setting up a 1980's retro car - like big bro might have had - 6x9's sitting up in the rear deck... maybe the only speakers in the whole car... ).

Hopefully this helps- selling that sub might be the most practical option, if a 4 channel amp is what you seek - and I wouldn't personally hold Audiobahn to be high on the performance value chart... maybe you want it to show off some chrome? :

[BRadGfromMalibu]

I have a 2006 pontiac pursuit I am Canadian I upgraded the car with a 7 speaker stereo. 2 speakers are already below the back window. So i think i should make a speaker box and put the speakers around the sub. I have 60/40 seats so Im hoping int won't dull the sound to much from the trunk. RE: so does that mean I combine 400 watts + 80 watts + 80 watts = Around a 600 watt Amp to power my stuff?

[GlassWolf]

go to the FAQ section.
read the thread of rear fill speakers

[High Society]

go to the FAQ section.
read the thread of rear fill speakers

x2 half of those speakers you dont even need. So dont waste money on them. Look into a decent quailty comp set for your front stage, and thats all you'll need. Unless you really want speakers back there. Just run them off the HU, and get an amp for the fronts.