Wiring speakers and calculating amp size

TVIning

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Jun 11, 2011
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I have a MONO 60W voice amp (Single Channel).
I have FOUR 60W voice coil speakers.

I would like to generate a little more sound out of the system, without blowing the speakers.

Is there a way to wire these 4 speakers (series or Parallel or series-parallel) to be able to utilize a larger amp?

I know that wiring them parallel drops the resistance, and wiring all four will drop it to 2 Ohms, unacceptable for an amp. I do not have matching transformers to run 70v; but I'm open to that.

I just don't want to buy new speakers if I don't have to and the present configuration doesn't allow me to hear the music beyond our parking lot.

TONY :ange: :eek: :bounce:
 

anwaypasible

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Oct 15, 2007
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well.. utilizing a larger amp is the answer to the question.
but as i see it,
your options should really be wiring them all in series or all in parrallel.
if you dont,
then there are going to be speakers that are less loud.
you could take two and wire them in series, then the other two in parrallel to get a custom ohm.. but the two speakers in series would have some delay since they are fighting eachother for the voltage.

say you have an amusement park.. you might wire some groups in series to turn their volume down.. and the others in parrallel to keep the volume louder, and then simply cut the losses of the lower audio clarity with the speakers in series.

the only way to get the speakers in series to work with the audio clarity is to have speakers specifically designed to work in series.

see what can happen is,
if the one speaker that receives positive absorbs the energy, then the second speaker will never see the signal for what it was when it went into the first signal.
same is said for the negative.
really.. speakers that are made to work in series are not supposed to absorb the signal shape at all.. only to react to it.
a speaker that is supposed to work in parrallel can absorb the signal shape all it desires, as long as you arent using any type of feedback.

feedback works with the positive wire sending a signal shape.. that shape going through the voice coil and out the negative wire to the amp where it is monitored from the negative wire.
and the whole thing switches backwards for when the negative wire sends out a signal shape.

so what i was saying is..
if the speaker sucks up the energy and changes the shape of the waveform, then the second speaker is going to get the new shape and play it for whatever it is worth.
that is why i dont like to wire speakers in series, since i have no way of knowing if the speaker is changing the shape of the wave after the coil is charged and spits out the excess.

they dont really tell us if the speaker does it or doesnt.
240 watts at 2 ohms shouldnt be all that difficult to find.
i mean, you might find amps that are 2 ohms stable.. but maybe they offer more than 240 watts.
and that is what the gain dial is for.. just turn it down to match the required wattage amount.

would i say start with 60 watts full?
maybe not, since the speakers might say 60 watts and overheat from 55 watts.
cant get it perfect if you are working with a liar.
gotta learn the voice coils temperature maximum and read the heat with one of them pointer thermometers to use the heat as the final determining factor as to when the speakers overheat and fail.