Many think that installing an amplifier in their vehicle is hopelessly complicated and best left to a professional. But that shouldn’t because here, I’ve got a secret to share on how to wire a 4 channel amp to 6 speakers to help you drive your head listening to powerful sounds.
Keep in mind wiring a 4 channel amp to 6 speakers is not a good practice. The best strategy is to buy a 6 amp channel or connect 4 speakers with a 4 channel amp. However, it is possible to wire 6 speakers to a 4 channel amp.
How to Wire a 4 Channel amp to 6 Speakers
If you connect more speakers with an amp greater than its capacity, you increase the amp’s load. An increase in amp load puts your device hot, which is not good and may damage your amplifier. But there’s a solution on how to wire a 4 channel amp to 6 speakers.
You can wire up 6 speakers to 4 channel amp either in series or parallel. These two have their advantages, and that’s up to your choice. If you have 4-ohm speakers that audio buffs purchase mostly. You can see the load capacity on your amplifier’s head unit.
Wiring Parallel – 4 Channel Amp to 6 Speakers
When you wire 4-ohm’s 2 speakers in parallel, it becomes a 2-ohm load on your head unit. When you connect 2 speakers on 1 channel, you connect 4 speakers on 2 channels.
The 4 speakers are wired on 2 channels, and you can connect the remaining 2 speakers on the other 2 channels. That means you have connected 6 speakers on 4 channels.
2 speakers wired on 2 channels are good for your amplifier. However, 4 speakers connected on your amp’s 2 channels will put a heavy 2 ohms load on 2 channels if it’s at full volume.
Your stereo can become hot on 2 channels because of the double load. When this is the case, you are listening at a high volume for a long time. If you don’t intend to play music at a very high volume, it will not risk your stereo to become hotter. If you’re listening at a high volume for only a short time, your amplifier is still safe.
When you get your stereo hot, you’re simply killing your sound device. But if you’re listening at a normal volume, you are not killing your stereo.
Wiring 6 speakers to 4 channels in parallel allows you to get full power and high-quality sound. However, it would be best if you do not listen at full volume for a long time. It will make your stereo hotter and eventually damaging your equipment.
Wiring Series – 4 Channel Amp To 6 Speakers
Another tip on how to connect a 4 channel amp to 6 speakers that is safer and reliable compared to parallel is by doing wiring series. It is safer to wire in series for your stereo, but it may not give you an excellent sound when listening to music. Let’s see how to wire a 4 channel amp to 6 speakers. When wiring 2 speakers of 4-ohm in series, it adds a load of 8 ohms on the head unit. This method is much lesser risky than in series
You will have 2 speakers in series connecting on 1 channel. Now, 4 speakers are connected on 2 channels, and you can connect the remaining two speakers on the remaining two channels. That means you have connected 6 speakers on a 4 channel amplifier.
How To Wire 6 Speakers
As mentioned in the above section, you can connect 4 speakers in 2 channels in either series or parallel. The question left now is which two speakers to wire in a single channel. For your safety, always follow the product’s installation guide and be careful all the time.
If you have 6 speakers installed in your car, 2 are on the dashboard, 2 on the rear, and two on the sides. You can connect 2 side speakers with 1 channel and 2 rear speakers with 1 channel. You should connect the remaining 2 speakers to every single channel.
Concerns About Wiring 4 Speakers and A Subwoofer
Before we continue any further, let’s get a few things straight. You need to understand a few things to wire four speakers and a sub on a single 4-channel amplifier.
You’ll have to transfer front-rear fader control as you’re letting up rear speakers for 2 channels to wire a sub. Not all car amps can bear speaker capacity down to 2 ohms. If your unit doesn’t, you may need to find a solution. You need a few extra parts as well.
Wiring 4 speakers from 2 channels implies that the speakers are partaking the amp’s power, so your unit has less power available to each speaker.
But don’t worry much because you can still enjoy listening to music with a good-sounding 4 speaker and a subwoofer system
What is Amplifier’s Impedance Ohms Rating?
Understanding how to wire a 4 channel amp to 6 speakers properly is as important as knowing what amplifier’s impedance Ohms rating. Your amplifier typically shows an image of a 4 channel minimum speaker load (Ohms) rating. Today, most amps come with a standard minimum of 2 ohms per channel in stereo, and when bridged, your unit has 4 ohms. Never wire an amplifier with a lower rating than the speaker load. Your amp will run hot and can damage your sound equipment.
Four-channel amplifiers have a minimum speaker load they can bear. Ohms or speaker impedance rating, also called the speaker load, is the electrical current force that the amplifier connects at the speaker terminals. Get more tips on wiring speakers.
Conclusion
Knowing how to wire a 4 channel amp to 6 speakers either in series or parallel isn’t exact rocket ship science. However, there are safety precautions that you must consider in both procedures. To get better sound quality, make sure to wire speakers properly so that it will not destroy your equipment and enjoy listening to music. Keep in mind that wiring speakers in series are the safest method.