4ohm vs 2ohm for front speakers
Thread Starter
Intermediate
Joined: May 2004
Posts: 39
Likes: 0
From: Sunbury Oh
4ohm vs 2ohm for front speakers
Is there any noticable degradation in quality of sound if I were to tie my front speakers and 'rear' speakers to the same channel making them effectively 2ohm? I do listen to my music at the higher volume end of the spectrum so I would be near whatever max distortion settings I can hit with my setup. I've only really seen people mentioning the 4ohm setups for the front speakers, is it just unheard of to run a 2ohm load for higher range speakers?
On a side note, what is the 'recomended' cross over range for the front/rears and the sub?
Currently I've got the sub crossing over at 120hz LP, and the fronts are crossing over at 100hz HP. There is a lot more sound coming out of the rear currently than should I'm guessing. If I was to drop the crossover setting for the sub I'd have to drop the HP so as not to miss any sound though, right? In doing that am I not increasing the 'instability' and 'distortion' out of the fronts?
Thanks!
On a side note, what is the 'recomended' cross over range for the front/rears and the sub?
Currently I've got the sub crossing over at 120hz LP, and the fronts are crossing over at 100hz HP. There is a lot more sound coming out of the rear currently than should I'm guessing. If I was to drop the crossover setting for the sub I'd have to drop the HP so as not to miss any sound though, right? In doing that am I not increasing the 'instability' and 'distortion' out of the fronts?
Thanks!
Melting Slicks
Joined: Jan 2002
Posts: 2,682
Likes: 0
From: Atlanta GA
Originally Posted by Ssseeya
Is there any noticable degradation in quality of sound if I were to tie my front speakers and 'rear' speakers to the same channel making them effectively 2ohm? I do listen to my music at the higher volume end of the spectrum so I would be near whatever max distortion settings I can hit with my setup. I've only really seen people mentioning the 4ohm setups for the front speakers, is it just unheard of to run a 2ohm load for higher range speakers?
Originally Posted by Ssseeya
On a side note, what is the 'recomended' cross over range for the front/rears and the sub?
Currently I've got the sub crossing over at 120hz LP, and the fronts are crossing over at 100hz HP. There is a lot more sound coming out of the rear currently than should I'm guessing. If I was to drop the crossover setting for the sub I'd have to drop the HP so as not to miss any sound though, right? In doing that am I not increasing the 'instability' and 'distortion' out of the fronts?
Thanks!
Currently I've got the sub crossing over at 120hz LP, and the fronts are crossing over at 100hz HP. There is a lot more sound coming out of the rear currently than should I'm guessing. If I was to drop the crossover setting for the sub I'd have to drop the HP so as not to miss any sound though, right? In doing that am I not increasing the 'instability' and 'distortion' out of the fronts?
Thanks!
Thread Starter
Intermediate
Joined: May 2004
Posts: 39
Likes: 0
From: Sunbury Oh
Originally Posted by leolufse
As long as your amp can handle a 2 channel 2 ohm load you will be okay. But, you wont have any fader control between the front and rear channels.
In the worst case, I don't really have to worry so much about any added 'distortion' from a 4ohm setup vs the 2ohm from my fronts/rears then?
Originally Posted by leolufse
This depends on several factors: speaker size, speaker quality, power to the speakers, size of the vehicle, etc. Generally a 6.5" component set should be able to play all the way down to 60-80 hz and a 10" sealed sub shouldn't be set up to play any higher than 80 hz or so. Too low of frequency on the fronts and they will "fart" and too high of frequency on the sub, it will bleed into the midbass and possibly sound "muddy" and distorted.
Team Owner
Joined: May 2002
Posts: 29,017
Likes: 0
From: Clemson University SC
Cruise-In II Veteran
Cruise-In III Veteran
It depends on the slope of the crossovers also. I used to have my sub set to 80 hz LP 12 db slope when I was using the amp's onboard crossovers, but when I switched to a full active crossover it actually sounds better at 100 hz LP with an 18 db slope. The triple midbasses I have in each door pick up much better at 100 hz and sound cleaner than when they were set to 80 hz. The increased slope of the crossover helps them a lot too I'm sure. 
Thread Starter
Intermediate
Joined: May 2004
Posts: 39
Likes: 0
From: Sunbury Oh
Originally Posted by TheWacoKid
It depends on the slope of the crossovers also. I used to have my sub set to 80 hz LP 12 db slope when I was using the amp's onboard crossovers, but when I switched to a full active crossover it actually sounds better at 100 hz LP with an 18 db slope. The triple midbasses I have in each door pick up much better at 100 hz and sound cleaner than when they were set to 80 hz. The increased slope of the crossover helps them a lot too I'm sure.
Thanks guys, I might just learn something yet!
Last edited by Ssseeya; Jul 20, 2004 at 11:53 AM.
Melting Slicks
Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 3,306
Likes: 2
From: Wesley Chapel Fl
Ssseeya....your amp xover and head unit xover are both true crossovers. As for which one to use you need to know which one has a steeper slope.Use the one that is higher or you can set them both to the same frequency and use them together to raise the slope. As for which one to gain up...it would better to gain up the amp.
You ask about the rear speakers. People like myself do not use the rear speakers because of imaging problems. The rear speakers are too close to your head and will mess up the imaging. Another reason I generally do not use them is because there is no rear information recored on a CD...only left and right. But the rear speakers are good if you are more interested in having alot of volume in the car. No replacement fo displacement type of thing. So you should decide on what you want from your system and then determine if the speakers stay or go.
You mention 6x9's in the doors....I highly recommend you don't do that. There is so much room in your doors for speakers it is awesome. A 6x9 will not sound as good as a nice set of 6.5's and tweets.
You ask about the rear speakers. People like myself do not use the rear speakers because of imaging problems. The rear speakers are too close to your head and will mess up the imaging. Another reason I generally do not use them is because there is no rear information recored on a CD...only left and right. But the rear speakers are good if you are more interested in having alot of volume in the car. No replacement fo displacement type of thing. So you should decide on what you want from your system and then determine if the speakers stay or go.
You mention 6x9's in the doors....I highly recommend you don't do that. There is so much room in your doors for speakers it is awesome. A 6x9 will not sound as good as a nice set of 6.5's and tweets.
Melting Slicks
Joined: Jan 2002
Posts: 2,682
Likes: 0
From: Atlanta GA
Originally Posted by EatRice
You mention 6x9's in the doors....I highly recommend you don't do that. There is so much room in your doors for speakers it is awesome. A 6x9 will not sound as good as a nice set of 6.5's and tweets.
Don't do it.
Corvette Stories
The Best of Corvette for Corvette Enthusiasts
Top 10 Most Expensive Corvettes Ever Sold on Bring A Trailer
Brett Foote
10 Things Every Corvette Owner Needs (2026 Edition)
Michael S. Palmer
8 Most "Only Corvette Owners Understand" Quirks and Problems
Pouria Savadkouei
10 Reasons the C6 Z06 is Still A Performance Benchmark After 20 Years
Joe Kucinski
How Much Horsepower Every Corvette Engine "LOST" in 1972
Joe Kucinski
Top 10 DOs and DON'Ts for Protecting Your Convertible Top!
Michael S. Palmer
Top 10 Most Explosive Corvettes Ever Made: Power-to-Weight Ratio Ranked!
Joe Kucinski
150 hp to 1,250 hp: Every Corvette Generation Compared by the Specs That Matter
Joe Kucinski
