Wiring Car Stereo to Mono Speaker

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maximgoose

Member - Posts: 4

Joined: June 12, 2009

Location: United Kingdom

Posted: June 12, 2009 at 5:21 AM / IP Logged

hello

i drive a 1972 car with one speaker in the dashboard-i'd like to wire a car stereo to it-is it possible to retain both channels while not damging the stereo or speaker

thank you

Dave

tommy...

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Joined: December 10, 2004

Location: United States

Posted: June 12, 2009 at 7:38 AM / IP Logged

Im sorry...You want to use both channels of the stereo on a single common ground speaker? What kind of car,radio,speaker...?

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maximgoose

Member - Posts: 4

Joined: June 12, 2009

Location: United Kingdom

Posted: June 12, 2009 at 7:48 AM / IP Logged

hi-yes,if possible

its a radiomobile stereo 8 (8track cartridge machine),the car is a volvo 144 1972,with the original speaker mounted behind the dashboard--i'm afraid i dont know its specifications

haemphyst

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Joined: January 19, 2003

Location: Michigan, Bouvet Island

Posted: June 12, 2009 at 8:00 AM / IP Logged

Well, first of all, how do you expect to get stero signal from a single speaker? So that idea is out...

Secondly, you can use a SMALL bridgeable stereo amplifier and bridge it to a single speaker in the dash, (this will give you a "mixed mono") but you will have to replace the speaker - the OEM will not handle the power ANY (even small) bridged amplifier will make. There are no decks that will allow you to bridge their outputs, that I am aware of.

i am an idiot might be able to tell you how to feed stereo signal into a mono full-range speaker, out of a modern deck... If he reads into this thread, he'll tell you what he can. otherwise, PM him...

It all reminds me of something that Molière once said to Guy de Maupassant at a café in Vienna: "That's nice. You should write it down."

i am an idiot

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Joined: September 21, 2006

Location: Louisiana, United States

Posted: June 12, 2009 at 8:47 AM / IP Logged

You can safely connect a speaker to the left positive wire and the right negative wire of any newer radio. I just played one at near clipping for 15 minutes and the heat sink never got above 92 degrees. I also played it another 15 minutes with the balance to one side, If you bridge a bridgeable amplifier and only drive one channel, the undriven channel will heat up much more than the channel that is driven. The output chip in the radio does not seem to have a problem with this.

I said left positive and right negative only because those are the more common bridge wires. In the case of a radio, you can use left negative and right positive.

If you do not feel comfortable with my answer, connect the speaker to the left channel and play it for 15 minutes as loud as you think it would ever be played. Feel the heat sink or put a thermometer on it. Then connect the speaker to left positive and right negative and play it again, while monitoring the temperature.

maximgoose

Member - Posts: 4

Joined: June 12, 2009

Location: United Kingdom

Posted: June 12, 2009 at 8:51 AM / IP Logged

ah-i'll try that left positive and right negative-many thanks--will i get a full mono mix of the sound this way or just some of it?

i am an idiot

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Joined: September 21, 2006

Location: Louisiana, United States

Posted: June 12, 2009 at 10:13 PM / IP Logged

You will get full left and full right as long as the balance is in the middle. It will have both channels of info but it will be mono.

maximgoose

Member - Posts: 4

Joined: June 12, 2009

Location: United Kingdom

Posted: June 13, 2009 at 3:17 AM / IP Logged

thanks very much-this is a very helpful forum

Dave

pitman

Member - Posts: 2

Joined: April 19, 2010

Location: Australia

Posted: April 19, 2010 at 4:21 AM / IP Logged

Hello,

I have a related question.

I own an old MG which has a mono speaker in the center console. I plan to install two speakers for stereo, but it'd be a shame to waste the existing speaker -- would the left-positive right-negative work for the center speaker IN ADDITION to normal stereo connection to the other two? And if so, would I have to play with the impedance level(s)?

Thanks.

-Randal

i am an idiot

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Joined: September 21, 2006

Location: Louisiana, United States

Posted: April 26, 2010 at 8:12 AM / IP Logged

I would not do that on the same 2 channels of the radio. You can however bridge the single on the front channels and wire the others to the rear channels of th eradio, if the rear channels are not being used.

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