4 Speakers on a Sony 222 Amp

Hi guys, I'm relly new to this so please bare with me.     I have a sony head unit connected to a sony 222 amp which is now operating a pair of speakers. I want to upgrade my system but I don't want to throw away my old (only 2 months old) amp which I really like.     I'm thinking about buying a class D amp to operate a 12" sub and get 2 pairs of pioneer speakers (I currently have sony, they are about to break down) and connect them to my 222 amp.     Some people say connecting more than one pair of speakers will overload the amp and some say it won't. What is correct?     The new amp and subwoofer I'm getting depend on the answer to the question above. Any help would be great. Thanx in advance.

is this a 2 or a 4 channel amp?  what is the rated impedence of the amp's O/P stage?Kevin Gerry

Certified Electronics Technician

MECP First Class Installer

Owner/Installer

Classic Car Audio

since 1979

Thanx Kevin,     Sony 222 is a 2/1 channel amplifier with variable LPF, 2x111W or 1x222W Max, 2x40W or 1x80W rated. I want to connect 3-way or 4-way (If there is such a thing, but I heard about it here) speakers. Thanx

You may be able to run four speakers on the amp (if the manual says it's OK to run it at 2 ohms) but I wouldn't recommend it, because you wouldn't be able to fade between the front and rear speakers. What I would recommend though is to run the front speakers on the amp (connected to the front line outputs on your head unit), and the rear speakers on the head units speaker outputs, and then adjust the fader + amp gain control so that the rear speakers start to distort at the same volume setting the front speakers do. 4-way speakers, if they do exist for cars, are NOT actually a good thing. Crossovers are complicated devices, and it's harder getting coherent audio the more speakers you're trying to align. However, remember that the subwoofer counts! If you start with 2-way coaxials, and then add a subwoofer, you've got a 3-way system! Likewise, if you start with 3-way components, and then add a subwoofer, you've got a 4-way system. However. If you're ready to spend the money for 3-way components, I believe you would get way more bang for your buck by instead using 2-way components and have a shop put them in kickpods for you (unless you can do the work yourself) - this would most likely sound much better than 3-way components mounted in the doors. ///Leif

Thanx Leif,     As a matter of fact my front speakers can't handle an amp. I connected them directly to the head unit. As for the rear speakers they are connected to the amp and I want to connect another pair to boost the volume. So the new speakers will act as rear ones and I can fade between the front and rear channels.      The amp didn't come with a manual (like most other things in Jordan) so I don't know if it is capapble of, but I can connect the speakers in parallel and add an extra resistor to compensate (Will that work btw??)      Most shops here don't know nothing about electricity, they only rely on experience and mostly do harm to cars, so I really prefer to install stuff by my self.      And btw, what is a kickpod?? Thanx for the hlep

Very good question, PhatGuy! This is a kickpod: A kickpod makes for a much better speaker compartment than a car door does, and it aims the speakers towards you. This yields more bass, much better sound imaging, and fewer rattles. There's no drawbacks other than the fact that it's an extra thing to buy or make. If you're happy with the sound coming from behind you (as it does with amped speakers in the back) then don't worry about it :). As long as you're happy with your system, that's all that counts. ///Leif

Hi guys,     Since I have a stick shift I don't think I can fit something like that. But then again I only use the front speakers when someone rides in the back seat because they keep telling me that the volume is too high but I don't get the level I want.      So question remains, can I attach 4 speakers on my 222 or should I get a class A/B amp and attach the 4 speakers and a sub to it? Thanx

The amp is rated at 2 X 40 watts RMS, so you should connect one pair of speakers to it.  Generally, the front is where the main sound should come from, but in your case you don't have replacement speakers for those front locations, so you just have to do best with what you've got.  But don't try to connect 2 pairs of speakers to the amp, for the sound will not be ideal.  The amp you have should also be a class A/B, a normal stereo amp.  A two channel amp for one pair of speakers, a four channel amp for two pairs of speakers.  Also, a four channel amp will run one pair of speakers and one sub.Build the box so that it performs well in the worst case scenario and, in return, it will reward you at all times.

Hi guys,     Thanx a lot for your help, it seems that the 222 amp can't run on a 2ohm impedance (I didn't actually find something that said so, but I couldn't find a single page that said it worked). So here is what I'm thinking. I did a search about 4 channel amps and found the "Boschmann PCH4480". Most people here recommend Boschmann and a lot of people I know have it, but I still haven't verified that this exact model is available in Jordan. Here are the specs 4 Ohm maximum output: 160W + 160W, 290W + 290W @ 0.03% THD 4 Ohm RMS output: 60W + 60W, 90W + 90W @ 0.03% THD 2 Ohm RMS output: 85W x 4 Channel @ 0.01% THD 4 Ohm bridged output: 150W(L) + 150W(R) @ 0.02% THD Frequency response: +- 1dB @ 5Hz - 50kHz Stereo seperation: >80dB Signal noise ratio: >100dB Gold plated RCA & power, speaker terminals. Class \"AB\" technology MOSFET PWM power supply. Bridgable & Tri-mode operation. Enhanced bass boost. Variable 12dB/Octave high pass & 12dB/Octave low pass crossover. Soft start & Muting Stable into 2 Ohms Circuit protection & indicators, Thermal, short, overheat. Taken from http://www.cheapcarspeakers.com/c62/detail.php?id=D006. Here is what I intend to do. Wire 2 small speakers directly to the head unit's front outputs. Wire 4 speakers and a sub on the amp (But I want them to take their signal from the rear output of the head unit) The Amp Has 4 channel output, I want to connect the 4 speakers in parallel on 2 of the channels and bridge the other 2 and connect the sub to it. Can That be done?? Thank you all

It can be done. Still, 150w is not much for a sub, and you still wouldn't be able to fade between the two speaker pairs. But yes, it will probably work. I personally would have kept the 222 as well as used the new amp, and I would wire like this: 222 -> front speakers Head Unit Front -> rear speakers Head Unit Rear -> small speakers Boschmann amp - bridged into a 4 ohm DVC subwoofer (gives you a total of 300w for the sub). But your way works too, it's just not ideal in my humble opinion :). For comparison, I'm running 2x200w into my front speakers, and 1x1500w into my 4 12" subs, and my two 6x9's in the rear deck are on the deck (2x25w RMS). At the level the rear speakers should really be at (i.e. nice and loud if you're sitting in the back seat, but barely audible if you're sitting in the front), the 2x25w from the head unit is enough for them. ///Leif