How to wire comps and sub to five channel

I must start by saying this is by far the most comprehensive audio site I have found. I am nervous hoping I am posting in the right forum :)

shortbuss45: First off...welcome to the forum. It's a great place to be for car audio. We're glad you decided to upgrade, let's see if we can help.

As for running power cable to your amp...there are no drawbacks to larger guage cable except for the lump under your carpet. I don't know if that amp can physically take 4 guage cable. This is something you will have to see on the amp itself.

Use 2 sets of rca cables from your head unit. One from the front output, the other for the sub-out. This will allow some fine tuning from the HU for your sub.

I looked up the Rainbow stuff...regardless of which version of the slc 6.5s, they all say 150 watts max (I wish manufacturers would use rms, but I digress). I wouldn't want to throw more than 50-60 watts at them, just to be safe (most of the time they will double the rms for their max numbers, but sometimes they will go crazy and sometimes almost triple the rms numbers). This being the case, I would set your components up on the front channels of your amp @ 4 ohms. This will give them 50 watts rms and keep the power at a reasonable level for your comps (please remember to set gains correctly, a search will yield some great help in this matter).

Use channel 5 for your subwoofer. You will get 150 watts, but the best you could do from your rear channels is 120. At 6 ohm, you'll be getting less than the 150 watts (I know...he won't be getting the full 150 anyway), but it should give you some nice low sound from that sub. Regardless, you will be at less than 1/5 the rated power for the sub, so if more bass is desired, a ported box may be necessary if you have the room for it. Otherwise another amp will be needed. If all you are looking for is some nice, full and rich sound, what you have now may fit the bill very nicely.

Hope this helps.

shortbuss45 wrote:

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sorry for the ignorance, sensitivity rating meaning?

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Sensitivity is how well the sub will utilize the power given to it. Measured as how loud the sub is from 1 meter away, when fed 1 watt of power (not sure of the signal). The larger the sensitivity number, the better it will use the power you have. The lower the number, the more power you will need to create the same output.

I found the tech page for your speakers. They are rated at 100 watts rms. If your manual states that they can be bi-amped, this would be the easiest way to do it. You would connect the front channels to your tweets and the rear to your mids (being very careful not to overpower your tweeters). If they cannot be bi-amped from the factory, you may need some crossovers to help you out. I would use a 12db crossover. You can find a diagram for this in the list on the left hand side of this page. If you're not comfortable making one, they can be purchased as is.

Flakman gave you a very good answer in his first post, but I wouldn't go anywhere close to bi-amping or building passive crossovers if I were where you're at.

A pair of components with crossovers will use two channels of the five available.  A second pair of speakers will use two channels.  The sub will use the 5th channel that is specifically dedicated for sub use.  Both your amplifier and your speakers have instructions on connecting.  Since you have not announced that you have a pair of rear speakers, two of the amp's channels will not be used...save these for the pair of rears that you will ultimately add to this vehicle.  Saying things like "how I should wire this up to get the best possible use of this amp" indicates that you might feel like you're not getting your money's worth if you don't use all the channels, or don't use them to their limits.  You can't think like that, because a five channel amp is made for two sets of speakers and a sub.  Avoid the tendency to feel like you have to hook up everything together to get more power or to keep "available power from going unused".

You've got all the basics to put into place, and these are the things you should be concentrating on.  Like damping on the sheet metal of the front doors and thorough sealing of these doors...damping in the area where the sub will be...building an enclosure that is best for that sub...   Connect everything by the book, get all the basics in place, and enjoy your sound system.  If you decide to add another pair of speakers for the rear, use the two available amp channels for them.

I believe that if you setup your front stage correctly, you will never miss the rear fill.

Steve is right on the bi-amping. I only mention just in case the crossovers supplied with the speakers accommodate for it. My ads set has the ability to use single or bi-amped input. I don't see too many that offer that capability.