This is my first post, so please be gentile. I have a boat that I just bought tower speakers for. The specific speakers are Skylon Rubicon 450's.
I have a pair of these. Anyway, there are three speakers and one connector for these. I have recently found out that each of these are 3ohm's. I bought a couple of Kenwood 7252 amplifiers. The spec's on the speakers are - 450W/channel RMS, 550W/channel peak power handling. The amplifier spec's are 500 watts RMS x 1 bridged output at 4 ohms (4-ohm stable in bridged mode) or 170 watts RMS x 2 at 4 ohms (250 watts x 2 at 2 ohms).
The plan was to run one set of speakers off of one amp and the other set off the other amp. I planned on running the amps 500 x 1 @ 4ohms. What could happen to the amp/speakers?
My next question is, if something bad will happen to the amps/speakers, what amp should I go with? I think these speakers are full range, so a sub amp probably won't work very well (cut most of the upper freq's). Thanks in advance.
The speaker component's impedance is likely to be very close to 4 ohms rather than 3. Speakers are generally built to be used with commonly available amplifers. As you said, since these are full range components that include a tweeter, they wouldn't be intended for use with class D amplification. Try bridging to the Kenwood amp. Nothing bad would happen to the speakers if the impedance is too low for the amp. As for the amp, if it can't handle the increase in current at that impedance, it will click off into protection mode. You already have the amps so give it a go and see if it works. Output rating of amplifier vs. continuous power handling of components is a good match.
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Build the box so that it performs well in the worst case scenario and, in return, it will reward you at all times.
Not sure how the speakers are wired. They are sealed, and the manufacture won't let anyone know. Wish I could change it. I will try it with the amps I have. Any input on what other amps out there that would be better suited for the application? Thanks
266crownlinebr wrote:
I have a pair of these. Anyway, there are three speakers and one connector for these. I have recently found out that each of these are 3ohm's. I bought a couple of Kenwood 7252 amplifiers. The spec's on the speakers are - 450W/channel RMS, 550W/channel peak power handling. The amplifier spec's are 500 watts RMS x 1 bridged output at 4 ohms (4-ohm stable in bridged mode) or 170 watts RMS x 2 at 4 ohms (250 watts x 2 at 2 ohms).
Seems to be a pretty good match, mostly...
266crownlinebr wrote:
The plan was to run one set of speakers off of one amp and the other set off the other amp. I planned on running the amps 500 x 1 @ 4ohms. What could happen to the amp/speakers?
Nothing, if the speakers are actually a 4 ohm system, which I highly suspect. If they really are 3 ohms, you will run the risk of the amplifier wanting to shut off, as it will be seeing a 1.5 ohm load per channel. It'd probably do OK, 'till you really started beating it with the volume contriol, then it might protect.
266crownlinebr wrote:
My next question is, if something bad will happen to the amps/speakers, what amp should I go with? I think these speakers are full range, so a sub amp probably won't work very well (cut most of the upper freq's). Thanks in advance.
There is really no such thing as a "sub" amp. ALL amplifiers can produce "high" frequencies, (granted, some better than others) and your chosen amplifiers have hi- AND lo- pass crossovers in them. Set the crossovers at the manufacturers recommended points, and you'll be all set.
It'll work fine. If an amplifier is stable, bridged into 4 ohms, then that means it will run 2 ohms per channel perfectly safely. Put 'em on, set the gains, and enjoy!
Whether they are internally wired series, series parallel, or whatever, (it TRULY doesn't matter in this particular case - all you need to know is the RATED SYSTEM IMPEDANCE) if the speaker system is rated 3 ohms, or if you measured 3 ohms with a meter, it'll be good to go, or at least VERY close...
Normally, I don't recommend this, but you could certainly get away with adding a resistor in this case. A 1/2 to 1 ohm resistor, rated 100 watts or greater, would suffice. About 375 watts would still be available for the speakers themselves.
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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."