Sub wiring question

[Redlight43]

Hey all, I have a quick question about wiring my subs together. I have two kicker SoloBaric 10's (older ones). These are 8 ohms each, I know that if I wire them together that it would be 4 ohms. I really want to get it down to 2 ohms. Can I wire another 4 ohm sub with these to get down to 2? I know that 4 ohm subss would be better, but I already have these.
Any suggestions??

 

[jimster502]

http://www.rockfordfosgate.com/rftech/woofer_wizard.asp

Go here!It shows the types of wiring methods by ohms by Rockford Fosgate.

 

[toypaseo]

Wire them all in parallel for a 2ohm load.

Look at the "Mixed Speakers in Parallel" section of this image for how to calculate the ohm load...

Keep in mind that the 4ohm sub will get different power than the two 8ohm subs.

 

[PandorasCustoms]

Yeah, that is what I was llooking for. I went digging around like crazy last night trying to find the old wiring diagrams I used to have book marked.

So,I order to get the 2 Ohm Load it would have to look like this...

1 / ((1/8)+(1/8)+(1/4)) = 2

I have never personally tried this. I have always made sure to be purchase speakers that are the same Ohm load, but mathematically it works out.

Another thing to consider...
You could look into trying to find a Dual Voice Coil 8 Ohm subwoofer. This would help keep all of the coils the same Ohm rating, and then you could still reach your 2 Ohm load because the Amplifier would thing it was four speakers at 8 Ohms each.

 

[Redlight43]

Thanx for the help! I thought that it would , but just wanted to make sure. The links are very helpful and I will make sure to save them.
One more thing, the SoloBarics are rated at 350 watts each and the third speaker that I will be instaling is rated at 450 watts (not sure the kind yet, my kid has it). What size amp should i use?

 

[PandorasCustoms]

This is where I would have to disagree with the statement above provided statement...

Keep in mind that the 4ohm sub will get different power than the two 8ohm subs.

The amplifier will provide power based on the wiring setup, not based off of the voice coil conifguration. So, the amp only know to provide the power it is supposed to off of the 2-Ohm load. It doens't know which speaker is which and how they are wired. It just provides the amount of watts that it is told to.

It is like a Dual 4-Ohm woofer is wired in 2-Ohm, it doesn't receive different power than a woofer wired in 8-Ohm if the RMS of the AMP didn't change.

 

[Nutzon20s]

The RMS DOES change based on ohm load...

 

[Infinity08]

This is where I would have to disagree with the statement above provided statement...


The amplifier will provide power based on the wiring setup, not based off of the voice coil conifguration. So, the amp only know to provide the power it is supposed to off of the 2-Ohm load. It doens't know which speaker is which and how they are wired. It just provides the amount of watts that it is told to.

It is like a Dual 4-Ohm woofer is wired in 2-Ohm, it doesn't receive different power than a woofer wired in 8-Ohm if the RMS of the AMP didn't change.

Don't forget the path of least resistance. There WILL be a difference, I just can't remember the formula to figure it for real world (I know the OHM's Law). Dan Wiggins of Adire had a thread about this on an audio board, but I can't find it now.

 

[PandorasCustoms]

I understand that the path of least resistance will receive the power first, but will it directly affect the power consumed by the coil?

 

[PandorasCustoms]

I think you are referring to a statement something like this:

"No, electricity does not “take the path of least resistance.” It takes all paths available—in inverse proportion to the impedance of the paths. Current flows through all available paths. The magnitude of the current flowing in each path depends on the voltage and impedance of each path. The lower the impedance of the path (assuming voltage remains constant), the greater the current. Conversely, the higher the impedance of the path (assuming voltage remains constant), the lower the current."

So, the article above is essentially saying that 4-Ohm VC will receive double the power of the 8-Ohm VC when wired in a parallel setting? I know that in series wiring, the only Ohm load that needs to be recognized is the combined load, due to the wiring all being conjoined in sequence. But, how dows this affect parallel wiring?
From what is being said here, the 4-Ohm VC will receive the power first, but the 8-Ohm VC will receive the power as well just with more resistance being met.
Yes, the resistance will cause the 4-Ohm load to receive intial power, but it does not limit the power receive by the 8-Ohm load. So, they should all equally receive the same amount of power in the end.

The resistance of the speakers does not affect the amount of current being provided. As I mentioned earlier, I have no field experience with, and will continue to look an research as much as I can regarding this information, and try to find a real world formula for this.