Ok, let me try to "paint" an overall picture of what we're trying to accomplish along with the areas that I have questions. Contrary to what some might think I don't know everything about car audio, but I do understand more than a lot of people about what the ratings really mean in practice.
KDXSR5 has a head unit that has the following outputs:
2 EA front channel speaker wires (HI Level)
2 EA rear channel speaker wires (HI Level)
1 EA RCA L/R outputs (LOW Level) that is a rear channel signal
Note: My amp only has LOW Level inputs (RCA) so I'm not 100% sure how HI Level inputs differ.
KDXSR5 is talking about using a 4 channel amp to power the four main speakers, correct?
If so, I would expect that each of the channels would hook, via HI Level input, directly to the amp and would then each run from the amp to the individual speakers. In this configuration, the ohm load of each channel would simply be what the speaker is rated for. This would mean that there would be two front channel speakers and two rear channel speakers. This configuration would be the only way to maintain individual left and right channel signals.
IF KDXSR5 were to hook multiple speakers to a single amp output (i.e. two sets of speakers per output) then the ohm load would change depending on if the speakers were hooked in parallel or series. This is commonly a factor when hooking multiple subwoofers to a single channel amp.
The LOW Level output on the head unit could be used to hook to a second amp that was dedicated to the subwoofer and it would be running the rear channel signal, but I don't think he is planning to use a subwoofer at this point, correct?
The bottom line is that I believe that we're confusing him with the parallel vs. series connections of speakers because he is planning to run four individual channels, right?
I never said the input makes a difference. go ahead and push 1/2 ohm through a 4ohm stable amp at 500Watts. just do it. I am done contributing to the thread now that the "smart" people have joined in.
I'm positive that we're talking about different configurations based on your 1/2 ohm load calculation.
If my math is correct:
In parallel, 2 ohm + 2 ohm = 4 ohm & 4 ohm + 4 ohm = 8 ohm
In serires, 2 ohm + 2 ohm = 1 ohm & 4 ohm + 4 ohm = 2 ohm
As long as each speaker is running on an individual channel the ohm loads are not combined, correct? He should only have to make sure that any individual speaker has an ohm load that matches what the amp is rated for.
My Kenwood amp has the following rating
920 watts peak
&
150 watts RMS x 2 channels with 4 ohm speakers
or
230 watts RMS x 2 channels with 2 ohm speakers (more watts equals more heat which is why a lower ohm load can result in the amp overheating)
or
460 watts RMS x 1 channel with a 4 ohm speaker (it appears that the amp could overheat if a 2 ohm speaker was used in a mono configuration as the watts could increase beyond the cooling capacity of the unit)
Duffil - I'm not trying to be a jerk at all, I just think were talking about different things and not communicating clearly. I resource my electrical engineering buddy before I hook anything up because he's my resident expert. He has taught me what the ratings really mean and how they translate into actual practice. I'm positive that you have more working knowledge than I do when it comes to actually hooking up the system and you obviously have significantly more knowledge than the average "Joe" so please keep providing input.
I can't figure out where you're getting a potential 1/2 ohm load?
