You have bought yourself a good entertainment system, may it be a good PC, a console, a TV or a music system, but if it doesn’t give out good audio quality, your experience will not be worth it. Now, let’s say that you get a separate audio system as well, but it is possible that even tat audio system is not able to match the audio output that your entertainment system is capable of giving out.
This is the part where amplifiers come in. These are devices that give a touch of quality to your audio output and make your experience a lot better. In this article, you will learn how you can set up you 4 speaker system with a 2 channel amplifier.
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But in order to understand the process better, you need to know about a few basics first. So, without making you wait any further, let’s get on with this article;
Contents
What is a Speaker?
A speaker is a device that converts an audio signal that is electrical in nature, into a sound. One of the most commonly used speakers is the dynamic speaker. Before sending a signal into the speaker, the sound source is amplified or intensified with an audio amplifier.
How does it work?
Speaker works by transforming electrical energy into mechanical energy. This mechanical energy compresses air and converts the motion into sound energy or sound pressure level which is also denoted by SPL. A magnetic field is produced when an electric current is sent through a coil of wire.
A current is sent along with the voice coil which fabricates an electric field that links with the magnetic field of the permanent magnet attached to the speaker. Like charges beat back from each other, the opposite charges engage with each other. The musical waveform goes up and down as a sound signal is dispatched through the voice coil.
This makes the cone that is attached to the voice coil move forward and backward which creates pressure waves in the air which we hear as a sound.
What is an Amplifier?
An Amplifier is a circuit that can gain power more than one. Now it can be a separate piece of equipment or a tool or it can be an electrical circuit carried or contained within another equipment or a device. Amplification is a rudimentary/foundational or a base to modern electronics and is broadly used in almost all electronic equipment.
What are the Amplifiers Used For?
As it is in the name, the amplifier’s purpose is to amplify the input signal so that the output signal can be produced which is very much in great level from the input one but has a similar wavelength as the output one. As a result, the major difference or change in the output signal will be the increased power level.
How to Wire/Connect 4 Speakers to a 2 Channel Amp Diagram?
When we are connecting four speakers to a 2 channel amplifier we can keep in mind just one thing which is the impedance of the speakers and splitting the power equally to both the channels.
There are two methods available to connect 4 speakers which are series and parallel. The use of these methods depends upon the type of speakers and amplifiers we are using. To stay safe, there are some limits and impedance of both the speakers and the amplifiers which can’t be crossed.
When connecting in series, the impedance increases, and when we use the parallel method, the impedance decreases. We have to stay inside the limits by keeping an eye on the maximum impedance and minimum impedance of the amplifier. It can overload and causes damage or dangerous level or any other bad experience.
How to Determine Whether to Use a Series Method or Parallel Method?
We can determine whether to use a series method or a parallel method by resolving the maximum or minimum impedance of the amplifier that we are going to connect to the speakers. So we have to make sure if the load is more or less than the limits because less load makes minimum impedance which will damage the amplifier.
Where Can We Know the Impedance of the Amplifier?
We can know the amplifier’s impedance from the manual or from the labels that are present on the amplifiers and the same goes for the speakers.
Now, we will take the two speakers that we will have to connect with only one channel, add the impedance of those speakers and if the sum of the impedance of both the speakers has declined within the limits then we can connect them in a series method.
For further understanding, we have an example of 2 speakers which are each of 4-ohm. So as we know that by connecting in series, the power will add up, so this power will have the sum of 8-ohm. If the amplifiers of our choice can handle 8-ohm per channel then we are good to go to connect in the series method.
But, if the speakers are having a hard time connecting in the series method then we have another option of connecting as well, which is a parallel method.
This method includes the multiplying of the impedance of the two speakers and then dividing them by their sum. If the result reclines in the limits, then we will connect our speaker in the parallel method. If the result coming from both the ways, e.g.: series method or parallel method, of the impedance of speakers does not lie in the limits then we cannot connect them in the amplifier.
See also: Top 10 Best Center Channel Speakers Reviews 2021
We can wire the speakers to the amplifiers, now that we know which method we should follow by following the steps below:
Wiring 4 Speakers in Series:
In a series circuit, we will connect the positive terminal to the negative terminal of the other. Now imagine that we are connecting the two speakers on the left side in series. We will connect the wire of an amplifier from the positive terminal to the speaker’s positive terminal and just like that we will connect the wire of the second speaker’s negative terminal to the left of the amplifier’s negative terminal.
Now repeat the process for the right channel as the left channel is connected in the series method with the two speakers. As result, we will get all 4 speakers connected with a 2 channel amplifier in the series method. This is our first method of connecting the 4 speakers to a 2 channel amplifier, the other one is parallel wiring.
Wiring 4 Speakers in Parallel Method:
Imagine we are connecting the left channel with the 2 speakers in parallel. We will take the wire from the negative terminal of the left channel and connect it to the first speaker’s negative terminal. Then we will take the wire of the positive terminal of the left channel to connect it to the positive terminal of the first speaker. Just like this, the first speaker and the terminals of the left channel will be connected.
We will make the connection in the same way, from the first speaker to the second speaker. So by this method, both the two speakers will be connected in parallel to one channel. Now, we have connected all 4 speakers to the 2 channels of the amplifiers in parallel.
Tips for Wiring 4 Speakers to 2 Channel Amplifier.
Following are the tips for wiring 4 speakers to a 2 channel amplifier:
- By trying to overload the amplifier, the damage is caused to it.
- The output of the sound will depend upon the amplifier’s power and one cannot increase it by just increasing the speakers. For wanting sounder, one should upgrade both the amplifiers and the speakers.
- If one wants their audio system to work for a longer time then they should not ignore the checking of impedance. Upon neglecting the checking of impedance, one will cause serious damage to the impedance.
- Overloading of the amplifier will create distortion. One can prevent this by keeping the load of the amplifier less than the limits so one can enjoy it.
Conclusion:
Now that you know how an amplifier works and how you can set it up in multiple types of connections, you can better understand how you can get the optimum levels of your desired audio quality and output.
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