Should I wire tweeters in Series Or Parallel?

dermoto

If you know something about wiring morethan 4 speakers to a 4 channel headunit (the extra 2 only being tweeters) read on...


Hi

I currently have the following setup:

A 4 channel Headunit, 30 watts per channel 4 Ohms each (recommended between 4 and 8 ohm speakers)

I have 2 3-way speakers in the rear, and two speakers in the front doors. (After market pioneer ones) .

Plenty sound, however... I want to add a bit more, particularly a wider spectrum. So, (This is all in the post as i speak... i think) Ive ordered the following off the internet:

An active Apline Sub SWD 1600 (150w nominal, with built in amp)
Necessary wiring kit
4 bass blockers (to splice into my current speakers so there not trying to do the new subs job.)

2 dome tweeters.


My question:

The sub isn't any problem, in fact i dunno why i even mentioned it, just setting the scene , but i dont have any output for my tweeters. They have built in crossovers, and im intending to somehow share the front channels of the system between the tweeters and the (fairly small) front speakers.

The front speakers can certainly share the power, as their less than half the rating for the headunit in terms of watts. What im asking about is should i wire the tweeters in series or parallel with the front speakers? A parallel setup would decrease the resistance (i cant remember the exact formula to use, but it would be under 4 ohms, which isn't recommended by the headunit) or in series, which would give me a resistance of 8 ohms, which seems to be ok as far asthe headunit goes. Is wiring speakers in series normal?

Please dont reply telling me to buy a seperate amp or something, because essentially all im adding is two tiny lil' tweeters (the sub being self driven) to a setup that already has plenty power. Like I said, all im worried bout is reducing (or raising) the impedence too much and frying my headunit and/or speakers.

5500

dermoto wrote:

Like I said, all im worried bout is reducing (or raising) the impedence too much and frying my headunit and/or speakers.

If your that worried about it then you should be considering a seperate amp to run all the speakers from in the first place.Either ways your at risk running them in series as the internal Headunit amp is only designed to run 4 channels unbridhged,in saying that ive seen people running 4 sets of speakers off a headunit with no meltdown.

Its up to yourself really,yes it can be done but for how long it will last is anybodys guess!

dermoto

thanks for reply

I was reading up, and the tweeters come with internal crossovers, this means that, as they are, i cant wire them in series (which would be OK for the headunit, as it would be 8 ohms, still within the recommended impedance) because the internal crossover would apply to the whole circuit, including the midrange.

I guess if I could remove the internal crossover from the tweeter and wire them in series, I know, it would reduce the quality somewhat, but it will have bass blockers which would help a bit, and im sure it would still be much better than the current setup?

dermoto

At Last!!!

I found passive crossovers on the net that suit me exactly. Power rating, impedance and band passes

http://www.maplin.co.uk/SEODynamicPages/module.asp?ModNo=37755

2-way, 12dB, max. 120W Suitable for 4-8 ohm; speakers For one bass speaker & midrange/tweeter or one wide range speaker and one tweeter Separating frequency: approx. 3000Hz 12dB Dimensions: approx: 67 x 65 x 37mm

That'll do me fine. Also, since the signal is split at 3000hz, below that being sent to mid range, and above being sent to the tweeter, the headunit will still only "see" a 4 ohm resistance. Perfect!

Thanks for your help eireal.

5500

Maplin in blanch have them in stock (well had the on wed's) if your near there.Incedently maplin are great for car audio connectors/fuseblocks ect - much cheaper than specialised car audio shops

dermoto

eireal wrote:

Maplin in blanch have them in stock (well had the on wed's) if your near there.Incedently maplin are great for car audio connectors/fuseblocks ect - much cheaper than specialised car audio shops

nah, im down in waterford. but ive ordered em online, so hopefully have all the goods next week and do the job at the weekend, ready for drivin up to HiFi the weekend after :-)

5500

I think theres a maplin in limerick and cork too,just for future reference if ya need bits n bobs

dermoto

eireal wrote:

I think theres a maplin in limerick and cork too,just for future reference if ya need bits n bobs

cheers