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2 ohm 4ohm?

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Old Jan 24, 2015 | 03:22 PM
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Default 2 ohm 4ohm?

Does 4ohm refer to - load impedance when referring to a head unit?

JVC KD-x40 (I know this is not a great HU but it is what I have at this time.)

If so my specs say 4 ohm (4-8) allowable.
Line out impedance less than 600
Continuous power output (RMS) (CEA 2006 Compliant) 20w rms x 4ch at 4 ohm and no more than 1% thd + N

If so (4ohm) witch amp and 5 1/4 speakers (for of them) (I don't think I have the room to make any bigger speakers fit with out major mods to my fairing)

I am thinking a pbr 300x4 or a T400x2ad with Focal pc130

Please keep if simple as my eyes tend to fog over when you guys start to talk numbers and specs.
 

Last edited by uplandpinter; Jan 24, 2015 at 03:42 PM. Reason: not finished
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Old Jan 24, 2015 | 04:00 PM
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I should ad that my future plan is to ad a set of speakers or two to my bags (facing in towards the wheel). I plan to add a separate amp for this setup so I can un hook and switch out my bags for more room when we travel.
 
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Old Jan 24, 2015 | 04:51 PM
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The 4 ohm refers to the lowest speaker impeadance that the amp can handle. A 2 ohm speaker would blow - draw more current - a amp rated for a minimum of 4 ohms. But use the lowest rated ohm speakers to get the most volume out of the amp.
 
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Old Jan 24, 2015 | 05:01 PM
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Originally Posted by Cobra1
The 4 ohm refers to the lowest speaker impeadance that the amp can handle. A 2 ohm speaker would blow - draw more current - a amp rated for a minimum of 4 ohms. But use the lowest rated ohm speakers to get the most volume out of the amp.
So does it matter if I used a 2ohm amp and speakers with a 4ohm HU?
 
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Old Jan 24, 2015 | 05:12 PM
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Originally Posted by uplandpinter
So does it matter if I used a 2ohm amp and speakers with a 4ohm HU?
No. Once you run the signal through the amp you need to then match the speaker impedance to the amp. If you buy an amp that is both 4 and 2 ohm stable then any speaker that is 4 ohm or 2 ohm will work. BUT, pay attention to the RMS output for each type of speaker. There will be a difference, lower for 4 ohm speakers.
 
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Old Jan 24, 2015 | 05:20 PM
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The simplest explanation is, amp to speaker, you can go higher but not lower.
 
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Old Jan 24, 2015 | 05:24 PM
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Originally Posted by Little Mike
No. Once you run the signal through the amp you need to then match the speaker impedance to the amp. If you buy an amp that is both 4 and 2 ohm stable then any speaker that is 4 ohm or 2 ohm will work. BUT, pay attention to the RMS output for each type of speaker. There will be a difference, lower for 4 ohm speakers.
Thanks Little Mike that clears things up.
Now the next part. I saw in a different thread that they were talking about Volt output and it said 5v was very good. It states in the specs for my HU it is 2.5 how good/bad is this?
 
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Old Jan 24, 2015 | 06:59 PM
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The minimum standard that people consider adequate is a 4v output. However, this only applies to the RCA jack output from the HU. If you're using the high level speaker outputs, i.e. the wire outputs, that spec doesn't come into play. Some amps actually prefer this source especially if the RCA voltage output is lower than the 4 volts. For example the PBR300X2.
 
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Old Jan 25, 2015 | 07:55 AM
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Originally Posted by uplandpinter

If so (4ohm) witch amp and 5 1/4 speakers (for of them) (I don't think I have the room to make any bigger speakers fit with out major mods to my fairing)
What year and model bike do you have? No major modifications are needed to use bigger speakers, just adapter rings that are fairly inexpensive, some
speakers have them included already. No way I would stay with stock speaker size if I was spending money on upgrading.
 
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Old Jan 25, 2015 | 09:25 AM
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Originally Posted by hd_rolling
What year and model bike do you have? No major modifications are needed to use bigger speakers, just adapter rings that are fairly inexpensive, some
speakers have them included already. No way I would stay with stock speaker size if I was spending money on upgrading.
I have a 98 FLHRCI with a after market fairing (wide open). The fairing is very nice as it is a quick detach that mounts on the brackets for the shield and that is what I was looking for when I bought it. The thing that is a draw back to me is the fact that it is a one piece mold so getting inside to mount things is a task (you have to access though HU opening). Getting spacer rings and speakers on the inside of the fairing are not a option and fitting bigger rings and speakers on the outside is a spacing issue because of the way the fairing is molded. I will try to get pics.
 
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