• 09-23-2004, 17:19
    vtecpower
    Powering 4 components from a 2-channel amp - HELP!
    I've got 2 pairs of diamond Audio HEX S500s components for front and rear, each needing 150 RMS and having impedance 4 Ohms.

    I also have a Diamond Audio D5 600.2 Amp which I'm hoping to use. The amp is rated at 150 RMS X 2 @ 4 Ohms, 300 RMS X 2 @ 2 Ohms.

    Would it be possible to connect each right and left pair of components in parallel, showing a 2 Ohm load to each channel of the amp and getting the 150 RMS needed for each component?

    If so, will sound quality suffer, as I've heard that the THD is much worse at 2 Ohms than it is at 4 Ohms.

    This is driving me mad so please HELP! :confused:
  • 09-26-2004, 02:02
    ron.eddy
    If your components are indeed 4ohm to begin with then yea, you can parallel them and run them as two ohm loads. Unfortunately you will lose individual volume control this way for front/rear, since they will be the same. As for the sound quality, typically yes, the THD does suffer some, but I bet you didn't know that most quality 4 channel amps these days are SO far below the noise floor for THD that it really doesn't matter. In my research as of late, I have seen most good 4 ch amps putting out at their rated power around either 0.005 or 0.01% THD at 4 and 2 ohms respectively. Studies have been conducted showing that anything below 0.1% is undetectable in a vast majority of humans, so worst case (2 ohms) you will be 10 times below the noise floor for hearing. But check your specific amp's specs to make sure. The fact that you won't be able to individually customize the EQ and volume settings for front/rear is a much bigger concern for SQ than is the THD. In my humble opinion anyway.

    - Ron