Speaker wiring help
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Posted on May 06, 2011 12:42 am
DJ_DollaBill
Member Since: May 06, 2011
I'm sorry if this has been covered here already. I am brand new...please be gentle! :)
I am looking to run 4 speakers of a 2 channel amp. I realize that running 2 8 ohm speakers per channel drops it down to 4 ohms.
My question is what is the best way to connect the speakers? Is it better to "stack" banana plugs at the amplifier (2 cables from each amp output) or is it better to run one cable from the amp to speaker 1 and then a cable out of speaker 1 into speaker 2?
Maybe there is no difference at all, I'm just not sure as I have seen this done both ways.
Thanks in advance for the help!
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May 06, 2011 01:13 am Well, believe it or not, the two ways that you are describing are exactly the same.
Both ways put the speakers in parallel with each other. So, the end result is the same.
The only thing that I would suggest is going from one speaker, out of the second jack of that speaker, to the next.
Why?
Shorter cable runs. Easier to wrap up at the end of the night. And also to track down any issues. Easier to do troubleshooting with smaller cable runs.
May 15, 2011 11:52 am Thanks for the help, Rob!
Can I pick your brain with one more question?
My large DJ rig is made up of a pair of Cerwin Vega 2x15" woofers and horn in each cabinet and a pair of DAS 18" subs. I have 2 amps and a crossover. The CVs are rated 40hz-20khz and the subs are 35hz-1khz. I am not sure if the subs have built in crossovers or not, but even if they don't I have an external crossover I an use.
Here is my question....Can you reccomend a crossover point between the subs and mains?
The CVs have great bass on their own witht he double 15 drivers, but for highschool shows where they want lots of bass I also want to run the subwoofers, but don't want to take away from the bass the that CVs can put out by crossing them over too high. Does that make sense? Should I run the CVs full range and run the subs through the crossover to cut off the high end or should I run everything through the crossover and direct most of the lows to the subs and mids/highs to the CVs?
Sorry if this seems confusing...I just don't want to waste bass that that CVs can put out, but I'm not sure if I can just run them full range and then throw a set of subs into the mix also.
Thanks!!
May 15, 2011 12:39 pm Having overlap in the crossover point is a common practice. Usually the top boxes are rated to a low frequency but do not push all that much in the lower regions.
By overlapping the subs and tops, you can get the lower mid punch, and have a nice full range sound.
I would try crossing over the subs at about 80hz. This will tighten up the subs some. And give them a nice thump to them. Double 15's will cover everything from 60hz and above very well. So, by having a small amount of overlap will increase the 60hz wave. And should sound very punchy for a DJ system.
May 15, 2011 12:48 pm Thanks for such a quick response! I hope I am not being a pain in the you-know-what with all my q's...
One more question then - What you said makes perfect sense to me about the overlap.
I have a behringer CX3400 crossover. I know I should be running it in 2 way mode, I'm just not sure how to set it up with 2 different crossover points to achive the overlap. I was under the impression that I had to pick a point (say 60hz) and the subs would be sent everything 60hz and lower and the tops would be sent everything 60hz and higher...so how would I go about sending 80hz and under to the subs and 60hz and over to the tops? Can I do this with a single active crossover or do I need 2?
Thanks again! You've been a huge help! :)
May 15, 2011 02:27 pm Well, just put the crossover on the subs. Let the top boxes run full range (No crossover) and just the subs on you CX3400.
The double 15's will just run out mechanically. And anything below 60hz will just be to low to make a difference.
