4-channel Amplifiers at Crutchfield.com (2024)

FAQs

Will a 4-channel amp make my speakers louder? ›

Adding a 4-channel amp to your car stereo system — two channels to run the front speakers and two channels to run the rear speakers — not only raises the sound level, but also greatly increases the sound quality of your music.

You can connect eight 4 ohm speakers (two per channel) to an amp rated at 2 ohms per channel. You can connect eight 8 ohm speakers (two per channel) to an amp rated at 4 ohms per channel.

A four-channel amp works to power: Four speakers; Two speakers and a subwoofer—you can use a four-channel amp to power a subwoofer and two rear full-range speakers by bridging two of the channels to power the sub.

If you have full-range speaker systems, then the best choice for you is the 2-channel amplifier. These amps should be used with a high-pass filter. Five and six-channel amps can be used for speakers located in the back or front of your audio setup.

What happens if an amp is too powerful for its speakers? If an amp is too powerful for the speakers it's matched with, the speaker's voice coil will burn as the speaker won't be able to successfully dissipate the heat energy from the amp.

Double-check the specifications of both the amplifier and speakers to confirm that the wiring configuration meets their requirements. By following these steps and understanding the impedance relationships, you can successfully wire 8 speakers to a 4-channel amplifier for an optimal audio experience.

You can connect 6 speakers to 4 channel amp either in series or parallel. Both have their advantages as well as disadvantages. The choice will be yours.

On the other hand, between 15 and 30 watts is the ideal range for the wattage of the speaker for home use. The majority of homeowners believe that 20 watts are an appropriate amount.

For example: a 4-channel amp could drive two speakers and a subwoofer wired to a bridged channel, combining two channels for a single more powerful channel. If you're thinking of pairing with four speakers and one or two subwoofers, a 5-channel amp would be ideal.

Solution #1: Install Ventilation

First, try adding some ventilation near your amplifier. If there is a problem with the position of the amp, place it somewhere else. If it's in a spot where it can be ventilated but you still have an overheating problem, you can mount a cooling fan to facilitate air flow.

Why would you bridge a 4 channel amp? ›

Using the negative signal of one channel with the positive signal of the other channel effectively doubles what each channel alone could put out through a 2-ohm load. Usually, this is the maximum wattage the amp can put out. So, when you bridge your amplifier, you're also optimizing your system's power potential.

The amplifier may trigger into protect mode either by its internal (blown fuse or malfunctioning transistors) or external failures (faulty supporting components like head unit issue or sparking of speaker wire). Thus, they result in shutting down the amp and going into protection mode to avoid further damage.

A 2-channel amplifier will be the practical solution when you only need to power a single pair of speakers. But if you like rear-fill sound in your car and want to retain front-to-rear fade control, get a 4-channel amp — one channel for each speaker.

For best possible audio performance, we recommend you go with a matched pair of monoblock amplifiers over a stereo amplifier. Having said that, a good stereo power amp or integrated will still beat a poorer set of monoblocks, any given day.

The inner parts of a monoblock amplifier amplify a single channel instead of being shared between multiple channels. Monoblocks, therefore, are bigger, bulkier and more expensive (per channel). Simply put, monoblock amplifiers can be employed to boost any specific single channel of the audio system.

The 20-watt amp is double the power of the 10-watt amp, but doubling the power only translates to an increase of 3 dB SPL. Remember, in order to sound "twice as loud," you need an increase of 10dB, so while a 20W amplifier will sound noticeably louder than a 10W amp, it will not sound twice as loud.

The factory stereo system in your car does everything you could possibly want it to do — except sound good. Replacing the speakers and adding an amplifier is the best way to upgrade sound quality, even for so-called premium systems.

You can connect 6 speakers to 4 channel amp either in series or parallel. Both have their advantages as well as disadvantages. The choice will be yours.