Single amp, dual voice coil

[Yadkin]

My new passive speaker just arrived. Maybe I bought the wrong one? I need some advice.

I have an Alpine MRD-M605 Mono Power Amplifier. Output is 1x400W RMS into 4 Ohms. Output wiring is one pair of wires, positive and negative.

So I figured that I needed a 400W bass speaker. Not knowing exactly what "dual coil" meant, I bought a BT8024DCV.

The speaker has 4 terminals for the wiring connection. Apparently this is for a stereo bass input.

My question is, can I install jumpers on across the terminals and wire it to my amp? Or do I need to return this and buy a different unit?

[heavyduty]

Originally Posted by Yadkin

My new passive speaker just arrived. Maybe I bought the wrong one? I need some advice.

I have an Alpine MRD-M605 Mono Power Amplifier. Output is 1x400W RMS into 4 Ohms. Output wiring is one pair of wires, positive and negative.

So I figured that I needed a 400W bass speaker. Not knowing exactly what "dual coil" meant, I bought a BT8024DCV.

The speaker has 4 terminals for the wiring connection. Apparently this is for a stereo bass input.

My question is, can I install jumpers on across the terminals and wire it to my amp? Or do I need to return this and buy a different unit?

A DVC unit allows for multiple wiring configurations, especially useful when using several drivers or Tubes.

That is not saying that you cannot use a single DVC Tube. If your amplifier is stable at 2 ohms mono, simply wire the voice coils in parallel. You can use jumpers for this.

If your amplifier is not 2 ohm stable, return the unit for the BT8028DVC. Wire the voice coils in parallel to achieve the 4 ohm mono load.

[Yadkin]

Originally Posted by heavyduty

A DVC unit allows for multiple wiring configurations, especially useful when using several drivers or Tubes.

That is not saying that you cannot use a single DVC Tube. If your amplifier is stable at 2 ohms mono, simply wire the voice coils in parallel. You can use jumpers for this.

If your amplifier is not 2 ohm stable, return the unit for the BT8028DVC. Wire the voice coils in parallel to achieve the 4 ohm mono load.

That's awesome. Yes, my amp is rated to do 2 ohms. That brings up another issue though.

When wired to a 2 ohm speaker, my amp is rated at 600W RMS. Will this ruin the speaker?

The amp allows me to set the input level from 0.1 to 8V. Can I use that to reduce the wattage to the speaker?

[heavyduty]

Originally Posted by Yadkin

That's awesome. Yes, my amp is rated to do 2 ohms. That brings up another issue though.

When wired to a 2 ohm speaker, my amp is rated at 600W RMS. Will this ruin the speaker?

The amp allows me to set the input level from 0.1 to 8V. Can I use that to reduce the wattage to the speaker?

600 watts does exceed the power handling of the Tube. The output of the amplifier will not ruin the speaker, however, you do need to be cautious when setting the gain level. Contrary to what people say, power output is determined by the load the amplifier sees. Adjusting the gain correctly allows for maximum volume with no clipping. Clipping the signal is what ruins speakers.

I do, recommend you using a subsonic filter. The amplifier you have may be equipped with one.

Where in Yadkin County are you located?

[Yadkin]

Originally Posted by heavyduty

600 watts does exceed the power handling of the Tube. The output of the amplifier will not ruin the speaker, however, you do need to be cautious when setting the gain level. Contrary to what people say, power output is determined by the load the amplifier sees. Adjusting the gain correctly allows for maximum volume with no clipping. Clipping the signal is what ruins speakers.

I do, recommend you using a subsonic filter. The amplifier you have may be equipped with one.

Where in Yadkin County are you located?

I know enough about electronics to be dangerous. By gain, do you mean input level? I guess that I can adjust that when I get the system setup, either on the bench or later when I get the car back from my body man.

The amp has a subsonic filter switch: off-15-30Hz. I assume I should use 30. It also has a crossover frequency adjustment (30-200Hz) and Bass EQ adjustment from 0 to +16dB.

This is going into my project car, a '64 TBird. It's a complete restoration. Nothing is in the car now except the steering column, and I'm rebuilding that after it's painted.

The head unit is a Custom AutoSound USA 630 than puts out 4 channels at 60watts each. I've got two 4" coaxial speakers mounted in the dash in place of the original 4x10. Crutchfiled had an open box special and I got two Retrosound 5x7 coaxials that have a shallow mounting depth, and those will fit inside the rear roof pillars, under the headliner.

I actually live in Forsyth County, on the western side near the Yadkin River. Are you familiar with this part of the country?

[heavyduty]

Originally Posted by Yadkin

I know enough about electronics to be dangerous. By gain, do you mean input level? I guess that I can adjust that when I get the system setup, either on the bench or later when I get the car back from my body man.

The amp has a subsonic filter switch: off-15-30Hz. I assume I should use 30. It also has a crossover frequency adjustment (30-200Hz) and Bass EQ adjustment from 0 to +16dB.

This is going into my project car, a '64 TBird. It's a complete restoration. Nothing is in the car now except the steering column, and I'm rebuilding that after it's painted.

The head unit is a Custom AutoSound USA 630 than puts out 4 channels at 60watts each. I've got two 4" coaxial speakers mounted in the dash in place of the original 4x10. Crutchfiled had an open box special and I got two Retrosound 5x7 coaxials that have a shallow mounting depth, and those will fit inside the rear roof pillars, under the headliner.

I actually live in Forsyth County, on the western side near the Yadkin River. Are you familiar with this part of the country?

Yes, gain and input level are the same. If you are comfortable with using a DMM, there is always a formula you can use to set the gain or input level. A quick Google search can help you out with that and there are literally a ton of videos on YouTube dealing with the subject.

Set the subsonic filter for 30Hz, ideally, 35Hz is best, however, 30Hz will still function well. If you do add any bass EQ, you will have to make sure the gain settings are still correct. This means making sure that you are not clipping the signal. Again, you can use the DMM for this.

The 1964 T-Bird is a beautiful car. It sounds as if you are well on your way to having the car up and running soon. I myself am partial to the Lincoln Continential's of that era.

I am quite familiar with Forsyth and Yadkin Counties. Your location puts you in Lewsiville or Clemmons, is that correct?