I did a search for this topic but did not find what I was looking for. I have two amps - Phoenix Gold Tantrum 600.4 and FUSION 1404. The Phoneix Gold powers the 6.5 components and co-axiels, the FUSION is going to power two 8" subs and one 12".
How can I wire the FUSION to power three subs? Do I bridge one channel, if so how do I do that? Also, do I need another RCA cable other than the patch cable I am running fromt the Tantrum? I do have a fader pre-out in the HU which I could use. Right now, I was thinking of using the patch for one channel and the pre-out for the other.
Thanks!!

 

Not a very good idea.

 

you have alot of options

you can bridge them all so its just a mono amp

you wire the 8" in parrallel so its 4ohm//4ohm = 2ohm and then you wire the 2 parrallel 8"'s in series with the 12" so its

(4ohm//4ohm)+4ohm = 6ohm or 2ohm+4ohm = 6ohm

this won't give your subs very much power but if your subs are in the same air space you must do this because if you have your subs wired in stereo (2ch) it might hurt your subs if there is bass on only 1 ch. for the rca you should use the sub out on your deck if you have one


you can also wire your subs in so your amp is in "TRIMODE" operation, your amp might not support this but it will work if it does support it. (Jensen amps can do tri mode operation so yours should too ) your instruction manuel will have the correct wireing diagram for trimode but if you do this you need to set the LPF on your deck to around 80hz so your subs are not playing any high range

 

Absolutely not a good idea. You should always run IDENTICAL subs when using the same amp.

This has to do with the true impedance curve of each sub, and its power usage. Although they may all be 4 ohm subs, that's the nominal impedance - like an average. The impedance fluctuates wildly during actual use when playing music, and mixing subs will mix up the impedances, even if the nominals are the same.

Also, a 12" sub will use power differently than an 8" sub - it'll use more power at certain frequencies, which will take power away from the 8s - this also changes the impedance curve even more during actual use.

You are asking for a whole boatload of trouble trying a setup like this - there is a reason it is rarely done this way, if ever.

Keep the subs the same, or amp the 8s and the 12 separately. I suppose you *could* put the 8s on one channel and the 12 on the other, effectively separating them. But it's still not the suggested install approach.

If you get this right (and it lasts more than a week), you're either a genius or the luckiest bastard alive .

Good luck.

~HH

 

Since the amp is a 4 channel you can bridge the front channels for the 12".

Use the left (-) for the 12" subs (-) and right (+) for the 12" subs (+).

Since the 8" sbs are a 4 ohm load you have to run them in stereo. Jut hook them up like any other speaker.

What are the 8"s for and where will they be going, what frequencies will they play. For a setup like this you'll want to have the 8"s fairly far away from the 12" sub. Each type should play different frequencies. The 12 should do 60 hz and down and the the 8s could do 60-150hz in an undersized box. This is just one potential but the subs should not play the same frequencies all they they can overlap a little to compensate for crossovers and position. Also this is out of the question unless you have an amp that can bandpass frequencies or an outbord electronic crossover that can.

 

only problem with the bridging info is Fusion amps bridge Left + right -. The 4 channel will power them all. The Power Plant amps kick @$$. Kinda big, but nice.

 

Just wanted tp mention to take TooLoPro's advice on bridging the amp, I wasn't ample to get the data sheet on it so I used what is somewhat of a standard. Either way the amp will tell you which terminals to use so no big deal.