Audio Question on switching 4 ohm sub to 2 ohm sub

t4rain

New member
I got my subwoofer stolen from my car and I'm looking for a replacement... I set up the system in 2013 so I don't remember what will work with what anymore. I did a bunch of research back then but I have forgotten it all over time. I had a 4 ohm sub and I'd like to put a 2 ohm sub in place of the old 4 ohm sub but I'm wondering if that is safe and if I need to install anything in addition to make it work? For what it is worth, the amp is also powering two 4 ohm speakers up front

Amp: Pioneer GM-D8604 Class FD 4-Channel Bridgeable Amplifier https://www.crutchfield.com/p_130GMD8604/Pioneer-GM-D8604.html?archived=
Speakers: Alpine SPR 60C powered by 2 channels of the amp for the front speakers Alpine SPR-60C Type-R 6-1/2" component speaker system at Crutchfield 8-110 watts RMS 4 ohms
Former Sub: JL CS110-WXv2 10" 4 ohm powered by 2 bridged (I think that's the term?) channels of the amp JL Audio CS110-WXv2 Sealed BassWedge™ enclosure with one 10" WXv2 subwoofer at Crutchfield 75-200 watts RMS 4 ohms

I'm looking at a new sub to replace the stolen one but it is 2 Ohm impedance: JBL Stage 1200S JBL Stage 1200S Sealed enclosure with one 12" subwoofer at Crutchfield

Less relevant remaining parts of my system:
Rear speakers: stock speakers powered by the deck/receiver
Deck/Receiver: Pioneer AVH-4400NEX Pioneer AVH-W4400NEX DVD receiver at Crutchfield
Car: 2002 4runner SR5

If I don't get any responses, I'll reach out to crutchfield tomorrow... Thanks everyone!
 
Last edited:
Register to hide this ad
looks like you can, at 2 ohm bridge, your looking at 300w for that bridged channel. as long your using 4 gauge wires as the main power and ground wires, im sure its fine.

read the manual more. do not use bridged mode in less than 2 ohm final impedance.
 
Thanks, I spoke with crutchfield tech support and they said my particular amp doesn’t allow 2 ohms bridged so I’ll need to just run the sub off one channel at only 100w though the sub is rated at 250w. Fine by me as I don’t blast my music too loud and I’m not a bass head.

If this sub ends up being too cumbersome I’ll get an 8 or 10” 4 ohm sub and build a box for it then go back to bridged for a little more oomph
 
Last edited:
you can run bridged mode at 2 ohms, its the lowest your amp will handle. the manual states only run 2 ohm or 4 ohm at that load.
 
you can run bridged mode at 2 ohms, its the lowest your amp will handle. the manual states only run 2 ohm or 4 ohm at that load.

hmm, I updated my previous post (autocorrect kept turning sub into sun) and tech support said I couldn't run 2ohm (my previous post erroneously said 4ohm there) bridged. I just looked at the manual and page 8 says:

About suitable specification of speaker
Ensure speakers conform to the following
standards, otherwise there is a risk of fire,
smoke or damage.
Speaker impedance is 2Ohm
to 8Ohm, or 4Ohm to 8Ohm for two-channel and other
bridge connections.


Since the sub would be a bridged connection, I think that last sentence says it should be between 4-8 and the sub I have is a 2ohm so I think crutchfield was correct? Full disclosure: I don't know much about this stuff so my head is kind of spinning here.

Then to make matters worse, page 14 of that same manual says that the Continuous Power Output is 250W X 2 (at 14.4 V, 2Ohms BRIDGE...) which would be ideal for that new subwoofer. Maybe I'll try calling Pioneer to get some clarity here?

I do appreciate your help/guidance RiceandPho and I apologize that I'm not more familiar to clearly understand my options here
 
if you take the sub apart and see if its dual voice coil, wire it up to either a 2 ohm final or 8ohm final impedance, even if you ran it at 8. your amp wont have much power to it.

it should work, might get a little warmer. but if you want, return the sub for a 4 ohm and you don't have to worry about anything
 
Last edited:

Members online

Forum statistics

Threads
278,312
Messages
3,554,087
Members
248,016
Latest member
Advally Service

Trending content

Back
Top