Speaker amp suggestion

[pat8839]

I got a pair of MCM Custom Audio 60-10031 8" Wakeboard speakers for Christmas. I realize they are not the best speakers in the world, but they were a gift and I want to put them to use. I do not know anything about pairing amps with speakers but I do know that I need an amp to power these speakers as my head unit is already powering speakers in the boat.
Can anyone point me in the right direction? Here are the specs from the speakers:
Power handling: 130W/260W (RMS/max) @ 4ohm
Frequency response: 30Hz~20KHz
Sensitivity: 91dB


Thanks in advance!!

 

[theBrownskull]

Re: Speaker amp suggestion

I am trying to decide which amp to get for speakers as well. I contacted the manufacturer of the receiver/stereo in my boat and asked them the best amp. for what I have. My receiver/stereo is what the boat came with. I gave them the description of the speakers and they pointed me in the right direction. I was told to look at the power handling for the speakers such as: Power Handling: 125W RMS/ 250W peak. 250W (wattage) is the peak per speaker in this example which is the point where they will probably melt down. 500W for both

I looked at your speakers and found the following information regarding the specifications:

8" poly cone woofer with rubber surround
1? titanium dome tweeter
Binding post connections
Power handling: 130W/260W (RMS/max) @ 4ohm
Frequency response: 30Hz~20KHz
Sensitivity: 91dB
Heavy duty ABS construction
Maximum mounting diameter: 1 ??
Minimum mounting diameter: 1 1/8

I would look at an amp. of 750 of higher.

Maybe someone else out there has a better idea.

 

[pat8839]

Re: Speaker amp suggestion

hey thanks for pointing me in the right direction! I don't know much about all those numbers...

 

[skydiveD30571]

Re: Speaker amp suggestion

Pat can you confirm if that 130W RMS rating is for the pair or for each individual speaker?

I'm assuming it means each (which is a little hard to believe because that's a good amount of power for only 60 bucks). If that's the case, your best bet would be to find a 2-channel amp that is rated about 130W RMS x2 @ 4ohms. You'd run one speaker per channel, pretty simple. Just forget about the max power rating. It is an unattainable number used mainly for marketing purposes.

 

[pat8839]

Re: Speaker amp suggestion

Hmm you know that is an interesting thought! I never thought they would combine them to mean wattage "per pair"
I will look on the speaker itself to see if there is any documentation on it. The Numbers I have seen were on the box itself. I have never heard of manufacturers adding up the wattage that way, but given they are low end speakers maybe they did to make them seem more appetizing?
I will report back!

 

[skydiveD30571]

Re: Speaker amp suggestion

Most companys report power handling per speaker, then sell them as pairs. I was just curious because of the seemingly high number compared to price ( I know price reflects other qualities besides power, like material, size, etc). Chances are it is per speaker, and if so, my amp suggestion would be your best bet. If you can't find one in that power range, look for slightly more power not less. If all else fails and they dont last you very long, you'll then have a very compatible amplifier for some new higher end speakers in the future.

 

[Samvq1]

Re: Speaker amp suggestion

Audio signal is a sine wave. It has a peak in the positive and negative. Power of the sine wave can be measured in three ways. The first is RMS. It is 70.7% of the peak power. Peak power is from 0 to the peak of the sign wave in either direction. Peak to peak is the number from the peak of the positive to the peak of the negative. Some manufacturers will give the peak to peak number because it is a big number in terms of power. Your best bet is to go to a reputable car stereo installer to explain the numbers then find a marine amplifier that meets the specs.

 

[Tail_Gunner]

Re: Speaker amp suggestion

Amazon.com: JBL MA6004 4-Channel Full-Range Marine Amplifier: Car Electronics

Great little amp MOSFET output (rugged) very inexpensive..very stable into low ohm loads (read many speaker's) more that enough power to run those spkr's very cheap to.

Sine wave i have not heard that terminology for yrs. Distortion, Clipping, and Square Waves

Good luck that's a great amp and will drive your spkrs to nicely until you push it to the clipping point...:lalala:

 

[new_boater1990]

Re: Speaker amp suggestion

i do car audio as a side job and I've done a few wake tower set ups. as far as the speakers that you have they run at a 130 watt rms at 4 ohms. to find the amp you want to combine the rms power and not the max power for longevity of your speakers. i'd recommend a cadence f200-2. its a 2 channel amp. 2 channel meaning you can hook up 2 speakers and you can bridge them together to obtain maximum out put with out damaging sound quality and speaker longevity. Audio Savings | Cadence F200-2 High Power 500 Watt Peak 250 Watt RMS 2 Channel Car Amplifier Amp

to bridge an amp you must Locate the speaker outputs of the amplifier. Then look for the word "bridged." If it appears, it will point to two of the speaker output terminals, one marked "+" and the other marked "-." These are the speaker outputs that you'll use when using the amp in its bridged mode.
Cut a length of speaker wire long enough to reach from the amplifier to your first speaker. Strip the insulation off of the ends of each end of the wire so that each lead has 3/8 to 1/2 inch of bare wire exposed.
Connect the wire to the "bridged" outputs of the amplifier. Connect the positive lead of the speaker wire to the "+" terminal, and the negative lead to the "-" terminal.
Connect the other end of the wire to the terminals of your first speaker. Connect the positive lead of the speaker wire to the "+" terminal and the negative to the "-" terminal.
Cut a second piece of speaker wire long enough to reach from the first speaker to the second speaker. Strip the insulation off of the ends of the wire so that there is 3/8 to 1/2 inch of bare wire exposed.
Connect the second piece of speaker wire from the "+" terminal of the first speaker to the "+" terminal of the second speaker. Repeat the process with the "-" terminals of speaker one and speaker two. if you have done this correctly then you will have crystal clear sound for a long time. hope this helps

 

[Tail_Gunner]

Re: Speaker amp suggestion

It's been a long time since I did audio.I almost feel foolish replying. Do you have any ideal of the power conversion it would take to produce 500 watts rms.

 

[Tail_Gunner]

Re: Speaker amp suggestion

Opps that's 250 rms. It might as well be 5000.

 

[skydiveD30571]

Re: Speaker amp suggestion

i do car audio as a side job and I've done a few wake tower set ups. as far as the speakers that you have they run at a 130 watt rms at 4 ohms. to find the amp you want to combine the rms power and not the max power for longevity of your speakers. i'd recommend a cadence f200-2. its a 2 channel amp. 2 channel meaning you can hook up 2 speakers and you can bridge them together to obtain maximum out put with out damaging sound quality and speaker longevity. Audio Savings | Cadence F200-2 High Power 500 Watt Peak 250 Watt RMS 2 Channel Car Amplifier Amp

It's very unlikely that the amp listed there is stable bridged at 2 ohms. Meaning you'd have to run the speakers in series (8ohms) and would not be seeing anything near 250 watts. More like 125watts when they need 260 total. Then you'll have to jack up the input gain and the amp will be running outside of it's linear area resulting in clipping/distortion/blowing speakers. That amp is too small.

The amp Tail Gunner listed would be a decent cheap choice. You can bridge it into 2 channels with a 160W output at 4ohm with each one. Remember, for the most part you get what you pay for in audio.

 

[pat8839]

Re: Speaker amp suggestion

Sorry guys I have been out of town for the last week and forgot to check to see what my speakers themselves have printed on them.
I appreciate everyone's info. Regardless of which amp I go with, do I wire it up the way new_boater instructed?
I have actually heard of JBL so I'm leaning towards that one...

 

[skydiveD30571]

Re: Speaker amp suggestion

Depends on the amp. Bridging a 2-channel amp creates 1 channel. Amps are stable on this one channel at 4ohms (some are stable down to 2ohms bridged, but those are in the higher price range). So most likely you will have 1 4ohm channel. 2 4ohm speakers can be wired in parallel to net a single 2ohm load, or wired in series to net a single 8ohm load.

Like I just mentioned, most 2-channel amps are not capable of supporting a 2ohm load while bridged. Your amp would live a short life. You would have to wire the speakers in series and get only half of the power the amp is capable of. Get yourself a 2-channel amp with the power ratings I suggested above, run each one to its own channel, and you'll be set.

 

[Tail_Gunner]

Re: Speaker amp suggestion

NEW JBL GTO1004 600 Watts Grand Touring Series 4-Channel Class A/B Car Amplifier on eBay!

There is a amp which will run stable into 4 ohms just on one side i run 4 spks at 4 on half the amp and 1 mono channel at 4 ohms (subs). I know it is not marine it is however a very robust amp..if you boat in a salt inviroment marine is just the way to go....the switches are hardened to resist corrision. Howver i have run that amp for 4 yrs now with no problem's. Do not let the cost fool you its very well designed...Crossover's bridgeable low pass filters gain switche's..and rock solid.

The 1004 will be a bit louder and a more solid bass not noise but actual punch..Your in a boat HI-FI is a nice word but you want power and dependability those are great choice's....

 

[pat8839]

Re: Speaker amp suggestion

I have this amp
Orion CS500.5 4 Channel Amplifiers at Onlinecarstereo.com
It came out of my wife's car. Would it be worth giving it a try? I do boat in saltwater so perhaps my best bet is just buy a marine amp? It will not be getting splashed but saltwater condition none the less

 

[skydiveD30571]

Re: Speaker amp suggestion

Hey you already have it and it's free to try so I would. It's a 5-channel amp, so think of it as a 4-channel amp plus a mono amp together. Use the 4 channels for your tower speakers, and you have the option of running a subwoofer off of the additional channel.

For your tower speakers, you'll bridge two channels together per speaker. The amp should have markings on it for bridging, just run one speaker to each bridged channel. You'll see what I mean when you look at it. Very simple and that amp is rated for the power demands of your tower speakers. Let us know how it goes!

 

[pat8839]

Re: Speaker amp suggestion

This is true! I think it is missing a piece where the speaker's plug in though...Anyone seen something like this before?

 

[skydiveD30571]

Re: Speaker amp suggestion

I haven't but since the power/ground connections look the same I doubt you're missing anything. It looks like it is designed for female bullet connectors. Search and you'll see what connector I mean. They are common for 16/14gauge wires like for the speakers, but finding some big enough for the power/ground wires could be tricky. I'd visit a local auto electronics store and see if they have them.

 

[pat8839]

Re: Speaker amp suggestion



Found a pic showing my missing pieces...somehow I've got to find these suckers. Skydive I did find those connectors you mentioned and they may work without me having to buy the speaker connector piece but I do not think I am going to find the one for the power cord...BLAST