How To Wire a 4 Channel Amp To 6 Speakers-Two Ways

You can wire a 4-channel amp to 6 speakers in many ways. Here we will teach you everything in detail. So, stay tuned.

First of all, keep in mind wiring a 4-channel amp to 6 speakers is not a good practice. The best strategy is to buy a 6 amp channel or connect 4 speakers with a 4 channel amp.

However, there is nothing impossible while wiring 6 speakers to a 4 channel amp.

When you wire more speakers with an amp than the capacity, it increases load. An increase in load makes your amp hot which is not good for your amplifier.

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.

Wire a 4 Channel Amp To 6 Speakers
Wire a 4 Channel Amp To 6 Speakers

Suppose you have 4-ohm speakers that people purchase mostly. Under this assumption, we will find the load on your head unit.

Wiring in Parallel

Wiring in Parallel
Wiring in Parallel

If you wire 2 speakers of 4 ohm in parallel, it results in a 2-ohm load on your head unit. As you are going to connect 2 speakers on 1 channel, you will have to connect 4 speakers on 2 channels.

Your 4 speakers are connected on 2 channels and the remaining 2 can be connected on the remaining 2 channels. Now 6 speakers are connected on 4 channels.

2 speakers connected on 2 channels are good for the health of your amplifier. However, 4 speakers wired with 2 channels will put a constant load of 2 ohms on 2 channels if working at full volume.

2 channels will make your stereo hot because of the double load. But keep in mind that this is the case when you listen at a very high volume for a long time.

If you are not going to play music at a very high volume, it may not make your stereo much hot. And if you listen at high volume for a very short time, it is still safe.

Getting of stereo hot is killing for your stereo. But if you listen at normal volume or high volume for a short period, you are not going to kill your stereo.

Also Read: The Best Equalizer Settings For Car Audio Bass, Mid and Treble

Pros & Cons

The advantage of wiring 6 speakers to 4 channels in parallel is that you will get full power and the quality of sound will be good.

The disadvantage is that you cannot listen at full volume for a long time. It can make you hot and kill your stereo. In short, it is not a safe method for your stereo.

Wiring in Series

wiring in series

Wiring in series is safe for your stereo but cannot give you an excellent experience of listening to music. Let’s see how to do it.

If we wire 2 speakers of 4-ohm in series, it puts a load of 8 ohms on the head unit. This is less dangerous than in the series.

In this way, 2 speakers will be connected in series on 1 channel. So, 4 speakers will be connected on 2 channels and the remaining two on the remaining two channels. Hence 6 speakers are wired with 4 channel amp.

Must Read: Connect Phone To Car Stereo Without Aux

Pros & Cons

The advantage of connecting in series is that your amplifier will be safe. You can try this method in a safe way without changing any equipment. If you are not happy with it, you can change it easily without extra expenses.

The disadvantage of the series wiring is that power is reduced. The audio quality is not very good.

How To Wire 6 Speakers?

As from the above procedure, either in parallel or series, you are going to connect 4 speakers in 2 channels. Now the question arises which two speakers to wire in a single channel.

Suppose that 6 speakers are installed in your car in such a way that 2 are on the dashboard, 2 on the rear, and two on the sides.

In this case, you can wire 2 rear speakers with 1 channel and 2 side speakers with another 1 channel. The remaining 2 speakers are wired each in a single channel.

However, depending upon your choice you can change the setup.

Frequently Asked Questions

Read the following answers and questions for further information.

Can I wire a 4-channel amp to 6 speakers?

Yes, you can wire a 4-channel amp to 6 speakers. There are two ways to wire including parallel and series methods. You can choose anyone depending on your preference.

What is bridging on amps?

Bridging refers to pairing two amps to drive the same load at the same time. The amplifier outputs are bridged on the basis of per load. Moreover, bridging also combines stereo channels to make a mono channel. The purpose is to provide extra power to sub or larger speakers.

Is a separate channel needed for each speaker on an amp?

A separate channel for each speaker on the amp ensures high-quality audio. However, you can also connect more than one speaker to a single channel.

Also Read: Connect Phone To Car Stereo With Aux Cable

Final Thoughts

We have described in detail about wiring 6 speakers to a 4-channel amp, both in series and parallel. You can test either one or both of these and make a better decision for you.

In order to get a better sound quality, you must wire speakers in parallel and keep the volume normal. It will not kill the stereo and you will enjoy the best quality sound.

Connecting in series is the safest method but you will not be able to get the best quality sound.

Hi, I'm Noor Alam, founder of SpeakersMag.com. I love music and got my Bachelor's degree in Sound Engineering. Now I have started my own blog about music products. Just like you, I also love different music products and in my spare time, I share my knowledge with audio lovers on this site. Read more about me
Hi, I'm Noor Alam, founder of SpeakersMag.com. I love music and got my Bachelor's degree in Sound Engineering. Now I have started my own blog about music products. Just like you, I also love different music products and in my spare time, I share my knowledge with audio lovers on this site. Read more about me

Leave a Comment