Bridged vs Not Bridged Mode - amps / wattage question

[Playmusician]

Hey Guys,
Would I get more wattage for my speakers by connecting an amp to speakers in bridged mode?

Id like to hook up my Seismic Audio Speakers
8 Ohms / 700 Watts / PASSIVE SPEAKERS
To >>

CROWN Ultra Tech 2020

8 Ohms-400 Watts / Bridged Mono Mode - 8 Ohms-1320 Watts
Whats the best way to hook this up and get maximum wattage from my amp and speakers ?
Thanks !!

 

[markw]

You will get more power but distortion will increase slightly, but you probably won't notice it.

As for how to bridge that amp, you'll need to check the owners manual for this. If you don't have one, several sites offer it on line. I believe retrevo is one. I'm sure there are other sources as well.

http://www.retrevo.com/support/Crown-UT-2020-Amps-manual/id/22150ag415/t/2/

while this is not an issue with this amp/speaker combination, when you bridge an amp, it "sees" the impedance of the speaker as one half of what it actually is. i.e. it will think your speakeris a four ohm speaker, but I'm pretty sure your amp can handle this. check that manual.

 

[WaynePflughaupt]

The owner’s manual will give instructions on how to run the amp bridged. You will only be able to use one of your speakers if you bridge the amp.

Regards,
Wayne A. Pflughaupt

 

[markw]

The owner’s manual will give instructions on how to run the amp bridged. You will only be able to use one of your speakers if you bridge the amp.

Regards,
Wayne A. Pflughaupt

this is true. I didn't catch the plural speakerS.

You'll now have a mono amp and if you connect the two speakers in parallel, the amp will "see" a two ohm load and your amp may, or may not, like that.

 

[gene]

Be careful and make sure the amp is designed to be bridgeable. IN bridged mode, each section of the amp will see 1/2 the load impedance. So the 8 ohm speaker in single amp mode now looks like a 4 ohm load to each amp half in bridged mode. Some amps aren't rated for 4 ohm loads in bridged mode b/c the amp will effectively see a 2 ohm load.

Also distortion shouldn't increase as long as the amp isn't clipping. In theory, distortion should decrease since your running a differential amp configuration at that point.

 

[lsiberian]

I see not real benefits in bridging. You gain a lot of risk for 3dBW of headroom which is barely audible.

 

[Ricardojoa]

You can run the amp in bridged mode and parelled connect your speakers. Your should be rated down to 4 ohm based on the specs at close to 1900 watts. This should give the most out of your amp into 4 ohms load since your speakers are 8 ohm but you will have a mono speakers output.

 

[WaynePflughaupt]

That’s a sure-fire recipe for the OP to blow his amp. It will only work with an 8-ohm load when bridged, but connecting his two 8-ohm speakers in parallel will result in a 4-ohm load.

Regards,
Wayne A. Pflughaupt

 

[Ricardojoa]

I have seen specs rating this amp down to 4 ohm briged at 1950 watts as well as 8 ohms at 1350 watts.
Is best to check the manual for the specified ratings. I can only suggest base on what i see online.
Thank you

 

[markw]

I have seen specs rating this amp down to 4 ohm briged at 1950 watts as well as 8 ohms at 1350 watts.
Is best to check the manual for the specified ratings. I can only suggest base on what i see online.
Thank you

The problem is that Op said he wants to run two speakers from this amp, not one. Two speakers in parallel will be four ohms which will be seen by the bridged amp as a two ohm load.

I think several of us pointed this out earlier in this thread.

 

[Ricardojoa]

The problem is that Op said he wants to run two speakers from this amp, not one. Two speakers in parallel will be four ohms which will be seen by the bridged amp as a two ohm load.

I think several of us pointed this out earlier in this thread.

Here is an article that doesnt say otherwise about an amp in bridged mode seeing half ohm.
http://www.bcae1.com/bridging.htm

Note on note at bottom of article.
Personally i dont how amps see ohms.http://www.bcae1.com/bridging.htm I will go by the manufactures specification.

 

[markw]

Here is an article that doesnt say otherwise about an amp in bridged mode seeing half ohm.

I'm not quite sure what you're saying here but you can believe what you want. We're only going by years of experience here. In my case, around 45 years. No idea exactly how many the others have.

Keep in mind that automotive amps are many times speced down to two ohms. Most home amps are not. Learn a bit more about power supplies and you might understand.

Here's some snippits from your second article.

"Many people feel that they have to connect every multi-channel amplifier they own (generally 2 ohm stereo stable or 4 ohm mono stable) in a 2 ohm mono configuration. These are generally the same people who have owned (and destroyed) many amplifiers. This is because very few amplifiers (especially Class A/B amplifier) are capable of safely driving a 2 ohm mono load. The reason why a 2 ohm mono configuration is dangerous to most multi-channel amplifiers will be covered a bit later."

and...

"As was previously stated, a 4 ohm mono load is the same as a 2 ohm stereo load as far as the amplifier is concerned. Looking at the next diagram, configuration 'x' shows a 2 ohm stereo load."

 

[Ricardojoa]

Crown still rate some of their amps down to 2 ohms stereo and 4 ohm bridged.
Here is the datasheet from crown of the CE2000 which us the UT2020.
You can look through their other amps, and some are rated down 2 ohm stereo 4 ohm bridge.

http://adn.harmanpro.com/site_elements/resources/886_1425415281/CE-1000-2000-Manual-125645_original.pdf

And you are right most home amps arent rated below 4 stero and seldom are bridgeable. Crown amp are more commercial oriented.

The OP asked how to get the most of the power from his amp to his speakers right?

 

[markw]

Running speakers in parallel is risky business. If he was talking a single 4 ohm speaker then we wouldn't be having this discussion.

Do you know the impedance curve of those speakers? If they dip below the stated 8 ohms nominal impedance, then he's in trouble.

I would think the goal here would be to get the most acoustic output from the speakers as opposed to simply getting more power to the speakers, wouldn't you? There are better ways to accomplish this.

The smart thing for him to do would be to split the mono signal at line level, send each leg to one channel of the amp, and connect one speaker to each amp channel. No hassle, no worries.

 

[Ricardojoa]

Running speakers in parelled is risky only if you don't know the maximum load on the amps can handle. It doesn't matter 8 or 4 ohms speakers. Even 4 ohms speakers can dig down to 2ohms region.
What if his speaker impedance hoover all above 8 ohm? The fact is, we dont know and it is clear the OP was asking maximum power out of his amp to speaker.

 

[AcuDefTechGuy]

I see no real benefits in bridging. You gain a lot of risk for 3dBW of headroom which is barely audible.

Agree 100%.

Risk outweighs benefit.

 

[KEW]

Running speakers in parelled is risky only if you don't know the maximum load on the amps can handle. It doesn't matter 8 or 4 ohms speakers. Even 4 ohms speakers can dig down to 2ohms region.
What if his speaker impedance hoover all above 8 ohm? The fact is, we dont know and it is clear the OP was asking maximum power out of his amp to speaker.

You're right, we don't know and most likely there is no way to find out. So why would you encourage him to gamble his amp?

 

[AcuDefTechGuy]

I never recommend bridging any amp. If the situation actually truly really requires more power, I recommend using a more power amp, not bridging the amp.

And I don't see many home living room situations requiring more than 400W into 8 ohms.

 

[MR.MAGOO]

I read this several times and still it's clear as mud.

Probably a poorly written manual, it doesn't say bridged mode is for mono only.

 

[sterling shoote]

I've operated my Sony TA-N80ES in bridged mode (mono) at 560 watts to power my JBL B-380 Subwoofer. It's been used in bridged mode for over 26 years. So far, no problem.