Can you run 2 ohm speakers of head unit?

[lyledperry]

Hey,

So I have been reading up on this all day. The opinions are varied.
I have a Pioneer DEH P3000IB head unit (50 x 4 peak and 22 x 4 RMS).

Would I be able to run front 2 (or even all 4) speakers which are rates at 2ohms? Am specifically looking at Inifnity Kappa 652.9i 6.5" speakers which are rated at 2 ohm or maybe Polk audio MM651 6.5" speakers which are ratede at 2.76 ohm.

My HU manual says
Maximum power output ....... 50 W × 4
50 W × 2/4 OHM + 70 W × 1/2 OHM (for subwoofer)
Continuous power output ... 22 W × 4 (50 Hz to 15 000
Hz, 5% THD, 4 OHM load, both channels driven)
Load impedance ...................... 4 OHM to 8 OHM × 4
4 OHM to 8 OHM × 2 + 2 OHM × 1

Now will these speakers connected to my head unit (HU) and no amp, fry the internal amp in my HU? Anyone ever done this??

[HuckOrris]

That's not a good idea. All head unit amps that I know of need a minimum of 4 ohms impedance. Anything lower leads to various problems.

"Load impedance ...................... 4 W to 8 W × 4 4 W to 8 W × 2 + 2 W × 1"

That doesn't really make sense.

[99chevy7.4L]

It depends on the specs of the amp in the head unit. I have not seen a head unit whose amplifiers will handle a 2 ohm load.

[lyledperry]

Originally Posted by HuckOrris That's not a good idea. All head unit amps that I know of need a minimum of 4 ohms impedance. Anything lower leads to various problems. That doesn't really make sense.

Sorry the ohm sign didn't come out and printed as a W??? This is what is says:
Audio:
Maximum power output ....... 50 W × 4
50 W × 2/4 OHM + 70 W × 1/2 OHM (for subwoofer)
Continuous power output ... 22 W × 4 (50 Hz to 15 000
Hz, 5% THD, 4 OHM load, both channels driven)
Load impedance ...................... 4 OHM to 8 OHM × 4
4 OHM to 8 OHM × 2 + 2 OHM × 1

Does that make any sense??

[basicxj]

Infinity says 2 ohm loads are fine for head units, but there have been a number of people over the years who have done that and had their head unit's internal amplifiers spontaneously power down (becoming unstable) with a 2 ohm load. I would never recommend it.

If it is any consolation, Infinity speakers typically suck- if you don't care about midbass and like the high frequency response to be ear piercing and bordering on screechy sounding, Infinity Kappas may be for you. If you think I'm bashing for no reason, I used to own Infinity speakers (and couldn't wait to replace them fast enough). Punch "Infinity" into the forum's search function for more personal opinions on the brand- enable "show older posts" under your user settings.

[HuckOrris]

I tried responding a few hours ago but my connection messed up just as I was submitting. arg.

It looks like the hu is spec'ed to only run one 2 ohm channel for a sub lol.

It doesn't say it can run 2 ohm with 2 channels.

Just try getting some efficient speakers to make the most of what little power is available.

[lyledperry]

Yeah that's what I thought those specs listed meant.

Ok cool, thanks for the input. I am not going to run 2 ohm speakers. Will get some high sensitivity 4 ohm speakers. Have seen some pioneers and Kenwood 6.5" speakers with 92db frequency and a decent freqency response range.

Anyone know of other 4 ohm 6.5" speakers with a higher sensitivity than 92db?? Only the 2 ohm I have found have hihger sensitivity like the Infinity and Polk Audio speakers.

Thanks guys, VERY much appreciated

[basicxj]

Originally Posted by lyledperry Yeah that's what I thought those specs listed meant. Ok cool, thanks for the input. I am not going to run 2 ohm speakers. Will get some high sensitivity 4 ohm speakers. Have seen some pioneers and Kenwood 6.5" speakers with 92db frequency and a decent freqency response range. Anyone know of other 4 ohm 6.5" speakers with a higher sensitivity than 92db?? Only the 2 ohm I have found have hihger sensitivity like the Infinity and Polk Audio speakers. Thanks guys, VERY much appreciated

Published sensitivity specs are meaningless as a true indication of in-car performance unless you (like the lab) are using 1 watt of input power and listening from 1 meter away (testing criteria).

Speakers ranging from the 80's to the mid 90's in db with 1 watt/meter are the norm for automotive aftermarket speakers, and good engineering and design combined with matching a speaker up to a good power source (think aftermarket amplifier) are far more important to good performance than an impressively high laboratory efficiency spec that loses meaning when we apply 50-60x that power and listen near field in the car.