Emotiva Multi-channel?

[JasonV]

Hi All! I'm guessing i have an issue here. I have 4 Tempest 15" drivers under the house and behind the screen. They have already been wired up and mounted and are extremely hard to get access to.
They were all wire up separately. Not inline.So 2 x cables per driver. So i have now got 8 ends to connect to terminals. I have a spare Emotiva 5 channel power amp (250w x 5). It will leave me 1 spare channel if i can even manage to set this all up without having to rewire it all again. Is there anyway i can use what i have here without having to buy new equipment???

Thanks in advance!

[brady]

Do you mean 1pair for each voice coil = 8pairs? You need to measure the resistance to determine how to
wire them to your amp.

[ThomasW]

Wire the VC's for each driver in series, then wire one driver per amp module

[JasonV]

Sorry for the delay guys. Here is a pic of how the drivers are wired up. 1 speaker cable per driver. I planned to connect each cable to a seperate channel of my 5 channel power amp. Can this be done? how do i get the 4 outputs/RCA interconnects from the power amp to the single SUB input on my Preamp? Please note that i can't rewire the drivers. Maybe the speaker cables can be spliced together? Sorry for the stuff around but it looks like i stuffed up here.

[ThomasW]

Q: Can this be done?

of course

Q: how do i get the 4 outputs/RCA interconnects from the power amp to the single SUB input on my Preamp?

Use what are called 'splitters', "Y" adapters. Splitters cut the signal strength in 1/2 so they may not work for you since you'd need to stack 3 to get 4 outputs

Probably better to get a small prosound mixer. That will allow you to control the output levels to each driver/amp.
Here's a rack mount model, you will need to convert from RCA to Balanced connections to use it
www.behringer.com/EN/Products/MX882.aspx

[gworrel]

That Behringer mixer looks pretty neat and the price is right. It is probably also worth taking a look at the minidsp which also has a mixer plugin. It is RCA in and out so would simplify connections if you are not already using prosound amps.

Minidsp mixer plugin details

[gworrel]

In taking a closer look at the minidsp website, it looks like the 4 way advanced plugin would be better than the mixer. It will not only send a single input to 4 outputs, it also includes independent PEQ, phase, and delay for each sub. I will soon need similar functionality. 

Minidsp 4 way advanced plugin

The 2x4 minidsp in a box for $105 plus $10 for the plugin is tough to beat.

Minidsp in a box

In the forum there at the minidsp site, there is a thread specifically about feeding 4 subwoofers with this answer from the developers:

1. Can 1 MiniDSP do unique settings(phase, delay, LPf, HPF plus EQing) to 4 subwoofers?
ANS: Sure, simply get a miniDSP + 2way Advanced. However remember that miniDSP is a 2x4, so you can only have 2 inputs (e.g. 2 x subwoofer feed). If you have only a single source (e.g. sub out from your receiver), then select the 4way Advanced and it will be even easier.

2. Which add-ons would be needed for the task?
ANS: miniDSP 2way Advanced or 4way advanced

[action]

I too have an Emotiva amp that I am thinking of using to power an IB sub. Since my amp is 5 channels I was thinking of creating a 5 speaker cube, one for each side. Would this work?

[ThomasW]

It would work provided the amp has sufficient power per channel.

That said I'm always a bit opposed to designing a speaker for a specific amp. Why? If/when that amp dies then it's necessary to find one just like it for a replacement.

So........

I'd use 4 channels of the amp, that way when it comes time to replace it you can use a standard stereo amp with 2 drivers wired per channel.

[action]

I see what you mean. I was planning to go with 5x15s but now I have decided to go with 2x SI HT 18 instead. They come to about the same price and will probably have close to the same output. Plus I can add 2 more if needed.