# How to wire from Speaker to Crossover to Amp?



## cognitive77 (Nov 4, 2009)

I'm sure this one ranks up there as far as dumb questions goes. I've got an Alpine PDX-5 amp, Alpine SPX17REF components. My question is this: I understand that run speaker wire from each tweeter/mid to the crossover (4 speaker wires in all). Coming out of the crossover will be 4 output speaker wires (4 in all, 2 positive 2 negative). Now this is where I get lost.

Each set of those speaker wires coming out of the crossover should then connect to its own speaker plug that the Alpine PDX amps have. The amp itself only has 5 speaker output slots (2 for front speakers, 2 for rear speakers and the 5th for a sub). Unless I have it wrong and all 4 of those speaker wires coming out of the crossover plug into 1 Alpine connector, which doesn't make sense to me. I've tried searching for some type of visual guide and can't find one here or elsewhere online.

After looking at the wiring diagram on the back of the box (duh) I guess I need to decide whether to run the components as single input or bi-wire. And the other question is should I bridge the 4 channels from 4 into 2 and if so, how to do this?

FWIW my birthsheet rates the output of the 4 channels at 113 each.


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## 94VG30DE (Nov 28, 2007)

I have no idea what you are asking, b/c it sounds to me like you have 4 outputs on the amp, and 4 inputs on the crossover. That sounds like it makes sense to me. 
Please start reading. Even 15 min of skimming should show you what you need to know: 
Basic Car Audio Electronics


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## cognitive77 (Nov 4, 2009)

94VG30DE said:


> I have no idea what you are asking, b/c it sounds to me like you have 4 outputs on the amp, and 4 inputs on the crossover. That sounds like it makes sense to me.
> Please start reading. Even 15 min of skimming should show you what you need to know:
> Basic Car Audio Electronics


I kind of somewhat answered my question. Check out the bottom of page 1 at this link:

http://akamaipix.crutchfield.com/Manuals/500/500SPX17RE.PDF

You'll notice that it gives me the option to bi-wire or single input. Having never installed a crossover before, I was having a hard time wrapping my head around having 2 crossovers with 2 sets of inputs/outputs. My amp wiring diagram shows me that the speaker outputs 1 and 2 are to be used for front speakers and channels 3 and 4 are to be used for rear speakers. Since I have no rear fill speakers with this setup, and am hooking up 1 set of front components...I was getting confused on how to wire up the crossovers to the amp. What I didn't realize is that I guess for the single input option, I only need to run one set of speaker cables from the "In" on my crossover to my amp.


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## cubdenno (Nov 10, 2007)

I am surprised there is 2 pr. coming out unless that is a bi-ampable passive crossover. The PPI 365cs's are that way but there is a switch to change from normal (1 pr) to bi amp (2 pr).

you should be able to just run them both to the front or rear outputs on the amp. Unless you are running some sort of active set up.But it doesn't sound that way from your post.


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## tinctorus (Oct 5, 2009)

Your component set sounds like it is Bi-Ampable

So you can either use all 4 channel of your 4 channel to wire to just the front components,Or it should have come with some type of "bridge" in order to wire them up with a single input

You need to decide how YOU want your system setup


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## Austin (Mar 12, 2009)

I can't make sense of it either...state your questions clearly. and refer to 1 speaker wire as a postivie and negative together. It just gets confused when you say 4 and it really is 2 pairs of the wire. Try referring to it as the mid wire or the tweeter wire.

Oh and are you trying to run 2 sets of components? 1 in the front and 1 in the rear or just 1 up front?


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## cognitive77 (Nov 4, 2009)

Sorry the question wasn't very well stated. I'm a visual person/learner so sometimes it's hard for me to explain things w/o having pictures.

I do realize now that these are a bi-ampable set of components. Alpine isn't very clear in writing up their manuals though. After having some more clarification, I was able to find this thread which pretty much sums it up for me.

Austin, I'm running 1 set of components up front.

http://www.diymobileaudio.com/forum...-4ch-amp-better-sq-than-bridging-2-chans.html

Guess I'll go single input but will bridge seeing as how I've heard that these speakers can be power hungry.


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## cognitive77 (Nov 4, 2009)

Sorry the question wasn't very well stated. I'm a visual person/learner so sometimes it's hard for me to explain things w/o having pictures.

I do realize now that these are a bi-ampable set of components. Alpine isn't very clear in writing up their manuals though. After having some more clarification, I was able to find this thread which pretty much sums it up for me.

Austin, I'm running 1 set of components up front.

http://www.diymobileaudio.com/forum...-4ch-amp-better-sq-than-bridging-2-chans.html

Guess I'll go single input but will bridge seeing as how I've heard that these speakers can be power hungry.


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## Austin (Mar 12, 2009)

cognitive77 said:


> Guess I'll go single input but will bridge seeing as how I've heard that these speakers can be power hungry.


Sounds like a good choice. It also saves on some wiring and tuning haha.


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## cognitive77 (Nov 4, 2009)

Austin said:


> Sounds like a good choice. It also saves on some wiring and tuning haha.


Right, I'm not looking to turn this into a science project. Just looking for some good sound and an install I can do on my own. There is a pair of jumper settings in the crossover (Signal Link) that has two jumpers in it. If you look at the link I posted a few posts back to the speaker manual, you can see the two jumpers "blacked" out on the single input. Seems very vague to me. Just trying to learn so I can do this on my own.

One other question though. It seems that from the speaker manual, on the single input setup, that I would run the crossover Woofer In connectors to the amp. Is this how it's typically done? Does it matter if its the Woofer or Tweeter In connectors run to the amp?


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## nineball (Jan 17, 2008)

first of all you cannot bridge a pdx5, so you have two choices:

1. use only channels 1 and 2 on the pdx5 and run a single set of speaker wires (one + and one -) to each crossover.

2. bi-amp your components and use channels 1, 2, 3 and 4 on the pdx5. in this case you would run 2 sets of speakers wires to each crossover instead of one. follow the speaker/crossover directions as far as which connections to use and how to change it to bi-amp mode.


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## cognitive77 (Nov 4, 2009)

nineball said:


> first of all you cannot bridge a pdx5, so you have two choices:
> 
> 1. use only channels 1 and 2 on the pdx5 and run a single set of speaker wires (one + and one -) to each crossover.
> 
> 2. bi-amp your components and use channels 1, 2, 3 and 4 on the pdx5. in this case you would run 2 sets of speakers wires to each crossover instead of one. follow the speaker/crossover directions as far as which connections to use and how to change it to bi-amp mode.


Then why would Alpine give instructions on how to bridge their amps?

See bottom of page 2.

http://vault.alpine-usa.com/products/documents/PDX-5 OM.PDF

Crutchfield also lists the PDX-5 as being bridegable and goes so far as to list the bridged amperage.

Alpine PDX-5 5-channel car amplifier 75 watts RMS x 4 + 300 watts RMS x 1 at Crutchfield Signature

See this thread.

http://www.diymobileaudio.com/forum/diy-mobile-audio-sq-forum/62089-bridging-pdx5.html


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## cubdenno (Nov 10, 2007)

Run the speaker wires from the amp to the woofer input of the crossover. Keep crossover easily accessible. Turn on system.
Play music.
If tweeter don't play, pull that jumper or replace it whichever its not.
OR
Use a jumper to connect the woofer input to the tweeter input. 

It's not rocket science. As for bridging the amp, only if you want those speakers louder and are willing to give up rears.

As for biamping, don't unless you are T/A the speakers. The extra teensy bit of power difference won't be audible from just running the speakers non biamped.


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## nineball (Jan 17, 2008)

guess i was wrong. go for it.


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## magnaflow gp (Jan 31, 2010)

hello, i wired tweeters and woofer seperately to the crossover outputs and then wired a single woofer input to the amp. both jumpers are in and i have no sound coming out of the tweeters, any suggestions on why that is? Thanks


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## jimbno1 (Apr 14, 2008)

It sounds like you have it wired correctly. Also make sure you don't have any filters on in the amp. To troubleshoot you can remove the jumpers, and connect to the amp to the tweeter inputs. Just make sure the volume is at a low level. If your tweeters don't play then check your wiring to the tweeters and check the voice coil with a DVM to make sure the tweeters are not blown.


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