Thread:

Alpine PDX-4.100 amp install

I am looking to upgrade my mids on my boat stereo. Alpine says to run two of their PDX-4.100 amps along with 6 SPR-M700 mid range speakers

what i am wondering is how you get two 4 channel amps to power 6 speakers? is there a setting on the amp to run it as a 3 channel amp?

is anyone on here running a similar set up? any help would be appreciated.

You could bridge it to run as a 2 channel amp. I believe it's stable at 4 ohms in 2 channel configuration, so you may just be looking at uneven loads on the channels.

I know that is bridgeable to two channels i am just wondering why alpine suggests i run six speakers powered by those two amps.

If i bridge it to two channels do i hook 3 speakers to those two channels and run them in series and hook the other three up the same way and have one amp power the left side and one amp power the right side of the boat?

Originally Posted by bartel

I know that is bridgeable to two channels i am just wondering why alpine suggests i run six speakers powered by those two amps.

If i bridge it to two channels do i hook 3 speakers to those two channels and run them in series and hook the other three up the same way and have one amp power the left side and one amp power the right side of the boat?

If one is bridged, that amp would handle one pair, and the other amp would handle the other two pairs. I really can't see any other way...unless I'm an idiot.

my system will be this. And thanks for the help
CDA-118M head unit
PDX-1.600 amp powering 2 JL 12s (bridged)
2 x PDX-4.100 powering 3 sets of SPR-M700

let me know what you think about that set up.

So i would run 4 of the SPR-M700s off of one amp and then just have 2 running off of the other amp? seems like a waste. lol. Might have to add another set of SPR-M700

feel free to comment. this is a costly system and i want to have it right. I am sick of my stereo cutting out and not performing the way it should so i am upgrading the whole thing.

You could series a pair of speakers on each amp, then parallel them back to the amp.
It would be a power mismatch, but maybe not so much if it puts out the same wattage regardless of impedance?

what type of fan are you using, and where do you get them?

ya i like the alpine amps way better than the JL stuff i had in there. that stuff was always overheating. And they are open to the air. I have them installed on the wall where the passengers feet would go. Thought that was the best place to keep them cool.

anyway i am happy with the alpine stuff so i am changing all my JL stuff out for the alpine marine series stuff.

Use one of the 4.100 to run 2 sets of the mids (Usually the open bow area and the rear seat area). Use the other amp bridged to 2 channel to the last set (driver and passenger area). This will give you control of each of the levels, without wasting any channels. The use of the 4 channel amp instead of a 2channel amp, good advice. This will give you flexablility if you decide to add speakers or do a complete new system.