Component Set and Amplifier - Newbie

[Kidgooz]

Hey, I'm looking to upgrade my current speakers with a component set. I currently have a 4 channel amplifier that I was planning on using to power the component set. The problem is I'm confused to how to match the component set to the amplifier properly.

Here are the stats on my amp.
MB Quart Discus 450
4 ohms = 50 x 4 ch.
2 ohms = 100 x 4 ch.
4 ohm mono bridged = 200 x 2 ch.

Here is the component set I'm looking at
Polk Audio DB 6501
4 ohms
10 - 100w RMS

I assume that the tweeter do 10w RMS and that the the mids do 100w RMS. Am I correct in assuming this?
Now, it seems that I cannot run the speakers on a 2 ohm load because this would blow them.
With the crossover it seems like I would have to run the amp in bridged mode. Would this be OK? 200 RMS seems like too much for a 10w tweeter and a 100w mid. I fear I would blow them out.

Sorry if the question is dumb. I tried figuring this out myself, but I am confused. Thanks for any help.

[head_unit]

Yes, you are confused

That's because the whole subject is confusing, and inconcise marketing doesn't help.

Let's start with the easier part: amplifier load. The lower the impedance, the more current the speakers suck out of the amp until it blows up or shuts down. Your amplifier is rated at 2 ohms, so any speaker 2 ohms or greater should be fine. When you say "I cannot run the speakers on a 2 ohm load" that's backwards-the SPEAKERS load down the AMP.

99% of all car speakers (not subs, but fullrange and component sets) are 4 ohms. So your amp would put out around 50 watts into the Polks-"around" because speakers are not test resistors which are used to find the amp power.

If you bridge the amp, that straps pairs of channels in push-pull. The speaker impedance then appears to be half, so your amp can handle 4 ohm bridged.


Speaker power ratings are basically meaningless, because there are too many end-use factors and too many ways to test. In real life:
a) Listeners who turn down the volume when it starts to sound bad will rarely blow up speakers
b) Listeners who crank it to 11 and leave it there will often blow up speakers.
The power handling "ratings" really have nothing to do with it.
--> If you are listener A, bridge the amp for more headroom and enjoy!
If you are listener B, put your money on the ground and apply a match to it, and save the trouble of installing the equipment.

No, 10 watts doesn't go to the tweeter by the way. "10-100W" means Polk says the speakers can handle up to 100 watts (and again that doesn't really mean anything) but should have at least a 10 watt amp. The amount of power the tweeter sees depends on the music you're playing, whether you are driving the amp into clipping, and the crossover that Polk designed for it.

[Kidgooz]

Wow, thanks that was informative. I think I got it now.

So, correct me if I'm wrong, but I plan on running them with that amp in bridged mode. This would supply the speakers with about 200w rms each channel, which is obviously too much. To fix that I would just have to set my gains to make sure my amp is only supplying around 100w rms to the speakers right?

I looked up how to set my gains properly online.