How To Wire 2 Channels To 1 Speaker

By Robert Jones · 2020-08-18

There are a lot of people talking on this topic and it

## Can You Wire Two Amplifier Channels to One Speaker? And Should You? Right, let's get straight to it. This is a question I hear a lot, especially from people getting into custom car audio or trying to make the most of older multi-channel amps. And like most things in audio, the answer isn't a simple "yes" or "no." It's more of a "yes, but..." and a "probably not, unless..." ### Why Even Think About Doing This? Most of the time, folks want to do this for one main reason: to get more power. Maybe they've got an old 4-channel amp, and they want to drive a single, more powerful speaker – often a subwoofer – with more grunt than a single channel can provide. Or perhaps they've got some passive speakers that need a bit more juice than their existing stereo amplifier can deliver per channel. I’ve seen blokes try this in all sorts of setups. Some are trying to bridge channels on an amp that isn’t really designed for it. Others are just trying to combine outputs in a way they think will double the power, without really understanding what’s going on electrically. And that, my friends, is where you can land yourself in a bit of trouble. ### The Dangers: What Can Go Wrong? Look, amplifiers are pretty solid pieces of kit, but they’re not indestructible. Pushing them beyond their design limits is a recipe for smoke and sadness. 1. **Overheating:** When you try to make an amp do more than it