Date: August 16, 2000 at 21:27:01
From: Steve Hanna, [63.224.198.188]
Subject: Re: Bridged amps

< Just get an Op-amp from Radio Shack and buy Forest MIMS Op-amp booklet. Next search through for an inverting amp. Put the gain to one. There you have a inverted signal. This might work, but never tried it. > Even cheaper, get two RCA connectors and use one end for the mono feed input and wire one of the other two ends used as a Y splitter, the opposite polarity. This will give you two channels 180 degrees out of phase. < Bridging an amp increases THD about two to four times.> If its a sub amp, it won't matter anyway. < Almost all amps that come in stereo have a common ground.> Better make sure first or say goodbye to the amp. < The professional amps don't because they might come in different chassis or case.> Most pro amps are bridgeable already. < Bridging an amp increases power also decreases reliablity of the amp. Next time get more efficent speakers. They are cheaper than squeezing all the power out off the orignal amp.> If you're bridging an amp into an 8ohm load and its rated stable at 4ohms per channel, it's no more unreliable than before. More sensitive drivers are better but not always practical. I got a 96dB Seismic 8196E and I'm still going to use a bridged $300 used Kenwood to get 700w. If you want to save money or can't spend $1k+ on a sub setup, bridging that old spare attic amp may be an acceptable compromise to get enough power to drive that 87dB $100 15" sub. Steve