Stereo into one Speaker

Discussion in 'Car Stereo Speakers' started by Randog, Dec 10, 2013.

  1. Randog

    Randog New Member

    Ok so I know just enough about stereo installation to be dangerous. So bear with me when I say Huh?

    I’m replacing the stereo head unit in my class A motor home. The existing head unit has a center channel which drives a center speaker just like in a home surround system set up. The new Kenwood DNX570HD will drive an amp by RCAs thus the four existing speakers but doesn't have a center channel. Easy enough. I know the Kenwood has front and rear high outputs that will still power up even with the amp installed. I want to drive my center speaker with stereo from a pair of these outputs and have a center channel like before. This is not to achieve surround sound but rather to help fill in the sound because the class A so large inside you can’t hear the stereo while driving unless you crank it all the way up.

    I’ve read post on how to do this but I’m still not sure on what to do so I don’t blow the amp. I read two options that sound reasonable:

    1) Connect the positive of both channels to the two terminals of the speaker. This sounds questionable to me, but me being stupid in these things I just don’t know.
    2) Install two resistors one on each positive from both cannels and connect both to the positive on the speaker. Here this sound a little better but I don’t know the size of the resistors or do I know if it will work. I have done a similar installation on a custom motorcycle where I needed to indicate either blinker on the dash with a singular LED.

    Suggestions? Any help would be appreciated, please use diagrams, photos and or hieroglyphics cause I get confused easily.
     
  2. Ranger SVO

    Ranger SVO Full Member

    No No No, neither idea will work. The radio will not like the wires being hook together, resistor or no resister, bad idea.

    You have two choices, replace your center channel speaker with a Dual Voice Coil Speaker and then hook up each channel to a separate voice coil or you can do what I do and use an amp, bridge it mono and drive the center speaker.