Wiring reccomendations for GT28 & Wetsounds

I've got to finish the install of my new tower speakers and was looking for recommendations of how to wire it up.

The system will be (for now) a Clarion HU running the rear channel outputs to a Boston GT-28 which will power a set of Wetsounds Pro80's and a pair of MB8's.

So should I run the amp 2ohm stereo or do I run it 4ohm mono? I'd been planning to run the amp 2ohm stereo by running an 80 and an 8 off each channel in parallel but now that I've thought about it a little more thought about running each "pair" together in series then paralleling the two groups giving me a 4ohm total load.

One advantage of the 2ohm stereo is that I could run the setup fine without one set or the other (in the event some asshat decides to steal a set or I just get lazy and don't install a set) it would just be a 4ohm stereo load which should still drive the crap out of the speakers. The downfall is that the amp will run hotter and be little less efficient at the 2ohm load. The disadvantage is that the speakers will be playing stereo (stereo separation is a bit moot when trying to play 80 feet out) and will therefore naturally get more bass to one side and more highs to the other if effect not using the 8's and horns to their fullest.

The advantage of the 4ohm mono is that I'll get my mono signal that I wanted, and the amp should run a little easier. The disadvantage is that if I remove a set it will really throw the impedance off and will be more difficult to run without rewiring the speakers to the amp.

Any opinions of which would give the better output or pro's / con's that I haven't thought about? How would you do it and why?

Thanks

2 ohm stereo, remember when amps would get run at 1/2 or 1/4 ohm loads?

In the past I have not had good luck running class AB amps seing 2 ohm loads on boats. they are fine for 3-4 hours then will usually go into thermal protection after 5-6 hours. This is down in houston where summer's are routinely 100+. with class d amps, no issues at all.

I'd love to run class D but just couldn't find one that I thought would push the speakers. IF you know of one let me know the GT28 could always become a sub amp...

As for the old day's oh yea I remember the old 0-100watt spl class running amps at ridiculous loads and them running fine and putting out some good numbers.

If you are talking about bridging the amp in mono to a 4 ohm load, that is essentially the same as the amp seeing a 2 ohm load in stereo.

I am not a fan of paralleling than seriesing (or vice versa) different drivers. It is one thing to do it with dual voice coils, but I would not recommend what you would have to do here to get it to 4 ohms. That being said, the alternative is a two ohm load. I don't ever go 2 ohms in my own systems. You seriously increase distortion and you jeopardize reliability.

Of these two choices, I would run it 2 ohm stereo, but don't crank the gains.

Mike I would agree with Adam, but would add if you have friends riding for 3-4 hours then they must be marathon men. Plus, I know with your tomcat you should have plenty of space to have decent airflow over the amp.

bump just looking for a couple more opinions on mono or stereo

Thanks

Mike- First off congrats on the GT28 it is a very awesome amp. Secondly, to answer your question, I would run it 2 ohms stereo.....

Now, Because it is a stereo amp, the actual effects on the amp at either 4 ohm mono or 2 ohm stereo are the same.....Because a stereo amp when bridged will halve the said impedance between the two channels. So your 4 ohm mono load will be seen by each channel as a 2 ohm load. The advantage of wiring it in stereo will be some small stereo separation but mostly ease of wiring.

Next, the Boston amps are actually designed to run at 2 ohms mono and 1 ohm stereo. That's right...They are designed to run at those low impedances. So don't be afraid to load it down a bit for a ton of output.

Now lets talk about the Q-Tune and crossover adjustment on the amp. The crossover silk screen is off a bit on the side of the amp so tune it buy ear and not the label. Once you have the crossover dialed in, you can set the Q-Tune.
Q-Tune controls a bass boost that accurse from the chosen crossover point and up about a half octave. This is great on tower speakers to help boost the mid bass and make them sound larger and fuller. So start with the control counter clockwise and increase the boost until you get the midbass you desire.

I am the Nor Cal rep for Boston Acoustics and would be willing to answer any of your amp questions....You can PM me.

Good Luck
Scott

Thanks for the help, wiring begins this week so hopefully I'll be pissing off the neighbors by the end of the weekend.