Quick monsoon wiring/speaker question.
Thread Starter
Teching In
Joined: Apr 2023
Posts: 27
Likes: 0
From: Cincinnati
Quick monsoon wiring/speaker question. So i replaced the headinit with a double din lcd 55x4watt. I have the monsoon system. From what I understand the tweeters run off the factory headunit and the filters are at the end of the wiring. So what is stopping me from tieing in prior to the filter to power my aftermarket 4ohm door speakers? Same in the rear. The monsoon amp is only 2ohm to those channels correct? At 4ohm like 15watts or so. Then I'll hook the tweeters and and their croosover up to the 6.5 in speaker wiring powered by the amp.
Thread Starter
Teching In
Joined: Apr 2023
Posts: 27
Likes: 0
From: Cincinnati
For anyone who checks this in the future, it does work. But there is not a big difference between the monsoon amp running at 4 ohm and aftermarket headunit power at 4 ohm. If I were to guess if the headunit is 55 watts (max) 4 ohm, then the monsoon puts out 40ish watts at 4 ohm (max)
So if 10ish watts is worth taking your door panels apart and you have an aftermarket HU, just switch the tweeter and driver plugs, wires are long enough and you dont have to splice anything.
So if 10ish watts is worth taking your door panels apart and you have an aftermarket HU, just switch the tweeter and driver plugs, wires are long enough and you dont have to splice anything.
Last edited by rmike06; Jan 21, 2025 at 09:57 AM.
Joined: Nov 2003
Posts: 11,328
Likes: 346
From: Jacksonville, FL (originally from Toronto Canada)
No, rewiring as you did is certainly not worth the time and trouble because of the way volume and power are related. Volume as measured in decibels is a logarithmic scale rather than a linear one. If it were linear then doubling the power would also double the volume (or cutting the power in half by doubling the speaker impedance would halve the volume). But being logarithmic, it takes ten times as much power to double the volume... you'd have to go from 30 watts RMS per channel to 300 watts RMS per channel to get twice as much volume. Merely doubling the power (or halving it) produces just a 3dB change in volume - about the volume change commonly produced by a single click of the volume **** - noticeable but not particularly significant.
I thank you for physically demonstrating what I've been saying for many years - the difference between 2-ohm and 4-ohm when replacing speakers is quite minimal and not worth worrying about (as long as your source is stable at the lower impedance - some amps can't handle 2-ohm speakers).
A couple of side points... your comment about the tweeters and inline high pass filters applies only to Firebirds, Camaro tweeters are powered and filtered by the Monsoon amp. And never compare output using peak watts as there is no standard on how that is measured - I tend to refer to those readings as "watts ILS" (If Lightning Strikes). Using RMS wattage is a standard which will ensure an apples-to-apples comparison.
I thank you for physically demonstrating what I've been saying for many years - the difference between 2-ohm and 4-ohm when replacing speakers is quite minimal and not worth worrying about (as long as your source is stable at the lower impedance - some amps can't handle 2-ohm speakers).
A couple of side points... your comment about the tweeters and inline high pass filters applies only to Firebirds, Camaro tweeters are powered and filtered by the Monsoon amp. And never compare output using peak watts as there is no standard on how that is measured - I tend to refer to those readings as "watts ILS" (If Lightning Strikes). Using RMS wattage is a standard which will ensure an apples-to-apples comparison.
Thread Starter
Teching In
Joined: Apr 2023
Posts: 27
Likes: 0
From: Cincinnati
No, rewiring as you did is certainly not worth the time and trouble because of the way volume and power are related. Volume as measured in decibels is a logarithmic scale rather than a linear one. If it were linear then doubling the power would also double the volume (or cutting the power in half by doubling the speaker impedance would halve the volume). But being logarithmic, it takes ten times as much power to double the volume... you'd have to go from 30 watts RMS per channel to 300 watts RMS per channel to get twice as much volume. Merely doubling the power (or halving it) produces just a 3dB change in volume - about the volume change commonly produced by a single click of the volume **** - noticeable but not particularly significant.
I thank you for physically demonstrating what I've been saying for many years - the difference between 2-ohm and 4-ohm when replacing speakers is quite minimal and not worth worrying about (as long as your source is stable at the lower impedance - some amps can't handle 2-ohm speakers).
A couple of side points... your comment about the tweeters and inline high pass filters applies only to Firebirds, Camaro tweeters are powered and filtered by the Monsoon amp. And never compare output using peak watts as there is no standard on how that is measured - I tend to refer to those readings as "watts ILS" (If Lightning Strikes). Using RMS wattage is a standard which will ensure an apples-to-apples comparison.
I thank you for physically demonstrating what I've been saying for many years - the difference between 2-ohm and 4-ohm when replacing speakers is quite minimal and not worth worrying about (as long as your source is stable at the lower impedance - some amps can't handle 2-ohm speakers).
A couple of side points... your comment about the tweeters and inline high pass filters applies only to Firebirds, Camaro tweeters are powered and filtered by the Monsoon amp. And never compare output using peak watts as there is no standard on how that is measured - I tend to refer to those readings as "watts ILS" (If Lightning Strikes). Using RMS wattage is a standard which will ensure an apples-to-apples comparison.
but i feel what would be helpful to alot of people is if you want to run full range speakers in the sail panels and have an aftermarket deck (or even factory), just tie into the tweeter channel in the hatch and just run whatever speakers you want in the sails
Last edited by rmike06; Jan 21, 2025 at 10:06 AM.
Joined: Nov 2003
Posts: 11,328
Likes: 346
From: Jacksonville, FL (originally from Toronto Canada)
ya I agree with the max watt comment, but unfortunately that is how aftermarket decks rate their stuff, and nobody seems to really know how much rms power the monsoon system has. my best guess is maybe 20-25? the aftermarket deck might be 30rms... but they dont rate them that way so im just guessing by ear.
The Monsoon amp producers 240 watts RMS into eight channels, so about 30 watts RMS per channel. But that's an average as the amp actually produces more power to some channels than to others. The tweeters (Camaro systems) get lower output because it's not needed (Firebirds produce the same lowered tweeter output by running them directly from the head unit). Similarly, the sail panel subs get the bulk of the power by design simply because subs need more power (again, Firebirds emphasize that difference by running two channels to each sub).
Close but not quite... The 4" speakers in the hatch area of Monsoon systems (in both Camaro and Firebird) get full-range unfiltered signal from the Monsoon amp whereas the tweeters (Firebird only) get signal from the head unit. So if you want (for whatever reason) to run full-range speakers in the sail panels then using the 4" mid wiring from the hatch area would be better than the tweeter wiring because you get more power. Of course you'd be moving the sound stage away from the front, as well as giving up significant bass, especially in the dual voice coil equipped Firebird.
