I have a quick stereo question for you guys, I have a 1000W 4channel amp which I'm running my 4 8" speakers. My head unit is a 4 channel unit. I have 4 6.5' speakers which I want to run off the head unit. I'm not trying win any competitions with is just want some music.

My question is can I run the 4 6.5" speakers off the head unit or is it better to get a separate amp (like a 300W amp)? Im just trying to make sure everything is safe and nothing is going to get too hot and possibly burn.

you can do it no problem but with an amp it will sound better and play louder. try it first directly from the head unit if you are happy with it then don't buy an amp.

Depending on what 1000 watt amp, you could most likely run all 8 speakers off of it. The amp just needs be rated as stable at 2 ohms.

it would be better to get a separate amp. your head unit will only put out about 15w x4, which if your other amp is 250w x4, the hu speakers wont even be heard. also some hu's have circuitry where if you are using the internal amp, it lowers the volts to the preouts, which can impact then your external amp volume. plus not using internal amp would help keep it from overheating.

or like griff said, most amps are stable to 2ohm, could run all speakers off it if you not wanting to do any special fading/dual zone setup. if that amp is a true 1000w, then each speaker getting 100-125w should still be plenty of power.

Yeah get a seperate amp. HU amps suck for anything more than just back ground volume. It will make the HU run hotter, and if you are using factory wire it may cause voltage problems as well.

What amp do you have???? Chances are its 500watts at 4 ohms and 1000watts at 2 ohms.

I would do a separate amp. Even if it is stable to 2 ohms it will get hot. In a boat it seems like you always play it as loud as you can, so the amp is pushed to it's limits. Plus the amp is in a very hot enviroment, tucked away with no airflow in a hot boat sitting in the sun. Plus you can usually tune it better using the gain on separate amps. Don't forget a crossover if they are not built into the amp.

Amps are more important then speakers. You can have all the speakers you want but without enough power to push them all you will enjoy is distortion. Less speakers with more power sounds louder cleaner and clearer then more speakers and less power.

RMS power is more important then peak.

I personally run zero speakers off all my head units in boats and vehicles.

So how many RMS watts does your amp produce?

Are the 8" speakers or subs?

They are 8' speakers, when I go back to the boat I'll see how many RMS watts the amp produces. The reason I was asking was because I just wanted some music on the boat, not trying to win any contest or anything. Honestly, I played them with my 4 8' speakers off my amp then I ran the 4 6x9 off my head unit and I thought it sounded awesome for what it was!!! I was more worried it about the head unit getting too hot and possible burning? If that's the case I'll get another amp but if I can play them off my head unit and get away with it then I'll leave it as is, I like the way it sounds.