Very clarifying information, explained brilliantly, in my opinion. Every bit of information in its place. I finally understand the basic concept of impedance with this guy.

@AxiomHomeTheaters

Жыл бұрын

Thank you for your kind words!

In 3 years of university they couldn't explain it so clear. KZread should start handing out BAs. Thanks!

@AxiomHomeTheaters

Жыл бұрын

Cheers, thank you for such a great comment, glad the video helped!

Good video, Andrew! I am a power electronics design engineer and I have a couple of points to add. An amplifier optimized for 8 Ohm is not worse than an amplifier optimized for 4 Ohms - it is just another design parameter. Similarly for speakers - the speaker designer can choose how many turns of what gauge of wire are used for the drivers and that ultimately determines the speaker nominal impedance. There is no better or worse. The power supply voltage for the amplifier is a key determining factor in optimizing the design for a particular speaker impedance. If it has to be capable of high power at 8 Ohm as well as driving 4 Ohm up to clipping then a penalty is paid in efficiency - more heat will be produced and bigger heatsinks and power devices will be required. It is a compromise... 4 Ohm speakers used to represent a benefit for Auto amps where only +/-12 V (in bridge) was available but with DC-DC converters now that benefit has gone. I don't know why speaker manufacturers still make 4 Ohm drivers - they just need fatter speaker wire for long runs! As you say - go with the manufacturer's guidance to avoid letting the magic smoke escaping! (Electronics runs on magic smoke - when it escapes it stops working!)

Clearly conveyed and great information to have ... It's a sorry day when you don't learn something new.

I didn’t understand the word impedance properly for a long long time until I watched his video thank you sir

I got a very nice set of 4 ohm speakers from. Friend, and my Marantz receiver wouldnt drive them, or actually, they just sounded bad. This sent me down the impedance rabbit hole. This video was what i needed to finally understand the details. It will better help me match equipment, rather than just taking peoples word for it. Those salesmen dont always know whats best... they just want to sell stuff. Thanks for a great video!

Finally, after been reading and watching videos from so many different sources, this one was the only that I needed for fully understanding the concept of Speaker Impendence! Thank you so much Andrew!

Basically, when you half the impedance, you double the power by doubling the current draw from the amp. Some amps can take the higher current draw, others can’t or will overheat over time. Great video!

@kevinedwards7206

5 ай бұрын

not only over heats.. but the power transisters can clip ( distort)..sooner?

Thanks you for that brilliant explanation. Your simple, basic approach has enabled me to understand impedance and speakers for the first time in my 74 years - and it only took you 20 minutes! I wish I had heard this when I was younger and really into my musical equipment. Well done.

@AxiomHomeTheaters

2 жыл бұрын

You’re most welcome! I’m glad that I was able to help…it is such a difficult to grasp concept.

@michael-4k4000

Жыл бұрын

E = MC2

@pauz9776

Жыл бұрын

me also..!

@michael-4k4000

Жыл бұрын

@@pauz9776 LMAO all day long

@MrFryfish

3 ай бұрын

He, in 20 minutes of explanation missed to say the most important idea. He, forgot completely where the coil of wire sits! The coil of wire is in a PERMANENT MAGNETIC FIELD. And that effects everything he said! It affects because a wire (coil of it) in a magnetic field BEHAVE completely different than a coil of wire in a free air! Did he consider BACK EMF. EMF stands for electro-magnetic-force. Which is happening in a speaker as the coil starts moving in that magnetic field... Well the things ARE more complicated than from a perspective of an audiophile... with an YT channel..

I'm pleased that you addressed the issue of speaker impedance. I've heard this about half my life but never understood it. I know this is explained in books on the subject, but which one. Thanks for covering the issue.

FANTASTIC. This guy would make a great science teacher.

So Good... I am grateful to finally admit (As a 30 yr Sound Editor Pro) that I did not understand the "Speaker Impedance" story... now clearly explained, and appreciated - Thank You !

Such a great explanation. Thanks so much for taking the time to explain this topic so clearly. Awesome!

Well done. Thank you. I always wondered what the nominal impedance meant. Great job.

Thank you very much. Most enlightening. I studied both physics and electronics when I was in, what you.might call, hight school, but that was 36 years ago. A great refresher. Thanks again.

Glad I got over your initial comment about impedance breaking a 'receiver', and listened on.

you made this video 2 years ago and I just saw it today..... WHY ??? that's very good info and well explained ! thanks so much 👍👍

Thank you very much for an excellent video. Your explanation on the topic is very logical and clear. As someone which is new on how to pair a receiver/amplifier with the correct speakers, I sure learn a lot.

excellent work , great clarification, you obviously have a great understanding of your topic, thanks

Very enlightening information indeed. Thanks.

Absolutely superb explanation, thank you

Thanks for sharing, great information, well explained

Very concise information. Good job.

Thanks for the video , good to watch a clear explination. There are amps which are a great current source , others are great voltage source , tube amps for instance tend to be great voltage source amps but also have specific output taps on the matching transformers so suit benign impedance speakers rather that highly reactive ones , good current source amps like old quad 405/ii are quite happy with lower impedance and highly reactive loads . Where possible , try and find the impedance curve for your speaker or potential purchases , many 8 ohm speakers can have a rather whippy curve that reaches down to 2 ohms and above 10 ohms . My old Art stiletto 6 are rather benign staying above 6 and below 10 , they can sit at max volume with 100w amp all day and the sound is clean because the amp doesn't clip , (clip = distortion and damage) . Take your time and learn these basics , it will lead to better enjoyment of this lovely hobby . 😘

Thanks for such a great explanation of resistance vs impedance.

Excellent primer!

Explained very well, thank you very helpful

Such a helpful explanation

Thanks very much! Excellent explanation.

Excellent explanation!!

This was really helpful, thank you.

Thank you great clarification. Well done 😎👍

Learned a lot today , thanks a million . 👍

Absolutely perfect teaching...Thank you...!

@AxiomHomeTheaters

Жыл бұрын

You're welcome, and thank you for taking the time to comment and compliment!

Thank you! Impedance finally makes sense.

@AxiomHomeTheaters

2 жыл бұрын

Glad the video helped, thank you for taking the time to comment!

Well done - enjoyable episode - Thanx👍👍👍

Very good explanation on this topic. I've had people tell me that they have connected 4 ohm speakers to an 8 ohm amp many times and never had a problem. I've always replied that as long as you keep the volume low, there should be no problem but once you crank up the volume, you are taking a risk to break something. And of course, if this did happen, they will blame it on something else. Hey, it's your amp and your money... do what you want. Ever notice that when someone asks you for advice, but the advice is not what they wanted to hear, they get upset?

XLent tutorial and video. Good constant rate of information flow.

@AxiomHomeTheaters

3 жыл бұрын

Glad you enjoyed it, it's a tough topic to cover.

Excellent video!!

Good reminder on the AC -vs- DC measurements. As you stated higher current draw at lower impedance can be a problem on lower end amps. The real issue is when folks at add a second set of 4 ohm speakers in Parallel without a speaker impedance box presenting a 2 ohm load to the amp.

"The Speaker Whisperer".. I'm in geek heaven! Thanks so much.

Spectacular explanation! I don’t understand it all (I’m not an engineer lol), but that’s the best explanation I’ve ever heard!

@AxiomHomeTheaters

Жыл бұрын

It's a tough subject, glad the video helped you understand it better, thanks for the comment.

Great info, thanks!

3 years of learning (normally) will take about 3 months, when you are the teacher! I mean, When you understand the basics of something, it is easier to learn more about it. Thanks my friend greetz Wouter from amsterdam keep it up!

@AxiomHomeTheaters

Жыл бұрын

Thank you so much for such a positive comment! I do my best to explain techy things in easy-to-understand language.

That was excellent! Thank you

Thank you so much. I still don’t understand all the maths but i understand why does impedance matter now. Appreciate that.

@AxiomHomeTheaters

2 жыл бұрын

That’s great! Thanks for watching.

Amazing explanation!! Thanks!

@AxiomHomeTheaters

2 жыл бұрын

Wow, thanks, glad you enjoyed it!

Very well done

So much knowledge

Thank you, Professor Andrew, for the fundamental explanation about Impedance. I've always attempted to simplify the explanation with the word "MATCHING" to my non-electrical associates, although high Z and low Z require a more intermediate explanation.

You should be an educator. Thank you for taking the time to do these videos, I'm learning a lot and making my way through all of them.

@AxiomHomeTheaters

Жыл бұрын

Thank you, I appreciate it!

@MrBlacksight

Жыл бұрын

@john H, he is an educator already. And he get a far bigger crowd here on KZread then he ever could In a classroom.

That helps a lot. I got these old celestion creembacks 12 inch 8 ohms in parallel that I put together with a vox tube amp with a 4/8 ohm that I've been scared to test coz of mismatch. I'm a little surer now.

Allways good explanation coming from you, Andrew. Keep up the good work 👏

Excellent video. Simple, clear explanation, in a step-by-step fashion. I will now use this as my go to video for explaining speaker impedance to others.

@AxiomHomeTheaters

Жыл бұрын

That's one of the best compliments, sharing with others, cheers!

Thank you, that was helpful!!

@AxiomHomeTheaters

Жыл бұрын

Glad it was helpful! Thanks for taking the time to say so.

Excellent

Excellent video....and explained in digestible terms...

Really clear.well done😄

@AxiomHomeTheaters

Жыл бұрын

Thank you! 😃

Thanks, 👍ill have to re-watch after my hangover is healed... 🥴

took me 7 videos to finally find this. I'm suprised there's not more views or likes. Thanks!

@MrFryfish

3 ай бұрын

Yeah, because he missed other considerations...

Hi great informative video . Was wondering if you can you use 2 x 4ohm speakers hooked up in series? could that be run as an 8 ohm load safely? Or running 2 x 8 Ohm speakers in series creating a 16 ohm load to be run on a 8 ohm recommended output?

Much thanks.

Excellent more vids like this pka

Another way to think about it instead of nominal voltage is the nominal current draw which is the square root of the amplifier power wattage divided by nominal or rated impedance. And if you think about circuit breakers, they are rated by amperage, not watts or voltage, because wires and other components will melt at sufficiently high current given a sufficient amount of time. For example, if you have a 150W amp powering an 8 ohm speaker then it draws a nominal 4.3A of current. However, if you were to plug a 4 ohm speaker into the same amp, then the current draw jumps to just over 6A. The circuitry in your receiver/amp/speakers may not be rated for that much current causing it to overheat and shorting components especially if you like to really crank it up. That's why most subs are powered. That way the speaker and amplifier can be matched to avoid over-amperage since many subs are really low impedance, e.g. 2 ohms, and take a big amp to drive at sufficiently low currents.

Many thanks for this "brillantissime"* explanation. *as we say in french :)

So glad I purchased an amp that has a rating of 4 ohms to 16 ohms and will have no problems with any speaker impedance.

I finally understand impendance 👍😁

Even though I do not question the bottom line and the equations, I'm still need to work on my preconceived notion about this topic, which I would rather not repeat since I know it's wrong. Thanks for the rule-of-thumb and how it's derived.

Your explanation is good. All the important aspects covered well. I used to design power amplifiers for a living. As an amplifier designer, you are (almost) only really concerned with the impedance of the speaker at low frequency, as that is typically the region where the majority of the power of the signal lies. The lower the impedance of the speaker at low frequency (say 20Hz to 80Hz) the more heat will be generated in the output devices. Too much heat, amplifier fails. Reason - lower impedance results in more current, and heat generated is proportional to the square of the current. I used to specialize in designing amplifiers capable of driving a 2 ohm load at high amplitude without failing.

@jm-vq4cm

Ай бұрын

Hi, what specllialty do these 2 ohm amplifiers have that the 8 ohms amplifiers don't?

@clive1294

Ай бұрын

@@jm-vq4cm The answer to your question would take several pages of technical explanation. In short, if you try to drive a 2 ohm speaker with amplifier designed for an 8 ohm load, the amplifier will fail quite quickly unless you keep the amplitude very low.

Thanks, now I understand.

Literally just a guy standing in front of a camera explaining how a somewhat complex system works....and yet, you’ve helped me more than those videos sporting nice and shiny graphical design teams 😂✌️ Appreciate the break down!

@AxiomHomeTheaters

2 жыл бұрын

Hey Matthew, thanks for that!

@Macheako

2 жыл бұрын

@@AxiomHomeTheaters Thank YOU!

Thank you.

Great explanation. I have an 8 ohm output on my guitar amplifier but I have a 16 ohm speaker I use. Is it just simply the volume is lower than an 8 ohm speaker? From what I’ve read it is safe to use the 16 ohm. Glad I came across your channel.

@arvidlystnur4827

Жыл бұрын

Yes, if you hook a matching 16 ohm cabinet in parallel your load will be 8 ohms, won't damage your amp but be louder.

This was very helpful. My worry is an 8 ohm speaker that has a drop to 3.9 on the published impedance curve. Hopefully this wouldn’t be enough to put my vintage receiver (the manual states 4 -16 ohm speakers ok) into protection.

Thank you very much, the other videos I tried didn't give any of the science behind the numbers and left me with some do's and don'ts but no real understanding. Of course if I blow something up now I have no excuse, but all knowledge has a price...

@AxiomHomeTheaters

2 жыл бұрын

You’re most welcome! I’m glad that my explanation made it easier for you to understand.

Just seeing this. Probably the best most clear explanation of impedance I've ever come across. Brilliant.

excellent video. i believe the international standard refers to nominal speaker impedance as a somewhat minimal resistance value (80% of the stated impedance) presented to the amplifier. - a 8ohms speaker should not present a lower than 6.4ohms resistance to the amp (8 x 80%). - a lot of receivers have terms like 'dynamic power output' in the 'thick' manuals, specifications section. a receiver amp w/ 100W per channel at 8 ohms, will deliver up to 170W into 4ohms but for short duration and at higher than normal total harmonic distortion. yamaha, onkyo, denon, pioneer, etc, all have the capability to drive v low impedance load bursts (2-3 ohms).

@AxiomHomeTheaters

2 жыл бұрын

Thank you, and thank you for covering accurate information that I did not include in my discussion of impedance!

Back in the 80’s, a fellow classmate in my electronics class wired some car speakers in parallel which basically cut the impedance in half. He literally blew a hole in one of his car receiver power transistors.

Very impressed. Thank you very much. You brought a difficult (hard to understand for a lay person) topic out and explained it very well. I have an integrated amp by Peachtree that is nominally rated at 8 Ohms, however, will go as low as 2.5 ohms. That allowed me to add a pair of Focal Aria 948's that have the same ohm ratings, which required an amp to accommodate. Never fully understood until your video. Again, Thanks Robert TN

@AxiomHomeTheaters

3 жыл бұрын

You’re most welcome Robert! It’s amazing how these terms are thrown around and yet most people I speak to have no understanding of the concept. Hopefully this video was able to clear it up for others as well as yourself. Really appreciate you taking the time to comment, as well as for watching.

@michael-4k4000

Жыл бұрын

The way my Uncle Ned explained it was a cow eat hay, then u milk 🥛 the cow and have milk, then you use the milk to make a cake 🎂, then u put icing 😉 on the cake 🎂 and then u eat the cake. Think of the candles 🕯 on the cake as Dolby Atmos

@michael-4k4000

Жыл бұрын

@@AxiomHomeTheaters do u want to to have my Uncle Ned on the channel?

SALUTE your hard work Sir 😎👏👏👏💯

Speaker impedance also include the fact that a speaker voice coil is a dynamo, that feed current back into the amp, wich is a short circuit, as long as it can keep the output close to the signal, complicated interactions going on

Excellent information. I have a 6 ohm amp from Marantz that should be better than my 8 ohm Cambridge Audio amp for driving 8 and 6 ohm speakers in a 5 speaker setup. I want more bass and depth from my speakers, without a sub.

I was told I could run 8ohm speaker with a 4ohm amp. I have done it. Because I was cheap and I had the amp. And yes the amp seemed to be happy. But the speaker was not performing to its full potential. I have since bought a 8ohm amp and the speaker sounds so much better. The speakers sound range improved so much especially the bass. Excellent video. 👍

@arvidlystnur4827

Жыл бұрын

A good rule of thumb in musical amplifiers is one may add a higher ohm speaker to a lower ohm rated amp but not the reverse. For example I have a cheap 50 watt pa amp rated at 50 watts 8 ohms, but will except a 4 ohm load, which will increase the amp output to about 80 watts. This amp is mono. I took one 8 ohm pa speaker to a large room lecture and the amp struggled to put out a clean signal. I hooked up a second 8ohm speaker in parallel which dropped the load from 8 to 4 ohms for the amp which played much cleaner. If this amp couldn't handle a 4 ohm load and I needed to use both speakers in different places in the room, I could protect the amp by connecting the 8 ohm speakers in series rather than parallel, producing a 16 ohm load, which unfortunately drops the amp 50 to about thirty watts thus decreasing the amps output.

@mikesteffes9999

Жыл бұрын

@@arvidlystnur4827 you just described what a lot of harp (harmonica) players try to achieve deliberately: amp/speaker mismatch. Tube amps typically tolerate a 2::1 mismatch by design, in either direction. Yes, the output sonic characteristics are different whether it’s 2::1 or 1::2.

Great explanation abu-ut (Canadian?😎) the subject.

Thanks Andrew, as always very interesting and informative. One question, though, I thought that clipping would be a part of the discussion. Isn't it the case that if the amp is being stressed but doesn't shut down it might not be providing enough power and clipping could result? Or have I mixed that up? (Or is there another video that I missed?!)

@AT-wl9yq

Жыл бұрын

Clipping is an amplifier related problem, not a speaker issue. When talking about amplifier power ratings, unfortunately the industry has turned the issue into a disaster. The problem is, there's no standard that power amplifier manufacturers gave to go by when rating an amps power. Every manufacturer is left to do it however they see fit. And the differences can be extreme. This is a huge topic, but I'll try to give you a few brief examples just to make the point. Watts=volts x amps. 10 volts x 10 amps is 100 watts. So is 50 volts and 2 amps. So is 50 amps and 2 volts. Basically any combination that gets you to 100. All other things being equal, the more current used to make up a watt, the better the amp will be at handling hard to drive speakers. Any time watts are measured, there's an associated level of distortion related to the rating. I'm oversimplifying a bit, but in general, one company may be rating an amp for 100 watts into 8 ohms at 5% distortion. If you gave that same exact amp to a different company to rate, they may have higher standards and say 5% distortion is too much. Maybe 3% will be their limit, and they will only rate the same amp at 75 watts into 8 ohms. Lower the standards, and it can go the other way, as well. How the actual measurement is taken is also critical, and is the easiest way to create artificial specs. Typically, a mass market company that makes receivers (Sony, Yamaha, Onkyo, etc..), knows they will be competing with each other for similar products at similar prices. When measuring an amp, you have a choice to make. It can be done under real world conditions, or in a lab. In order to get the lowest distortion numbers, they'll use test tones at certain frequencies in order to get their distortion numbers. Its much easier for an amp to reproduce a continuous test tone, than to play actual music. That's why you see really low distortion numbers like .000something. Measure the same amp with music playing, and you may see something like 10% thd, or higher. That's also why you'll see higher end amps with specs that don't look as good. They're more honest in their measurements. The end result is, you can take 20 different power amps all rated for the same amount of power, measure all of them the same exact way, and all 20 amps will be different. And to be honest, is sucks for the average consumer that just wants to buy the right product. The only advice I can give you is to trust speaker specs over amp specs. Always. Speaker manufacturers know that the easiest way to get bad sound is to use an underpowered amp. That's why speaker specs tend to be more accurate. Aside from that, you use experience and real world examples to make your choice. For example, if you are in Bestbuy and see a pair of Polk speakers playing well with a $500 Sony receiver, start there. Other receivers they sell for about the same price should work just as well. If you're not sure, call the company that makes the speakers and ask them. Especially if you are looking at more expensive speakers that may be harder to drive. Also, as you gain more hands on experience, you'll get to know the products and what to expect. But your safest bet is to see what the speaker manufacturer recommends. After a while, you'll be able to make the choice yourself.

Thanks

I bought a set of 4-ohm speakers that are driven by an amplifier (Rega Brio) that has two settings, 50 Watts RMS into 8-ohm and 73 Watts into 4-ohm. Rega does say that extended high volume play will cause the unit to get a bit hot in the 4-ohm speaker setup. I have no problems so far. Thanks for the explanation. Have you discussed which gauge wire to use for 4-ohm speakers? I will take a look at your video collection. Thanks

@AxiomHomeTheaters

2 жыл бұрын

As long as the amp does not get too hot or shut down you’ll be fine. I answered your wire question in another comment. 😊

I haven’t watched the video - yet - but I’ve been a practicing EE for over a half-century. Perhaps what I’m about to say was covered in the video; if so, then I’m merely Capt Obvious; if not, consider this additional background info… The mathematical expression is: Z = R + jX where Z is the complex impedance; R is the DC resistance of the coil, i.e., a positive, REAL value. R is a function of the resistance-per-unit-length of the coil wire x the total length of the wire used to wind the coil. The term jX is the ac component, and can be positive or negative depending on the frequency being applied to the coil/magnet assembly. ‘j’ accounts for the phase of the ac component of Z, and can therefore be either positive or negative; X is the frequency-dependent magnitude of the ac component of Z. These characteristics are what give a speaker an impedance that is different at every frequency in the audio spectrum. And why 1kHz is the accepted frequency at which to specify Z.

Quick question... Would all of what you taught within this video remain absolutely the same if one thing was different ? If your information was based off of nothing but home audio would it be the same say if I interchanged home audio and car audio ? Say that i'm not happy with the performance my subwoofer is giving me on a 2.1 computer setup and The little sub infact works well for what it is but you cannnot go past 1/4 on the dedicated bass knob because your trained ear can hear distortion etc. And with the bass knob at no more than 1/4 and your volume not being able to be turned up past the halfway point either leaves me without quite a bit left to be desired in a sub that can give real excursion and some of those lows without bottoming out all while being able to access the power and dedicated bass knob and give that upgraded woofer what I couldn't give it's runt of a brother . There's seems to be many versions to the system I have although pretty much all looking almost identical to all the ones that came before it . All I know is that I have a beefy 6.5 inch car sub getting here on Friday and I would love to just remove runt and replace with beefy boy . Where do I start? Do I try to look for the amp ohm load and if so where ?

Very well explained. This is a somewhat confusing topic. The counter-intuitive thought is that less ohms should make a speaker louder. This begs the question: why do speaker manufacturers not standardize the nominal resistance to eight ohms?

@MrFryfish

3 ай бұрын

WHY SHOULD THEY!? A coil of wire of a certain thickess (different impedance) in a magnetic field behaves differently, technically and sonically that a thicker wire... And as sonically the mebrane REACTS differently in terms of air moved and conter-react to it, different NOTION we get. You see, things that are happening behind the scene, in electronics are connected and CAN a will influience the experience.. BUT npt in the way the massive clueless (unfortunately, because you need seriois study at Uni to understand..) audiophiles "experts"... their tags and glory vanishes in the front.of reality.. Do not hate me, because you might hate the truth and reality..

Very nice presentation of a complicated (for me) topic. I have speakers that are rated at 6 ohms and and integrated tube amp that has both 8 ohm and 4 ohm taps. I have used both at different times. Which is right/better and should they sound different, and, if yes, how will the sound differ? I am hitting subscribe!

@AxiomHomeTheaters

2 жыл бұрын

Thank you! For a 6 ohm speaker, you’re right in the middle of the taps, so either one will work. It’s a matter of listening to decide if one sounds “better”. On the 8 ohm tap you might reach the limits of the amp earlier than with the 4 ohm tape.

@dhpbear2

Жыл бұрын

@@AxiomHomeTheaters The frequency response of a tube amp will be different that a solid state amp driving the same load. In a tube amp, the frequency response curve will 'follow' the impedance curve. So, at certain frequencies where a typical speaker's impedance may rise, you'll get a corresponding voltage-rise using a tube amp.

Wow Thanks for detailed explanation . One q my Pioneer C21 6ohm speaker 🔈 i really need to crank it up my Yamaha TSR7850 ( using zone2 + 5.1 both ) to hear good sound. Any idea why this is the case

@AxiomHomeTheaters

Жыл бұрын

You’re welcome. I’m not sure why you would need to crank it…what level does the Yamaha display to get it to a satisfying level? Also check your speaker setup to make sure everything is correct.

Is a window box fan laying on top of my Denon AVR2000 a good idea ? Every time I check the amp it's cooler with a 12in sub and two 3 way 8 ohm 150 w fronts all in parallel ? DC resistance reads 8 ohms , is that a value that can be a guide for any speaker before oscillating things ? Using RCA connectors for pre amp function doesn't sound as good as just speaker wire in parallel , am i doing something wrong ? Thanks .

I have a Yamaha AX-930 integrated amplifier. It is rated down to 6 ohms. RMS power 130W per channel/Dynamic power 300W @ 4 ohms. I plan to hook up 2 Cerwin Vega RE30 4 ohm speakers (RMS 250W), as this is the equipment I have. Can I offset any issues the amp might have by running a couple of computer fans set in exhaust mode on top of the amp grill above the heat sink. This would remove much heat and thus avoid overheating. As long as the amp components stay cool, does this offset any problems caused by the amp having to provide additional current? Also, I am buying new cables (GearIt). Does wire gauge have any bearing on any of this? I have ordered 14 gauge pure copper wire-2 runs of 15 feet. Thanks for any help.

So is more or less impedance better? If you're putting together a system, is a 4 ohm speaker with an amp that can perform at 4 Ohms going to have any advantages over an 8 ohm speaker with an amp that only handles 8 ohms? We see the 4 ohm rating typically is twice the wattage. Is this just math? The short answer is yes but how does it relate to hearing louder sound or not?

Finally. I have studied some electrical engineering and know about inductive and capacitive reactance. So I was always confused by specs like "8 ohm impedance" for speakers. Because I knew impedance was a function of frequency so how can you just give a single number? But it's some massive kludge. The speaker's impedance varies over its operating range and they just pick an average. Ecch.

@mikesteffes9999

Жыл бұрын

I think you’ll find the speaker manufacturers adopted a standard of 1 kilohertz as the measurement frequency for specifying loudspeaker impedance. Why a single number? Because it’s easier to specify at a single point in the audio spectrum; however if you want a frequency response CURVE over the entire audio spectrum, some companies will provide them.

I've always wondered why 8 ohm is the most common nominal impedance rating and it ranges from 2 to 32 ohms nominal impedance.... Definitely understand impedance fluctuates depending on what is being played. Some speakers drop to less than one ohm !

I was interested for my guitar amp/speaker application. I have outputs for 4, 8 and 16 ohm. I have cabs that have 1, 2 and 4 speakers. I try to keep everything at 8 ohm. So if I use 2 speakers, to keep the cab at 8 ohm, do I use 16 or 4 ohm speakers wired in series? Electronics are not my bag, sometimes I don't understand. 8( --gary

Very well done. There is a host of high end amplifier and speaker systems with nebulous recommendations in matching to some speakers which have wildly fluctuating impedance loading. Some exotic tube amplifiers will behave very differently and sound awful. I owned a solid state amplifier rated 50 watts RMS @8 ohms, 100 @4 ohms and 180 watts @2ohm loads. It delivered superior sonic performance than another amplifier I owned which was rated at 100 watts @8 ohms.

@AxiomHomeTheaters

3 жыл бұрын

Exactly…power is not the only thing that matters, so it’s never a good idea to blindly follow specifications!

When I was younger, we had the opposite issue where an older stereo receiver was rated for a 4ohm speaker and all home stereo speakers were 8ohm. I was told that to make up for the difference was to connect 2 8ohm speaker sets together reducing the ohm from 8 to 4ohm per channel in order to avoid damage. Sometimes you could get away with using an 8ohm speaker on a 4ohm rated amp, eventually could blow out speaker if used independently. If this makes sense, it took me a little bit to grasp the concept. Realistically not sure how true the set up is or was in my case.

@wphanoo

11 ай бұрын

I think it's totally safe to put 8ohm speakers to a 4 ohm amp, you can't do any damage. You will simply have a lower max output volume