8 ohm vs 16 ohm
- Thread starter Gnash5150
- Start date
bigwillz24
New member
Uhmmm an ohm is a value of resistence. I don't think it has a bearing in what a speaker is going to sound like.
Henry Mars
New member
Gnash5150 said:
I never heard that either. On the other hand the windings in the speaker may produce higher voltages with 16 ohms at higher frequencies but current drives the speaker. Your guess is as good as mine 'cause I really don't know.
My gut feeling is that the frequency responce has more to do with the speaker design than the impedence.
travelin travis
New member
I have heard that mis matching speakers impedance to amp impedance gives a different sound. That's about all I can remember though. Where's the experts on this stuff? 
travelin travis
New member
I took a look at a book that I got a while back "The Guitar Amp Handbook". Good book, highly recommended, get it! I need to finish it. It covers alot of ground and should be in every guitarist's reading rotation.
The author (Dave Hunter) says that speakers wired in parallel damp/restrain each other and the result is a tighter response and smoother breakup........says that speakers wired in series are less damped/restrained resulting in a raw and more open sound.
Is that what you were looking for? It seems me, less resistance equals a looser more open sound. I really don't know though.
The author (Dave Hunter) says that speakers wired in parallel damp/restrain each other and the result is a tighter response and smoother breakup........says that speakers wired in series are less damped/restrained resulting in a raw and more open sound.
Is that what you were looking for? It seems me, less resistance equals a looser more open sound. I really don't know though.
Thatupstateguy
New member
I and a friend, have been building small amps for about three years now, and my duties in that effort are doing the cabs,...... including mounting and wiring the speakers,.... and once the chassis is mounted I also have been playing thru them to test em out,... and to match the tube compliment to the speaker,....
My point,....
of all the different configurations,.... the Ohms has the LEAST to do with differences in the sound.....
it does have something to do with punch,... or drive,....
if you use a speaker,..... or cab that matches your amps output,....
8ohm cab with an 8ohm output,..........you have optimum punch,... IE air movement...... if the amp has a lower ohm switch, (4ohms),.... you can still use the 8ohm cab, but the amps power,...(punch) will be cut in half,.....and the 8ohm mtched version will sound louder.......have more punch,....more....
but the difference will not be as dramatic as you might think.....
more dramatic would be changing size,... or brand,.... or type,....
say going from a ceramic 8", to an alnico 10"......
I happen to prefer the sound of a well broken in Celestion vintage 30,....
but,... thats me.....
Hope this answers at least some of your quiery.....???????
My point,....
of all the different configurations,.... the Ohms has the LEAST to do with differences in the sound.....
it does have something to do with punch,... or drive,....
if you use a speaker,..... or cab that matches your amps output,....
8ohm cab with an 8ohm output,..........you have optimum punch,... IE air movement...... if the amp has a lower ohm switch, (4ohms),.... you can still use the 8ohm cab, but the amps power,...(punch) will be cut in half,.....and the 8ohm mtched version will sound louder.......have more punch,....more....
but the difference will not be as dramatic as you might think.....
more dramatic would be changing size,... or brand,.... or type,....
say going from a ceramic 8", to an alnico 10"......
I happen to prefer the sound of a well broken in Celestion vintage 30,....
but,... thats me.....
Hope this answers at least some of your quiery.....???????
tarnationsauce2
Welcome to the jungle.
If your amp has a switch for 8 or 16 ohm (and you use the proper setting), the difference will be very small. Most tube heads can switch 8/16 ohm. The amp (tube only) will push the same amount of power if you use the proper switch setting.
I should note that series wiring filters a little bit of the high end. As the windings of the other speaker in the loop acts as an inductor. But it's usually a tiny amount.
BUT if you have a soild state head (or tube head without an impedance switch). I would use the lowest impedance possible, without going under the minimum impedance the amp should have labeled somewhere near the speaker jacks. This way you will yield more maximum power from your amp as you'll have more ideal load matching.
The reason 16 ohm was so popular in the old days, is that you could run higher voltage and use thinner (cheaper) wire for longer runs with less power loss.
I should note that series wiring filters a little bit of the high end. As the windings of the other speaker in the loop acts as an inductor. But it's usually a tiny amount.
BUT if you have a soild state head (or tube head without an impedance switch). I would use the lowest impedance possible, without going under the minimum impedance the amp should have labeled somewhere near the speaker jacks. This way you will yield more maximum power from your amp as you'll have more ideal load matching.
The reason 16 ohm was so popular in the old days, is that you could run higher voltage and use thinner (cheaper) wire for longer runs with less power loss.
Most speaker cabinets are 8 Ohms. Four 8 Ohm speakers will generally yield an 8 Ohm cabinet (depending on wiring connections).
The second question is what your amp can drive. Most all drive 8 Ohms. Many can drive 4 ohms and a few 2 ohms.. You don't want a cabinet with lower impedance than the rating of your amp.
However if you used 4 16 ohm speakers and wired all in parallel, the result would be a 4 ohm cabinet.
What can your amp drive?
Ed
The second question is what your amp can drive. Most all drive 8 Ohms. Many can drive 4 ohms and a few 2 ohms.. You don't want a cabinet with lower impedance than the rating of your amp.
However if you used 4 16 ohm speakers and wired all in parallel, the result would be a 4 ohm cabinet.
What can your amp drive?
Ed
soundchaser59
Reluctant Commander
Thatupstateguy said:
Dont confuse "power" with "apparent volume".
If you put a 4 ohm cab on an amp that is epxecting to "see" an 8 ohm load, the "power" output of the amp must double in order to keep the apparent volume the same. It might lose "punch" (volume) but it will not use less power. Thay's why if you put a 2 ohm load on it, you might start blowing fuses.
Apparent volume is the only difference you will notice when you change ohms. Of all parameters involved, the ohms of the speaker has the least effect on the tonal quality.
Farview
Well-known member
Most Marshall cabs are 16 ohms. Four 16 ohm speakers wired series-parallel. That way, you can add another cab in the future.
Back when the earth was cooling, Marshall expected you to run up to 4 cabs. That would give you a 4 ohm load, which is the minimum load that amp can take.
Back when the earth was cooling, Marshall expected you to run up to 4 cabs. That would give you a 4 ohm load, which is the minimum load that amp can take.
soundchaser59 said:
I know of no practical definition of "apparent volume".
Amps produce voltage and speakers draw current based on that voltage. Connecting a 4 ohm cabinet to an amp designed to handle 8 ohms or larger can do a lot worse things than blow fuses. I've been there. It's not pretty.
All other things being equal, when you lower the ohms, you draw more current and more power. More power to the same speakers means generally more volume. However again the constraint is what the amp was designed to handle. Find out what it can handle and don't go below it.
Ed
soundchaser59
Reluctant Commander
Generally speaking.....
When you cut the impedance in half, you must double the current to achieve the same voltage drop across the speaker. 25 volts on a 2 ohm load can draw almost 13 amps, enough to pop some circuit breakers. Fortunately, the amp's fuse will blow first.
If you cut the impedance and the current stays the same, then the voltage drop decreases, and ergo power decreases.......ergo, perceived loudness or "apparent volume" decreases.
A good example: Batteries cannot produce very much current. But they are rated at different voltages. If you touch the speaker leads across a AA (1.5v) battery, the scratchy pop you hear will not sound even half as loud as what you hear if you do the same thing with a 9v battery.
But amps do not behave like batteries in that the amp will try to deliver more and more current as the impedance drops in an "attempt" to maintain the output voltage.
The only thing I know for sure is when I build speaker cabs and I match the impedance to what the amp expects, I never have any amp problems.
Heck, I'm just blowing hot air too......just like my cab.....I would be more than happy to read any correct explanation of this stuff.....
When you cut the impedance in half, you must double the current to achieve the same voltage drop across the speaker. 25 volts on a 2 ohm load can draw almost 13 amps, enough to pop some circuit breakers. Fortunately, the amp's fuse will blow first.
If you cut the impedance and the current stays the same, then the voltage drop decreases, and ergo power decreases.......ergo, perceived loudness or "apparent volume" decreases.
A good example: Batteries cannot produce very much current. But they are rated at different voltages. If you touch the speaker leads across a AA (1.5v) battery, the scratchy pop you hear will not sound even half as loud as what you hear if you do the same thing with a 9v battery.
But amps do not behave like batteries in that the amp will try to deliver more and more current as the impedance drops in an "attempt" to maintain the output voltage.
The only thing I know for sure is when I build speaker cabs and I match the impedance to what the amp expects, I never have any amp problems.
Heck, I'm just blowing hot air too......just like my cab.....I would be more than happy to read any correct explanation of this stuff.....
sk8bobby10
New member
can i have the celestions?
battleminnow
What's this button do?
First, one doesn't sound inherently different from the other regarding sonic characteristics (more bass, better treble, etc.)
Second, depending on the way you wire ANY speakers together, not just different ohm loads, you can dramatically reduce or increase the output and change the sound because of the way they then use the power you deliver to them.
If you are using a head that delivers 8 ohms, I would use four eight ohm speakers and wire them so you are running an eight ohm load.
I THINK this is how it is done, but someone correct me if I am wrong.
+ of Speaker 1 to + of speaker 2
- of speaker 1 to - of speaker 2
+ of speaker 3 to + of speaker 4
- of speaker 3 to - of speaker 4
then...
+ of amp to + of speaker 1
- of amp to - of speaker 3
+ of speaker 3 to - of speaker 2
Pete
Second, depending on the way you wire ANY speakers together, not just different ohm loads, you can dramatically reduce or increase the output and change the sound because of the way they then use the power you deliver to them.
If you are using a head that delivers 8 ohms, I would use four eight ohm speakers and wire them so you are running an eight ohm load.
I THINK this is how it is done, but someone correct me if I am wrong.
+ of Speaker 1 to + of speaker 2
- of speaker 1 to - of speaker 2
+ of speaker 3 to + of speaker 4
- of speaker 3 to - of speaker 4
then...
+ of amp to + of speaker 1
- of amp to - of speaker 3
+ of speaker 3 to - of speaker 2
Pete
soundchaser59
Reluctant Commander
cellardweller
New member
Is that parallel or series?soundchaser59 said:
I'll venture a guess~parallel?
