peter miller
New member
monitors seem to be 4 ohms. Can ohms be mixed?
can a 4 ohm speaker be used on an 8 ohm amp etc
can a 4 ohm speaker be used on an 8 ohm amp etc
vox
Member
You're going to have to do some research, some pro power amps can go as low as 2 Ohms, check the amps manual and look for the minimum that it can handle. If it says 8 Ohm minimum then you should not use it with a 4 Ohm load, using a higher load is ok (within reason) but a smaller load can fry your amp.
S
Sabith
New member
Yep...... OHM ratings can be mixed you just have to be careful when you do it that you don't overrun your amp and melt it =)
And as long at the WATT ratings are similar you shouldn't have many probs =)
Sabith
And as long at the WATT ratings are similar you shouldn't have many probs =)
Sabith
Track Rat
Just Your Average Sized Member
Actually, the power ( or watts) rating isn't so important. Matching impedence is. You can run speakers rated at 50 watts with a 200 watt power amp with little problem. As a matter of fact, it's easier to destroy a speaker with a smaller amp than a larger one (it's a matter of "clean power" versus square waves).
peter miller
New member
hhhmmmm conflict of opinion
C
Cave Dweller
New member
not so much difference of opinion as misunderstood information...
the impedence (basicly the load) of a speaker is measured in ohms. if there is not enough load, the amp will heat up to the point where it will melt(unless there is an overload protection built in). some amps that say 8 ohms can be run at 4 ohms with no problem, but it may begin to overheat if you try to run alot of power to the speakers.
what track rat is saying is if you need volume, and only have 50 watt speakers, you are more safe to get a larger amp than the speakers can handle. there are technical explanations for this, but a 50 watt amp will distort before a 200 watt amp, and sending distorted signal (which is actually direct current) to speakers damages them faster than overpowering.
the impedence (basicly the load) of a speaker is measured in ohms. if there is not enough load, the amp will heat up to the point where it will melt(unless there is an overload protection built in). some amps that say 8 ohms can be run at 4 ohms with no problem, but it may begin to overheat if you try to run alot of power to the speakers.
what track rat is saying is if you need volume, and only have 50 watt speakers, you are more safe to get a larger amp than the speakers can handle. there are technical explanations for this, but a 50 watt amp will distort before a 200 watt amp, and sending distorted signal (which is actually direct current) to speakers damages them faster than overpowering.
Track Rat
Just Your Average Sized Member
Exactly.
Tekker
New member
Does anyone know of any good webpages on this subject??
Roel
That SMART guy.
Woehoeeeeeeeee... Electronics class-hour!!!
Today we focus on.... takka djing!
Ohm's law!!
Which says: U = I x R
Now, what you need to know: an amp will make sure that the voltage over it's output is a (gain) times the voltage over it's input.
So, U can be considered constant here. R is the impedance of your speakes.
If R is 4 Ohm, you'd have:
I=U/4
Now, if you would connect a 2 Ohm speaker:
I=U/2
The latter case gives a current that is twice as high!! So!
If you connect a speaker with LOWER impedance than the amp expects, you'll get a higher current. If you're using the amp at high power, you will ask to much. It will provide more current than it's guts can handle, and it will die...
If you connect a speaker with HIGHER impedance, current will be lower. You won't be getting all you can get from your amp, but you won't *kill* it.
Now, for homework, you will all post 5$, and go vote for me... Details in the cave, thread NEED YOUR HELP.
For the 5$, mail me for my snail mail address.
Today we focus on.... takka djing!
Ohm's law!!
Which says: U = I x R
Now, what you need to know: an amp will make sure that the voltage over it's output is a (gain) times the voltage over it's input.
So, U can be considered constant here. R is the impedance of your speakes.
If R is 4 Ohm, you'd have:
I=U/4
Now, if you would connect a 2 Ohm speaker:
I=U/2
The latter case gives a current that is twice as high!! So!
If you connect a speaker with LOWER impedance than the amp expects, you'll get a higher current. If you're using the amp at high power, you will ask to much. It will provide more current than it's guts can handle, and it will die...
If you connect a speaker with HIGHER impedance, current will be lower. You won't be getting all you can get from your amp, but you won't *kill* it.
Now, for homework, you will all post 5$, and go vote for me... Details in the cave, thread NEED YOUR HELP.
For the 5$, mail me for my snail mail address.