2-4-6-8-16 Ohm Speaker Cabinets

[granttheking98]

Hey, I was hoping someone could explain this to me once and for all so i would understand it....

 

I run a guitar heap amp, and speaker cabinet, and have always wondered what the different Ohm impedance levels mean? How does it affect your sound if it all?

What are the best ohm levels to use?

[boosh]

I can't explain it to ya ,..I only know this:

 

I'd use what ever sounds best to me.

[granttheking98]

yeah i'm kinda the same, i just match whatever the speaker says to the back of the cab, but what does it do to your/amp speaker if you mismatch them, or will different impedances affect your sound or output at all?

[boosh]

Use your ears I'd say,.. try everything and when the {censored} comes down and you blow up stuff ,make sure you don't burn vital parts of your body

 

I guess these questions are better for an AMP forum.

[MikeRivers]

 

Originally posted by granttheking98 I run a guitar heap amp, and speaker cabinet, and have always wondered what the different Ohm impedance levels mean? How does it affect your sound if it all? What are the best ohm levels to use?

To start from the end, the right impedance to use is what the amplifier manufacturer recommends.

 

As to why an amplifier would be designed to work with a specific load impedance, that's not a simple explanation, but it has a whole lot to do with Ohm's Law and the maximum output current and voltage of the amplifier.

 

The reason why there are a number of different "standard" impedances is so that you can combine multiple speakers in series or parallel and end up with a load that's in the ballpark of what the amplifier manufacturer recommends. For instance, if the amplifier calls for 4 ohm speaker and you want to use two speakers, use two 8 ohm speakers and connect them in parallel.

[franknputer]

Best bet is to match the numbers - 8 ohm speaker to 8 ohm output (or whatever the rating is).

 

If you need to use more speakers go higher, i.e. 2-8 ohm speakers in parallel, which is 16 ohms, should be OK in an 8 ohm output. (If you have a 16 ohm output option, use it instead.)

 

It's generally not a good idea to go lower than the rated output, as this will tax the output section of the amp, quite possibly beyond its capacity, and the result will be a dead amp. This is more of an issue with older amps, but if you don't know what you're doing, then don't screw around.

[franknputer]

That damn edit button is too close to the quote button!

[kevorkazito]

To add my .02 and help you out, there is no 'preferable' ohmage to be at. That is, to say that if your 50W head needs 4 ohm speakers, you may ask the question whether your tone would sound better if you were using 8 ohm speakers. Is this where you are coming from?

 

There is no course of improving your tone by using different ohm'd speakers. If you mis-match the resistive load you'll most likey wreck your amp. The idea is to use whichever rating the amp manufacturer recommends.

 

Make sense?

[GCDEF]

 

Originally posted by franknputer Best bet is to match the numbers - 8 ohm speaker to 8 ohm output (or whatever the rating is). If you need to use more speakers go higher, i.e. 2-8 ohm speakers in parallel, which is 16 ohms, should be OK in an 8 ohm output. (If you have a 16 ohm output option, use it instead.) It's generally not a good idea to go lower than the rated output, as this will tax the output section of the amp, quite possibly beyond its capacity, and the result will be a dead amp. This is more of an issue with older amps, but if you don't know what you're doing, then don't screw around.

 

 

2 8 ohm speakers in parallel is 4 ohms.

 

Solid state amps can take an impedance higher than their rated load, but not lower. Using a higher impedance will cut down on the power they produce, but won't hurt therm.

 

Tube amps can usually go one step in either direction, but not more. To be safe, its best to match exactly and always follow the manufacturer's instructions.

[D Charles]

The only reason to run an ohmage that isn't correct is to lower volume. Mesa Boogie says to plug the 8 ohm speaker into the 4 ohm jack to cut back overall volume.