Jump to content

Speaker impedence: 8 ohm vs 16 ohm


scud133

Recommended Posts

  • Members

Hypothetical:

 

I have an amp that can output in 4, 8, or 16 ohms and I want to get a single speaker cab... assuming all else equal, does it really make any difference if I buy the 8 ohm or 16 ohm version of the speaker?

 

I assume there wouldn't be any real difference, but I'm no expert so I was hoping someone here would know...

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

Typically, the higher impedance speaker will be quieter (for a given master volume setting) but a little tighter in sound. It will also draw less current for a given power output, so you run less risk of blowing up your power stage with a higher impedance speaker.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

 

Typically, the higher impedance speaker will be quieter (for a given master volume setting) but a little tighter in sound. It will also draw less current for a given power output, so you run less risk of blowing up your power stage with a higher impedance speaker.

 

 

Cool, thanks.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

 

Typically, the higher impedance speaker will be quieter (for a given master volume setting) but a little tighter in sound. It will also draw less current for a given power output, so you run less risk of blowing up your power stage with a higher impedance speaker.

 

 

Wrong answers, they're what's for dinner.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

Yes there is differences.......... Your amp will work harder with a 16ohm speaker to get to the same volume of a 8ohm speaker. You may or may not like how this effects your tone. Basically with more resistance you get to push your amp a bit more and get those tubes glowing. This will give you a hotter and more pushed sound. So with a 16 ohm speaker you would have to turn the master volume of your amp up louder than you would with a 8ohm speaker. Depending on how loud you play, this may or may not work the best for you. Think of it somewhat like a hotplate, attenuator.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

 

Yes there is differences.......... Your amp will work harder with a 16ohm speaker to get to the same volume of a 8ohm speaker. You may or may not like how this effects your tone. Basically with more resistance you get to push your amp a bit more and get those tubes glowing. This will give you a hotter and more pushed sound. So with a 16 ohm speaker you would have to turn the master volume of your amp up louder than you would with a 8ohm speaker. Depending on how loud you play, this may or may not work the best for you. Think of it somewhat like a hotplate, attenuator.

 

 

If you're talking about a tube amp, you're 100% wrong, provided that the OT secondary is matched to the speaker impedence. It's nothing like an attenuator.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

 

If you're talking about a tube amp, you're 100% wrong, provided that the OT secondary is matched to the speaker impedence. It's nothing like an attenuator.

 

 

 

 

This is theoreticaly speaking..... It is like an attenuator because you get to turn your master volume up higher and not get as much volume out of a 16 ohm speaker compared to a 8ohm speaker. So you are driving your amp more than you would be with the 8ohm. The higher resistance speaker is kind of like the effect of an attenuator.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

 

This is theoreticaly speaking..... It is like an attenuator because you get to turn your master volume up higher and not get as much volume out of a 16 ohm speaker compared to a 8ohm speaker. So you are driving your amp more than you would be with the 8ohm. The higher resistance speaker is kind of like the effect of an attenuator.

 

 

Incorrect. You're talking sensitivity ratings, not ohmage.

 

 

In theory, a 16 ohm speaker will sound mildly different because of a different voice coil. Typically more mellow in the upper mids area.

 

 

A 16 ohm speaker pushed by 100 watts will be as loud (barring variables, of course) as an 8 ohm speaker. You won't get any more saturation out of the output tubes.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

 

Incorrect. You're talking sensitivity ratings, not ohmage.



In theory, a 16 ohm speaker will sound mildly different because of a different voice coil. Typically more mellow in the upper mids area.



A 16 ohm speaker pushed by 100 watts will be as loud (barring variables, of course) as an 8 ohm speaker. You won't get any more saturation out of the output tubes.

 

 

You arent getting the fact that with a 16ohm speaker you have to turn the master volume of your amp up higher to get to the same audible level of a 8ohm speaker.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

 

You arent getting the fact that with a 16ohm speaker you have to turn the master volume of your amp up higher to get to the same audible level of a 8ohm speaker.

 

 

Sigh. That's because tube amps don't work that way. A tube amp that allows you to select the impedance will put out the same power whatever the load.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

 

You arent getting the fact that with a 16ohm speaker you have to turn the master volume of your amp up higher to get to the same audible level of a 8ohm speaker.

 

 

This is true, and in that fact lies one of the biggest tonal differences I hear between different Ohm settings..

 

The transformer is reacting differently to the speaker load and you can hear and feel the difference..

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

in regards to tube amps, Weathered and GCDEF are correct and everyone who says there will be a volume difference is wrong.

 

On tube amps, if the amp's secondary impedance is correctly matched with the load, there is no difference in output or volume between driving a 8-ohm load with an 8-ohm tap and a comparable 16-ohm load with the 16-ohm tap. That's WHAT the output transformer is for, adjusting the impedance from tube side (primary) to speaker side (secondary).

 

There is a tonal difference involved with multi-tap transformers. As you switch the secondary impedance tap from, say 4 ohms to 8 ohms to 16 ohms, the tone gets warmer, and vice-versa.

 

But that is only multi-tap transformers. A transformer manufacturer could very well make two single tap transformers, both with matching primary impedances, but wind one for a 4 ohm secondary and one for a 16 ohm secondary and have them perform exactly the same driving their respective loads.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

 

You arent getting the fact that with a 16ohm speaker you have to turn the master volume of your amp up higher to get to the same audible level of a 8ohm speaker.

 

 

Ugh. You don't have to turn the master higher at all. If the output transformer is designed even remotely well, they'll be the same level. Unless you're playing on some little rinky-dink piece of {censored} tube amp, you won't even notice the volume difference. The only difference is in the voice coil which alters the frequency response slightly. Believe me, I've directly compared different ohmages of speakers many times. At most, you'll gain maybe 1 DB (which is HARDLY noticeable if at all) by halving the impedance.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

in regards to
tube
amps, Weathered and GCDEF are
correct
and everyone who says there will be a volume difference is
wrong
.


On
tube
amps, if the amp's secondary impedance is correctly matched with the load, there is
no difference in output or volume
between driving a 8-ohm load with an 8-ohm tap and a comparable 16-ohm load with the 16-ohm tap. That's WHAT the output transformer is for, adjusting the impedance from tube side (primary) to speaker side (secondary).


There is a tonal difference involved with multi-tap transformers. As you switch the secondary impedance tap from, say 4 ohms to 8 ohms to 16 ohms, the tone gets warmer, and vice-versa.


But that is only
multi-tap
transformers. A transformer manufacturer could very well make two single tap transformers, both with matching primary impedances, but wind one for a 4 ohm secondary and one for a 16 ohm secondary and have them perform exactly the same driving their respective loads.

 

That's exactly what I've been trying to say. :lol:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

 

This is true, and in that fact lies one of the biggest tonal differences I hear between different Ohm settings..


The transformer is reacting differently to the speaker load and you can hear and feel the difference..

 

 

Read the OP. If you correctly change the secondary impedance with the impedance switch on the amp, the output transformer DOESN'T see any difference. The output transformer is changing a 4000K or 8000K primary impedance (depending on amp) to either a 2, 4, 6, 8, 16, 32 secondary impedance to always match the tubes to the speaker load.

 

All OT's are there for is a ratio. For example: 4000:4 or 8 or 16. You change the tap, you change the ratio and compensate for the different speaker load.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

 

Sigh. That's because tube amps don't work that way. A tube amp that allows you to select the impedance will put out the same power whatever the load.

 

 

I dont think he's disputing that though..What he's saying is that the tone will be different at any volume because of these differences. My comments are directedly related to the tone, not a volume difference.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

 

Read the OP. If you correctly
change
the secondary impedance with the impedance
switch
on the amp, the output transformer DOESN'T see any difference. The output transformer is changing a 4000K or 8000K primary impedance (depending on amp) to either a 2, 4, 6, 8, 16, 32 secondary impedance to always match the tubes to the speaker load.


All OT's are there for is a ratio. For example: 4000:4 or 8 or 16. You change the tap, you change the ratio and compensate for the different speaker load.

 

 

Doesnt matter, the tone is different..

 

So, let me get this straight, in your opinion theres no possible difference in sound when a transformer is using all the windings at 16, compared to the transformer tapped off at 8 or 4 ohm?

I disagree..I've heard the differences too many times.

From what I gather this thread is about the change in tone that occurs, not matching a resistance

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

 

So in your opinion theres no possible difference in sound when a transformer is using allt he windings at 16, compared to the transformer tapped off at 8 or 4 ohm?

I disagree..Fromw hat I gather this thread is about the change in tone that occurs, not matching a resistance

 

 

Read my first post. I said multi-tap transformers do have a tonal change...but not an volume change. And that this a side-effect of their multi-tap design (which is ultimately a compromise) and do no carry over to single-tap OT's.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

 

I dont think he's disputing that though..What he's saying is that the tone will be different at any volume because of these differences

 

 

No, what The4thlast1 said was we had to turn up the MV to compensate for the higher impedance load...which is total bull{censored} if the impedances are matched correctly at the switch....the output will be the same with no adjustment to volume.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

 


From what I gather this thread is about the change in tone that occurs, not matching a resistance

 

 

It would be nice if that were true, but the pankot and The4thlast1 brought in the volume issue (which you, apparently, inadvertently backed up) which is what we are disputing.

 

Oblivion DC did hit the nail on the head with the first reply.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

 

No, what The4thlast1 said was we had to turn up the MV to compensate for the higher impedance load...which is total bull{censored} if the impedances are matched correctly at the switch....the output will be the same with no adjustment to volume.

 

 

Volume is one thing..You cannot increase the amount of volume the head has with different ohm settings..I agree but the tone will change even at low volumes. Dont you agree?

 

One of the earliest mods i can remember guys doing besides tube swaps was plugging an 8ohm setting on the amp into a 16 ohm cab to give that wet overdriven tone. The transformer is working harder this way and it sounds pretty cool..

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

 

It would be nice if that were true, but the pankot and The4thlast1 brought in the volume issue (which you, apparently, inadvertently backed up) which is what we are disputing.

 

 

I guess I have the ability to read through the lines. I knew what he was getting at. Not all of the dudes here have the correct terminology, myself included..

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

×
×
  • Create New...