Members gtrwiz Posted July 28, 2005 Members Share Posted July 28, 2005 OK, I've posted this on a couple of the guitar forums, and the lack of response tells my that the kids over there would rather discuss porn than guitars. So let's see what ya'll can come up with. (no pun intended) I have a 2x12 cab with one greenback and one vintage 30. They are wired so that I can use them at the same time or plug into each one seperately. When I use the speakers together they have an 8 ohm load, seperately 16 ohm load. My Delema: I want to, occasionally, use a different amp with each speaker, but my Matchless DC-30 only has an 8 ohm output. Will this blow the speaker, or otherwise effect the tone? Is there any way to convert my 8 ohm output to 16? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members franknputer Posted July 28, 2005 Members Share Posted July 28, 2005 Short answer to conversion: no. If I understand you, using one or the other gives 16 ohms, and the 2 together in parallel gives up 8 ohms? This, of course, means that your speakers are 16 ohms each. Your only option other than running them in parallel (or buying different speakers) is to wirh them in series: + lead from amp to + on speaker 1, - from speaker 1 to + speaker 2, then - from speaker 2 to the - lead of the amp. This will double, rather than halve, the resistance & you will wind up with a 32 ohm resistance. NOW: given all this BS, you should be OK running the 16 ohm speaker alone. Generally, it's best to match for optimum performance - but what you want to avoid is running too low of a resistance. You would NOT want to run a 4 ohm or 2 ohm load from that amp - you'd definitely do some damage. However, going the other way shouldn't be a problem. *NOTE* I do not have experience with Matchless amps. I'm just putting out the general amp/speaker impedance theory. You might want to ask Matchless what they think, just to be safe. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members fantasticsound Posted July 28, 2005 Members Share Posted July 28, 2005 To summarize my buddy, Chris' post; You can run an 8 ohm output into a 16 ohm load (speaker), but your actual power output will be far less than into an 8 ohm load. Running an 8 ohm output into a lower (say 4 ohm) load is dangerous because it is the equivalent of running down a steep hill. First it seems easier to run.. until you reach speeds such that your legs can't keep up and you wipe out. Running a higher output impedance into a lower impedance load will burn out the power transformer as it puts out more power than it's rated to supply. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members franknputer Posted July 28, 2005 Members Share Posted July 28, 2005 Leave it to Neal to screw up a perfectly long-winded ramble... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members fantasticsound Posted July 29, 2005 Members Share Posted July 29, 2005 I can screw up rants and rambles of any length! (Usually, I'm the one who's as clear as brick wall! ) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Anderton Posted July 29, 2005 Members Share Posted July 29, 2005 Just confirming what's been said above...running 8 ohms to a 16 ohm speaker is most likely safe, but will reduce level. You might check with Matchless. They may be using a tapped transformer that is capable of matching a 16 ohm load, if you choose a different tap. Or, you may able to replace the output transformer with one that's compatible with your speaker -- they may even have one in stock you can install yourself. It's worth a try... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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