Members crashclc Posted June 20, 2009 Members Share Posted June 20, 2009 As long as the power handling capacity of the speaker meets or exceeds the rated power output of your amp at a given impedance (usually 8 ohms) you should be good to go - assuming the speaker has the same or higher impedance. Higher impedence speakers just result in less output volume. Lower than amp rated impedance can result in sparks and flame and considerable entertainment for the spectators. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members PlectrumPete Posted June 20, 2009 Members Share Posted June 20, 2009 I assume you are talking 'peak' rather than continuous power. Any speaker that started to melt down at it's maximum continuous power would be overrated junk. Speakers are usually conservatively rated and use RMS figures. Cheaper, low wattage, SS amps are usually overrated and use peak figures. Need to be careful in what you are comparing, but even then the actual power drawn by a speaker at any instant can vary hugely due to the changing impedance of the speaker as it moves. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members beginner01 Posted June 20, 2009 Members Share Posted June 20, 2009 As long as the power handling capacity of the speaker meets or exceeds the rated power output of your amp at a given impedance (usually 8 ohms) you should be good to go - assuming the speaker has the same or higher impedance. Higher impedence speakers just result in less output volume. Lower than amp rated impedance can result in sparks and flame and considerable entertainment for the spectators. why didn't you post 1st?and save me readin' 2 pgs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members PlectrumPete Posted June 20, 2009 Members Share Posted June 20, 2009 .. Higher impedence speakers just result in less output volume. Lower than amp rated impedance can result in sparks and flame and considerable entertainment for the spectators. Only true for SS amps. For tube amps the picture is quite different. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Wyatt Posted June 20, 2009 Members Share Posted June 20, 2009 Speakers are usually conservatively rated and use RMS figures.Cheaper, low wattage, SS amps are usually overrated and use peak figures.Need to be careful in what you are comparing, but even then the actual power drawn by a speaker at any instant can vary hugely due to the changing impedance of the speaker as it moves. Modern SS amps are limited to RMS to avoid "harsh" SS power amp overdrive. So, RMS and PEAK are identical. This wasn't the case with early SS amps (original Kustom, Vox, etc.), which could be cranked to distort quite rudely and soemhow it works fine (crank an old '60's SS Vox and you'llnail the Whole Lot of Loving tone). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members tlbonehead Posted June 20, 2009 Members Share Posted June 20, 2009 Also, most manufacturers rate their speakers for thermal capability foremost, meaning the ability to dissipate heat at the VC area. So the longer you play thru the speaker at or close to its max rating, the better chance of frying it. You can kill a speaker at less than its rating by over-excursion. ie, making that super "V" in your EQ with the lowest frequencies maxxed, especially when the speaker has no rear suspension. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members mysterymonger Posted June 20, 2009 Members Share Posted June 20, 2009 Regarding ss and tube amps, I read somewhere that it's best to pair a higher wattage speaker with a tube amp due to the unpredictable nature of tube power output. And, for ss amps, its best to match or even pair a lower wattage speaker because too much draw from a speaker could burn the transformer out. Is this true? (this is of course with the impedances matched) In the case of a tube amp, will a 200w speaker cause harm to an amp with a 50w output? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members newbuilder Posted June 20, 2009 Members Share Posted June 20, 2009 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members wagdog Posted June 20, 2009 Members Share Posted June 20, 2009 Good reading all! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members tlbonehead Posted June 20, 2009 Members Share Posted June 20, 2009 Regarding ss and tube amps, I read somewhere that it's best to pair a higher wattage speaker with a tube amp due to the unpredictable nature of tube power output. And, for ss amps, its best to match or even pair a lower wattage speaker because too much draw from a speaker could burn the transformer out. Is this true? (this is of course with the impedances matched)In the case of a tube amp, will a 200w speaker cause harm to an amp with a 50w output?other than the first comment, where did you hear that junk? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members mysterymonger Posted June 20, 2009 Members Share Posted June 20, 2009 other than the first comment, where did you hear that junk? I'm just going by memory. I couldn't find the site where I thought I read about this so it's prolly just my bad memory. Please disregard. Anyhoo, I have two 1x12 cabs loaded with EVM12L's rated at 200w powered by a Mesa Boogie 50/50 power amp. I know it's prolly a safe match, I just need some reassurance from people who are more knowledgable than me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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