Speaker Impedance/Ohm question (newbie)
Neil
bear in mind a newbie to all this but can someone explain the importance of
the impedance/ohm spec of speakers? probably more important is the issue of
what goes with what when connecting them to an amp/reciever. can any
impedance speaker be put with any amp or is there a limit/stage where it not
a good idea i.e. could i blow the amp or speaker?
any general pointers or links to sites that will explain would be greatly
appreciated. as i say i'm a newbie trying to figure what goes with what ;-)
thanks
neil
Jezzer
Impedance is expressed in ohms.
Hi-fi speakers are normally in the 4-8 ohm range and virtually all modern
amps can handle this range with ease.
If you go much above 8 ohms the amp will not be able to put as much power
into the speakers - no problem, just quieter!
If you drop below 4 ohms (say 2 ohms), the amp may be damaged (higher peak
currents) so not recommended.
A "nominal" 8 ohm speaker in fact may vary between 3 and 10 ohms dependent
on the frequency you test it at.
I hope this helps
Jeremy
"Neil" <ey...@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:bc7hcg$fupcm$2...@ID-107351.news.dfncis.de...
Rab Robertson
> Hi,
>
> bear in mind a newbie to all this but can someone explain the importance of
> the impedance/ohm spec of speakers? probably more important is the issue of
> what goes with what when connecting them to an amp/reciever. can any
> impedance speaker be put with any amp or is there a limit/stage where it not
> a good idea i.e. could i blow the amp or speaker?
The impedance of the speaker is a measurement of the electrical
resistance that the speaker has to an AC signal. Most home audio
speakers are 8 ohms but they do vary (4 & 16 ohm are also common and
there are a few 6 ohms around too).
The lower the impedance, the greater the current at a given voltage so
the harder it is for the amp to drive.
Fitting lower impedance speakers is unlikely to damage the amp as long
as you're listening at moderate levels and most amps have overload
protection to prevent damage anyway. It could cause distortion though
which can damage tweeters, so be careful if you go this route and listen
carefully for any sign of distortion
Higher impedance speakers will just be a bit quieter for a given volume
setting so no real worries there, unless it's a valve amp which I assume
it isn't.
Best advice is to match the speaker impedance to the output of the amp,
check your manual but most amps are rated at 8 ohms.
All these values are nominal by the way, a speaker's impedance will vary
with the frequency of the signal going into it.
HTH
--
Rab
Neil
cheers guys.