Can I use a 16 ohm speaker with a 4 ohm amp?
Can I use a 16 ohm speaker with a 4 ohm amp?
It is totally ok to run a 4ohm amp into a 16 ohm cab. The rule is that you can mismatch ohms as long as you mismatch lower rather than higher.
Does a 16 ohm speaker sound better?
This may be a lot of information to process, but the bottom line is that two of the same speakers have the potential to be slightly different in tone and response, but probably not to any substantial degree. Generally, any perceived difference might be that the 16-ohm speaker could be a bit brighter.
Is 16 or 4 ohms better?
So long as the impedances match, then the tubes are happy, and so are the primary windings. But with the secondary windings that drive the speakers, at four ohms, there is twice as much current flowing than at 16 ohms for a given power output (P=I^2xR).
Which is louder 4ohm or 8ohm?
A 4-ohm speaker requires more power from an amplifier than an 8-ohm speaker to produce the same loudness of sound. This is due to the relationship between voltage, current and resistance in electronic circuits; for a given voltage, a lower impedance means a greater current.
What ohm amp should I use?
You always want to match your amp ohms to the speaker ohms or keep your amp’s ohm output at a lower setting than the ohm of your speakers. If you have an 8-ohm speaker, and your amp is set at 4 ohms, you’ll be okay since your 8-ohm speaker would be able to handle the weaker signal from the amp.
Can a 16 ohm speaker be used with an 8 ohm AMP?
In this case (amp with significant output impedance, tube or SS), the amp/speaker are an interactive system (changing one will affect the other). The power attenuation effect of using a 16 ohm speaker on an 8 ohm amp would be minimal anyway, probably less than 3dB, compared to using an 8 ohm speaker.
Can a solid state amp output 8 ohms?
A quick research suggests that this is different in tube vs. solid state amps. It would probably help to get a better answer if you can specify what amp you’re using. – user13400 Dec 1 ’14 at 11:21 With 8 ohms output from the amp., simple safe rule is any speaker >8 ohms is fine, any speaker <8 ohms is not. – Tim Dec 1 ’14 at 13:38
Why do I need a 16 ohm output transformer?
BTW, there is nothing even remotely unusual about a 16 ohm tap. FWIW, the output transformer operates more efficiently on the 16 ohm tap with greater bandwidth in both directions and better power transfer- so you actually gain a little power with lower distortion.
Is it safe to use a 16 amp?
The reason 16 is ‘safe’ is that amps have a tolerance; 8 – 16 is pretty standard. Some can work down at 4 Ohms & a very few at 2. Running an amp into too low impedance will suck it dry (not a technical term 😉 & kill it pretty quickly at high volumes, through overheating.