8 ohm instead of 4 ohm?

Question

should i hook up 8 ohm speakers instead of the 4 ohm ones i already have up? am i even able to do that or will it ruin my system?

Answer 1

Hi . Loudspeaker impedance varies with the frequency range of the speaker, so that, for example, a variation as wide as 3 to 40 ohms is possible . If the speaker has an impedance of 8 ohms ,it is really a nominal rating which is average because of the variation throughout the speakers frequency range.

If the output impedance of your Amplifier is 8 ohms, and you are using 4 0hm speakers ,then the Amplifier will try to double its output.For example if your amp is rated at 50 watt/channel,the amp will try to deliver 100 watts to the speakers.Depending on the quality of the amp and the variation of the speakers impedance,the amp may be able to do this without damage.If the amp impedance is 4 ohms then either speaker will do To be on the safe side if you wire one 8 ohm speaker and one 4 ohm speaker together in series for each channel you will get a total impedance of 12 ohms ,which will not damage the amp..

Explanation of series and parallel wiring of speakers :
When components are wired in series it means that they are wired end to end,so that the current will flow through each component one after the other .Each component in the series will have an added effect on the total amount of resistance that the circuit will have.

When components are wired in parallel,the current is split into multiple paths in which the current can flow, the resulting resistance within one section of the circuit will have significantly less of an affect on the total amount of resistance within the entire circuit.The more components wired in parallel there are, the more number of paths there will be and therefore the less total amount of resistance there will be.Examples of series and parallel wiring below :

Series...Two 8 ohm speakers wired in series would have a total impedance of 16 ohms (8+8 = 16 )
Two 4 ohm speakers wired in series would have a total impedance of 8 ohms (4+4 =8)
One 8 ohm speaker and one 4 ohm speaker would have a total impedance of 12 ohms (8 +4 =12)



Parallel..........Two 8 ohm speakers wired in parallel will have a total impedance of 4 ohms (1/8 + 1/8 =(1/0.25) =4

Two 4 ohm speakers wired in parrallel will have a total resistance of 2 ohms (1/4 + 1/4 =(1/0.5)=2

Answer 2

8 Ohms

Answer 3

If your system is designed for four ohm speakers then those work best.

8 ohm speakers can replace 4 ohm speakers if used in parallel since 8 ohms in parallel with 8 ohms is 4 ohms. But you have to watch the power rating to make sure the speakers can handle the amount of power than the home theater system can deliver.

First let me explain parallel. Parallel means that the positive terminals + of two speakers are connected together and the negative - of those two speakers are connected together. The resulting paired ++ ends are connected to the + output of the amplifier or home theater and the resulting -- ends are connected to the - of the amplifier or home theater. If the home theater used RCA connectors you would need a male RCA to two female RCA adapter at the home theater end with the male end of the adapter plugged into the home theater and the male end of the cables from the two 8 ohm speakers plugged into the female ends of the adapter. You would have to have this same setup for each speaker that you wanted to replace a 4 ohm speaker with an 8 ohm speaker. The same is true for the wiring the ++ and the -- leads method.

The main thing not to do is pair up 4 ohm speakers this way or you will ruin your amplifier.

By the way you can do this to create a second set of speaker for all the speakers except the subwoofer which often is powered separately. So you could have speakers in a second room as the second left, right, center, left rear and right rear.

If you do this however you need to be very careful to wire the speakers as I said. And of course, I am not responsible if you do this wrong. Seek the advice of a local professional if you need more help.

Answer 4

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RE:
8 ohm instead of 4 ohm?
should i hook up 8 ohm speakers instead of the 4 ohm ones i already have up? am i even able to do that or will it ruin my system?

Answer 5

You can do it - but be aware they will stress your receiver more than 8 ohms. Make sure:

- You have lots of vent room above your receiver to vent heat
- Hopefully you have a self-powered sub so tell your receiver you have "SMALL" speakers
- Keep the volume modest.
- Hopefully you have a name-brand receiver (Yamaha, Denon, Kenwood, Sony) which can handle the higher current needs. I would not use these speakers on a system by Aiwa, Yorax, Samsung, LG, etc.

An 8 ohm speaker is only 8 ohms for SOME frequencies. The speaker varies between 2 - 30 ohms as you play things. Lower frequences are closer to 0 ohms - hence the subwoofer suggestion.

A 4 ohm speaker tends to pull more current which generates heat. Hence the vent suggestion.

Answer 6

8 ohm in a house always unless you have top dollar equipment, that's the only time I have ever seen a receiver that can handle a 4 ohm load. It will overheat the stereo for sure.

Answer 7

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