I have seen alot of 4ch stereo amps lately, and the majority of them run at 2ohms. I was under the impression that 4ohms was the ideal impedence for quality.
Are components running 2ohm loads now? Does anyone know why this is?
Replies (8)
compvr15s on 12/3/2003 18:30:23
that is a good question, i dunno if comps are runn 2ohm loads now. but if they are it probably because you can get more from the 4 channel at 2 ohms, so you can power the speakers easier without havin to max your gains. im not sure if 4ohms is clearer than 2ohms,
cplkittle on 12/3/2003 18:34:51
I'll look into that further. I have also heard that it didn't matter much since most 4ohm speakers actually run around 3.10ohms.
compvr15s on 12/3/2003 18:43:14
yea if ya find anything, post it, always lookin to learn new things.
Buickman94 on 12/3/2003 18:44:32
I dont think theres a difference in quality between a 2 ohm and a 4 ohm speaker. However, there is a difference with the amp. The lower the impedence on the amp, the higher the THD.
cplkittle on 12/3/2003 18:47:00
so are there any 2ohm components out there, or are amplifier manufacturers telling us that it is ok to run a 4ohm speaker at a 2ohm load. advertising a 2ohm load boasts higher rms, but you lose some power when you double the impedence.
Relax_The_Mind on 12/3/2003 18:52:45
Quite a bit of the higher power 4ch amps are advertised at 2-ohms also because more people use seperates instead of regular 2 or 3 ways coaxials. The midrange and the tweeter combined in parallel for a 2-ohm load.
Speakers have a variable impedance meaning that the stated rating of a speaker is the nominal impedance. As a signal is passed to the speaker the impedance varies from ~.5-11ohms somewhere in that area. Heat build up plays a part in the impedance also.
Impedance has little or nothing to do with sound quality. It is more dependant on thesound fidelity of the amp and the quality of the input signal from the headunit.
If they advertise the 2 ohm rating, i think it is more of a marketing plot more than anything else.
RTM
ckoscin2 on 12/4/2003 02:50:35
i always thougth if you run you amp at a 4 ohm load the THD would be lower so it would sound better? so i looked for a amp with the lowest THD to power my 4 door speakers.
cplkittle on 12/4/2003 09:24:36
That is what I have always heard, ckoscin.
so if the components are actually running ~.5-11 ohms, there is no need to hook up two to drop the impedance because you are actually splitting the rms, therefore lowering the power to each speaker to 1/2 rms. and at times you are getting the 2 ohm impedance anyway. Is this the proper conclusion?
Are components running 2ohm loads now? Does anyone know why this is?
Replies (8)
compvr15s on 12/3/2003 18:30:23
that is a good question, i dunno if comps are runn 2ohm loads now. but if they are it probably because you can get more from the 4 channel at 2 ohms, so you can power the speakers easier without havin to max your gains. im not sure if 4ohms is clearer than 2ohms,
cplkittle on 12/3/2003 18:34:51
I'll look into that further. I have also heard that it didn't matter much since most 4ohm speakers actually run around 3.10ohms.
compvr15s on 12/3/2003 18:43:14
yea if ya find anything, post it, always lookin to learn new things.
Buickman94 on 12/3/2003 18:44:32
I dont think theres a difference in quality between a 2 ohm and a 4 ohm speaker. However, there is a difference with the amp. The lower the impedence on the amp, the higher the THD.
cplkittle on 12/3/2003 18:47:00
so are there any 2ohm components out there, or are amplifier manufacturers telling us that it is ok to run a 4ohm speaker at a 2ohm load. advertising a 2ohm load boasts higher rms, but you lose some power when you double the impedence.
Relax_The_Mind on 12/3/2003 18:52:45
Quite a bit of the higher power 4ch amps are advertised at 2-ohms also because more people use seperates instead of regular 2 or 3 ways coaxials. The midrange and the tweeter combined in parallel for a 2-ohm load.
Speakers have a variable impedance meaning that the stated rating of a speaker is the nominal impedance. As a signal is passed to the speaker the impedance varies from ~.5-11ohms somewhere in that area. Heat build up plays a part in the impedance also.
Impedance has little or nothing to do with sound quality. It is more dependant on thesound fidelity of the amp and the quality of the input signal from the headunit.
If they advertise the 2 ohm rating, i think it is more of a marketing plot more than anything else.
RTM
ckoscin2 on 12/4/2003 02:50:35
i always thougth if you run you amp at a 4 ohm load the THD would be lower so it would sound better? so i looked for a amp with the lowest THD to power my 4 door speakers.
cplkittle on 12/4/2003 09:24:36
That is what I have always heard, ckoscin.
so if the components are actually running ~.5-11 ohms, there is no need to hook up two to drop the impedance because you are actually splitting the rms, therefore lowering the power to each speaker to 1/2 rms. and at times you are getting the 2 ohm impedance anyway. Is this the proper conclusion?
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