question on speaker impedance ...

[Johnny Wadd]

Hey felllow mts'ers...
Just wondering about speaker ohms/impedance..
4,8,16 ohm speakers...
Is one rating better than the other?
Is one more efficient or make your amp push harder?
I know you have to match your amp and speakers but does one sound better vs another?
Does it even matter?
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[kc2eeb]

Actually, I'd go with 16 ohm if I had the choice. Best way, though, is to try all 3 and also a lower impedance on the switch into a higher impedance speaker.
(NEVER the reverse) and see if you can hear any difference.

 

[Johnny Wadd]

Well, what is your reason for going with 16 ohm?

 

[kc2eeb]

I like the way it sounds.
Technically, running the amp into a higher impedance, lowers it's RMS output,
and the frequency response changes but, what's really important is how it sounds to you.
Easiest way to try this is with 2 8 ohm speakers of the same make and model. 1 speaker by itself is 8 ohms. Play that and listen.
If you then connect them in parallel you get 4 ohms. Play that.
Then, connect them in series and you get 16 ohms. Play that.
To my ears, at the higher impedance, you get better lows and mids at 16 ohms.
To connect speakers in series: the tip, "+" of the speaker cable goes to +
of one speaker, the - of that speaker connects to the + of the second speaker and the - of the second speaker goes to the ground, "-" of the speaker cable.

 

[mikegyver]

I prefer 16 Ohm speakers just because they are really flexible when wiring cabs. I've never noticed a tone difference due to impedance, but then again I never looked. I generally buy 16 ohm speakers and wire them for 8 ohm stereo in my Marshall 1960A cab (2 speakers each side, running parallel to get 2 sets of 8 ohm inputs).

 

[trimix]

I've got amps that sound different using different impedance taps on the output transformer. You'll have to listen to find out if that's the case with your amp, which might be difficult if you don't have a variety of speaker impedences on hand...