answersLogoWhite

0

Can you power 8 ohm speakers with a 4 ohm amplifier?

Updated: 8/20/2019
User Avatar

Wiki User

10y ago

Best Answer

Yes, but you won't get rated pwer. Best is to match the speaker to the amplifier.

User Avatar

Wiki User

10y ago
This answer is:
User Avatar

Add your answer:

Earn +20 pts
Q: Can you power 8 ohm speakers with a 4 ohm amplifier?
Write your answer...
Submit
Still have questions?
magnify glass
imp
Related questions

Can I safely run 4 x 4ohm speakers with an 8 ohm rated amplifier?

Not really. The only possible configurations of four 4 ohm speakers is 1 ohm, 4 ohms, and 16 ohms. This will not match an 8 ohm rated amplifier. It will work, but you will not achieve rated power output, and you run the risk of damaging the amplifier.


Can I connect two 2 ohm speakers to the front channels of my amp and then connect 2 4 ohm speakers to the rear channels of my 4 channel amp?

This depends on your amplifier's specifications. i would recommend looking in the amplifier's service manual to avoid disapointment or damage to your amplifier or speakers.


If you replace a 4 ohm speaker with an 8 ohm speaker can the amplifier blow the speaker?

A1: The output impedance of a power amplifier is always less than 0.1 ohms. There are no 4 ohm amplifiers on the market! A2: I actually just bought a new car radio/CD player that specifically shows 4 ohm speakers on the sticker. It is designed to work optimally with 4 ohm speakers. If you use 8 ohm instead, it will work, but you will not get the full power output that is specified. The amp can only kick out so much voltage and so much amperage - if it is designed for 4 ohm speakers, and 200 watts (stereo, so 100 watts per speaker), it can supply 20 volts (P = V^2 / R). If you used 8 ohm speakers to this amplifier, each speaker would only get 50 watts powered at full output voltage. Alternatively, if it is designed for 8 ohm speakers and 100 watts per speaker, it can provide 40 volts. If you used 4 ohm speakers instead, each speaker could be given 200 watts at 40 volts, resulting in severe overheating and damage to the amplifier.


Can 8 ohm speakers on a 4 ohm amp damage them?

Sorry, there is no amplifier with an output impedance of 4 ohm on the market. Scroll down to related links and look at "Interconnection of two audio units". Look for an amplifier and a loudspeaker.


Can you run 4 70w speakers on a 150w amp or will it blow?

It's entirely possible to use four 70W speakers with a 150W amplifier but the method will depend on the speakers and the amplifier specification. We will assume that the amplifier will deliver up to 150W per channel, so two speakers will be used on each channel. If the amplifier is rated to drive a 4 ohm load, then two 8 ohm speakers can be wired in parallel and connected. In this instance, take care NOT to drive the amplifier too hard. It will overdrive the speakers at about the same time that it will begin to show a distorted output. This is a condition that can easily damage speakers so be very conservative with the volume control. If the speakers are 4 ohm speakers, they can be wired in series to provide a total impedance of 8 ohms. If the amplifier is rated to deliver 150W into 4 ohms, then the total power to the speakers will be lower than to a single speaker. The benefit is that no speaker can be over-driven and there is a good amount of headroom for safety.


Will using a 2 ohm 1200 watt amplifier be ok to use with three 4 ohm speakers 12 and 2-10?

If you connect three 4 ohm speakers in parallel, the amplifier would see a load of about 1.3 ohms. This definitely could damage the amp if you drive it too loud.


Is it ok to hook a 16 ohm Speaker up to a 8 ohm amp?

A1: The output impedance of a power amplifier is always less than 0.1 ohms. There are no 8 ohm amplifiers on the market! A2: I actually just bought a new car radio/CD player that specifically shows 4 ohm speakers on the sticker. It is designed to work optimally with 4 ohm speakers. If you use 8 ohm instead, it will work, but you will not get the full power output that is specified. The amp can only kick out so much voltage and so much amperage - if it is designed for 4 ohm speakers, and 200 watts (stereo, so 100 watts per speaker), it can supply 20 volts (P = V^2 / R). If you used 8 ohm speakers to this amplifier, each speaker would only get 50 watts powered at full output voltage. Alternatively, if it is designed for 8 ohm speakers and 100 watts per speaker, it can provide 40 volts. If you used 4 ohm speakers instead, each speaker could be given 200 watts at 40 volts, resulting in severe overheating and damage to the amplifier. This applies to your case as well: it is OK to hook up higher impedance speakers to a lower impedance amplifier, but you will get less power delivered. If you do the opposite (lower impedance speakers to higher impedance amplifier), keep the volume low or you could burn out the amp.


Can you play 8 ohm speakers on a 16 ohm amp?

There is no 8 ohm solid state amp. Really! The output impedance of such an amp will be arround 0.4 ohms. Scroll down to related links and look at "Interconnection of two units- Voltage Bridging - Zout < Zin".You can, as long as the amp's impedance is much lower to the speaker(s) total ohm load you're fine. We have never impedance matching there.


What happens when you have a 4 ohm and a 2 ohm sub hooked up to an amplifier?

Yes, you can wire a 6 ohm sub with a 4 ohm sub to the same amplifier, but you need to verify that the amplifier can handle the resulting impedance of 2.4 ohms - many cannot, and could be destroyed. Also, realize that the power in the 4 ohm sub will be greater than the power in the 6 ohm sub.


Can a 4 ohm receiver drive 3 ohm speakers?

If you connect four four-ohm speakers in parallel, the impedance will be equal to 1 ohm, and will allow the speakers to run at the advertised watt RMS. The equation is 1/(total impedance) = 1/(impedance 1) + 1/(impedance 2) and so on. Parallel is like this: Power source: + Speaker+: + + + + Speaker-: - - - - Power source: - However, usually if you hook up a 4 ohm speaker to a 1 ohm amplifier, it would still function it would simply not provide nearly as much wattage as it would have otherwise. Also, if your speakers are dual voice coil (like many subwoofers) you could use 2 4 ohm speakers, connecting the two voice coils on each speaker in parallel and then connecting the speakers themselves in parallel.


How do you select speakers with respect to the impedance of the amplifier?

Amplifiers are rated to operate within a range of impedances. Typically, a domestic amplifier will drive a minimum impedance of 8 Ohms or 4 Ohms. Using speakers that have an impedance lower than the amplifier rating is likely to increase distortion and can damage the outputs of the amplifier if the levels are too high. Using speakers that are significantly higher than the minimum rating will not cause damage to either the amplifier or speakers but it will reduce the power that is delivered to the speakers. In most domestic systems, this limitation of the power output is not likely to be an issue. Any amplifier rated to drive into 4 Ohms will work well with speakers of between 4 and 8 Ohms. An amplifier with an 8 Ohm rating should be used only with speakers of 8 Ohms or higher.


Can resistance be added to speakers to make a 4 ohm speaker have an 8 ohm load?

You "can" add a four ohm resistor in series with a four ohm speaker, and make it look like an eight ohm speaker, however, the frequency response will not be the same. It is better to use to correct speaker for the amplifier, or use two four ohm speakers in parallel. That resistors power rating must exceed the rating of the speaker. Half the from the amplifier will go to the speaker, while half will go to the resistor, making it get quite hot.