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There is a practical answer as well as a technical answer to the question. See below for a precise technical comment on output impedances.
Amplifier manufacturers quote a minimum load resistance or impedance that should be used with an amplifier. Most good quality amplifiers will handle a 4 ohm load without any complaint. Most amplifiers are rated to deliver a certain amount of power into an 8 ohm load but this does not specify that 8 ohms is the minimum load that can be used. In this case, the amplifier may specify a power output into a 16 ohm load or that 16 ohms is the minimum recommended load to be used.
If the amplifier is rated to drive 16 ohm speakers, using 8 ohm speakers will tend to draw more current than with a 16 ohm speaker if all other factors are the same. This can lead to increased distortion or as power levels increase can result in damage to components. Normally, using a lower impedance speaker on an amplifier will work without any problems because manufacturers provide a margin for safety. It is wise to avoid using the amplifier at high output levels and even wiser to consult the manufacturer before doing it. Damage is very unlikely, but possible.
The technical details of amplifier impedances
There is no "16 ohm amplifier" at all on the market. All amplifiers have an output impedance less than 0.5 ohms.
The amplifier will have an output impedance of around 0.05 ohms. In hi-fi we have always impedance bridging. Zout << Zin. That means the output impedance of the amplifier is much less than the input impedance of the loud speaker.
The damping factor Df = Zin / Zout tells you what Zout is.
Zout = Zin/Df.
If the damping factor Df = 200 and the loudspeaker impedance is Zin = 8 ohms, the output impedance of the amplifier is Zout = 16 / 200 = 0.08 ohms.
See related links and look at "Voltage Bridging - Zout < Zin".
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Will a 4 ohms speaker work with a 16 ohms amplifier?
An amplifier that is rated to drive a 16 ohm load will not perform well if a 4 ohm load is applied to it. The output rating is calculated to allow the highest power output from the amplifier. If a 4 ohm speaker is used instead of the recommended 16 ohm speaker, the current output will be far higher for a given output voltage. Although the amplifier will drive the speaker at low levels, as the volume is increased, the output current may rise to the point where it will damage output transistors or perhaps the main power supply. Some 16 ohm rated amplifiers may well handle 4 ohm speakers without damage but the only way to find out is to try it - meaning a dead amplifier if the test isn't successful. So, just like my previous answer (what happened to it?), the answer is YES but not as well.
Can 8 ohms horn driver work in series with a 16 ohms horn driver?
Yes, on 8 ohm horn driver will work in series with a 16 ohms horn driver, but it will not work well.An 8 ohm speaker in series with a 16 ohm speaker will only present a load of 24 ohms to the amplifier. (Assuming they have the same frequency to impedance curve.) That will result in one third the expected current, and one ninth the expected power. Also, since each speaker represents inductance, it will act in part as a filter, affecting the frequency reponse of the other speaker.
Can an 8 ohm speaker be driven safely by a 16 ohm Guitar amp?
It's a myth. There is really no 16 Ohm guitar amplifier on the market. And there never was. The amplifier will have an output impedance of around 0.04 ohms. In hi-fi we have always impedance bridging. Zout << Zin. That means the output impedance of the amplifier is much less than the input impedance of the loud speaker. The damping factor Df = Zin / Zout tells you what Zout is. Zout = Zin/Df. If the damping factor Df = 200 and the loudspeaker impedance is Zin = 16 ohms, the output impedance of the amplifier is Zout = 16 / 200 = 0.08 ohms. You see, there is no "16 ohm amplifier" on the market with a16 ohm output impedance. Scroll down to related links and look at "Voltage Bridging or impedance bridging - Zout < Zin".
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 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.
How do you make a 16 ohm speaker 8 ohm?
You cannot make a 16 ohm speaker into an 8 ohm speaker. You would need to replace the voice coil. You can, however, put two 16 ohm speakers in parallel, and the equivalent impedance would be 8 ohms. The only remaining issue is frequency response, and that's a factor of speaker and enclosure design, so best is to use the exact speaker as originally designed.
How do you connect 4 ohm speaker to 16 output amplifier?
No Problem to do this, but there are really no amplifiers with an output impedance of 16 ohms on the market. All loudspeaker amplifiers have an impedance of less than 0.5 ohm. Scroll down to related links and look at "Impedance bridging - Wikipedia".
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.
Will 2 16 ohm speakers work with a 4 ohm amplifier?
There is really no amplifier on the market which has an output impedance of 4 ohms. The impedance of an amplifier is always less than 0.5 ohms. We do not use matching, we use bridging when we connect the amplifier to the loudspeaker. Scroll down to related links and look at "Interconnection of two audio units".
How do i Make a 8 ohm speaker 16 ohm?
You can't change the ohm load of a speaker. What you can do, is get a second 8 ohm speaker to run with that speakers in series and you will get a total ohm load of 16 ohms.To run them in series, simply wire the positive terminal of one speaker to the negative of the other speaker. One speaker will have an open positive terminal which you wire to the positive terminal on the amp, and same goes for the negative on the other speaker (to the amp's negative terminal of course).
Can you put 2 8 ohm's speakers in 1 channel?
Your simplest scheme would be to wire them in series - one after the other - thus presenting a 16 ohm load to the amplifier. This will cause no harm to the amplifier. If you wired them in parallel, then the effective load would be only 4 ohms, and this would cause more load on the amplifier. Depending upon the design of your amplifier, this could cause more distortion. In closing, it is only in the 'mid range' that the impedance of the speaker is the nominal load - say 8 ohm. At 'resonance' - generally at frequencies of a few tens of Hertz, the impedance of your speaker will be a few times its nominal impedance. At high frequencies, again the impedance of the speaker will increase to a few times nominal.
Can i plug my 4 ohms Guitar amp into 16 ohms speakers?
That should be safe; although you won't get the best out of the loudspeakers. It's a myth. There is really no 16 Ohm amplifier on the market. And there never was. The amplifier will have an output impedance of around 0.04 ohms. In hi-fi we have always impedance bridging. Zout << Zin. That means the output impedance of the amplifier is much less than the input impedance of the loud speaker. The damping factor Df = Zin / Zout tells you what Zout is. Zout = Zin/Df. If the damping factor Df = 200 and the loudspeaker impedance is Zin = 16 ohms, the output impedance of the amplifier is Zout = 16 / 200 = 0.08 ohms. You see, there is no "16 ohm amplifier" on the market with a 16 ohm output impedance. Scroll down to related links and look at "Voltage Bridging or impedance bridging - Zout < Zin".
