Speaker Wiring Info
Series Wiring - For speakers in series you add the impedances of the speakers together. To determine the wattage you add the wattage of the speakers together.
If you were using (2) 8 ohm speakers you'd have a 16 ohm cabinet. If you were using (2) 200 watt speakers you'd have 400 watts of power handling.
Example of series wiring:
Parallel Wiring - Speakers of equal impedances you divide the impedance value by the number of speakers. To determine the wattage you add the wattage of the speakers together.
If you wire (4) 16 ohm speakers in parallel you'd have a 4 ohm cabinet. (2) 16 ohm speakers in parallel would give you an 8 ohm cabinet. If you were using (4) 100 watts speakers you'd have 400 watts power handling. If you were using (2) 100 watt speakers you'd have 200 watts power handling.
Example of parallel wiring:
Series/Parallel Wiring - All speaker's should be the same impedance & wattage. The impedance of the cabinet will be the same as one speaker. The wattage will be 4 times the individual speaker wattage.
If you're using 8 ohm speakers the cabinet will be 8 ohms. If you were using 100 watt speakers the wattage for the cabinet will be 400 watts power handling.
Example of series/parallel wiring:
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Helpful tidbits to better understand the best way to wire a speaker cabinet. |
| *To determine the wattage of a speaker cabinet you always add the wattage of the speakers together whether it is wired in series, parallel or series/parallel. So what's the best way to wire a speaker cabinet? Well that depends on your power amplifier. |
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*Solid state amplifiers power ratings change as the impedance changes. The lower the impedance(ohms) a solid state amplifier sees the more power it will put out. Some solid state amps are rated as low as 2 ohms but for the most part it is usually much safer to run at 4 ohms then 2 ohms. Always check to see your amplifier's owners manual to find the best impedance for your amp. |
| *Tube amplifiers power ratings do not change as the impedance changes. Tube amps will put out the same power whether the impedance is 4, 8,or 16. So there is no power handling advantage to wiring speakers in series, parallel or series/parallel when using a tube amplifier. Always check your amplifier's owners manual before wiring. |
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