30 some odd speakers to one amp, help?

isaachubbard · 18th May 2012, 01:53 AM

I'm looking to hook up 30 or so speakers to a single 800 watt amp. I also have a 3000watt power amplifier. Is this possible? Im not too tech savvy so if anyone can help without getting into ohms, volts, watts etc. I'd very much appreciate it. the speakers are 4 15", 2 12", 4 10", 2 8" and multiple little (5" and smaller) speakers.

godfrey · 18th May 2012, 02:54 AM

It's possible. How you hook them up depends on the impedance of the various drivers and their power handling

Cal Weldon · 18th May 2012, 03:10 AM

Yes, please look up impedance before just wiring them all together. Your 3000 watt amp can become a 0 watt amp if you don't follow the rules.

Also, tell us what you are trying to do. That will help with the assistance you get. By the sounds of it, you have a multi-way system that involves crossovers and other assorted items. Tell us more and you will receive more.

Cheers.

djnimbusnz · 20th May 2012, 07:41 AM

You can download Impedance calculators with a bit of a google search. They make it easy to add the parallel and series arrangement of your drivers before you get the solder iron out ;-)

picowallspeaker · 20th May 2012, 08:14 AM

Perfect ( ideal ) amplifiers would double their output power with the halving of the load ( Resistance seen at the output ; since resistance in a speaker varies with frequency , it is called impedance , which occurs in AC current )but that is achieved by using big power supplies ( transformer & smoothing / energy tank
capacitors ) and many paralleled output devices ;usually amplifiers like to work on an adequate load , otherwise distortion rises , due to the difficulty of tracking the 'power envelope' by the amplifier .
So a good load is the standard 8 Ω . Mostly of the speakers are 8 Ω impedance (Z ) ; Car speakers are 4 Ω ; many speakers in the Pro segment are available in the 16 Ω version ; why ? Because in live venues there are many speakers connected in parallel , so a parallel of four 16 Ω speakers would result a load of 4 Ω ( 16/4 =4 )which is still manageable by modern power amplifiers .
Then , each speaker is a passband device , so has a usable band in which it expresses its attitude

Bigger cones aren't likely to reproduce treble tones , and bass notes aren't to be reproduced with adequate level by littler cones .
Thus a separation between them is requested ,and this can be done actively or passively , see active and passive crossovers .
Once the band that a speaker has to reproduce is chosen , assigned by the project ,the speaker can be represented as a load ,and ,back to my original starting of the post , this load has to be quite manageable by the amplifier .
Four 8 Ω speakers in parallel make one 2 Ω load ; this indeed is a speaker formed by 4 cones moving together . The speakers can also be connected in series ( a speaker is also a 'polarized' device , it has a positive and a negative which indicate the phase , when attaching it to a circuit ,if the membrane moves forward or inwards ....) thus raising the load seen by the amplifier . I just wanted to make it clear that there's a load and an amplifier

18th May 2012, 01:53 AM	#1
isaachubbard diyAudio Member Join Date: Mar 2011	30 some odd speakers to one amp, help? I'm looking to hook up 30 or so speakers to a single 800 watt amp. I also have a 3000watt power amplifier. Is this possible? Im not too tech savvy so if anyone can help without getting into ohms, volts, watts etc. I'd very much appreciate it. the speakers are 4 15", 2 12", 4 10", 2 8" and multiple little (5" and smaller) speakers.

18th May 2012, 03:10 AM	#3
Cal Weldon Speakerholic diyAudio Moderator Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: British Columbia	Yes, please look up impedance before just wiring them all together. Your 3000 watt amp can become a 0 watt amp if you don't follow the rules. Also, tell us what you are trying to do. That will help with the assistance you get. By the sounds of it, you have a multi-way system that involves crossovers and other assorted items. Tell us more and you will receive more. Cheers. __________________ Next stop: Margaritaville Some of Cal's stuff \| Cal Weldon Consulting

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18th May 2012, 02:54 AM	#2
godfrey diyAudio Member Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: Cape Town	It's possible. How you hook them up depends on the impedance of the various drivers and their power handling

20th May 2012, 07:41 AM	#4
djnimbusnz diyAudio Member Join Date: Oct 2010	You can download Impedance calculators with a bit of a google search. They make it easy to add the parallel and series arrangement of your drivers before you get the solder iron out ;-)

20th May 2012, 08:14 AM	#5
picowallspeaker diyAudio Member Join Date: Apr 2007	Perfect ( ideal ) amplifiers would double their output power with the halving of the load ( Resistance seen at the output ; since resistance in a speaker varies with frequency , it is called impedance , which occurs in AC current )but that is achieved by using big power supplies ( transformer & smoothing / energy tank capacitors ) and many paralleled output devices ;usually amplifiers like to work on an adequate load , otherwise distortion rises , due to the difficulty of tracking the 'power envelope' by the amplifier . So a good load is the standard 8 Ω . Mostly of the speakers are 8 Ω impedance (Z ) ; Car speakers are 4 Ω ; many speakers in the Pro segment are available in the 16 Ω version ; why ? Because in live venues there are many speakers connected in parallel , so a parallel of four 16 Ω speakers would result a load of 4 Ω ( 16/4 =4 )which is still manageable by modern power amplifiers . Then , each speaker is a passband device , so has a usable band in which it expresses its attitude Bigger cones aren't likely to reproduce treble tones , and bass notes aren't to be reproduced with adequate level by littler cones . Thus a separation between them is requested ,and this can be done actively or passively , see active and passive crossovers . Once the band that a speaker has to reproduce is chosen , assigned by the project ,the speaker can be represented as a load ,and ,back to my original starting of the post , this load has to be quite manageable by the amplifier . Four 8 Ω speakers in parallel make one 2 Ω load ; this indeed is a speaker formed by 4 cones moving together . The speakers can also be connected in series ( a speaker is also a 'polarized' device , it has a positive and a negative which indicate the phase , when attaching it to a circuit ,if the membrane moves forward or inwards ....) thus raising the load seen by the amplifier . I just wanted to make it clear that there's a load and an amplifier