Impedence problems

wigginjs · 28th January 2004, 09:09 PM

I'm building a pair of dipoles as surrounds for my home theater. I'm using 2 8ohm drivers wired in parrallel producing a 4ohm load. My Yamaha reciever doesn't support loads below 6ohm for the surround or center channel speakers. I'm wondering, should I wire them in series for a 16ohm load? If I do that would it be better to then wire them in parrallel with a 100watt 16ohm resistor to get a total load of 8ohm? I have a feeling someone else has run into this problem, I'm just trying to analyze my options and choose the most sensable one.

Ron E · 28th January 2004, 09:30 PM

Viagra sometimes works for impedance problems ;-)

If it were me, i'd either just use a single driver or wire the drivers in series - or I'd have planned ahead and got 2 4ohm drivers to wire in series if I were really anal about impedance....no pun intended.

Timn8ter · 28th January 2004, 09:32 PM

Will you be using any electronics in them at all? Notch filters, etc? I'm thinking it might be better to wire them in parallel and then add a 4 ohm series R but I could be wrong.

planet10 · 28th January 2004, 10:18 PM

Wire them in series, your amp will thank you.

dave

Timn8ter · 28th January 2004, 10:23 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by planet10
Wire them in series, your amp will thank you.

dave

Yep, wrong again. I just remembered I run mine at 12 ohm. Duh.

wigginjs · 29th January 2004, 12:57 AM

Right, of course I could find 4ohm drivers, but lets assume thats not an option. Obviously I can't wire them in parallel with my current reciever and get a 4ohm load because the owner's manual gods hath said it shall not be done. So, I'm left with two options (well, really one option and one variation of that option). I can wire them in series and get a 16ohm load, which I'm going to assume would cause my amp to deliver half or less power than it would to an 8ohm load. Or, I can wire them in series and then in parellel with another 16ohm load (lets say a resistor). Now I'm not quite sure what they would do in terms of the amount of power the amp would be able to deliver, but I think that what I would end up with is the same amount of power being delivered to the drivers as if they were not wired in parallel with the resistor and then a bunch of power being turned into heat by the resistor. Any more bright ideas? =)

damonpip · 29th January 2004, 02:38 AM

If you wired them in series, and paralled them with a 16 ohm reistor, wouldn't you still be losing half the power as heat dissapated from the resistor? I'd just try running them in series, and make sure they are loud enough and sound good.

planet10 · 29th January 2004, 03:21 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by damonpip
If you wired them in series, and paralled them with a 16 ohm reistor, wouldn't you still be losing half the power as heat dissapated from the resistor?

Yes.

Another advantage of 16 ohms is that it leaves more available current for the front channels.

dave

28th January 2004, 09:09 PM	#1
wigginjs diyAudio Member Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: Columbia, SC	Impedence problems I'm building a pair of dipoles as surrounds for my home theater. I'm using 2 8ohm drivers wired in parrallel producing a 4ohm load. My Yamaha reciever doesn't support loads below 6ohm for the surround or center channel speakers. I'm wondering, should I wire them in series for a 16ohm load? If I do that would it be better to then wire them in parrallel with a 100watt 16ohm resistor to get a total load of 8ohm? I have a feeling someone else has run into this problem, I'm just trying to analyze my options and choose the most sensable one.

28th January 2004, 09:30 PM	#2
Ron E diyAudio Member Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: USA, MN	Viagra sometimes works for impedance problems ;-) If it were me, i'd either just use a single driver or wire the drivers in series - or I'd have planned ahead and got 2 4ohm drivers to wire in series if I were really anal about impedance....no pun intended. __________________ Our species needs, and deserves, a citizenry with minds wide awake and a basic understanding of how the world works. --Carl Sagan Science is a way of thinking much more than it is a body of knowledge. --Carl Sagan

28th January 2004, 10:18 PM	#4
planet10 frugal-phile(tm) diyAudio Moderator Join Date: Oct 2001 Location: Victoria, BC, NA, Sol III Blog Entries: 4	Wire them in series, your amp will thank you. dave __________________ community sites t-linespeakers.org, frugal-horn.com ........ commercial site planet10-HiFi p10-hifi forum here at diyA

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28th January 2004, 09:32 PM	#3
Timn8ter diyAudio Member Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: Seattle, WA	Will you be using any electronics in them at all? Notch filters, etc? I'm thinking it might be better to wire them in parallel and then add a 4 ohm series R but I could be wrong.

29th January 2004, 12:57 AM	#6
wigginjs diyAudio Member Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: Columbia, SC	Right, of course I could find 4ohm drivers, but lets assume thats not an option. Obviously I can't wire them in parallel with my current reciever and get a 4ohm load because the owner's manual gods hath said it shall not be done. So, I'm left with two options (well, really one option and one variation of that option). I can wire them in series and get a 16ohm load, which I'm going to assume would cause my amp to deliver half or less power than it would to an 8ohm load. Or, I can wire them in series and then in parellel with another 16ohm load (lets say a resistor). Now I'm not quite sure what they would do in terms of the amount of power the amp would be able to deliver, but I think that what I would end up with is the same amount of power being delivered to the drivers as if they were not wired in parallel with the resistor and then a bunch of power being turned into heat by the resistor. Any more bright ideas? =)

29th January 2004, 02:38 AM	#7
damonpip diyAudio Member Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: State College	If you wired them in series, and paralled them with a 16 ohm reistor, wouldn't you still be losing half the power as heat dissapated from the resistor? I'd just try running them in series, and make sure they are loud enough and sound good.

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