How to Drop the Ohms on My Speakers
Speakers almost always are packaged in cabinets containing one, two or four speakers. Speaker cabinets are marked with an impedance value. The impedance refers to how restrictive the cabinet is towards the flow of an electrical current. This value is important because the amplifier and speaker cabinets must match to avoid damaging either when used. Speaker cabinets with one speaker cannot change the impedance. Speaker cabinets with two or four speakers can be wired in parallel to each other. Parallel wiring causes the total impedance of the cabinet to be less than the impedance of a single speaker.
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Instructions
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1
Unplug any cables connected to the jack plate of the speaker cabinet. Never rewire speakers that are connected to an amplifier or any other electronics.
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2
Unclip all of the wires connected to the speakers and jack plate of the speaker cabinet.
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3
Clip the ends of two wires to the “+” terminal on the jack plate for a two-speaker cabinet. Clip four wires to the “+” terminal for a four-speaker cabinet.
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4
Clip the other end of each wire connected to the “+” terminal of the jack plate to the “+” terminal on each speaker.
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5
Clip the ends of two wires to the “-“ terminal on the jack plate for a two-speaker cabinet. Clip four wires to the “-“ terminal for a four-speaker cabinet.
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6
Clip the other end of the wires connected to the “-“ terminal of the jack plate to the “-“ terminal on each speaker.
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Tips & Warnings
The new impedance for the cabinet in parallel is calculated by dividing the impedance for one of the speakers by the number of speakers wired in parallel. For example, a speaker cabinet with two 16 ohm speakers has an impedance of 8 ohms (16 ohm / 2). A speaker cabinet with four 16 ohm speakers has an impedance of 4 ohms (16 ohm / 4).
References
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