Speakers and Ohms, is it important?

Speakers and Ohms, is it important?

4, 8, 16 Ohm(Ω) speakers and high or low impedance speakers… Wow…!!

If you’re playing guitar, you’ve undoubtedly encountered these terms.
These data will be found on the back of speakers (cabs) and amplifiers, but is it important?
I’ll explain what these things mean and what the numbers associated with it tell.

What does ‘Ohm’ mean?

Electrical resistance is expressed in Ohm. This is the simple definition of Ohm’s Law.

Ohm is the electrical resistance between two points of a homogeneous conductor when a constant current of 1Ampere flows between those points under a constant potential difference of 1 Volt.

So, what is the standard definition of Ohm’s Law

Ohm’s Law is a fundamental principle in electronics and electrical engineering.
It defines the relationship between three essential electrical quantities: voltage (V), current (I), and resistance (R).

Arithmetically it is as follows, Resistance = voltage/current.
Symbolically, this is R = V / I.

‘V’ = Voltage;
‘I’ = Ampere;
‘R’ = Resistance.

You can also recognize “ohm” by the symbol: Ω.
Often the letter U is used for Ampere instead of the I we are showing here.

Of course, I = V/R and V = I x R

What does impedance mean for amplifiers and speakers?

It means that the lower the resistance (R or Ohm) you find on the amplifier, the more power it can deliver to the speaker.
This means that if you have an amplifier that can deliver a certain amount of watts at 4 ohms and your speakers also have 4 ohms, you’ll get the most out of both your amplifier and speakers.
It also means that the headroom increases as the resistance decreases.

Is there a relationship between impedance and sound reproduction?

The sound produced won’t differ between 4- and 8-Ohm speakers.

Otherwise, if you connect an 8-Ohm speaker to a 4-Ohm amplifier, you’ll notice a half of the volume as when connecting 4-Ohm speakers.
This makes sense, because at 4-Ohm the amplifier can deliver its full power, and the speakers can then fully utilize this power.

Therefore, it’s important to match the amplifier and speakers as closely as possible in terms of impedance.

What is the difference between connecting speakers in Parallel or Serial?

It’s important to understand these terms as you can definitely harm your amp using the wrong connectio.

In short for Parallel:

2 speakers (both 8-Ohm) connected in parallel results in a 4-Ohm total impedace.

This reduces half the resistance and increases the power draw.
It makes them louder but requiring an amplifier rated for at least a 4-ohm load.
The amp could be overheated and damaged when it is subjected to the greater load, while it only works at 8-Ohms (for example).

A mnemonic device for Parallel = Deviding (/) by the number of speakers (with 2 speakers rated as (8 Ohm / 2) = 4 Ohm)

In parallel ensures lower impedance, which provides:

• More volume out of the speakers
• May cause damaging the amp

Serial connecting speakers:

When connecting two 8-Ohm speakers in series, the total resistance is 16-Ohms.

The total impedance (resistance) becomes 16 ohms, effectively halving the power the amplifier. This results in a quieter sound but a safer load for amps not rated for lower impedances like 4 ohms

A mnemonic device for Serial = multiply (* or X) the number of speakers (with 2 speakers rated at (8 Ohm * 2) = 16 Ohm)

In serial ensures increased impedance, which provides:

• Lower volume
• Safer for the amp

Calculation methods

There are calculation methods to calculate the configuration of speakers in Parallel or Series.
We will keep it simple in this blog.
You will find these methods on the internet when you want to dig deeper into calculations.

Budget vs. High-End Amplifiers

It’s also important to be aware that budget amplifiers sometimes have issues properly driving low-impedance speakers (4 ohms). Therefore, choose higher-end amplifiers if you want to drive 4-ohm speakers.
This way, you’ll be sure you won’t run into problems and you’ll get the most out of your system.

Simply choose an amplifier that delivers 8 ohms and speakers with the same impedance, which is very common in the world of guitar amplifiers, so you’ll find such combinations in every segment.

Connecting an external speaker to your amp or combo

Look for a good device when you like to add an extra speaker to your, let’s say 1 x 12″ combo.
This important as you definitely don’t want to harm your amp and wanted the best sound out of both speakers.

Several brands offer so called “cab mergers”.
With a cab merger you will be able to add speakers in both parallel or series, whatever you need.

On my Fender ’68 Custom Deluxe Reverb Amp I sometimes add an additional 1 x 12″ at 8 Ohm cabinet using the Palmer cab merger.

As I definitely don’t want to connect in parallel, so I covered the parallel input jack.

Other ways to make your guitar sound better.

How to make your guitar sound better is one of the things all guitar players deal with.
Every guitar player is on the search for better tone.
Especially for those who are new to guitar we wrote a blog about “how to make your guitar sound better”.

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• Would you prefer an open- or closed back cabinet speaker?
• How to make your guitar sound better.
• The right guitar effects pedal order.
• What is tone suck?
• What is fretboard radius and is it important?
• Is guitar scale length important?
• How to use a compressor pedal for guitar.
• What means headroom in a guitar amp?
• Humbuckers or single coil pickups?
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Why you should consider thick guitar picks for better sound and comfort

You might be overwhelmed by the amount of different guitar picks.
Should you choose a thin or thick guitar pick?
In an easy to read blog we’ll let you know 9 reasons to consider thick guitar picks.

About ChickenPicks guitar picks

The reason for me to make my own picks was diverse.

Somewhere in the mid 80’s I played those famous red Nylon Scotty’s 0.60mm picks. I needed a better tone, so there was the need for a thicker pick, that wasn’t flexible.

At that time you only could find black Gibson Heavy picks and Dunlop 2.0mm (the purple one).
They sounded OK to me but the playability was bad. I had to work too hard, because I missed a well balanced pick.

I experimented with different materials, thicknesses and beveled edges etc. Read more about ChickenPicks guitar picks.

More about picks

Guitar pick sizes chart: compare different picks to each other

The history of guitar picks

These picks are so easy to play and your sound will be awesome

The best boutique picks on the market

Which small guitar picks will be worth checking out

What others say about ChickenPicks guitar picks

Musikhaus Thomann
Chicago Music Exchange
Guitarpickreviews.com
Anatomy of guitar tone

Guitar essentials:

In guitar essentials we write about interesting things every guitarist should know a bit of,
especially when you’re new to (electric) guitar.
We definitely don’t dig deep into theories or technical aspects.
You will find many scientific documents about anything somewhere on the internet.