4 ohms vs. 16 ohms: any diff in tone?

[Dr. Vegetable]

Re: 4 ohms vs. 16 ohms: any diff in tone?

My theory is that there is less resistance at 8 or 4 ohms so the output section of the tube amp does'nt have to work as hard to put out the goods.
Therefor the amp will sound and feel different .

Well actually, more current will flow into lower resistance, so technically the amp is working harder into 4 Ohms, but your conclusion still stands.

 

[GoldenVulture]

Re: 4 ohms vs. 16 ohms: any diff in tone?

It's bound up in ohms law.
Basically it means
low ohmage = higher amplitude/ limited frequency response.
High ohmage = lower amplitude/wider frequency response.
This may account for the difference you hear in tone.
[ This is why HI-Fi geeks of old used 16 Ohm speakers, some times 32 Ohm arrays.]

Mismatching speaker ohmage and output transformer ohmage is not a good idea. If the an amp has only one Ohmage on the output, it was designed for that ohmage and it shouldn't be deviated from unless you want to put stress on your amp. If it has multiple taps , well and good but only connect the same load to which ever tap you choose. [ 8 Ohm > 8 Ohm - 16 Ohm > 16 Ohm ]