need help with wiring a speaker cab.

[man-in-moon]

i am about to order new speakers for my 2x12 cab. the amp i am running through it has an 8ohm jack. what i was wondering do i have to buy 2 16 ohm speakers to get an 8 ohm load. i looked at several sites and all i could find said yes. also does wiring the speakers in series or parallel make a difference in sound. i have never changed speakers in any of my other cabs so i am stumped on this one.

 

[Kommerzbassist]

Re: need help with wiring a speaker cab.

To get 8 Ohms, you could either wire two 16's in parallel or two 4's in series...

 

[Erlend_G]

Re: need help with wiring a speaker cab.

Well, wiring speakers in series versus parallel does make a difference in sound.

If you wire two speakers in series, it takes some time for the signal to go trough speaker #1's coil before it enters speaker #2's coil. This usually leads to a decrease in sound quality, and a phase problem. Not good.

Get two 16ohm speakers and wire them in parallel if you need a total of 8 ohms

 

[SlyFoxx]

Re: need help with wiring a speaker cab.

Most 2x12's are wired in parallel. If one speaker blows the other will still operate. In series the good speaker would get no current.

But series/parallel wiring is still used in lots of 4x12's and there is nothing wrong with using it as modern speakers don't blow out often. Unless you play a big amp on 10 all the time. The character of the current flow in each application is different thus (according to some folks) producing a subtle difference in sound.

Electricity flows at about a trillion feet per second. I'll let you decide if a series connection is cause for concern.

 

[greendy123]

Re: need help with wiring a speaker cab.

Here's some good visuals http://professional.celestion.com/guitar/features/drdecibel/index.asp
click the pull down menu under the secrets part.

 

[man-in-moon]

Re: need help with wiring a speaker cab.

thanks for the info guys. i think i figured it out now.