Next dumb speaker question: is there a way to wire in a resistor to make 8ohm 16ohm?

[Dave Locher]

So running my Randall solid state amp into a 16-ohm load will cut the power roughly in half. That would be nice - it sounds better with the master volumes above 3 or 4, which is hard to do even on stage.
Next question: is there any way to wire a resister into the speaker circuit so that my amp reads the single 8-ohm speaker as a 16-ohm load?
I'm guessing it can't be that simple or everyone would do it?

 

[devastone]

Re: Next dumb speaker question: is there a way to wire in a resistor to make 8ohm 16o

Too much power for a regular resistor, you'll need a big power resistor, probably with a heatsink in series with the speaker. You're better off (and safer) getting a load box.

 

[Rich_S]

Next dumb speaker question: is there a way to wire in a resistor to make 8ohm 16ohm?

Yes, you could wire a big, 8-ohm resistor in series with your speaker. This would do several things:

1. Raise the total impedance to 16 ohms,
2. cut your amp's normal 100 (?) watts down to 60 (ish) watts and
3. convert half of that 60 (ish) watts to heat instead of sound,
4. leaving only about 30 watts for the speaker.

30 watts can still make a significant racket, but it's a lot less than 100.

The problem is, as Devastone said, you need a BIG resistor. I'd recommend a large safety margin, so you want something in the 50 watt range. Parts Express carries resistors like that, catering to the DIY speaker-building crowd. Here's an example: http://www.parts-express.com/8-ohm-100w-non-inductive-dummy-load-resistor--019-020


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Nostalgic Distortion]

Re: Next dumb speaker question: is there a way to wire in a resistor to make 8ohm 16o

Just get another speaker.... If you're not looking for anything too specific I've got a new 16ohm 80W Senenty/80 I'll give you for $45. If you do want something specific I'd still say buy a new speaker. Saving a few bucks now isn't worth your amp, the best thing to do is just run it at the correct impedance...

 

[devastone]

Re: Next dumb speaker question: is there a way to wire in a resistor to make 8ohm 16o

The resistor that Rich linked to would need to be mounted to a heatsink too, might require a fan on the heatsink also, and I'm not talking about a little chip style heatsink, you'll want some extruded aluminum similar to this -http://www.heatsinkusa.com/4-600-serrated-fin/ but I haven't done any thermal calcs. 50W is a lot of heat.

 

[Dave Locher]

Re: Next dumb speaker question: is there a way to wire in a resistor to make 8ohm 16o

Well I figured it had to be a bad idea (because otherwise it would be commonly done) and now I know why. Thank you for humoring me.

 

[crusty philtrum]

Re: Next dumb speaker question: is there a way to wire in a resistor to make 8ohm 16o

Do not even consider using a resistor as part of the load. The speaker impedance rating is for a frequency of 1K, but impedance changes with frequency. A simple resistor does not address the frequency or inductance issues, and in a playing situation, load mismatches will occur. This is why attenuators are much more complex than simply a bunch of power resistors, as they have to address the inductance factors involved to work properly.

 

[Rand-O-Monium]

Re: Next dumb speaker question: is there a way to wire in a resistor to make 8ohm 16o

+ another for a spkr swap

This "is" a combo,correct?