Speaker wiring info for mono 4x12? 1 input only

[KLINKDETROIT]

I have a 4x12 arriving today and I have to wire it up. I have 4 8 ohm speakers and need the cab to be 8 ohms. What wires go where? I beleive its supposed to be series parallel but I need idiot proof instructions. I looked on the net but they only have diagrams for input and output jacks. I only have 1 input jack for this mono 8 ohm cab. Need help today. Thanks

 

[MikeS]

Re: Speaker wiring info for mono 4x12? 1 input only

If only I could upload a diagram… I can try to explain it…

Look at a 4 speaker cab from the front. Let’s name the speakers the following:
Top Left = # 1
Top Right = # 2
Bottom Right = # 3
Bottom Left = # 4

Connect the + from the input jack to the + of speakers # 1 and # 4
Connect the – from the input jack to the – of speakers # 2 and # 3

Connect the – from # 1 to the + of # 2
Connect the – from # 4 to the + of # 3

That’s your basic mono series-parallel wiring. A diagram would be easiest, but I have no way to upload one right now.

 

[aleclee]

Re: Speaker wiring info for mono 4x12? 1 input only

http://home.earthlink.net/~iktoblikto/wire_diags.htm

Series-parallel or parallel-series will sound slightly different but either will yield 8 ohms with four 8 ohm speakers.

For those who wonder why they're different, it's because of varying damping factors between the two configurations.

 

[Quencho092]

Re: Speaker wiring info for mono 4x12? 1 input only

isn't it always best to wire up cabs in parallel though? When you do things in 2 pairs of paralleled speakers but in series, set 1 will be receiving more voltage/power than set 2, because set 2 will be getting the total voltage minus the voltage drop, but the order gets shifted accotding to the frequency though, right?

Since the current is AC, wont you get stranger fluctuations in speaker volume according to the frequency of the signal? In regular parallel, every speaker will always get equal voltage no matter what, i figure that would be the best setup for speaker efficiency and reliability.

 

[aleclee]

Re: Speaker wiring info for mono 4x12? 1 input only

isn't it always best to wire up cabs in parallel though? When you do things in 2 pairs of paralleled speakers but in series, set 1 will be receiving more voltage/power than set 2, because set 2 will be getting the total voltage minus the voltage drop, but the order gets shifted accotding to the frequency though, right?

Since the current is AC, wont you get stranger fluctuations in speaker volume according to the frequency of the signal? In regular parallel, every speaker will always get equal voltage no matter what, i figure that would be the best setup for speaker efficiency and reliability.

As long as they're the same impedance, the power running through each of the four speakers is the same, whether they're all in parallel, all in series, series/parallel, or parallel/series.

The one advantage in wiring everything in parallel is that if one speaker goes, there's still a load for the amp (unlike series) and the power going through the remaining speakers doesn't go up as much as in the mixed case. I'd never wire a 2x12 in series but I'd only do a 4x12 mixed because I don't want to own a 4 ohm cab.

 

[KLINKDETROIT]

Re: Speaker wiring info for mono 4x12? 1 input only

Thanks alot for everything. What do you prefer tonally . Series parallel or parallel series? I am mixing speakers in a 4x12 but not in an x pattern. Will I mes anything up by doing it regular instead of a speacial way? I have either 2 swamp thangs or 2 v12s on the bottom and 2 wizards up top.