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Speaker Wiring Wizard
SVC / DVC Subwoofer Wiring
Subwoofer Quantity:
Subwoofer Impedance:
Amplifier Power Ratings
Amplifiers are rated to push different amounts of power (Wattage) depending on the resistance (Ohms) in the circuit. We list the power ratings for every amplifier we sell on our website. Let's examine the specs for our example amplifier below.
Notice how the rated power changes when the amplifier is matched with different Impedances. At 4 Ohm's the amplifier can push 150 Watts to 2 different channels. However, at 2 Ohm's the same amplifier can deliver 300 Watts to 2 different channels.
In simplified terms, Ohms are a measure of resistance in a circuit. The lower the Ohm (resistance), the greater amount of power the amplifier can push through the circuit.
In simplified terms, Ohms are a measure of resistance in a circuit. The lower the Ohm (resistance), the greater amount of power the amplifier can push through the circuit.
Understanding Speaker Impedance(Ohms)
Speakers Impedance
Next, lets examine the speakers. When shopping for a speaker you'll likely notice that different speakers have different Impedance ratings. As a general rule, the lower the Ohm the louder the speaker. However sound quality tends to go down in exchange for loudness. A 2-Ohm motorcycle speaker might be louder, but a 4-Ohm Tower speaker might sound better. It's important to note that speaker size does not determine Impedance. You can have either a 10 Inch 2-Ohm Subwoofers or a 10 Inch 8-Ohm Subwoofer. Both may be suited perfectly well for their intended applications. We should also note that most stereo speakers are 4-Ohm since they tend to offer the optimal blend of sound quality and loudness.
Speaker Power Handling
Impedance affects the amount of power your amplifier can output, but that does not determine how much power your speakers can handle. That's why you'll want to pay close attention to the RMS Power Handling of a speaker. RMS power is the continuous power handling for everyday use. Peak Power is the highest level of power the speaker can handle in short burst before failing.
Understanding Speaker Circuit Wiring
Wiring Speakers in a Series Circuit
When you wire speakers in series the resistance (Ohms) is additive. The example below shows two 4 Ohmn speakers wired in series produces 8 Ohms of resistance at the amplifier.
Wiring Speakers in a Parallel Circuit
When you wire speakers in parallel the resistance (Ohms) decreases. Total Impedance can be calculated using the formula shown below. Our example shows the same 4 Ohmn speakers wired in parallel only produce 2 Ohms of resistance at the amplifier.
Putting it all Together
After examiming example amplier and our example speakers we can see they are a good match for each other. The amplifier can deliver 150W to 2 channels when receiving 4 Ohms of resistance per channel. Our example speakers have 4 Ohms impedance and a RMS power rating of 150W.
Since we will have 1 speaker per channel, 4 Ohms impedance is what we can expect per channel at our amplifier allowing it to deliver the optimal 150W per channel to each speaker. If we were wiring multiple speakers in parrallel or in-series per circuit we would need to calculate Ohms in each circuit to figure out how much power our amplifier can deliver to each channel.
