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impedance difference

Posted: Fri Nov 23, 2018 1:56 pm
by internosh
Hi All

I got my gear out of storage recently and checked the impedance of my speakers and was surprised with the results.

I am using
DR504 '72 set a 16 ohms
2 Marshall columns each containing 2x12 G12M 20w 15ohm

My knowledge of electrical circuits is minimal so I'd appreciate any feedback!

So one cab measures 25 ohms and the other 26 ohms which got me wondering because the amp was set 16 ohms.
I discovered that the speakers were wired in series and with my understanding that dc resistance measures lower
the figures are therefore about right.

Looking on the web I think I will be losing volume and gaining mid tones but I'd be interested in what others think?

Re: impedance difference

Posted: Sat Nov 24, 2018 4:09 am
by OldSchoolDave
internosh wrote: Fri Nov 23, 2018 1:56 pm I discovered that the speakers were wired in series and with my understanding that dc resistance measures lower
the figures are therefore about right.

Looking on the web I think I will be losing volume and gaining mid tones but I'd be interested in what others think?
I don't know where you're looking on the web, but your amp is set correctly for your current speaker configuration.

Re-wiring the columns to parallel and setting the amp to 4 ohms, in my experience/opinion, would not make a difference in volume or tone...

Dave

Re: impedance difference

Posted: Sat Nov 24, 2018 12:37 pm
by internosh
Thank you Dave for your advice and confirming that everything is ok...it does sound ok!.

I'd just been expecting to get a reading of something closer to 16 ohms to match the amp's impedance.

cheers
.i.

Re: impedance difference

Posted: Sat Nov 24, 2018 5:44 pm
by OldSchoolDave
internosh wrote: Sat Nov 24, 2018 12:37 pm I'd just been expecting to get a reading of something closer to 16 ohms to match the amp's impedance.
DC Resistance will never read the same as Impedance. Also, there's no practical difference between speakers labeled 15 ohms vs. 16 ohms.

Your cabs are wired in series (2 @ 16 ohm = 32 ohms) and are connected to the amp in parallel (2 @ 32 ohms = 16 ohms). All is well.

Enjoy!
Dave

Re: impedance difference

Posted: Sun Nov 25, 2018 10:01 pm
by internosh
Thanks for that Dave, I understand the math now!
all the best
cheers
.i.