In this video, you'll learn about speaker impedance when connecting multiple speakers
to a single amplifier.
I'll briefly explain what impedance is, I'll help you find the impedance specifications
for your amplifier and your speakers, and by the end of this video, you'll understand
how to calculate impedance when connecting multiple speakers to a single amplifier channel.
I've provided timestamps in the description of this video to help you quickly find the
information you're looking for.
But, if you're new to this channel, my name is Kyle.
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I am by no means an expert in electronics, but for the purposes of understanding speaker
impedance in this video, you can think of impedance as the property of a speaker that
It's important to consider the impedance specifications for both your amplifier and your speakers.
Each speaker will have a nominal impedance rating, either on the back of the speaker
or in the technical specifications online.
A speaker's nominal impedance is usually 2, 4, 8, or 16 ohms.
Written on the back panel of the amplifier or in its technical specifications, you'll
find the impedance rating of your amplifier.
The impedance rating of an amplifier usually ranges between 2 ohms and 16 ohms.
This video will help you to ensure that the load presented by your speaker or your speakers
fits within the range of your amplifier's impedance rating.
You can find calculators online that will help to quickly determine the load presented
by your speaker or your speakers based on the impedance of each speaker in the circuit.
I'll provide a link in the description of this video to a good speaker impedance calculator.
It is, however, still beneficial to learn the formulas for determining impedance so
that you get a better understanding of how impedance works.
Connecting one 8 ohm speaker will present an 8 ohm load to the amplifier.
When you connect more speakers in series, you simply add the impedance rating of each
of the speakers together.
Two 8 ohm speakers in series present a 16 ohm load to the amplifier.
Connecting a 4 ohm speaker and an 8 ohm speaker in series will present a 12 ohm load to the
amplifier.
To connect speakers in series, wire the positive terminal of the amplifier to the positive
terminal of the first speaker.
Then, wire the negative terminal of each speaker to the positive terminal of the next speaker.
The negative terminal of the last speaker will connect to the negative terminal of the
amplifier, completing the series circuit.
When connecting multiple speakers in parallel, calculating the total impedance is a bit more
complicated.
If all of the speakers have the same impedance, you simply take that impedance rating divided
by the number of speakers being connected.
For example, connecting two 8 ohm speakers in parallel will present a 4 ohm load to the
amplifier.
That's calculated by dividing 8 ohms by 2 speakers.
If the speakers in the parallel circuit do not all have the same impedance rating, you'll
need to use this formula.
To calculate the total impedance of a 4 ohm speaker and an 8 ohm speaker connected in
parallel, I'll plug the numbers into the formula like this, which gives us a total impedance
of about 2.7 ohms.
To connect speakers in parallel, wire the positive terminal of the amplifier to the
positive terminal on each speaker.
Then, wire the negative terminal on the amplifier to the negative terminal on each speaker.
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