Is there a benifit to higher ohms???

[azzkikr 10+ year member]

I was just reading a forums that was talking about the motor structure benifiting from higher ohms and was wondering if that was true. Also are there any other benefits of running higher ohms??

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[80INCHES 5,000+ posts]

Yeah....your Amps Stay Cooler....u Wont Pull As Much Current

80

 

[JimJ 5,000+ posts]

Benefits? Depends on the amplifier, but I will say that 90% of the amps out there (and certainly all solid-state gear) will not show any appreciable differences in SQ from one impedance to another; the only difference will be power output.

That's not a generalization though, there are exceptions to that...damping factor comes in when you start changing the output impedance...DF plays much, much more of a factor than simply load impedance does.

 

[JimJ 5,000+ posts]

On an unrelated note, I've been to Batesville before; my dad was on the IBM account at Casket/Hill-Rom a few years back. Probably the most rural place I've ever been to...my condolences //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/wink.gif.608e3ea05f1a9f98611af0861652f8fb.gif

 

[PhatTonyDeMarco 5,000+ posts]

Kinda OT, but kinda not.. Didnt want to make a whole thread about it.

Another one of my idiot friends claims that the difference between a higher ohm rating and lower load, is resistance (which I know is true) but he says that with different resistance levels, there are different tones being played. He claims that (for example) an 8ohm load would play higher tones than a 4 ohm load, the 4 ohm load would "Bang the lows" (his words.) I disagreed to the point that I wanted to punch him in the face... Any truth to what he says?

 

[JimJ 5,000+ posts]

Nope, no truth at all.

Depending on the damping factor, you might get a difference "flavor" to the sound (low DF's do sound different than high DF's) but you'd still be able to play all the notes the same.

 

[squeak9798 5,000+ posts]

Keep in mind that the difference in damping factor would have to be extremely great to be audible. As long as the DF is above 20 (some say 50), the differences are inaudible.

 

[Nikuk 5,000+ posts]

I was just reading a forums that was talking about the motor structure benifiting from higher ohms and was wondering if that was true. Also are there any other benefits of running higher ohms??

I think that You are misinterpreting a question about series wiring a motor for "more" BL. A longer circuit (series'd voice coils) will read as more L to the B of a Magnetic motor.

Other then that, no.

-Nick

 

[azzkikr 10+ year member]

Thanks guys for clearing that up. I new that it should not matter audibly b/c from when I had my sub a 4ohms to when I changed it to two, I heard no change in SQ or frequencies.

 

[Raven 10+ year member]

This is all from memory, take it with a grain of salt.

If you wire a DVC sub in series it will increase the motor strength. At a higher impedance your amp has a greater DF. Also at a higher impedance your amp won't clip as easy (someone confirm / deny this). Combine all this and you get the generalization that "higher ohms = better SQ."

 

[JimJ 5,000+ posts]

Also at a higher impedance your amp won't clip as easy (someone confirm / deny this).

News to me. I can't see a technical reason why an amp would be less prone to clip whether it was seeing a 2 or 16 ohm load.

 

[Nikuk 5,000+ posts]

the voltage rail can easily be sent into a clipping rate at any load.

 

[Raven 10+ year member]

News to me. I can't see a technical reason why an amp would be less prone to clip whether it was seeing a 2 or 16 ohm load.

EDIT, the post I made did not make sense after reading it. I still think higher impedances give more headroom, but that's difficult to prove or disprove.

 

[n2audio 5,000+ posts]

I still think higher impedances give more headroom, but that's difficult to prove or disprove.

Not following that one either.

Headroom is a function of power - higher speaker impedance decreases power, I can't see how that could do anything but decrease/eliminate headroom.