Ohms Question relating to Distortion

[SQL4Life 10+ year member]

So a 1 ohm load to the amp would give more distortion ( but obviously more power) than a 4 ohm load?

Been reading other sites and have seen this stated various times

as well however a class a/b amp and a class d amp have no difference when it relates to sound from a subwoofer...?

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[SQL4Life 10+ year member]

...u guys that have sub(s) hooked to 1 ohm do you notice distortion or increased heat from the amp?

 

[JimJ 5,000+ posts]

Won't make a difference.

 

[audioarsonal 10+ year member]

Class a/b amps are a little more effecinent in producing the power but you need to look at th THD to see excatly what the distortion is.Normally 4 ohms will be more responsive than 1 ohm which means less distortion at high volumes.Some D class can have .05% distortion at say 2 ohms and as much as .5% distortion at 1 ohm.It all can very.

 

[rollerdj 10+ year member]

Class a/b amps are a little more effecinent in producing the power but you need to look at th THD to see excatly what the distortion is.Normally 4 ohms will be more responsive than 1 ohm which means less distortion at high volumes.Some D class can have .05% distortion at say 2 ohms and as much as .5% distortion at 1 ohm.It all can very.

sorry, other way around. class d is more effecinet (sp?) at making power. class a/b is less, but tends to overall have better sq. but, most people will never know the differance. back to the OP. they're won't be any distortion from differnt ohm loads, BUT, there will be more heat at lower ohm loads. just make sure whatever amp you are using can handle what ever you are throwing at it.

 

[audioarsonal 10+ year member]

Opps....your right it should be a/b is less effecient.Sorry!

 

[rollerdj 10+ year member]

Opps....your right it should be a/b is less effecient.Sorry!

it happens.

 

[helotaxi 5,000+ posts]

Distortion DOES increase with a reduction in load, however it should still be in the realm of inaudibility, especially on subs. Realize that the subs themselves are going to introduce 5-10% distortion. Kinda makes the difference between 0.2% and 0.5% seem moot doesn't it?

 

[Betrayer00GT 10+ year member]

Based on the negligible difference most amps have in THD going from 4ohm to 1ohm (assuming they support such operation, since a lot of amps do not of course) I would think the quartering of the damping factor by quartering the ohm load (going from 4->1 ohm) would make a more noticeable difference. Especially if the amp doesn't have a really great damping factor at 4ohms to begin with (like say, 100). It wouldn't matter as much with something like a >500 damping factor rated amp at 4ohms.

Just a thought, and oddly enough not mentioned yet in regards to reducing the ohm load an amp sees. While not technically distortion related, it could affect sound quality through the the impact of the bass coming out of the subs. Just because the amp is sending a low THD signal to the sub, doesn't mean the sub is accurately following the signal it is given. A high enough damping factor helps in that regard.

 

[squeak9798 5,000+ posts]

Most any competently designed solid state amplifier will still have adequate enough damping as to not audibly affect the frequency response (and hence sound quality).

And as helotaxi mentioned, the increase in distortion in a competently designed amplifier should still be within the realm of inaudibility, so it's a nonissue.

 

[Gary S 10+ year member]

Like squeak and helo said.... woofer distortion starts at around 3%, all solid state amps I have ever seen will play much lower distortion than that and will be masked by the speaker. If you have to turn the volume up to the point of audible clipping/distortion, there is an easy fix... buy a more powerful amp.

There is no audible difference in sound between an amp that will work at 2 ohms and one that will work at 1 ohm... amps can be optimized by design to favor any ohm load the designer wants. Just pick the amp and sub combination which gives you your money's worth. Nothing fantastic about an amp that will run at 1/4 ohm, it's simply another feature.

 

[Betrayer00GT 10+ year member]

...so it's a nonissue.

Even with a 1ohm load? What about with a 1/4 ohm load, like Gary S mentioned?

It is an issue, eventually. Just depends on if that eventuality applies to a particular application. Not likely, but not impossible (AKA a "nonissue"). Absolutes are always bad. //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/laugh.gif.48439b2acf2cfca21620f01e7f77d1e4.gif

 

[squeak9798 5,000+ posts]

Even with a 1ohm load?

Yes, in a competently designed amplifier as I mentioned.

What about with a 1/4 ohm load, like Gary S mentioned?
It is an issue, eventually. Just depends on if that eventuality applies to a particular application. Not likely, but not impossible (AKA a "nonissue"). Absolutes are always bad. //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/laugh.gif.48439b2acf2cfca21620f01e7f77d1e4.gif

//content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/rolleyes.gif.c1fef805e9d1464d377451cd5bc18bfb.gif

This thread, and my post, was addressing 1ohm vs 4ohm, not an infinite end of scenarios.

Any other failing attempts at being a smartass you wish to try ??

 

[SQL4Life 10+ year member]

cool, thx all for replies

 

[Memphisv-tec428 10+ year member]

class a/b amps should be ran at 1ohm thats why your getting distortion. if you go with a class d amp that can handle a 1ohm stable load then you will be alot more clear. class a/b amp should run a 4ohms stable