4 Ohm vs 8 Ohm speakers? (1 Viewer)

[Tom Weeks]

Is there any advantage in having a 4 ohm set of speakers over an 8 ohm? Is there any significant difference in the two ratings besides the power output?

 

[John F. Palacio]

Hi, Tom.

4 ohm speakers will "drain" twice the current from a given amplifier than 8 ohm speakers. (This applies only to amplifiers with no output transformer)

However for this to result in more sound output would necessitate both speakers in question to be of the same efficiency.

In other words if you have identical speakers one being 8 ohms and the other 4 ohms, the 4 ohm speaker will be 3 dB louder.

John