Connecting Speakers to Hi-Fi System

bestoon Posted messages 94 Registration date Status Member Last intervention -
Andy31200 Posted messages 26918 Registration date Status Moderator Last intervention - 20 Apr 2018 at 11:00

Hello,

I have 2 pairs of speakers (hooked up with bare wire) that I would like to use together by connecting them to my Hi-Fi system.
One pair is 4 ohms and the other is 8 ohms.
The sound system accepts 4-ohm speakers.

1- How can I determine the wire polarities? (Is it important?)
2- Can I connect them both to my sound system? (only 2 outputs available)
3- What kind of wiring? (series, parallel...)

I don't know anything about the subject, so I'm asking you to explain your points clearly.
If I only connect a small speaker (4 ohms) to one of the outputs and connect the two larger ones (8 ohms) in parallel to the second one, would that work? (and would it be safe?)

Thank you in advance

3 answers

Answer 1 / 3

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Andy31200 Posted messages 26918 Registration date Status Moderator Last intervention 12 201

To identify the polarity of the speakers, connect a 1.5-volt battery and observe if the main speaker (woofer) moves forward; the positive of the battery corresponds to the positive of the speaker, otherwise, it's the opposite.
And in image:

--
I call a cat a cat *
*in French in the text
3
1. bestoon Posted messages 94 Registration date Status Member Last intervention 8
  
  Thank you very much!
  
  0
2. Andy31200 Posted messages 26918 Registration date Status Moderator Last intervention 12 201
  
  But you're welcome, and come back to give some news.
  
  0
Answer 2 / 3
Jojolaguitare Posted messages 12012 Registration date Status Member Last intervention 2 782

Hello.

If you connect a 4 ohm speaker with an 8 ohm speaker, the resulting impedance will be 2.66 ohms. So the amp won't support it and the output stage will blow quickly due to overheating.

In other words, there’s no possible solution with this set of speakers. You would need either 4 speakers of 4 ohms (in series) or four of 8 ohms (in parallel). All that's left is to keep the pair that gives the best efficiency (dB).

A + . . .
2
1. bestoon Posted messages 94 Registration date Status Member Last intervention 8
  
  Thank you very much,
  
  If I connect only a small speaker (4 ohms) to one of the outputs and connect the two larger ones (8 ohms) in parallel to the second, would that work? (And would it be safe?)
  
  0
2. bestoon Posted messages 94 Registration date Status Member Last intervention 8
  
  Or in parallel (?)
  
  0
3. Jojolaguitare Posted messages 12012 Registration date Status Member Last intervention 2 782
  
  Re
  
  I slightly modified my message . . .
  
  You can connect the two 4 ohm speakers in series on one channel, which gives a final impedance of 8 ohms, and connect the 8 ohm speakers in parallel, resulting in a final impedance of 4 ohms.
  
  Since each amplifier card is independent, it will work safely, although one channel will run hotter than the other. However, you will notice an audible difference between the right and left channels. You'll need to adjust the balance. Ultimately, it will all depend on the efficiency of the speakers.
  
  See you later . . .
  
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4. bestoon Posted messages 94 Registration date Status Member Last intervention 8
  
  But the 4-ohm speaker path (in series) will be too strong for the amp, right?
  If I understand correctly:
  1st path: 4 ohms + 4 ohms in series (= 8 ohms)
  2nd path: 8 ohms + 8 ohms in parallel (= 4 ohms)
  
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5. Jojolaguitare Posted messages 12012 Registration date Status Member Last intervention 2 782
  
  Hello.
  
  An amplifier can safely operate from 4 Ω to 16 Ω. Some sound reinforcement amplifiers can even work at 2 Ω under certain conditions. So connecting 2 speakers in series at 4 Ω will be safe for the amp.
  I might be repeating myself, but for example, if all the speakers have the same efficiency, you will notice a difference in power if you place the 2 at 4 Ω on one side and the 2 at 8 Ω on the other. For auditory balance, place one 4 Ω and one 8 Ω on each side (while maintaining series/parallel connections, of course) but... goodbye stereophony! However, if you place them as mentioned above, with the 4 Ω on one side and the 8 Ω on the other, you will have to adjust the balance knob or the L & R volumes (if they are independent), and in this way, you will maintain the stereophony.
  
  See you later...
  
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Answer 3 / 3
fabul Posted messages 42153 Registration date Status Moderator Last intervention 6 066

Hi,

You can connect them in series,

the + of one speaker to the + of the amp, the - of the other speaker to the - of the amp, and the remaining - and + on the speakers, you connect them together.

But using 2 different pairs of speakers at the same time might not yield very good results; it might be just a bit good if you’re lucky, or a bit bad...
1
1. bestoon Posted messages 94 Registration date Status Member Last intervention 8
  
  Thank you,
  
  I will still give it a try :)
  
  0

Connecting Speakers to Hi-Fi System

3 answers

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