Tip o' the week - How important is speaker impedance?
In order for a tube amp to develop it's maximum power with the least distortion, an amp's output impedance should be matched to the impedance of the speaker cabinet. In other words, an amp with a 4 ohm output should be connected to a 4 ohm cabinet. However, in the real world an amp can tolerate a mismatch of up to 100% ( up or down) without harming the amp in any way, so feel free to experiment a little. A popular thing to do is to add an extension speaker to your small combo amp. This doesn't actually make the amp more powerful, but it does add more apparent volume and punch.
Skip Simmons
Hello spl 20- Yes, you can certainly try out the Eminence. However, it may or may not sound better. Give it a try and let us know!
Here is a little story about speaker impedance...... back in the early eighties I had a lot of tweed Champs. Even then, every "expert" was making a big deal about the shortage of the 3.2 ohm speakers needed for those amps. Well one day I decided to hook a Champ up to the vintage P-12R in a tweed Deluxe and see how it would sound. Even though the P-12R is an 8 ohm speaker, it absolutely CRUSHED the stock 3.2 ohm speaker. That's when I knew that speaker impedance is important, but speaker efficiency makes a big difference as well.
Skip Simmons
Hi Skip, I have a Silvertone 1482 with the old Fisher 12" speaker in it, could I drop in the Emminence Cannabus Rex rated at 8 ohm's with out problems? Thanks.