Ohms and Amplifiers
Guitar amplifiers that have multiple outputs use parallel wiring internally at their output jacks. Why you may ask? Well, for one reason, if they did not, then the outputs on the amp would only work if ALL outputs would be used of course! Remember again that a series connection needs to have all connections present to work and this would apply to an amplifier’s output jacks as well. So as a result of knowing that an amplifier’s speaker outputs are wired in parallel, running two 16 ohm cabinets in a standard Marshall amplifier head would result in an 8 ohm load and therefore the amplifier should be set at 8 ohms accordingly. Some older Marshalls had four speaker outputs. Using the same principles, four 16 ohm cabinets ran in parallel together would result in a 2 ohm load and you would then set the Marshall to operate at 2 ohms.
If we go back to some of the earlier questions, I hinted about situations that referred to impedance mis-matching. Recall the questions: "But what if you don’t have a 16 ohm output (for the speaker cabinet rated at 16 ohms) and the head only has options for 8 or 4 ohms? Can it still be run safely? What about the case of using a 4 ohm cabinet but the amp only has settings for 8 ohms or above?"
The answer to the first question regarding whether a 16 ohm cabinet can be run safely with an amp that has settings for 8 or 4 ohms is yes. However, when running the head at a lower ohm rating then the cabinet, the result will be a significant degree of power loss. In the second case of using a 4 ohm cabinet with an amp that must be run at 8 ohms, this will stress an amp and cause it to overheat. Technically, you’ll get more power output (not efficient or stable power output mind you!) to some degree, but again, at the expense of burning out a transformer and/or other components. Not a good idea!
One of the questions earlier speculated about the use of two different cabinets in a setup, one being an 8 ohm, the other a 16 ohm. For best performance, this is not recommended. However, if you insist on having to do this setup, just make sure that the amplifier impedance is lower than the combined 8 and 16 ohm parallel load. The formula for calculating the impedance when not using equivelant cabinets is different, i.e. the "halving" or "doubling" that is done to get ratings when using series and parallel won’t work.
We won’t bother with the mathematical formula used. Let me tell you the "easy" way to come up with the calculation. Using a calculator with a reciprical key ("1/x"), do this: enter the first resistance value (for our example, press 8 for our 8 ohms), then press the "1/x" key. Then press "+" and then enter the next resistance value (16) and again press the "1/x" key. Then press "=", then "1/x" and you’ll have your final answer.
Based on this, the final resistance rating of the single 8 and 16 ohm cabinet ran in parallel is approximately 5.33 ohms. To run this setup reliably, but of course understanding that there will be some power loss, make sure the amplifier is set to 4 ohms. Better yet, sell one of the cabinets and purchase a new one with an appropriately matched ohms rating so you can get all the power out your amplifier and therefore have the tightest and most powerful sound available out of your rig. Hope all this helps!
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