Coytee Posted July 3, 2005 Share Posted July 3, 2005 I realize I should use the 8 ohm setup on the Wrights I recently acquired so this is just a question for theory. What would happen mechanically and sound wise if I switched the connection from 8 ohms to 4 or 16? (Wright 2A3's on Khorns) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
j-malotky Posted July 4, 2005 Share Posted July 4, 2005 I run my Khorns, actually all my 8 ohm Heritage on my 4 ohm taps. Have been for years. The old rule use to be to use the tap that is the LOWEST ohms pulled by your speakers. In the case of Khorns, that would be 4 ohms due to the K33 woofer. If you have it set too low, your amp will run hot, so if you want, check the temp, but you will have no problems running a khorn at 4 ohms. I found my bass and midrange sound tighter at 4 ohms....vs the 8 ohm tap. JM Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pauln Posted July 4, 2005 Share Posted July 4, 2005 Its like a transmission. Lower gear (4ohm tap) provides more power but watchout for overheating; higher gear (16ohm tap) can risk lugging the amp (engine) if the match is off. There is no formula that will tell you which one sounds best to you for your particular setup and listening preferences. Most will offer that if you proceed with caution all taps may be auditioned without harm to anything. Other are not so sure, but with Klipsch heritage I don't think there is any risk. My Wright 2A3's on 76 Heresys sounded best on 8ohm. 4ohm was interesting but a little dark, 16ohm was a little bright with some things like harpsichord. I have LaScalas now and have not experimented with 4 and 16 yet. Guess I should! Paul Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daddy Dee Posted July 4, 2005 Share Posted July 4, 2005 I've got Wright 2A3's on Klipschorns and prefer the sound on the 4ohm tap to the sound on the 8ohm tap. Never had any trouble. I'd suggest to try it out to see if you prefer one tap over the other in regards to sound. BTW, Coytee, Congrats on the Wrights! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coytee Posted July 4, 2005 Author Share Posted July 4, 2005 Cool answers & not what I was expecting!! Guess I'll have to tinker too. & tks Daddy Dee..., don't forget about me when you decide you want to get rid of your other 'crappy' amp Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daddy Dee Posted July 4, 2005 Share Posted July 4, 2005 gotcha Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SilverSport Posted July 4, 2005 Share Posted July 4, 2005 cool...good to know... Bill Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
archangele Posted July 4, 2005 Share Posted July 4, 2005 What would happen mechanically and sound wise if I switched the connection from 8 ohms to 4 or 16? Hi, Normally, if the amp is designed such that it's output transformer is of an optimal impedance for the output tubes, you loose efficiency and power when you use an output tap other then the one with the same impedance as the speakers. But speakers are dynamic devices which not only have a static resistance but an impedance that varies due to frequency and resonance peaks. The rating is an average, but not the one and only best value for all amplifiers. Although logic would suggest running 8 ohm speakers from the 8 ohm tap on the output transformer, many times one can actually get better performance by using something other then the 8 ohm connection for a speaker which is rated at 8 ohms. You just have to try and see what sounds best. 9 out of 10 times, an 8 ohm speaker sill sounds best on the 8 ohm connection. But there is always that amp which might perform better when the speakers are connected to 4 or 16 ohms on the amp. Now, in the case of a solid state amp, you run the risk of over heating the amp if you connect lower impedance speakers then the amp was designed to push. If you run too high an impedance, you loose a lot of power. Hope this helps. Bill B. (Wright 2A3's on Khorns) ---------------- Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
archangele Posted July 4, 2005 Share Posted July 4, 2005 What would happen mechanically and sound wise if I switched the connection from 8 ohms to 4 or 16? Hi, Normally, if the amp is designed such that it's output transformer is of an optimal impedance for the output tubes, you loose efficiency and power when you use an output tap other then the one with the same impedance as the speakers. But speakers are dynamic devices which not only have a static resistance but an impedance that varies due to frequency and resonance peaks. The rating is an average, but not the one and only best value for all amplifiers. Although logic would suggest running 8 ohm speakers from the 8 ohm tap on the output transformer, many times one can actually get better performance by using something other then the 8 ohm connection for a speaker which is rated at 8 ohms. You just have to try and see what sounds best. 9 out of 10 times, an 8 ohm speaker sill sounds best on the 8 ohm connection. But there is always that amp which might perform better when the speakers are connected to 4 or 16 ohms on the amp. Now, in the case of a solid state amp, you run the risk of over heating the amp if you connect lower impedance speakers then the amp was designed to push. If you run too high an impedance, you loose a lot of power. Hope this helps. Bill B. (Wright 2A3's on Khorns) ---------------- Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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