# Tonal differences, 4, 8, 16 Ohm speakers



## Leon (Mar 20, 2007)

are there any?

i know that there is a bit of difference on my Nomad when i mismatch. the 2x12 cab is 8ohm, and when i mismatch from the 8ohm out to the 4ohm out, it's a bit of a mild scoop, and the volume comes down a little bit.

but really, what i'm curious about is whether or not there's a tonal difference between running a *correct* match. my Sovtek has a 4, 8, and 16ohm outs, and i'm wondering what ohm-age i should go with for the cab i'm thinking of building for it.

since it's so loud, i've considered getting one 200+w 12" driver and leaving it at that , but i want full bottom end and bite from Tzar Ampa.


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## nitelightboy (Mar 20, 2007)

I find that the lower rating tends to provide better bass response, but higher rating tend to be cleaner/clearer. Also, the lower the reisistance the more signal goes through, meaning louder volumes. Ultimately, I think 8 ohm works best for guitar, but it's really a matter of preference. I say go play a few different cabs and see what sounds best to you and see what their resistance is. It doesn't make a HUGE difference, but there will be a small but noticable one.


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## Diatenshi (Mar 20, 2007)

nitelightboy said:


> I find that the lower rating tends to provide better bass response, but higher rating tend to be cleaner/clearer. Also, the lower the reisistance the more signal goes through, meaning louder volumes. Ultimately, I think 8 ohm works best for guitar, but it's really a matter of preference. I say go play a few different cabs and see what sounds best to you and see what their resistance is. It doesn't make a HUGE difference, but there will be a small but noticable one.



Lower rating as in 4 ohm has best bass? and highest volume? Then why in the world would anyone want anything higher? D : 16ohm would have horrable bass and no volume, pffttt. : P


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## nitelightboy (Mar 20, 2007)

Diatenshi said:


> Lower rating as in 4 ohm has best bass? and highest volume? Then why in the world would anyone want anything higher? D : 16ohm would have horrable bass and no volume, pffttt. : P



Seems that would be the case, but the lower the impedance, the muddier the sound gets. Which is why guitarists don't go with 1 ohm speakers like car guys do with their subs. 16 ohms provides a very clean sound and doesn't stress the power amp or speakers to the point in which they can be easily damaged.


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## LordOVchaoS (Mar 20, 2007)

There is NO difference in tone AT ALL between speakers of different impedance. Impedance isn't for tone differences it's for matching speaker resistance (impedance) to your amps outputs. With tube amps it's very important that you match up the impedance of the speakers with the output of the amp and the amp will push the same wattage no matter what speakers you're using so long as it matches the output of the amp. Solid state is different because it isn't as delicate at tubes. Most solid state amps can handle a 2 ohm load and they usually specify the minimum impedance the amp can handle. A solid state amp at minimum impedance will run most efficiently but it won't hurt it at all to run it with a higher impedance you just won't get as much wattage out of it.


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## D-EJ915 (Mar 20, 2007)

I was looking at response graphs on musiciansfriend and an interesting trend occured, the 16 ohm ones seemed to have a 1kHz spike, I'll get some pics. I also know that Celestion uses different cones on the Seventy80 8 and 16 ohm versions.

Man O War 8 ohm






Man O War 16 ohm





The Red Ryder not so much like the Man O War

Red Ryder 8 ohm





Red Ryder 16 ohm





lol, the black powder has some crazy response, check out how loud it is, 113dB @ 2kHz


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