multiple speakers to 1 channel amplifier

[Max van Andel]

Im planning to build a portable speaker diy.
After some research i found out that you can wire multiple speakers to a single channel. If you have 2 8ohm speakers, and you wire them paralel, you'll get 4ohm. Lets say my amp supports 4-16 ohm. It should work cause 4ohm is supported.

If my amp supports 50 watt a channel, And you got 2 50 watt speakers, will the wattage remain the same? Does the amp support it? Is it possible to wire 2 50 watt speakers to 1 50 watt channel as long as the independence of the speakers fits?

 

[rhysiam]

There are two ways to wire multiple speakers to the same channel. Series and Parallel.

Parallel: halves the impedance (ohms) of your speakers, but maintains volume levels. *WILL* damage the amp if the impedance is too low. i.e. if you run two 4omh speakers in parallel on a 4ohm amp you're running the amp out of spec and are likely to damage it.

Series: doubles the impedance (ohms) of your speakers, while halving power output from the amp. Should not ever damage the amp. It's a little counter intuitive, because you might think that higher resistance (=impedance) would work the amp harder, but it's actually the other way around. Higher resistance = lower current, means the amp is not working as hard. Low resistance = high current = potential damage to your amp.

So as long as whatever speaker combination you connect up remains in spec for the amp you should be fine. As you're suggesting 2 8ohm speakers in Parallel on a 4ohm amp, that should be absolutely fine.

 

[Max van Andel]

Thanks for the fast reply!
So wattage has nothing to do with it?
so I can wire as many 50w speakers to 1 channel as long the independence isnt too low?

 

[americanaudiophile]

You can wire as many speakers are you want by combining series and parallel connections to maintain a safe impedance but you can run out of power since each speaker will use a certain amount.
A lot of amps overstate their power. It's also dependent on the power supply voltage. In a battery powered speaker it will limit your playing time. When the amp is producing more power it draws more from the battery..