How do I set up speakers in series and/or parallel for a minimum 4 ohm load on the amplifier?

Question

I need to connect 4 speakers to 1 output of a power amplifier.

All speakers are identical (100 watts @ 8ohms) and the minimum load permissible on the amp is 4 ohms.

They can be connected in series and/or parallel, but the final load on the amp needs to be a minimum of 4 ohms.

What would be the final load?

What would be the final wattage?

What wattage can the amplifier provide? You can connect as many speakers as you can but final wattage totally depends on the power amplifier. — Andy aka, Nov 2, 2015 at 8:47

Pentium100 · Accepted Answer · 2015-11-02 06:43:59Z

1

You can connect two speakers in series (making two sets), then connect the two sets in parallel, that would result in 8Ohm total impedance.

schematic

^{simulate this circuit – Schematic created using CircuitLab}

answered Nov 2, 2015 at 6:43

Pentium100

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\$\begingroup\$ Is this correct then? i.imgur.com/HAZyktH.png \$\endgroup\$
– Ryan Ashton
Nov 2, 2015 at 7:33
\$\begingroup\$ And you would get half the maximum power of the amplifier. Power is V²/R and since you've doubled the R value from the minimum the amp can handle your power will be halved. So, you could achieve the same power with just two speakers in parallel. The advantage with four is they'd be running cooler, maybe less distortion and, if it's a help, better room coverage. \$\endgroup\$
– Transistor
Nov 2, 2015 at 7:34

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