Changing a 16 ohm speaker to 8 ohms is highly possible, but after putting some considerations into practice. Though it comes with risks like malfunction of the crossover; it may eventually lead to damage. But, if you successfully change the speaker, the sound you will get will be superior.
If you are wondering how to change a 16 ohm speaker to 8 ohms, then you shouldn’t be. We are always there for you, especially when it comes to electronics. For instance, we have received suggestions to touch on how to change 16 ohm speakers to 8 ohms.
Therefore, our article will touch on useful information on how to go about it. Besides, you will be able to know the considerations when changing a 16-ohm speaker to 8 ohms. Let me not disturb you with a lot of stories; let’s get into the business.
Is there any problem changing a 16 ohm speaker to 8 ohms?
Occasionally, there could be a problem when changing 16 ohm speakers to 8 ohms. Therefore, replacing the driver can be the best way, but now the crossover may fail to work properly. You might therefore bear the consequences like damages. The crossover misbehaves and sounds bad with the driver’s lower impedance. The response curve is likely to have a hole.
Changing occurs mostly when either one of your cone speakers sounds distorted. Well, in such a situation, there are different actions that you can do. This happens mostly when you have a standing speaker like Edifier R1280T which has a dual cone speaker.
Unfortunately, the spare speakers you have don’t match the current one i.e., it might be 16 ohm and the existing one is 8 ohms or vice versa. In such a situation, changing 16 ohm speakers to 8 ohms can be the best idea.
Actions when changing 16 ohm speaker to 8 ohms
After realizing that the impedance of your spare speaker is different, below are some actions that you can lean on.
1. Disconnect the problematic speaker
This is the first and easiest trick that you can initiate to ensure you restore the music mood of your house. However, you should only do this when you are sure that the remaining speaker can deliver enough power. Alternatively, you can utilize a double/single throw toggle switch to separate one speaker.
Here, the step is straightforward as you only have to attach the speaker’s negative speaker to the middle terminal of the switch. The outer terminal should be connected to the speaker’s positive lead, stretching the –ve lead attached to the output port.
Secondly, run a cable from the remaining outer terminal of the switch to the speaker’s negative terminal jack. The next action will be to flip the switch in one way to connect your speakers in the series (16 ohms). Flipping it the other way can detach a single speaker and then bypass it (8 ohms). This is a very impressive and simplest solution.
2. Use of converter box/ Z-matcher
Here is another reliable way to change your speaker from 16 ohms to 8 ohms. You may try to get a small converter box so that you can make 16 ohm speaker to resemble like an 8 ohm one to your 20W amplifier. Opting for expensive models like Weber z-matchers can be a bit strenuous to your needs.
With the Z-matcher, its transformer is excellent in changing the load without affecting the signal flow. There will be a significant signal consistency. It’s therefore advisable to understand the 16 ohm speaker configurations.
3. Use of resistor
Building a little box with 2 8-ohm 50 Watts power resistors can be the best idea as long as you connect them in series. They should be then put in parallel format with your 16 ohms cabinet. Such a technique will make your amplifier see the 16-ohm speaker load in parallel with a 16 ohms power resistor for 8 ohms.
However, resistors are associated with attenuating the output power of your amp halfway.
4. Replace the driver
This solution becomes reliable when the current driver isn’t suitable for 16 ohm speakers. Generally, the 8-ohm driver plays a vital role in producing louder sound compared to 16-ohm drivers when other things are kept equal. Since there seems to be two similar drivers, it’s likely that the 16-ohm one was selected based on the two 16-ohm drivers’ ideas in parallel. The overall impedance is therefore equal to 8 ohms.
Paralleling your 16 ohm and 8 ohm speakers will yield 5.3 ohms, meaning that the speaker will no longer be a 16-ohm speaker. Therefore, your amplifier will be happy and operate excellently. To achieve this, you should detach and get rid of both the bass drivers. Block one of the holes with the board and then insert the 8 ohm driver.
Mounting an 8-ohm driver to your 16-ohm is great as it prevents it from completely ruining the system. However, this approach won’t offer a permanent work-round.
5. Using Y cable
The last approach that you can implement to change a 16 ohm speaker to 8 ohms, is by use of a Y Cable. Paralleling it with another 16-ohm speaker can yield 8 ohms if you don’t want to encounter various hassles.
FAQs About Change a 16 Ohm Speaker to 8 Ohms:
- Which one is better between 16 and 8 ohms?
What matters a lot is to understand how to match the speaker’s impedances. For example, connecting 8 amp to 8 ohm speakers. Therefore, there’s no difference when it comes to both 16 and 8 ohm speakers. Consider matching their impedances to prevent the OT from overheating.
- Which speaker is louder between 8 and 16 ohms?
If you use matched speakers, both 16 and 8 ohm speakers will produce almost the same volume level at 50 watts. This is always determined by the efficiency and output wattage of your speakers.
Final words
The impedance of speakers varies massively based on the frequency. Therefore, understanding how to change a 16 ohm speaker to 8 ohms can be a bit tricky if you don’t have necessary knowledge. For this reason, we are happy to present the above information to help you.
