impedance mismatch?

Clyde Billt · November 8th, 2009, 05:05 PM

Hi,
I would like to try and run my champion 600 through my 8" Gibson Goldtone (re-badged Weber?) that I fitted into it and a Celestion Alnico Blue in an extension cab.
16 ohms on the Vox and 4 ohms on the Gibson.
Is 20 ohms wired in series too much?
Would 3.2 ohms in parallel cause a load of damage?

I've swapped the stock 12AX7 for a 5751 and put Brimar 6V6GT in and it does sound the dogs danglies (trans:really quite good) so I will probably end up just putting it through the Celestion.
Or do you think it's not worth the hassle?

eugenedunn · November 8th, 2009, 05:40 PM

Your description is kind of unclear.....

So you have a Fender Champion 600 with a 4 ohm Gibson speaker in it.....AND you have another extension cabinet that has a 16 ohm speaker in it (Celestion)?

And the Champion 600 is a 4 ohm amp?

So you're asking whether running it in parallel is OK? I think it's OK, but because the extension cabinet has a much higher impedance, it will get less of the signal power. It still might sound OK, but not so efficient as it could be.

Clyde Billt · November 8th, 2009, 06:18 PM

Hi Eugene,
Sorry about the description. Thanks for the reply

Yes the Champion is a 4 ohm amp. I have a 4 ohm 8" speaker in it but would like to put it through a bigger speaker.
I've read some posts on here by folk saying that they were playing their champions through 12" speakers with decent results.

I was worried that the slightly lower impedance would damage the amp.

eugenedunn · November 8th, 2009, 06:43 PM

Going from a 4 ohm to a 3.2 ohm ain't a bad thing..... but I wouldn't go any lower!

Can you disconnect the internal speaker? If so, the best thing would be to run that little amp through a 2x10 cabinet (two 8-ohm speaker wired in parallel, resulting in 4-ohms). THAT would be sonically delicious.

Clyde Billt · November 8th, 2009, 07:05 PM

Aww man,
That sounds like a great idea!
Back to ebay for me.
Cheers eugene

eugenedunn · November 8th, 2009, 07:21 PM

Sorry to do that to you.....

But seriously, a 2x10 or 2x12 would be the best solution for you..... Readily available in a wide variety of combinations. I would turn it on end and run it vertically for better dispersion....... If you look at my photo gallery, you'll see that I also run a vertical 2x10.

Go to page 2 of my gallery and see that cabinet with my Allen Old Flame head.

patrickhowell · November 8th, 2009, 11:25 PM

Why must he get a 210 or 212 cab? The amp is not going to like that 16Ω speaker on its own. It should be fine if you run the two speakers in parallel, but it depends on how close the speakers are to spec. Sometimes a "16Ω" speaker will only measure 10Ω or 12Ω.

eugenedunn · November 9th, 2009, 08:41 AM

I was speaking about the most convenient and best solution to his issue. Sure, you could also get a 2x8 or a 2x15 cabinet..... but truthfully, the best solution is to use matched impedance speakers, because then the power will be evenly distributed between those drivers. Most available 4-ohm cabs seem to be two driver enclosures, was my point.

Heck, you could wire up four 16-ohm speakers in parallel and get your 4-ohms too.

November 8th, 2009, 05:05 PM	#1 (permalink)
Clyde Billt NEW MEMBER! Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Surrey UK Age: 45 Posts: 6	impedance mismatch? Hi, I would like to try and run my champion 600 through my 8" Gibson Goldtone (re-badged Weber?) that I fitted into it and a Celestion Alnico Blue in an extension cab. 16 ohms on the Vox and 4 ohms on the Gibson. Is 20 ohms wired in series too much? Would 3.2 ohms in parallel cause a load of damage? I've swapped the stock 12AX7 for a 5751 and put Brimar 6V6GT in and it does sound the dogs danglies (trans:really quite good) so I will probably end up just putting it through the Celestion. Or do you think it's not worth the hassle?

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November 8th, 2009, 05:40 PM	#2 (permalink)
eugenedunn Tele-Afflicted Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Sacramento, CA Age: 56 Posts: 1,227 41 Photos	Your description is kind of unclear..... So you have a Fender Champion 600 with a 4 ohm Gibson speaker in it.....AND you have another extension cabinet that has a 16 ohm speaker in it (Celestion)? And the Champion 600 is a 4 ohm amp? So you're asking whether running it in parallel is OK? I think it's OK, but because the extension cabinet has a much higher impedance, it will get less of the signal power. It still might sound OK, but not so efficient as it could be.

November 8th, 2009, 06:18 PM	#3 (permalink)
Clyde Billt NEW MEMBER! Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Surrey UK Age: 45 Posts: 6	Hi Eugene, Sorry about the description. Thanks for the reply Yes the Champion is a 4 ohm amp. I have a 4 ohm 8" speaker in it but would like to put it through a bigger speaker. I've read some posts on here by folk saying that they were playing their champions through 12" speakers with decent results. I was worried that the slightly lower impedance would damage the amp.

November 8th, 2009, 06:43 PM	#4 (permalink)
eugenedunn Tele-Afflicted Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Sacramento, CA Age: 56 Posts: 1,227 41 Photos	Going from a 4 ohm to a 3.2 ohm ain't a bad thing..... but I wouldn't go any lower! Can you disconnect the internal speaker? If so, the best thing would be to run that little amp through a 2x10 cabinet (two 8-ohm speaker wired in parallel, resulting in 4-ohms). THAT would be sonically delicious.

November 8th, 2009, 07:05 PM	#5 (permalink)
Clyde Billt NEW MEMBER! Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Surrey UK Age: 45 Posts: 6	Aww man, That sounds like a great idea! Back to ebay for me. Cheers eugene

November 8th, 2009, 07:21 PM	#6 (permalink)
eugenedunn Tele-Afflicted Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Sacramento, CA Age: 56 Posts: 1,227 41 Photos	Sorry to do that to you..... But seriously, a 2x10 or 2x12 would be the best solution for you..... Readily available in a wide variety of combinations. I would turn it on end and run it vertically for better dispersion....... If you look at my photo gallery, you'll see that I also run a vertical 2x10. Go to page 2 of my gallery and see that cabinet with my Allen Old Flame head.

November 8th, 2009, 11:25 PM	#7 (permalink)
patrickhowell Tele-Meister Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Lynchburg, VA Age: 25 Posts: 253	Why must he get a 210 or 212 cab? The amp is not going to like that 16Ω speaker on its own. It should be fine if you run the two speakers in parallel, but it depends on how close the speakers are to spec. Sometimes a "16Ω" speaker will only measure 10Ω or 12Ω.

November 9th, 2009, 08:41 AM	#8 (permalink)
eugenedunn Tele-Afflicted Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Sacramento, CA Age: 56 Posts: 1,227 41 Photos	I was speaking about the most convenient and best solution to his issue. Sure, you could also get a 2x8 or a 2x15 cabinet..... but truthfully, the best solution is to use matched impedance speakers, because then the power will be evenly distributed between those drivers. Most available 4-ohm cabs seem to be two driver enclosures, was my point. Heck, you could wire up four 16-ohm speakers in parallel and get your 4-ohms too.

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