If I buy a pair of Yamaha CBR15 speakers , and I configure them as a 4 ohm load, how many watts is appropriate to drive that load?

Brian Neathery

• 156 Answers
• Posted on Jul 05, 2007

SOURCE: sub+amp configuration

With a single 4-ohm subwoofer, usually the best choice is a 2-channel amp that can be bridged to a single channel. In your case, the sub is rated for 1000 watts. Not many amps are rated for that kind of continuous power into a 4-ohm load. Kicker doesn't list a minimum power rating, which isn't unusual in subwoofer specs. Depending on your budget, I'd look for an amp rated for 300-500 watts minimum; the higher, the better, up to 1000 watts. Most amps will have several power ratings, based on the load impedance and number of channels driven. A typical 2-channel amp might be rated like this: 150 watts x 2 channels at 4 ohms 300 watts x 2 channels at 2 ohms 500 watts x 1 channel at 4 ohms. The power rating you'll want to look at will be the 1-channel, 4-ohm rating. You can look at mono amps, too, but in the power ranges you're looking for, a 2-channel amp will probably give you the best value. However, if you can find a mono amp with a high enough 4-ohm power rating, it would run cooler and might last longer than a 2-channel amp with comparable power. When looking at mono amps, you'll find their highest power output will be at 2 ohms or 1 ohm; make sure you're checking the 4-ohm rating when making comparisons. Some amplifiers that might work well for you: Kicker SX900.2 Kicker ZX850.2 Alpine PDX-1.1000 Rockford T600-2 Hifonics ZXi 1006 Premier PRS-D2100T Power Acoustik OV2-2200

SOURCE: 4 ohm and 8 ohm speakers

You can plug in higher ohm speakers , the higher the ohm the higher the resistance is, it is a danger when you plug lower ohm speakers into a higer ohm Amp , at a high volume that will cause them to blow , the center speaker would be fine to use a higer ohm speaker , your best choice is to buy a Active Subwoofer, which means the sub has it's own power supply , and u can blast the thing as much as u like , thn u can turn the bass down on all the other speaker's so u can play it louder , and have the sub turned up has high as u like , this is the best way to get great sound with high volume , buy a Active sub woofer , any active subwoofer is ok , a active sub woofer has its own volume and inputs on the speaker ,

SOURCE: Sony STR-DB940 Receiver Speaker Impedance Question

Whats the rating on the Plasma? How many watts at 4 ohms? If the plasma is rated 100 w at 8 ohm... hanging a 3.4 ohm load would put a lot of strain on the plasma's output amp. At 3.4 ohm the amp would be trying to delive close to 200 watts at full power. But it depends on how hot you normally run the volumn. Remember an amplifier output is AC volts. 1 ohm of resistance is close to a dead short. The amplifier would have to work its *** off to supply that type of power and would probably burn the output op-amps. If the outputs burn & it pumps any DC current through the speaker wire..the speakers would be toast...if not catch on fire. Try to keep the speaker load at or very cloe to the plasma's output load rating. Also if the plasma doesn't state it will handle loads down to 2 ohms...It probably won't.
Gene

SOURCE: I have a pair of peavey messenger pro 12

they should work and sound awesome as well. your amp should handle the set-up with no problem.

SOURCE: I have a s1500 samson amp I keep blowing speakers,

Turn the volume down? Feed it cleaner source material?

http://s3.amazonaws.com/samsontech/related_docs/s1500_s2000_manual.pdf

You don't say under what conditions you're blowing them or if any of the informative indicators are warning you of impending doom. The Samson is capable of cooking just about any home speaker.

The following conditions will cause the Protection LED to go on:

• Initial power-up: For approximately five seconds after initial power-up, the

protection circuitry is activated and the speaker output is muted. If everything is

operating normally, you will hear an audible click at the conclusion of this brief

period, as the protection circuitry is deactivated and the S1500 / S2000 begins

delivering signal to connected speakers (at which point you'll hear a click). It is

normal for the Protection LED to fade gradually after the amplifier is powered off.

• Overheating: A temperature sensing device in the S1500 / S2000 will cause

the protection circuitry to be activated (and the Protection LED to go on)

whenever the operating temperature of the unit rises above a safe level. To

guard against this problem, make sure the S1500 / S2000 receives adequate

ventilation on all sides and that both the front and rear panels are unobstructed.

• Severe overcurrent conditions: This occurs whenever the signal being input to

the S1500 / S2000 rises to a level above 20% THD (Total Harmonic Distortion).

• Shorted speaker cables: This will occur if, due to faulty wiring, the hot and

ground signals being output by the S1500 / S2000 short one another.

• Output impedance drops below 2 ohms: This can occur if the S1500 / S2000

is connected to inappropriate speaker systems (see the "Setting Up and Using

Your S1500 / S2000" section on page 5 in this manual for more information).

• DC voltage detected at speaker output: The most likely cause of this is an

internal failure.

In general, any time the Protection LED lights up (other than during the

approximately five seconds following initial power-up), there is reason to be

concerned. If this occurs, turn the S1500 / S2000 off immediately and carefully

check all wiring and external devices in order to locate and correct the condition

that caused the LED to light up in the first place.

For further assistance, contact your local Samson dealer. If purchased in the

United States, you can call Samson Technical Support (1-800-372-6766)
between 9 AM and 5 PM EST.