Speaker Ohm Question

  • 19 January 2021
  • 5 replies
  • 301 views
J

Hi all,

Hoping someone with more knowledge than me about speaker ohms can help answer my question.

I have 2 of these speakers: https://www.digitalcinema.com.au/jamo-8-52dvca2-in-ceiling-speaker.html

They are stereo speakers so each speaker has a L and R channel input.

I will be putting one speaker in 2 different small bathrooms and connecting them to a single Sonos Connect Amp.

Then to have the ability to switch between the bathrooms if need I will be installing this switch: https://www.selby.com.au/av-distribution/av-switches-splitters/switches/audio/2-way-speaker-switch-200w-a1003.html

Most of the time I will just have both bathrooms playing together but on the specs sheet it says:

Impedance Chart (for 8 Ohm Speakers)
Only switch 1 on: 8 Ohm impedance
Only switch 2 on: 8 Ohm impedance
Switches 1 & 2 on: 16 Ohm impedance

Does this mean that I will have a 16 Ohm impedance and will that be ok with the Sonos amp?

Is there another way I should be doing this?

Cheers!

 

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5 replies

J

Bump. Anyone?

A
Userlevel 5
Badge +9

Although the manufacturer doesn’t explicitly say so, it’s likely that the switch implements “both together” by switching the two speakers in series. Sonos do not recommend that you do this, saying that it may lead to poor audio quality.

Stanley_4
Userlevel 7
Badge +22

There are better impedance matching switch boxes out there. Give Amazon a search to get some ideas.

J

So using 2 ceiling speakers as 2 x stereo pair will overload the amp? 

The switches can get very expensive so I think I’ll just go for a cheaper 2 way switch and just set a volume limiter on the connect amp so I don’t overload it.

A
Userlevel 5
Badge +9

So using 2 ceiling speakers as 2 x stereo pair will overload the amp?

No - as already said, Sonos don’t recommend it because it may lead to poor quality output.

If the assumption I made above is correct and the switch simply connects the two speakers in series, it will not overload the amp.

But it is likely to result in significantly lower output and, if the speakers are not exactly matched, you are likely to get most of the sound from one of a pair, and very little from the other.

If you use a switch that connects speakers in parallel rather than series you are likely to overload the amp - exactly how it will behave in those circumstances I don’t know. Long-term damage due to overheating is possible, depending on the design details.

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