Still fettling my Akai stero system. Base unit with tape is now working after new fuse inserted. CD transport naffed - checked by trying on other system. So I have decided to chuck the second partly broken stereo stack and keep the speakers. However, just realised that the speakers are 6 ohm, and the connectors on the back of the amp say Speakers (6-16ohm) and Surround Speakers (8-16 ohm). Grr....gnarghh....there goes my plan to use the spare set of speakers for surround speakers.
So is running 6 ohm speakers on an 8-16 ohm speaker circuit likely to blow the speakers or the amplifier? Is there an easy way to uprate the speakers to 8 ohm?
Otherwise I'll probably have to chuck them. Apart from anything else I think that 6 ohm speakers are fairly rare, and that most speakers come in at 8 ohm.
6ohm speaker were common on Japanese midi systems at the time - I have a set of old 6ohm Aiwa boxes which work happily on a nominal 8ohm amp. The impedence is only nominal anyway - speaker impedance varies with frequency - just dont bang 60W through them. If you're using them as surround speakers, just wire them up and try them but you'll likely find they're a bit on the loud side. You could try strangling them a bit with a series 4ohm resistor, but it might affect response - perhaps not a problem in surround use.
Its a nonissue upto around 3/4 max power output. Above that, what happens depends. On an old totally unprotected amp, at max output it could fry the amp.
Thanks - that suggests to me that if I am wiring up a 4 speaker system then the ones furthest from the listening area and with the longest speaker cable runs should be the surround ones :-) Or alternatively the closest one so you hear the sound 'in front' and don't actively notice the fill in from the back. Or not. Err..... Well, suck it and see time :-))
1) The ohms rating of a speaker is only a guide, since it tends to vary with frequency.
2) AFAIK, any decent amp is unconditionally stable under any load. I think that's what the bumf for my Quad 303 (vintage 1970) claims, anyway.
So I see no reason that it should matter. The more the speaker's ohms rating matches the output impedance of the amp, the more power will be available for the speakers - AFAIK. However there are I think some here who've actually designed this stuff so I defer to them.
Psuedo surround systems (mixed rear channels) can be had cheaply, a balance pot would double the cost of the surround componentry. Stop being silly and stuff a moth-eaten pullover in the talking-box.
The thing is the 6 or 8 or whatever ohm is merely a very approximate thing. If they are multi unit then the impedance will vary at different frequencies and often be capacitive and have strange reactive elements as well. What really matters is how efficient they are, ie wats in for sound out as very inefficient ones need more driving of course. I'd not be too worried. Assuming a properly designed amplifier you should not have any issues. You say the cassette is duff, often cleaning and a new set of belts can work wonders if the system basically works and does not have teeth missing on gears or perished rubber bits.
It is the CD transport which is duff - fails to recognise a loaded CD and the control buttons only partially work. Given that I have two identical systems it is not worth any major effort to fix this. Took the cover off, looked inside, put cover back on, queued for recycling. The good CD transport works with both stacks. The bad CD transport works with neither.
People are getting all enthusiastic about 'dececnt amps' and 'crossovers' (which I assume are the links on more expensive speakers which connect two sets of terminals for single wiring if the speakers are capable of bi-wiring). Then again it could be something else :-) The amp is an Akai TP-570 which is an integral part of a pseudo-component stack system linked together with ribbon cables. It gets all soggy and hard to light if any component is missing such as the duff CD transport.
The speakers are Akai SR-570 with a single pair of speaker wire clips on the back. Maximim input power 50W Impedance 6 ohm.
The whole system is built to a budget (low). So I assume that the amplifier doesn't really come under the classification of 'decent amp' and all sorts of compromises may have been made to met the target budget.
I bought two identical systems for the kids about 18 years ago after auditioning a load of different cheapo integrated midi systems. I was impressed by the sound quality then and it still sounds good today. Not a patch on a serious stereo with serious speakers but remarkably good for the price point.
The kids (now not kids to anyone but their parents) have moved on and discarded these systems after many years of use and I am sorting out which bits are still good, prior to installing in the shed at some future time, donating to a charity shop, or recycling.
I was hoping to get one system which wasn't working back into working order so it could be passed on. Replaced a blown fuse in the main amplifier/tape drive/control box and this now works. However the CD transport is banjaxed so the stack will go to the recycler - no real value in an 18 year old stack stereo which can't even play CDs.
Because the system has a 'surround sound' option I was considering keeeping the second set of speakers and wiring them in.
I will do this now I know that I shouldn't be too worried about connecting nominal 6 ohm speakers to a nominal 8 ohm amp output. I do wonder in passing why the system doesn't support the 6 ohm speakers which come with it as surround sound speakers, but hey - no big problem.
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