Hi all
Yep i am a newbe to this forum & i need some advice on something that has been asked a million times befor no doubt. I have just been given an allmost new hardly used WARRIOR IS 1000 watt amp to be used in normal stereo mode putting out 500w at 4ohms per chanel, can this be used with 2 300 watt 8ohms speakers ,is this a good match or will i need a higher or lower watt speaker. Cheers in advance.
Full Version: Amp/speaker Match
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Your amp will put out 500W at 4 ohms, however nearly all amplifiers derate proportionally when running in 8 ohm loads. I would estimate that the Warrior would deliver around 300 - 325W into 8 Ohms, so they are reasonably well matched.
Just bear in mind that no amplifier should be driven to 'clip' or into 'peak' limits, as this introduces clipping into the signal and will kill HF units and on occasion even burn out bass drivers, so keep the amp below this threshold and you should be fine.
Just bear in mind that no amplifier should be driven to 'clip' or into 'peak' limits, as this introduces clipping into the signal and will kill HF units and on occasion even burn out bass drivers, so keep the amp below this threshold and you should be fine.
basically yes its fine, speakers are most common in two types, 4 ohm and 8 ohm. 8ohm being the most popular , If your speaker was 4 ohm you would get the 4 ohm rating from your amp (500w) your speakers are 8ohm so you get the 8 ohm rating going into them which according to your amp if im correct on a quick search is 300w . 300w of power avaliable going into a 300w speaker at 8 ohm, just dont red line the amp , lovely jubley
QUOTE(danger mouse @ May 19 2009, 10:41 PM) 
basically yes its fine, speakers are most common in two types, 4 ohm and 8 ohm. 8ohm being the most popular , If your speaker was 4 ohm you would get the 4 ohm rating from your amp (500w) your speakers are 8ohm so you get the 8 ohm rating going into them which according to your amp if im correct on a quick search is 300w . 300w of power avaliable going into a 300w speaker at 8 ohm, just dont red line the amp , lovely jubley
Ahh i see, so really the speakers need to be a higher rating than the amp output, i have a pair of 500watt each at 8ohms speakers, these would be much more suited to the amp, meaning that they can handle the power from the amp much better. So the logic is the speakers must allways be a higher watt than the amp can deliver, that way if you drive the amp, the speakers can handel the power. Correct me if im wrong.
You also need to take into account whether amps or speakers are rated at RMS, max or peak.
If the warrior is 300W RMS into 8Ω and the speakers are 300W max or peak then they will be seriously underrated.
Jim
If the warrior is 300W RMS into 8Ω and the speakers are 300W max or peak then they will be seriously underrated.
Jim
The main thing is that you don't push the amp to the limit all the time. Two ways to damage speakers are to drive the amp into clipping and over driving speakers by pushing more power into them than they can handle.
Speakers usually have at least two ratings, RMS and peak. The RMS is the rating that they can handle for a prolonged length of time and the peak value is what they can handle in short bursts.
The values are measured using a constant sine wave but music is more dynamic so during the louder parts it is pushing more power into the speakers than during the softer parts. As long as the average power doesn't exceed what the speakers can handle (the RMS power rating) then you should be safe.
Speaker manufacturers will often recommend that an amplifier is used that outputs more power than the speakers can handle, typically 50% to 100% more but it depends a lot on what they are used for.
For example speakers used for live vocals you can get away with using up to +100% because there are a lot of quieter bits in between the louder bits so for example using a 500w amplifier with 250w speakers, the actual power will average out to around 250w.
Instruments that output a constant wave such as synthesizers, bass guitars should use amps and speakers that match power.
If you do use an amplifier that can output more power than the speakers can handle, then you should only do so using a limiter to prevent the speakers getting damage by overdriving should a constant wave form such as feedback occur, a loud signal happen such as someone shouting down a mic or dropping one.
Pre recorded media such as CD's and MP3's are heavily compressed i.e. the quieter bits are made louder so the average power output from an amplifier will be higher. Personally, for DJ use, I wouldn't use an amplifier that exceeds the RMS power handling of the speakers. The only exception is for bass bins where I use +50% in a bi amped set up but I still use a limiter.
At the end of the day, the speakers are a pretty critical component of a mobile disco. If you damage them, then you could end up with no sound during a gig. Driving an amp/speakers to their max all the time is like driving a car flat out all the time - they will wear out quicker and something will eventually break. It is much better to have a set up that is more powerful than you need and use it at 1/2 or 2/3rds its maximum power than to have a set up that will only just cope when used flat out.
Speakers usually have at least two ratings, RMS and peak. The RMS is the rating that they can handle for a prolonged length of time and the peak value is what they can handle in short bursts.
The values are measured using a constant sine wave but music is more dynamic so during the louder parts it is pushing more power into the speakers than during the softer parts. As long as the average power doesn't exceed what the speakers can handle (the RMS power rating) then you should be safe.
Speaker manufacturers will often recommend that an amplifier is used that outputs more power than the speakers can handle, typically 50% to 100% more but it depends a lot on what they are used for.
For example speakers used for live vocals you can get away with using up to +100% because there are a lot of quieter bits in between the louder bits so for example using a 500w amplifier with 250w speakers, the actual power will average out to around 250w.
Instruments that output a constant wave such as synthesizers, bass guitars should use amps and speakers that match power.
If you do use an amplifier that can output more power than the speakers can handle, then you should only do so using a limiter to prevent the speakers getting damage by overdriving should a constant wave form such as feedback occur, a loud signal happen such as someone shouting down a mic or dropping one.
Pre recorded media such as CD's and MP3's are heavily compressed i.e. the quieter bits are made louder so the average power output from an amplifier will be higher. Personally, for DJ use, I wouldn't use an amplifier that exceeds the RMS power handling of the speakers. The only exception is for bass bins where I use +50% in a bi amped set up but I still use a limiter.
At the end of the day, the speakers are a pretty critical component of a mobile disco. If you damage them, then you could end up with no sound during a gig. Driving an amp/speakers to their max all the time is like driving a car flat out all the time - they will wear out quicker and something will eventually break. It is much better to have a set up that is more powerful than you need and use it at 1/2 or 2/3rds its maximum power than to have a set up that will only just cope when used flat out.
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