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About Impedance and Power Handling
About Impedance
Before you hook up your speaker cabinet, be sure that you understand a little
about impedance. Impedance is the electronic load that the speaker puts on
the power amplifier and is measured in Ohms. Too much of a load (indicated
by lower impedance number) can damage your amplifier, while too small a
load (indicated by higher impedance number) will not draw enough power
from your amplifier.
Here is the tricky, yet simple rule of impedance: When two speakers are wired
in "Parallel", the total system impedance number is cut in half and when two
speakers are wired in “Series”, the total impedance number is the sum of the
speakers individual impedance.
The AK410 and AK115 impedance (many audio guys use the made up word
“ohmage”, however the correct term is impedance) is 8 Ohms. So, when two
AK410's or AK115’s are connected together in parallel, the total impedance
is 4 Ohms. The impedance of your speaker has an effect on your amplifier.
In general, the lower the impedance, the more power your amplifier will put
out.
About Power Handling
There is a heated discussion around power handling. Is it better to over
power a cabinet, or is dangerous to under power a speaker? While it is
certain that the debate will continue far into the future, the fact is that both
are true. If you are using an amplifier with a lot of power, you can damage
your speaker by running the amp to the maximum and pushing the speaker
beyond it's physical limits When using too little power, there a tendency to
push the amplifier into overload, which will generate enough distortion to
burn the voice coil. The most important point to consider is how the power
is used in order to ensure the speaker is presented with a clean signal. Be
sure that you amplifier is producing a good clean signal. If your amp has an
on-board compressor or limiter, we recommend you use it to protect the
speaker. If the sound is getting distorted you’re probably starting to damage
the speaker.
The good news is that Hartke AK Series cabinets are really efficient and they
run well with amplifiers that have lower power. Plus, each model carries a
high power handling rating, making them ideal with more powerful heads.
The AK Series cabinets will work well with the Hartke HA3500, HA5500,
LH500 and LH1000, and of course the Hartke Kilo. Again, remember, be nice
to your speaker and it will be nice to you. Keep the signal clean!
