The actual impedance load the HDL-6 presents to your receiver
or amplifier will vary, depending on how many speaker pairs
are playing, and the impedance rating of each speaker. If you
have six pairs of 8-ohm speakers playing, the HDL-6 will present
a 4.3 ohm impedance load to your receiver/amplifier. With six
pairs of 4-ohm speakers playing, the load drops to slightly
under 4 ohms.
If you intend to use the HDL-6 with more than two pairs of
4-ohm speakers, we recommend that you verify that the receiv-
er or amplifier is capable of driving a 4-ohm load. Consult your
Niles dealer, or receiver/amplifier manufacturer, if you are
uncertain about the capabilities of the receiver/amplifier.
Type of Speaker Wire
For most applications, we recommend that you use 16-gauge
or 18-gauge, stranded-copper speaker wire for the HDL-6
connections. For wiring runs longer than 80 feet, 14-gauge wire
is recommended. Using speaker wire larger than 14-gauge for
the HDL-6 connections is not recommended—the wire may
not fit into the connectors. Never use solid-core, aluminum, or
"Romex" wire with the HDL-6. For speaker-wire runs inside
walls, most states and municipalities in the U.S. specify that you
must use a special type of speaker wire. Usually, the
requirement is that the wire has a specific "CL" fire rating, such
as "CL-2" or "CL-3". Consult your Niles dealer, building contrac-
tor, or local building and inspection department if you are
unsure about which type of wire is best for your application.
5
H
I G H
D
E F I N I T I O N
S
P E A K E R
S
E L E C T I O N
S
Y S T E M
"TECH TIP"
Wire size is
expressed by it's
AWG (American
Wire Gauge)
number. The lower
the AWG number,
the larger the
wire,
i.e., 12 AWG wire is
physically larger
than 14 AWG.
