What is 70 Volt?
70-volt systems are the number one choice for any application where you want to install
multiple speakers. With 70 volt there are a lot of advantages over 8-ohm systems. One of
the main advantages is the simplicity of the wiring as well as how easy it is to match up
speakers with the amplifier. For example, with this 180-watt/70-volt amplifier, you can install
speakers that total close to 150 watts. It does not matter if it is 10 speakers that are 15 watts
each or 25 speakers that are tapped at 5 watts each. You always want your 70 volt amp to
have at least 15 or 20% more power than the combined watts your speakers are tapped at.
When we say the word tap, what we are referring to are the selectors that many speakers in
70 volt have on them. For example, some speakers might have selectable options of 1.5w,
3w, 5w, 10w. What this does is limit how many watts the built-in transformer on the speaker
will allow the speaker to get from the amplifier. What this allows for is full customization
of your sound for your space. In a restaurant, for example, you can tap your dining room
speakers at 5 watts, the speakers by the bar area at 10 watts, the ones in the hallway at 3
watts, and the speakers in the bathrooms at 1.5 watts. Another great feature with 70 volt
is you can mix and match any 70-volt speakers whether they are ceiling speakers, wall
mounted speakers, subwoofers, etc.
70-volt systems allow you to run very long lines of speaker wire without signal loss. This
makes it ideal when running long speaker leads.
The wiring is simple. You just wire all the positive terminals of the speakers to the positive
70-volt terminals of the amplifier. The negative terminals on the speaker simply get wired to
the negative terminals on the amp. You do not have to worry about impedance. The power
is constant.
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