Splicing in more speakers?

[mimic]

I think the answer in no, because I don't think it works like with electricity, but just in case I'm wrong I'm going to ask. Can I possibly cut wires on a set of speakers and solder on another set of speakers? So from output to 2 it's outputting to 4 speakers? And let's say the values are the same (impedance or what not) 6ohm. TIA

[05SRT4]

Technically yes it will work, your max volume will decrease however.

I am sure someone will chime in and explain why you shouldn't though....

[JudgeRob]

If by splice you mean wire one up in parallel, like + to +, your impedance is going to drop significantly and likely smoke your amp unless it has very low impedance tolerance.  I guess you could wire it in a series, but then you'll suffer volume loss and your impedance will rise. 

You might check out speaker splitter boxes.

[Drnick]

Not recommended, probably easier to have 2 outputs from pc to 2 amps. 

Look at the following site for full details on parallel and serial connectivity and how it affects ohms   (Never seen a series/parallel together before, That may be the answer to a problem I was looking into)

https://www.hometoys.com/article/2002/06/series--parallel-speaker-wiring/1775/

[paigeoliver]

Also, you might want to note that almost all your favorite games probably came with a single 5" mono speaker.

[BadMouth]

Yes you can, but you have to keep the impedance the same or higher unless you know your amplifier can handle a lower one.
Wiring in parallel reduces the impedance, wiring in series increases it.
Amplifiers put out more power (and heat, and distortion) the lower the impedance gets.  Some can only handle 8 or 4 ohm.



So if you currently have one 4 ohm speaker, you could replace it with two 8 ohm speakers wired in paralllel and still have a 4 ohm load.
...or two 2 ohm speakers wired in series.

...or take four 4 ohm speakers, divide them into pairs, wire those pairs in series (8 ohm per set), then wire the sets in parallel to arrive back at 4 ohm.

[BadMouth]

Having more surface area will get you increased volume, but not double.
Whether it makes sense to add speakers depends on what you're trying to accomplish.

If you're looking for increased volume, get a bigger amp.
If you're just looking to have more speakers so the sound isn't just coming from one or two points, then it makes sense to add more.

If you let us know exactly what you're doing, we might have better recommendations.

[mimic]

Thank you for all the replies. I'm not looking for more volume, I'm looking for cost effective way to add speakers to my cabinet to spread the volume around. I have 2 x 32" 720p tvs. One of them I'm going to use as the monitor, the other is kind of working but fails from time to time, so I don't have issues removing speakers from the failing one. The one that I'm going to keep has very easy way to remove the speakers, solder it on and reattach it. Problem now is, I assumed they both the same, but it's never easy. One set (I assume better quality because it has tweeters along with speakers in one) is 6 ohm, and the other that I wanna add, well that one has no markings!! So I have a dilemma whether to just go ahead and take a chance. I hope worst that can happen that it will screw up the sound module and not the whole tv.

[jennifer]

Yes you can, but you have to keep the impedance the same or higher unless you know your amplifier can handle a lower one.
Wiring in parallel reduces the impedance, wiring in series increases it.
Amplifiers put out more power (and heat, and distortion) the lower the impedance gets.  Some can only handle 8 or 4 ohm.



So if you currently have one 4 ohm speaker, you could replace it with two 8 ohm speakers wired in paralllel and still have a 4 ohm load.
...or two 2 ohm speakers wired in series.

...or take four 4 ohm speakers, divide them into pairs, wire those pairs in series (8 ohm per set), then wire the sets in parallel to arrive back at 4 ohm.

I have never truly understood this.... That 4 ohm up in the top left for example.... First ohm  is a resistance, so 4 into a 8 already doubles it, and then crutch another 8 on there would turn that into 16 not lower it down to a 4 the more you add.... In Jenn theory anyway, apparently you are correct, just don't understand the math.

[BadMouth]

I have never truly understood this.... That 4 ohm up in the top left for example.... First ohm  is a resistance, so 4 into a 8 already doubles it, and then crutch another 8 on there would turn that into 16 not lower it down to a 4 the more you add.... In Jenn theory anyway, apparently you are correct, just don't understand the math.

The 4 ohm load is the result, so don't start out with it.  It is the answer, not part of the question.

In my mind, I translate electricity into plumbing.
Parallel=adding another channel = increased flow = lower resistance.
Series = adding another restriction in the same channel = decreased flow = higher resistance.
(channel, as in a water channel stuff flows through)

zero resistance=dead short, so the lower the resistance the closer you are getting to a dead short which is bad for amplifiers.

[jennifer]

  That's an interesting theory.... Soooo,.... I could actually add a third 8 ohm, which would lower the 4, and the answer would be add a (probably somewhere around 2 ohm) across the lines so to keep the amp at 4 ohms of draw.

[BadMouth]

  That's an interesting theory.... Soooo,.... I could actually add a third 8 ohm, which would lower the 4, and the answer would be add a (probably somewhere around 2 ohm) across the lines so to keep the amp at 4 ohms of draw.

Hurt my brain....then I went to an online calculator, but yes.  All wired in series the 3 8ohm wired in parallel would be 2.66 ohm and then adding 2 ohm load in series would give you a 4.66 ohm load.
If it's a low power amp you can use those big white block ceramic resistors, but I'd prefer to use more speakers as the load.

EDIT:http://www.speakerimpedance.co.uk/

[jennifer]

  "Brain damage".... Jennifer laughs and laughs, I guess so, Anyway it does make some sense now although the math seems backwards....THX man.

[JudgeRob]

I think there might be a difference between impedance and resistance.  If I recall... impedance has more to do with AC current, so I'm not sure if adding a resistor would get where you want to go.

[jennifer]

I think there might be a difference between impedance and resistance.  If I recall... impedance has more to do with AC current, so I'm not sure if adding a resistor would get where you want to go.

I could see that, beings, a speaker is really a coil dealing with magnetic harmonics....Normally I have always used sugar cube dummy loads while fixing amps, (and it seems to work well) But in light of all this new math there may just be a better solution for a test bench.

[BadMouth]

I think there might be a difference between impedance and resistance.  If I recall... impedance has more to do with AC current, so I'm not sure if adding a resistor would get where you want to go.

Oh it gets way more complicated (and over my head).  Speaker impedance varies with the frequency being played.

But for for the practical purposes of adding speakers without frying your amp, these diagrams are fine.

[JudgeRob]

lol, yeah those are nice diagrams.  I've always thought of plumbing too when trying to understand electrical circuits.  It definitely helps!

[jennifer]

I think there might be a difference between impedance and resistance.  If I recall... impedance has more to do with AC current, so I'm not sure if adding a resistor would get where you want to go.

  After thinking about this.... AC can be reduced in terms of resistance, that would be why those sugar cubes work I suppose, they do get hot however sucking up the watts.

[JudgeRob]

Sure, resistors are used with AC current.  But, as Badmouth pointed out, the speaker impedance varies.  Since your resistor will be static (unchanging) the theory is that it will result in some distortion.  Some people here have testified about putting pots in line as a volume control, so I guess the distortion might be negligible, but they also mentioned using ones designed for speakers. 

[barrymossel]

Thank you for all the replies. I'm not looking for more volume, I'm looking for cost effective way to add speakers to my cabinet to spread the volume around. I have 2 x 32" 720p tvs. One of them I'm going to use as the monitor, the other is kind of working but fails from time to time, so I don't have issues removing speakers from the failing one. The one that I'm going to keep has very easy way to remove the speakers, solder it on and reattach it. Problem now is, I assumed they both the same, but it's never easy. One set (I assume better quality because it has tweeters along with speakers in one) is 6 ohm, and the other that I wanna add, well that one has no markings!! So I have a dilemma whether to just go ahead and take a chance. I hope worst that can happen that it will screw up the sound module and not the whole tv.

Cost effective? Add an amplifier... TA2024 for instance. https://goo.gl/q5N8j4

[pixel]

Maybe my brain isnt working right... but from what I recall... some speakers use a resistor or few,  as a very basic crossover.

 I never really thought about how that would effect the Ohm rating.   Maybe that is why many speakers are not actually
spot on "Exact"  in their Ohm rating.   If you buy an 8 ohm speaker, and measure it... it might be more like 6 ohms,  but
might still considered and sold as an 8 ohm speaker.

 Amps tend to be able to handle 8 ohm and above... decently.   But when trying to drive 4 ohm or lower,  on an 8 ohm amp
setting... it will start to kill the amp.  If its a cheap amp... it may die in a few minutes.  More robust amps might survive... but
it will probably cause component / lifespan damages,  and possible degradation of the sound quality.

 Many home stereo amps have a switch on the back of them,  that can be toggled to 4 or 8 ohm operation.
Many nice used amps can be found cheap,  as when the audio and video standards change... people often replace their amp
with one that supports the new standards,  for their newer gear.