another impedance question

[Woodwind]

A question for electrical and amplification wizards:

 

I have a 4ohm speaker cabinet, which I'd like to augment with an 8ohm cabinet (both simple, single speaker designs).

 

This pairing will go below the minimum 4ohm load of my amp.

 

I know in reality at low volumes I'll be fine, but in case I want to push it a bit I'd be wary of damage to the amp.

 

If I connect a four ohm resistor in series in the 4ohm cabinet, therefore taking the total impedance to 8ohms, would I end up with a satisfactory result?

 

Thanks for any pointers and info'

[Bill Fitzmaurice]

What you'll end up with is a blown 4 ohm resistor. If you must use a second cab make it identical to what you have now. If your amp won't handle a 2 ohm load you'll need a break out box to series wire them.

[Woodwind]

2 hours ago, Bill Fitzmaurice said:

What you'll end up with is a blown 4 ohm resistor. If you must use a second cab make it identical to what you have now. If your amp won't handle a 2 ohm load you'll need a break out box to series wire them.

Cheers Bill!

That's the info I needed, thank you

[agedhorse]

Note that wiring non-identical cabinets in series will often result is unexpected performance issues because each cabinet's non-identical electrical parameters will interact when wired in series.

 

I do not recommend this.

[Dan Dare]

Using an add-on power amp to drive one of the cabs would be a safe option, assuming your head has a pre-out.