I'm trying to determine what the advantage to running at a higher impedance is. Besides having flexibility with wiring options, here is my understanding so far:
Lower impedance: Amp works harder and generates more heat
Higher impedance: significantly less power output and slightly higher sound quality
Also, If you have two amps one at 4 ohms putting out 500 watts and another at 2 ohms putting out 500 watts, does the 4 ohm amplifier draw less power from the power source (alternator/batteries)?
davidh_r wrote:
Also, If you have two amps one at 4 ohms putting out 500 watts and another at 2 ohms putting out 500 watts, does the 4 ohm amplifier draw less power from the power source (alternator/batteries)?
No. 500 watts is 500 watts. 500 / efficiency percentage of the amplifier = power draw from source, e.g. 500 / .8 = 625 watts. At car system voltage, the alt will generate amperage equivalent to 625 watts in order for the amplifier to produce 500 watts, given that the amp is 80% efficient. (If voltage is measured at 13V, the alt will deliver 48 amps to give the amplifier enough juice to make 500 watts.)
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