What amp do I need?

[FaithlessRock]

Hi all,

 

Firstly apologies as I'm sure this has been asked countless times before...

I'm scratching my head trying to work out what amplifier I need to drive my speakers (I don't really understand how it all works)

 

Currently I have an amp which says it delivers: 120w + 120w continous average output at 8ohms, THD 0.2%, 20Hz - 20kHz

 

I have only two speakers - one per channel - which are labelled as 8ohm.

 

I'm looking to replace my amp, and I can obviously buy one with the same output at 8ohms. However, I'm finding 4ohm amps are more abundant and look cheaper, so need to know what spec of 4 ohm amp I need that is going to deliver the same output from my speakers.

 

Many thanks in advance,

Mark

[lonfire]

Hi,

I think your missing some vital information.. What rating are the speakers? That will dictate the amp. If you can find the specs for the speakers and possibly make/model then we can discuss possible amp suggestions and 4/8ohm ratings..etc

 

Regards

Chris

[tolley1466]

You don't usually buy amplifiers specially for 4 ohms. Most amplifiers will work at both 8 ohms and 4 ohms (and some even go down to 2 ohms).

[csg]

Is there a problem with your current setup?

[FaithlessRock]

Unfortunately I haven't got any spec for my current speakers... the only thing I've been able to find is that they are 8ohm from taking the cover off and looking inside!

 

There isn't a problem with my current setup, however I'm hoping to sell a load of equipment I don't use anymore and think I can get a better price for it by including the amp too. Then I'll obviously need to get myself a new one, but hopefully this will be more cost effective than the price I'd get for selling the other stuff without the amp.

 

I guess I'm trying to establish what amp I would need to drive the speakers at 4ohm, given that my current amp is x2 120w outputs at 8ohm.

 

Thanks

[Sound In Gloucestershire]

amps work at 4 ohms and 8 ohms

 

if theres nothing wrong with your amp, dont sell it, because youll need to replace it

 

apart from that, we cant say anything else because you havnt given us ANY information.

[smalljoshua]

What speakers do you currently have?

 

It's not a case of needing the new amp to drive the speakers at 4ohms but rather it's a case of needing an amp that can deliver the correct amount of power into the impedance that the speakers present.

 

Also, what is the model of your current amp?

 

Josh

[FaithlessRock]

Ok, so I've done some digging. The only info I can find is on the back of the cone which says "ME12-1008LE". They are made by Eminence Speakers. Other info on there is:

8 Ohm

121051

67-96330083 G1

 

My current amp is a Sherwood RV-7050R

 

Anyone able to help?

[abbotsmike]

I think pics would help tbh, as ideally we need to know the cabinet specs. FWIW, those drivers are apparently rated at 200w

 

One thing you need to know though is that the impedance of the speakers is fixed. the amp then drives the speakers at this fixed impedance. Any amplifier rated at 4ohms is simply done as the output power at 4ohms is higher than that at 8ohms. one amplifier would say deliver 250w at 4ohms into two channels, and only 150w at 8ohms into two channels.

[FaithlessRock]

Does that mean I can use a more powerful amp than the one I've got, if the speakers can take 200w but the amp I've got gives 120w?

[ghance]

Amplifier RMS should be 150% (ish) of the speaker RMS. your speakers seem to be 200w at 8ohm. so a good (budget) would be a QSC GX3 which is 300w at 8 ohm. obviously you get what you pay for.. but at the cheap end of the market we've had good experience with the GX's. cheaper option: look at Samson SX1200.