Increase total Speaker Impedance -- Potential Solution


Hi All, 

Years ago I asked about using a resistor to increase the total impedance of a speaker -- I know that's a bad idea now because Impedance is NOT the same as resistance. I did get a pair of Paul Speltz's Zeroformers and they are great!

However, reading more about this, I thought another, more cost effective solution. Why not just buy a low cost, 4 ohm speaker, remove the diaphragm inside, and series-wire it? I'm reading some of the Zeroformer's technical documents and it sounds like it's rather similar to a speaker coil that doesn't produce any sound. Therefore, if I just series-wire a 4 ohm speaker to my existing 2 ohm speaker, wouldn't the total ohm seen by the amp be 6 ohm? 
angelgz2
Yes, sort of; clearly, a definite maybe.  :-)   What you need to do is buy two more speakers identical to what you currently have, and wire them in series.   That would do it.  

The reason one cannot put another 4 ohm driver in series with it is the speaker impedance is the net result of the cabinet, diaphragm, air movement, etc. -  all those nasty speaker variables defined by Thiele and Small back in the late 70's. 

You are on the right track with a transformer though.   Another option is simply buying a amplifier that can drive a 2 Ohm load sufficiently,   Some vacuum tube amps have 2 Ohm taps, which really solves the problem - assuming it provides the power you need. 
What exactly are you trying to do?

If you add anything in series you can alter the impedance, but you also lower the output.

The question really is WHY.

Best,
E