Adding a resistor in a parallel wiring system


I was inquiring about adding a resistor between the amplifier and a DIY speaker (1.8 ohm) and learned that only the "Zero Former" by Paul Speltz could solve the problem. Paul was nice and explained in layman's term to me why using a resistor could not work because it basically "kills" the damping factor.

Now I got a pair of zero's coming, I got another problem. 3 out of 4 drives are 8 ohm and one is 4 ohm. Will adding a resistor between just this drive and the binding post mess up the damping factor of the whole system, or will it only affect the damping factor of this one drive?

Thanks,
Ryan.
angelgz2
Hi Al,

Thanks for the response. Now I'm thinking, since the zero has several input wires, maybe I could use the 3X wire on the three 8 ohm drive and then connect the 4 ohm drive by itself on the 2x wire. That way all of them will practically be 8 ohm. Would that work or will that just burn the amp? Thanks.

Thanks,
Ryan.
As I interpret the information provided at zeroimpedance.com, if the Zero is being used to increase the load impedance seen by the amplifier (as opposed to decreasing it) there is one and only one pair of output wires on the Zero that can be connected to the speaker drivers. The choice of 2x, 3x, or 4x impedance multiplication is made based on which pair of input wires on the Zero is connected to the amplifier. So it appears that you would not be able to connect the 4 ohm driver (plus any resistor you may place in series with it) to the Zero any differently than the 8 ohm drivers.

Regards,
-- Al
I see, I wonder whether it can be wired backwards. I'll test them tomorrow when I get them thanks
No, you definitely don't want to wire them backwards. That will LOWER the impedance seen by the amp, by 2x or 3x or 4x depending on the connections. So the 1.6 ohm combination of the four drivers would be seen by the amp as well under an ohm. See this paragraph in their FAQ.

Good luck. Regards,
-- Al
I see. Thanks. I think the increased damping factor as a result of the zeros could help. I'll add the resistor to see how it goes thanks!