Hello all,
I want to connect a 4 ohm car speaker to a 16 ohm amplifier. Could I just connect a 12 ohm resistor in series and deal with the reduced sound, or is there a better way?
thanks,
Jaredpi
It will still work, just don't turn the volume so high.
At high volumes the amplifier will be delivering more amps than it was designed for. If it has fuses then it will go quiet, otherwise it will get hot.
If children/idiots have access to the volume control then put in a resistor.
Best not to overload the output stage - something like 10 ohms in series will
protect the amp from over-current, but you'll waste most of the output power.
However that trashes the damping factor completely...
Where in the heck did you find a 16 Ohm amplifier???
What's the application, and what's the wattage rating on the amp?
Could I just connect a 12 ohm resistor in series and deal with the reduced sound, or is there a better way?
1/4th of the voltage is 1/16th of the power and a 12dB loss.
Four 4-Ohm speakers in series (or two 8-Ohm speakers) might be a "better" solution depending on your design requirements. (Or get a different amplifier. 
)
It will still work, just don't turn the volume so high.
There is a risk of "frying" the amp. You can take the risk if a dead amp is not a big issue for you.
Thanks all.
Where in the heck did you find a 16 Ohm amplifier???
A family member upgraded their sound-system and gave me the old one (and yes, Old one).
What's the application, and what's the wattage rating on the amp?
Just a simple sound system. Not sure what the output is though (other than 16 ohm).
Best not to overload the output stage - something like 10 ohms in series will
protect the amp from over-current, but you'll waste most of the output power.
Okay. As above stated, it is an old used one, so any sound, however low, is better than nothing.
Thanks