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How to wire a powerful amp with two speakers to avoid damage

I have read that it is possible to use a pair of speakers as a "resistance" to prevent damage from overdriving speakers that are to be low powered. How can this be done?
I have a pair of BC2 Class A hybrid mono amps at 75 watts per channel and would like to experiment connecting them to very efficient speakers such as the Soliloquy 2A3s, but I am afraid that it might be an overkill....2A3s rated at 25 watts max.

PAUL
bemopti123
sqjudge
96 posts
 
Thank you, 1439bhr, for the excellent explnation as to the damage caused by under powered amps. I like to see posts that explain why things happen so that everyone can better understand what is happening inside their 'black' boxes. I hope to see many more posts from you. Chris
frogman
7,457 posts
 
Angela touches upon an interesting point, although the issue, I believe, is not the danger of the amps working really hard at not delivering the current, but rather, the amps not being allowed to work hard enough to be in a confortable, never mind ideal operating range.

Every component has an ideal operating range, and while I agree with everything that has been said already as concerns the issue of potential damage, the matching of components with concern to this issue is IMHO one of the keys to really musical sound from a system. It's kind of like my SAAB Turbo; at 25 mph it's great, but at 50 mph+ you just sense that the motor is happier and performing at closer to full potential.
sqjudge
96 posts
 
Most amplifiers supply voltage to the load (speakers) and the impedance of the speakers at the frequency being reproduced determines the amount of current flowing. A battery is also a supplier of voltage to a load. The bulb of a flashlight uses less current than a headlight of a car. An amplifier is like a battery and is happy to deliver whatever current is needed up to the point of its max output current.

The only other factor that effects both the battery and an amplifier is heat. Automotive batteries can supply much more current at 25 deg C than at 0. An audio amplifier usually sounds better after it is warmed up and is probably the main concern in an over powered "class AB" amp. A high bias amplifier should not have any problems driving even a pair of headphones because the high bias will keep the amp warm even with no signal applied.

The analogy of an amplifier and a car is not correct because an audio amplifiers voltage and current are a linear relationship while the RPM and torque curve of an engine is not.
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