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In Reply to: RE: Amp connection 4/8/16 ohms posted by Stitch on May 03, 2014 at 04:46:36
The 4 ohm tap will give you higher dampening
The 16 ohm tap will give you the most power
Different speaker react different to this
There is no really "right" answer
Just what sounds best to YOU with YOUR speakers
DanL
Follow Ups:
It's also worth noting that those amps with an extra binding post for each tap will only use some of the available secondary copper until you get to 16 Ohms.
!
The Mind has No Firewall~ U.S. Army War College.
I have an amp with a 16 ohm tap as well. I was under the impression that the 16ohm tap was strictly for very high impedance speakers like the original LS-3/5a and some other ultra high efficiency designs.
My KEF LS-50 for example dips to 3.2 ohms. Is it safe to use the 16ohm tap? I was under the impression the 4 ohm tap would be the best choice for speakers that dip this low.
Yeah, this information isn't really connected with my point. For a speaker dipping to 3.2 Ohms, the 4 Ohm tap will work best. (A 2 Ohm tap might be better)
My point is that a single secondary with 3 impedance taps is a design compromise in and of itself that may lead to less than stellar performance out of the lower impedance taps just due to the design of the transformer.
Thank you DanL
" to trust is good - not to trust is better! "
If your speakers have a non-flat impedance(and most do) then the interaction with the 16 ohm tap will actually produce a non-flat response usually. It can wear on you pretty quickly if the treble has a rising impedance that causes a rising response in the treble. If you try the taps, I suggest that you get a rough measure of what the response is and check the impedance of your speakers so that you don't just wind up deciding that you don't want to listen music because you have ruined it for yourself. Just trust your ears, IMO, is a quick way to drive yourself out of the hobby.
This does not make any sense.
If he finds a tap that he enjoys
and doesn't do measurements
and since it isn't right according to some rule
then it will drive him "out of the hobby".
That makes me think so many things that range
from snobbery to ... well none of it is good.
Let's leave it at that.
DanL
Well, consider the scenario Richard is talking about:
1) you try all the taps and the high impedance tap sounds much more detailed and lively. It's actually the accentuated treble but that's subtle and not as obvious as the first impression.
2) you choose that connection and go back to listening.
3) by the end of the week you are suffering listening fatigue. It's actually from the excess treble, but you still think you've made the right impedance tap choice because you compared them and liked it best.
4) by the end of the month you discover that you are not listening as much, it's not fun anymore.
This actually happens - many speakers have unnatural treble and bass which makes enough of an appeal that people buy the speaker after hearing it for 5 minutes on the showroom. Half if not more of the audio industry operates in this reality. It's sad but true!
Almost all speakers are designed for a very high damping factor, so their response will be distorted with SET amps, more on high impedance taps than on low impedance taps. So, IMHO, the best option is to listen for an extended period to the lowest impedance tap (4 ohms in this case). Once you are habituated to the sound, try the 8 ohm tap - with most speakers it will be a bit brighter and with slightly more boomy bass, but a little more headroom. Listen for a week or two, then go back to the 4 ohm for a reality check. Repeat for the 16 if you like, it will exaggerate all the differences.
Wine is sold on the same theory - tastings of recently released wines leads to popularity of wines that will not age well, they are at their best when young. Connoisseurs want ageable wines, everybody else is really happy with two buck Chuck. Same with the old Pepsi vs. Coke tastings.
I guess I did not make myself at all clear. I just believe that a hasty "sounds ok to me' can lead to some serious boredom or suffering later that drives you away from listening.
My goal is to make it through an entire symphony without interruption, which is about 40 minutes or so and if I cannot, whether I like it or not, I know it will measure wrong from experience.
richard
I'm not a connoisseur, but I'm surely not happy with Two Buck Chuck. Lots of decent choices sub $10 without bringing "Chuck" into play. As far as the taps are concerned, that's a good observation on listening "longevity". Time will tell you the correct answer.....be it a tap, cartridge, component, etc.
Hah! You're right, I should not have picked on Chuck. I was really thinking of the low-acid, overripe-fruit wines which are appealing on their own but don't do well with food, and don't last more than a year. Different people like different things, and we all change anyhow.
Yes, nothing stays in my little wine cooler more than a couple of months, so I guess I'm covered. My tastes in wine, beer and coffee change constantly. Glad I got over that habit with audio equipment..... that truly takes the wind out your sails financially.
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