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Tweaks for systems, rooms and Do It Yourself (DIY) help. FAQ.

RE: measuring and Computing amplifier output

You wrote, "...my amp is rated at 50 watts into 8 ohms,I understand that this is equivalent to 72 watts at 4 ohms."

It all depends upon the power supply capacity to deliver current, but the usual brag of amplifier manufacturers is that the power doubles when the impedance is halved. So, 100W into 4 ohms for your imaginary amplifier. To claim only 72W into 4 ohms for this amplifier would be to imply that the PS is in some way limiting the power into 4 ohms.

And no, your reduction in wire resistance has no bearing at all on the power output of the amplifier, which is usually quoted without regard to wire resistance. Where that comes into play would be in calculating the impedance seen by the amplifier. So, if you have a 4 ohm speaker, the amp has to drive a nominal 4 ohms plus the tiny fraction of an ohm resistance of the wire. Not a big effect in nearly all cases, unless you use long runs of narrow gauge wire.


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