2 ohm JBL speakers and the sound
Quote:
Originally Posted by
amcvay1979
This is actually a good thread, very interesting.
I've been doing my own car audio system installs since I was 15 and I'm by no means an Electrical Engineer....the argument here is purely semantics. Typical car audio speakers are 4 ohms. You can find 1 ohm, or 2 ohm, or even 3...or 8 for that matter.
Most OEM head units are pretty underpowered and rate around 15 watts per channel for a 4 ohm load (each channel). By reducing impedance, you're changing out a garden hose for a fire hose...the water isn't coming out any more powerful, but the restriction is reduced by quite a bit. Same thing with a 2 ohm load. The amplifier will typically deliver more wattage to a channel on a lower impedance than a higher one. Hence, a 2ohm speaker will essentially double the amplifiers output while drawing the same 12-14.5v of power....but there's more to it than that.
Using the fire hose analogy again, just because you're now seeing more water volume from the same source, doesn't mean it's going to be sprayed where you want it. Same thing with sound output. While the output increases, you're going to get a much more "dirty" sound than what was delivered at a 4 ohm load. That's not to say it won't sound good, but THD or Total Harmonic Distortion will increase as the output of the amp or head unit impedance decreases. When you find an audiophile quality amp that's very expensive, it's typically because it can deliver a very low THD at 2 ohms or lower and thus, a very clean sound. That's what you're paying for.
On the F3L, I'm getting an 18 tomorrow, so I don't have much seat time in one yet, but I thought the sound was pretty meh at 60 mph, no low end, pretty muddled highs and mids, (still better than the RT's though) so I thought about digging into it and getting some better sound out.....then I realize I can just play audio through my helmet's bluetooth system so it's kind of moot.
Either way, putting in 2 ohm speakers on a system that was designed for 4 ohm can work, but it can also backfire by pushing the amp too hard can ultimately shorten it's life, or at the very least send in-audible distortion to your new speakers causing them to blow earlier in their life span too....but it not always. If it works for you, keep doing it and enjoy!
I agree what you have stated is interesting
.. interesting in that your claims are based on " THEORY "
..mine are based on ACTUALLY having the speakers installed with complete success for over 40,000 miles of listening..... I did this swap 4+ yrs. ago and was told about the " THEORY " of possible destruction of the speakers and or the entire system
. So I contacted JBL and was assured the " Destruction " was NOT going to occur and it appears the JBL engineers know what they are selling
. If you go to Spyder Quest next year I will be very happy to demonstrate my " 2 ohm JBL speakers " for you...
.. I'm curious about the word " meh " above
. I realize it was a typo
.. what did you mean to type ?????
Thanks
. Mike :thumbup: