Hi all.
I'd like to build a 4 x 6" or 4 x 8" cabinet to drive with a Noisy Cricket amp. I have both types of speakers all matched up and ready for wiring and boxing.
I'm going to maintain the 8 Ohm rating so my choices of wiring are...
Parallel/Series or Series/Parallel.
Does anyone know which might be preferable and why? Are there technical or aesthetic reasons for one and or the other?
Excited to hear the feedback! Some pun intended.....
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You are very much correct jim, it does indeed look like this series/parallel vs parallel/series thing may be a fairly large pinch of mumbo jumbo, however speakers aren't resistors, and inductors are funny things.
but i was thinking...
the noisy cricket will happily output from 4 to 16 ohms, so why not wire 2 speakers in the cab in parallel, for 4 ohms, and 2 speakers in series for 16 ohms, put in a switch to flick between the two? i would be very suprised if you couldn't get a tone/frequency response difference with that, and there might be gold there somewhere...
lots of folks report a tonal difference between a 2x12 wired for parallel vs a 2x12 wired for series, even with transformer switching so the output section sees the same load.
experiment onwards tom!
Tom Lauten > eric gittinsAugust 15, 2013 at 9:27am
..."The noisy cricket will happily output from 4 to 16 ohms, so why not wire 2 speakers in the cab in parallel, for 4 ohms, and 2 speakers in series for 16 ohms, put in a switch to flick between the two? i would be very suprised if you couldn't get a tone/frequency response difference with that, and there might be gold there somewhere..."
So, what you are suggesting is a switchable 2 speaker cabinet? Or is there a way perhaps of making it 4x @ 8 Ohm switchable to 4x @ 4 Ohm? Or is a mix possible...or am I rapidly approaching a migraine?
Jim Dickison > Tom LautenAugust 15, 2013 at 1:50pm
Here's how you could switch a 2-speaker cab with a double-pole double-throw switch (DPDT):
In one position, you have a 4Ω parallel circuit. In the other position, you have a 16Ω series circuit. I've color coded the wiring to help keep + and - straight... Don't forget the jumper wire at the top of the switch.
These 2 positions will likely sound different since the different impedances are making the amp work differently. They will probably be louder at 4Ω, because I believe the 386 amp chip is optimized for maximum power transfer at 4Ω.
There is no easy way I can think of to make a 4X cab with 8Ω speakers come out to 4Ω (without additional power wasting components... or not using all 4 speakers!)
Jim
GARAGE HERMIT > Jim DickisonSeptember 13, 2013 at 5:02am
thank's for the info and drawing's jim, handy to know,,
Tom Lauten > Jim DickisonAugust 15, 2013 at 4:06pm
Thanks Jim, that's awesome...but now I have ANOTHER experimental project to plan! Lol
according to some, there is a difference between the tone of the two wirings.
the biggest voice on the subject i have heard is gerald webber - boutique amp builder.
he claims series-parallel has more branch inductance, parallel-series has less. this means series/parallel has less highs, better low end and more crunch. parallel/series will be overall a bit tighter, have more highs and a little less low end.
the differences are said to be subtle, and i have not tested myself so can't say one way or the other.
would it make an audible difference with an amp running off a 386? highly unlikely i would guess, but easy enough to test it.
jim's diagram in his post has series/parallel on the left, parallel/series on the right. looks to me like the only difference in the finished wiring is a link across the bridging wires between the speakers - why not put this wire in with a switch? then you can flick between to two and see what you think!
e
Tom Lauten > eric gittinsAugust 14, 2013 at 2:53am
Thanks Eric, that's the kind of info I was looking for! I just couldn't find any. I bet you're right, it would be splitting hairs especially with a 386 based amp! But what the heck. Worth giving a go just for sh#ts and giggles huh? I like the switch idea...didn't spot that one. I will post my findings as soon as I get the time to put it all together...could be as soon as 2473 AD....late afternoon .
Jim Dickison > Tom LautenAugust 15, 2013 at 12:30am
I think we're getting into real cork-sniffer stuff here! I'm thinking the difference would be barely audible, if at all. That said... It'd be fun, easy, and pretty cheap to put a switch in to see the difference for yourself!
Replies
http://www.cigarboxnation.com/photo/4x4-cabinet?context=latest
http://www.cigarboxnation.com/photo/4x4-cabinet-1?context=latest
http://www.cigarboxnation.com/photo/4x4-cabinet-2?context=latest
Nice work! Looks great!
You are very much correct jim, it does indeed look like this series/parallel vs parallel/series thing may be a fairly large pinch of mumbo jumbo, however speakers aren't resistors, and inductors are funny things.
but i was thinking...
the noisy cricket will happily output from 4 to 16 ohms, so why not wire 2 speakers in the cab in parallel, for 4 ohms, and 2 speakers in series for 16 ohms, put in a switch to flick between the two? i would be very suprised if you couldn't get a tone/frequency response difference with that, and there might be gold there somewhere...
lots of folks report a tonal difference between a 2x12 wired for parallel vs a 2x12 wired for series, even with transformer switching so the output section sees the same load.
experiment onwards tom!
So, what you are suggesting is a switchable 2 speaker cabinet? Or is there a way perhaps of making it 4x @ 8 Ohm switchable to 4x @ 4 Ohm? Or is a mix possible...or am I rapidly approaching a migraine?
Here's how you could switch a 2-speaker cab with a double-pole double-throw switch (DPDT):
In one position, you have a 4Ω parallel circuit. In the other position, you have a 16Ω series circuit. I've color coded the wiring to help keep + and - straight... Don't forget the jumper wire at the top of the switch.
These 2 positions will likely sound different since the different impedances are making the amp work differently. They will probably be louder at 4Ω, because I believe the 386 amp chip is optimized for maximum power transfer at 4Ω.
There is no easy way I can think of to make a 4X cab with 8Ω speakers come out to 4Ω (without additional power wasting components... or not using all 4 speakers!)
Jim
thank's for the info and drawing's jim, handy to know,,
according to some, there is a difference between the tone of the two wirings.
the biggest voice on the subject i have heard is gerald webber - boutique amp builder.
he claims series-parallel has more branch inductance, parallel-series has less. this means series/parallel has less highs, better low end and more crunch. parallel/series will be overall a bit tighter, have more highs and a little less low end.
the differences are said to be subtle, and i have not tested myself so can't say one way or the other.
would it make an audible difference with an amp running off a 386? highly unlikely i would guess, but easy enough to test it.
jim's diagram in his post has series/parallel on the left, parallel/series on the right. looks to me like the only difference in the finished wiring is a link across the bridging wires between the speakers - why not put this wire in with a switch? then you can flick between to two and see what you think!
e
I think we're getting into real cork-sniffer stuff here! I'm thinking the difference would be barely audible, if at all. That said... It'd be fun, easy, and pretty cheap to put a switch in to see the difference for yourself!
Jim