Connecting an 8 ohm cab with a 16 ohm cab correctly

Stage & Studio Power Station PS-2
1

What’s the correct Cabinet Impedance setting to select on the PS-2a, when connecting an 8 ohm speaker cab to SPKR OUT 1 and a 16 ohm speaker cab to SPKR OUT 2 together?

2

Hi JohnFrankGrant,

Welcome to the forum!

4 Ohms is what you want to set it at. Let me know if you have anymore questions.

Thank You,

Terry

3

Thanks Terry :slight_smile:

I was using it on the 8 ohm SPKR setting before you told me the correct 4 ohm setting.

Just asking curiously, any caution to understand when running at a higher ohm rating for any duration of time?

Thanks again, John

4

Hi John,

An impedance mismatch is not the end of the world, and in some cases, it may be the sound an artist likes. I personally would rather see it as close as possible to the “correct” impedance. It’s really going to be less efficient and just sound and feel a bit different. We’ll call it generally safe until you start turning up loud. There’s a lot of good information out on the interweb, that being said, there’s also a lot of really bad information too. If I don’t know something, I ask Steve. The great thing is there is a whole lot of his knowledge and wisdom in our manuals.

Below is an excerpt from our ZMACS 4X4 manual. I thought it was perfect for this scenario.

"OPERATING IMPEDANCE

Choosing the correct operating impedance to match the selected amp to the destination cab or load ensures maximum tube life and transparent sound quality. For the most part, running a mis-match between an amplifier and cabinet is not inherently dangerous unless you are cranking the amp to maximum output or very nearly to it. However, there will be a noticeable tonal shift when, for example, running an 8-ohm amp into a 16-ohm cab."

I hope this helps.

Thank You,

Terry