When looking for car speakers, one of the parameters to consider is the impedance, which can be 2 or 4 ohms. But what is the distinction between 2 ohm and 4 ohm speakers?
The primary distinction between 2 ohm vs 4 ohm speakers on cars is the amount of energy they require from the amplifier. A more powerful amplifier is required for 2 ohm speakers than for 4 ohm speakers. Because of this, 2 ohm speakers are louder than 4 ohm speakers, but the sound quality is lower.
More information on how to choose the right impedance for your car speakers and how to match them with amplifiers can be found in the article below.
Key takeaway
2 Ohm speakers have lower electric resistance than 4 Ohm speakers, meaning they produce louder audio but consume more power and have poorer sound quality. 4 Ohm speakers consume less power and produce better sound quality, but are quieter than 2 Ohm speakers.
2 OHM VS 4 OHM SPEAKERS: WHAT IS BETTER?
Although it may appear to be a technical term, all subwoofers purchased are electronic components. They function similarly to resistors, such as the tiny striped ones found soldered into circuit boards.
Subwoofers are also rated in terms of impedance, also known as ohms. This is a measurement of the resistance provided by an audio source.
To put it simply, impedance is the resistance of an electric circuit to alternating current. It is caused by the interaction of ohmic reactance and resistance. To determine which of the two subwoofers is superior, you must first understand how a 2-ohm subwoofer differs from a 4-ohm subwoofer.
CHARACTERISTICS OF A 2-OHM SUBWOOFER
The first and most important thing to know before purchasing a subwoofer is the amplifier's impedance rating. That information is visible somewhere behind the amplifier. When you've determined the impedance of your amplifier, you'll be able to buy a subwoofer.
The ohm value represents the amount of power that your speaker can convert into audio. This is an important feature to consider when purchasing a subwoofer. As previously stated, the lower a subwoofer's electrical resistance, the louder it sounds.
That is, 2 ohm subwoofers are louder than 4 ohm subwoofers. However, just because 2 ohm speakers are louder does not imply that they are superior to higher ohm speakers. Because they consume less power, they are more likely to produce poorer sound quality than 4 ohm speakers.
CHARACTERISTICS OF A 4-OHM SUBWOOFER
Subwoofers with a 4 ohm impedance consume less energy due to their higher electrical resistance. However, they produce less sound than 2 ohm subwoofers. Despite having a lower impedance than lower impedance speakers, 4 ohm speakers have a more compact and impactful sound.
Returning to the question of whether a 2 ohm or 4 ohm subwoofer is better, the answer is personal preference. If you value sound quality over volume, a 4 ohm speaker is the better option.
It will give you cleaner, more impactful audio. However, if you want your subwoofer to produce a loud sound, you should choose one with a 2 ohm impedance. However, it is important to note that the difference between the two is not that significant.
If you run 2 ohm and 4 ohm speakers on the same wattage, the sound quality will be similar. Wattage will cause subwoofers with different impedance to produce similar sound quality because when you combine watts and ohms, if one of them changes in value, the other will change as well.
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WHAT IS IMPEDANCE IN CAR SPEAKERS?
Impedance is the resistance of the voice coil wire to the amplifier's flowing current. The vast majority of car speakers are built with either a 2 or a 4 ohm impedance.
Although there are exceptions, such as the Kicker CompRT 10′′ subwoofer with a 1-ohm impedance, it will be difficult to find car speakers or amplifiers with impedances greater than 4 ohms due to the low 12V voltage.
When you want strong “kicks” but don't have much room for a deep woofer, the Kicker CompRT 10′′ is a great choice. It is available on Amazon, and if you want to experience its true power, follow this link and check the current price.
The presence of 4 ohms on a speaker does not imply that its impedance is constant at 4 ohms. In reality, this value is constantly changing because it is directly proportional to the current frequency of the speaker and can be as low as 0.03 ohms or as high as 30 ohms.
Lower frequencies will have a higher impedance, while higher frequencies will have a lower impedance. This is one of the reasons why tweeter voice coils are so small. To summarize, the 4-ohm value assigned to the speaker represents the “nominal impedance,” or the average of all impedances with which the speaker has been designed to work.
Because speaker impedance is inversely proportional to wattage, the higher the impedance, the lower the current flowing from the amplifier. This means that an amplifier designed for higher impedance speakers will be less loaded.
A 100W 4-ohm speaker, for example, will draw 100W from a 4-ohm amp, whereas a 2-ohm speaker will force the same amp to produce 200W. As a result, the amplifier may become overloaded, resulting in overheating or further damage.
Alternative Video: What's The Difference 4 Ohm Vs 2 Ohm?
LOW IMPEDANCE SPEAKERS CAN FORCE AMPLIFIERS TO WORK TOO HARD
As a result, the amp's fuse may blow, or the protection circuit may be activated, and the amp will be turned off to protect other components of the audio system. An overloaded amplifier can blow in extreme cases.
When designing a car audio system, we must match the impedance of the speakers with the impedance of the amplifiers. However, due to the variety of installation types in car audio, it is not always possible to have all components with the same 2 or 4 ohms. We'll go over various impedance combinations later in this article.
WHY DO CAR SPEAKERS HAVE DIFFERENT OHMS?
We frequently wonder why some speakers have 4 ohms and others have 2 ohms. This is primarily determined by the speakers' requirements in terms of sound quality and efficiency. Voltage is the only constant in car speakers, while power and impedance are dependent on each other.
In the case of coaxial speakers or a component system, when connected to the crossover, the car amplifier recognizes the impedances of the entire set rather than individual speakers, which can differ in reality.
4 Ohm speakers require less current from the amplifier than a comparable 2-ohm speaker. At the same time, higher impedance means less distortion in the amplifier and more stable current flow, but more and more modern amplifiers can remain stable while delivering large amounts of power to low impedance speakers.
The main benefit of having lower impedance is that more power comes from the amplifier, which is important in a noisy car. The better speakers' performance must compensate for the road or wind noise, and this is where low impedance speakers excel.
IS HIGHER OHM BETTER FOR SUBWOOFERS?
When installing a subwoofer, there are always two components:
- The actual subwoofer
- The amplification
If you look at the specifications for these two, you'll notice that impedance is mentioned. You may believe that a high impedance will improve the sound of your subwoofer. However, this is not the case. The impedance or ohm of a subwoofer has no effect on the sound quality.
Instead, the quality of the sound will be determined by the amplifier. If the ohm rating of your subwoofer is insufficient for your amplifier, the sound quality will suffer. However, a higher ohm is not always preferable for subwoofers.
In fact, it has no direct relationship to the quality of your subwoofer. If there is, it will be minor and almost imperceptible. The amplifier, on the other hand, will determine the quality of audio produced by your subwoofer.
Furthermore, your amplifier's capabilities should be compatible with the specifications of your subwoofer. True, you can connect a subwoofer to an amp that isn't designed for it. The subwoofer will not blow up the moment you turn on the amplifier.
However, if the amp is not matched to the subwoofer, it will overheat and distort the audio. The reason for this is that it will consume more electrical current than the power supplies are designed to supply. If this occurs, the amplifier will quickly shut down, causing significant damage.
As a result, you should always ensure that your amplifier's impedance matches that of your subwoofer. You will not have any issues at this point. However, if you try too hard to control the volume, some problems may arise.
You should always check the specifications of your amplifier to see if it is compatible with your subwoofer. If the amplifier's specifications state 4 ohm to 8 ohm, it may be able to support subwoofers rated at 4, 6, and 8 ohm.
Assume the amplifier is rated for 6ohm to 8ohm speakers. You can still connect a 4 ohm subwoofer to it in that case, and everything will work. However, if you intend to set the sub to a high volume in order to get good sound in your room, your power supply is likely to overload. If this occurs, the amplifier will shut down.
WATCH THIS: 2 Ohm VS 4 Ohm
CAN I USE 2 OHM AMP WITH 4 OHM SPEAKERS OR VICE VERSA?
In most cases, we should aim for speakers with the same impedance as the amplifier, so if you have a 4-ohm amp, buy all speakers with the same impedance. However, if you have designed a sound system with properly calculated resistance, these values may differ.
You can also connect 2-ohm speakers to a 4-ohm amplifier, but keep in mind that 2-ohm speakers should have half the RMS power of the amplifier to avoid damaging it. Otherwise, the amplifier will be overloaded with varying impedances, and transistors may even fail.
For example, a 2x120W amplifier operating at 4 ohms can be paired with either 120W 4 ohm speakers or 2x60W 2 ohm speakers. Both sets will draw the same amount of current from the amplifier, but the 4-ohm speakers will sound better.
CAN I MIX 2 OHM AND 4 OHM SPEAKERS?
Most cars have two pairs of speakers, one in the front and one in the back, but do they have the same impedance? Yes, the vast majority. When we install 4-ohm speakers, they may be of a different brand, have different sizes or power, and have a different impedance. This, however, is unusual.
When connecting 4-ohm front speakers and 2 ohm rear speakers to a 4-channel amplifier, you must be careful with the power level of these 2-ohm speakers so that transistors are not overloaded and the amplifier is not damaged.
Another consideration is the volume level of these speakers. As previously stated, 2-ohm speakers can play louder with the same power, so in our example, mixing 4 ohm and 2-ohm speakers can result in too much noise from the back of the car.
If you want a different impedance in the front and back of the car and only one amplifier, make sure 4-ohm speakers have twice the power of 2 ohm speakers. In this case, you will ensure that the amplifier output is leveled across all channels.
When your amplifier is designed to support 2 and 4 ohms on different channels, it is much easier to manage different speaker impedances; all you have to do is match the power of your speakers to the maximum amplifier output, and you'll be fine.
Nonetheless, the best and safest approach is to use all of the speakers in the car with the same (either) impedance. Your system will be stable, and you will not have to make many changes to get it to work.
HOW TO CONNECT A 2 OHM VS 4 OHM SUBWOOFER?
Subwoofers are distinct, and in a typical car audio system, the speaker with the lower (usually) impedance is the subwoofer. They can work with 4, 2, or even 1 ohm in some cases, and can also have one or two voice coils, so the number of subwoofer connections is much greater than for typical car speakers.
The ability of subwoofers to produce loud and powerful bass, which requires a lot of power, is the most important factor. The lower the impedance, the more powerful the subwoofer. A 2-ohm subwoofer will play louder than a 4-ohm subwoofer with the same power, but the amount of bass produced is also dependent on the enclosure type.
Buy a 2-ohm subwoofer and a large power station to supply enough current if you want to make a really loud bass in your car. However, lowering the impedance reduces the quality of the bass, so you must choose between music quality and loudness.
A similar approach is used for dual voice coil subwoofers. Despite the fact that you only have one speaker, the connection to the amplifier is the same as it is for the two independent woofers. The overall resistance of the dual voice coil subwoofer will be determined by how it is connected.
When you connect two 2-ohm voice coils in series, the impedance doubles and the speaker becomes a 4 ohm speaker; when you connect them in parallel, the impedance is divided and is 1 ohm.
To decide on subwoofer impedance, you must first decide on the bass quality you desire, which is the starting point. Choose a 4-ohm subwoofer if you want to hear high-end perfect kicks at a moderate volume. You can still connect several subwoofers in the car and improve the quality of the lowest sounds this way.
On the other hand, if you want to make your car shake with every kick, you should consider a 2-ohm or even 1-ohm subwoofer. For even more bass, connect multiple subwoofers in parallel to reduce impedance and make them play even louder, but this approach is appropriate when decibels are the only priority.
CAN I REPLACE 2 OHM SPEAKERS WITH 4 OHM SPEAKERS?
In general, replacing 2-ohm speakers with 4-ohm speakers should be fine. However, keep in mind that the power requirements for 2ohm and 4ohm speakers are different.
Because they are less efficient at converting electricity into sound, 4-ohm car speakers typically have a lower wattage rating than 2ohm speakers. We don't always check impedance when replacing speakers, and new ones can be different from old ones.
This simple oversight can result in damage when replacing 2-ohm speakers with 4-ohm speakers (or vice versa) with the same power because they can overload the amplifier. If the amplifier was not designed to work with lower impedance, such a change could cause it to overheat or cause other problems with the car audio system.
In the opposite scenario, increasing the impedance of the speakers will make all audible sounds quieter, and while this will not harm the system, it will not make you happy.
CAN I USE CAR RADIO TO POWER 2 OHM AND 4 OHM SPEAKERS?
Your car radio can power 2 ohm and 4-ohm speakers. However, you should be aware that using 2 Ohm speakers on a 4 Ohm amp will consume more power than usual because 2 Ohm speakers require more power to play at the same volume as 4 Ohm speakers.
CONCLUSION: Ohm Vs 4 Ohm Speakers
To summarize, there is no clear winner in the battle of 2 ohm vs 4 ohm speakers. Despite the fact that 4-ohm appears to be a more reasonable choice in many cases. However, the loud sound quality of a 2-ohm speaker cannot be overlooked.
So it all comes down to your requirements. If you want to increase the volume and bass in your car music, 2-ohm is the way to go, even if it is more expensive. However, if you want to keep things reasonable and don't care about volume or bass, 4-ohms are the way to go.
FAQs on 4 Ohm vs 2Ohm Speakers
Which speaker type is preferable—2 or 4 ohms?
2 ohm subwoofers are louder than 4 ohm subwoofers because a subwoofer with a lower electrical resistance generates a louder sound than one with a larger electrical resistance. 2 ohm subwoofers are more likely to generate sound of lower quality because of their higher power consumption.
Can you use a 2 ohm amp with 4 ohm speakers?
In reality, your amp will suffer if you use 4 ohm speakers with a 2 ohm amplifier. If your impedance is out of whack, your amp will consume a lot of power, overheat, and eventually stop working.
Can 4 ohm speakers be used to replace 2 ohm speakers?
Less current is used at higher impedances. In other words, you won't be able to get the speaker as loud as you could with an identical 4 ohm speaker because the amplifier won't be able to drive it with as much power, but you also won't risk harming it. In order to reach a total impedance of 12 ohms, you must connect the two speakers in series.
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