8ohm speakers louder?

[xmsleepr]

basically im noticing that alot of the super loud sound systems around here have something around the lines of 10"/12" Electro Voice pro audio speakers in their car purely for voice and they are 8ohm and sound ridicously loud
also Beyma and O2 (oxygen audio) 6.5" and tweeters all around which are all 8ohm loudspeakers as well

now my question is there a difference in sound from 4ohm and 8ohm? and how does this affect my amp? are they wiring a certain way?

 

[ryan s]

you're actually noticing 2 variables at work.

one, generally speaking, 8 ohms speakers have a sensitivity similar- or greater-than a 4 ohm speaker so it takes less power to get them movin.

example of a sub i'm looking at:
8 ohm 2.83V / 1m 87.2 dB
4 ohm 2.83V / 1m 88.4 dB

not bad, right? half the power, only 1dB in loss (you can't hear that ). they're both rated at 175 RMS, BUT the 8 ohm will be more efficient, reducing the strain (load) on the amp. my amp is rated at 400 RMS @ 4 ohms, giving it the perfect power at 8.

and two, the use of pro audio drivers. i'll guide you to this thread, and give you the tl;dr cliff notes.

basically, when you use pro audio speakers in the car, you stick them in the smallest box possible and give them ridiculous amounts of power. due to their design and love of abuse, they can take the combo of too-small-box-and-too-much-power that would destroy 99% of "consumer" speakers.

in the DIYMA thread, patrick is trying to duplicate the insane amount of up-front midbass an old school competitor's car had. his secret was using a pro audio 12" in the rear side panel. i highly recommend reading the thread...patricks threads are always great

as for the last part of your question...8 ohms are just the "standard" for 120V. wiring isn't any different, but you need 8 ohm drivers and amps that can run at 8 ohms (most that are "only" 4 ohm stable can also do 8). DO NOT run different impedences on passive crossovers.

 

[xmsleepr]

thanks for the quick response, so simply put Pro Audio speakers inside a door with enough power will make your car sound like a disco? lol
lets say my friends set up for example he has 4 10" EVs in his car hooked up to a RF 801s connecting two 8ohm speakers parallel in one channel creating a 4ohm load for the amp that works fine?

so i can get get pro audio speakers for my car (same size dont want to squeeze a 10" in my door) and hook them up to a 2 channel amp giving it a 4ohm load like its designed and i would be good?

btw anyone heard of Beyma and O2 speakers?

 

[ryan s]

the door is too big of a (leaky) space for those...think of a box whose sides attach to the speaker's mounts and whose base is right on the rear motor small...

you could do 2x 8 ohms, yeah http://www.the12volt.com/caraudio/woofer_configurations.asp?Q=2&I=81

in all honesty, the pro audio speakers will be better in a random spot in addition to your regular front stage. they're just meant for midbass reproduction, not direct listening. up under the dash...under a seat...next to the rear seats if you have a coupe...

i think i've heard of beyma...dont know anything about em though.

 

[xmsleepr]

that small!!?? oh **** haha well the though was for those pro audio speakers and 4-6 horn loaded tweeters throughout the car. im not being creative here im just going by what i have seen and heard before lol

 

[ryan s]

here's another read about natural bass in the car, and it deals with arrays hidden throughout the car.

both of those DIYMA/PB threads should get you thinking about improvements beyond what most people are doing, if you want to go that route.

 

[eggyhustles]

stay away from ev, beyma, and o2

Out here in the northeast, alot of guys run those pa speakers and they sound like complete ****.

you won't get an ounce of midbass out of any of those speakers.

This topic will get a little more indepth about 8 ohm drivers

http://www.diymobileaudio.com/forum/diyma-tutorials/31-real-deal-8-ohm-drivers.html

 

[PaulD]

those types of speakers are very efficient but you have to use them in the right way.