smartbuyspeakers - general speaker faq

General Speaker Faq

1. These speakers are rated for XXX watts. Is that how much power I need to run them?
  No. The power rating for speakers is the amount of power that will damage them. Most speakers of average efficiency can be used on systems with as little as 10 watts per channel available, although this varies greatly according to the exact amplifier and speakers used.
2. What do the different power ratings mean?
  Peak Power is the maximum power the speaker can handle for a very tiny fraction of a second. Apply peak power for as little as one second and you may blow your drivers. The main specification to go by is termed the RMS power. RMS stands for Root Mean Square. To simplify I will not go into details. Suffice it to say that the RMS power specification is the power that a speaker can handle continuously without damage. Sometimes you will also see the phrase continuous power rating.
3. Does wire AWG go backwards?
  Yes. 12 gauge wire is larger than 14, which is larger than 16 gauge.Go figure.
4. Do I have to put these feet on this subwoofer?
  If it is downward firing, absolutely. If you don't the driver may be damaged and there will be very little output from the subwoofer.
5. What are passive radiators?
  A passive radiator looks like a standard speaker cone. It is not hooked to power, so does not add any additional output of it's own. What it does is re-radiate the output of the main driver that would otherwise be lost inside the case. It provides essentially the same function as a port does in a ported case design
6. My amp is rated 8 (or 4, etc) ohms. Can I use these speakers rated at XX ohms?
  Probably. Here is the deal: If the amp is rated lower than the speakers, you are good to go. If the speakers are 4 ohms and the amp is rated into 8, it will probably work OK but you may not get the full performance out of your speakers unless the amp is a high current design. If that is the case the amplifier ratings are usually given into 8 and 4 ohms both. If your speakers are lower than 4 ohms you had better make sure the amp is properly rated or it may overheat or be damaged.
7. Can I hook up multiple sets of speakers to this amplifier?
  NO is the general answer without special equipment. Click here for our article on the subject. The rule of thumb is one speaker per set of terminals, only. Ignore this and your amplifier will probably be terminal.