does parelleling speakers shorten life?

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Spockie - 19 Apr 2004 18:37 GMT

does parelleling speakers shorten their life and make them hotter and
stuff?

if i get a 2 channel amp that runs 2 ohm stable

like this one

http://www.sounddomain.com/sku/BOSC250

i am thinking about getting some speakings and running them parellel

i would be getting some speakers like this

http://www.crutchfield.com/S-bm19B4hBRXB/cgi-bin/ProdView.asp?s=0&c=10&g=
52100&I=107DB675&o=p&a=1&cc=01&avf=Y

the polk 6.75 sizes which need 60 rms/ 4 ohm

i will parellel four of them to two outputs of that amp

so the speakers would be like 2 ohm and get 75W

my quesiton is since those are some nice speakers would they have a
shorter life with parelleling and would i need fans or something?

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MZ - 19 Apr 2004 18:56 GMT

> does parelleling speakers shorten their life and make them hotter and
> stuff?

It will generally make them run hotter, yes. This doesn't play a major role
in longevity per se, but it can sometimes lead to an increase in the risk of
running them beyond their limits (ie. overpowering them), which could blow
them.

> if i get a 2 channel amp that runs 2 ohm stable
>
[quoted text clipped - 14 lines]
>
> so the speakers would be like 2 ohm and get 75W

That amp would actually be delivering only about 50 watts to each speaker.
That's even assuming the ratings are correct, which is a big assumption.

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Kevin Murray - 20 Apr 2004 15:14 GMT

If you connect a pair of speakers to this amp you will be driving them with 75
watts each. If you parallel another pair, the power output will not double due
to increased losses in the amp. You would actually be getting more like 65-70
watts per speaker for a total output of 130-140 watts per amplifier channel.
This would make the amp run significantly hotter, but not the speakers. They
will probably run cooler as the power available to each will drop. This will
extend their life while shortening the amp's life considerably. The number one
enemy of electronics is heat cycling. Idiots with screw drivers are a close
second.

Kevin Murray

> does parelleling speakers shorten their life and make them hotter and
> stuff?
[quoted text clipped - 20 lines]
> my quesiton is since those are some nice speakers would they have a
> shorter life with parelleling and would i need fans or something?

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Quigmeister Quigolator Quiganology - 20 Apr 2004 15:21 GMT

Along with uniform specifications,
this warning label on Mobile Electronics boxes should be law:

>The number one
>enemy of electronics is heat cycling. Idiots with screw drivers are a close
>second.

.
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V I S I T O U R F O R U M
http://63.74.14.174/forum/phpBB2/index.php

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MZ - 20 Apr 2004 16:28 GMT

> If you connect a pair of speakers to this amp you will be driving them with 75
> watts each. If you parallel another pair, the power output will not double due
> to increased losses in the amp. You would actually be getting more like 65-70
> watts per speaker for a total output of 130-140 watts per amplifier channel.

The amp claims that it puts out 200x1 bridged. If the ratings are correct,
then it can be deduced that each speaker would get 50 watts.

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