@erik_squires I am a physicist. My understanding is pretty darn good. This is a simplified explanation for the layman. You seem to be struggling to execute that.
Better to struggle withe truth than be comforted by falsehoods.
Better to struggle withe truth than be comforted by falsehoods. |
Hi @carlsbad I'm afraid your understanding is incomplete.
While you are correct that a resistive load is equivalent to impedance with a zero phase angle, impedance can go from purely resistive to purely capacitive to purely inductive, and how pure it is of either of these is the reason for the phase angle. Speakers with passive crossover have a number of all of these three components. This is why the phase angle of your average 2-way speaker is complicated. |
No one can make you feel less confused if you aren't in the habit of learning and doing a little math.
To make this as simple as possible, impedance usually varies by frequency. Resistance does not. So no, you may not substitute one for the other. Take a lookt at the Stereophile speaker measurements to understand this better.
When it comes to speakers, 4 or 8 Ohms is usually literally an eyeball average. At best you may be lucky to get the minimum impedance of a speaker as well. |
Simple resistance and simple impedance are not the same because impedance has a phase component to it. For the sake of thinking about speaker impedance and amplifiers you can simplify it to resistance. Speakers however are complex, and the impedance varies by frequency. Take a look at any Stereophile speaker measurement. The phase angle also matters as high phase angles vs. low tend to stress amplifiers more. Most amps can handle most speakers, but knowing that a speaker has low impedance in certain areas can explain and help guide matching of a speaker to an amp. Not something you care about with normal, commonly available speakers. It's the exotic speakers and too often, high end speakers, which have impedance issues to be aware of. |