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What does Nominal Impedance mean?

What does Nominal Impedance mean?

I’m trying to decide on some new speakers (Clarisys Minute). They are rated at 86-88 sensitivity and a nominal impedance of 3.5 flat. Although graphs show it about 6 ohms from 20hz-500hz and at 2Khz and above about 3 ohms.

My present speakers, Focal Sopra 2 are rated as 91 sensitivity and 8-ohm nominal impedance, but minimum is 3 ohms.

So, I am presently using Bob Carver 350 amps (rated as 350 Amps/channel 8 ohm and 400 watts /channel 4 ohm) which are tube mono blocks. and I like to crank it up at times!

Can someone explain about Nominal Impedance and if my amp(s) will have a problem driving the Clarisys Minute speakers?

ozzy

128x128ozzy
ditusa's avatar
ditusa
1,883 posts
 

@fritzspeaks Wrote:

I vaguely remember that the speaker industry standard rating of impedance as what it is at 1000Hz.

JBL’s impedance graph is from 20Hz to 2KHz conforming to international standard IEC. International Electrotechnical Commission - Wikipedia

Mike

ozzy's avatar
ozzy OP
7,461 posts
 

Let me ask another question:

So, does a 4-ohm speaker play louder than an 8-ohm speaker with the same amplifier and volume setting?

ozzy

sj00884's avatar
sj00884
80 posts
 

What Mapman said. he nails it.  

jjss49's avatar
Ag insider logo xs@2x
jjss49
6,612 posts
 

So, does a 4-ohm speaker play louder than an 8-ohm speaker with the same amplifier and volume setting?

no, depends on speaker sensitivity

and more broadly, i believe nominal impedance is basically a useless measure

speaker makers don't use the same standards and pretty much write anything into their marketing literature - always always looks at the whole impedance curve

czarivey
5,946 posts
 

Agree to @jjss49 

Nominal impedance shows exactly nothing. 

 

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