Speaker Impedance, Tenor OTLs, and Watt Puppies


Generally, is it better to match Tenor OTLs, or any low wattage tube amp, with 8 ohm speakers, rather than say, 4 ohm speakers? I do not clearly understand the impedance factor concept, but have been told that 8 ohm speakers are easier to drive, and also that speaker ohm stability is important. Are Watt Puppies a poor match for the Tenors? I know they will sound good, but are the Watt Puppies performance being maximized?
haydn_josef

Showing 1 response by twl

You must consider the damping factor when matching OTLs with speaker loads. I do not know what the output impedance of the Tenors is, but low output impedance is generally not the strong suit of OTLs. If you get low impedance speakers, or ones that swing low in the bass freq's particularly, then the damping factor of the amp can be seriously compromised. Generally speaking, higher impedance speakers will present a more controllable load for OTLs.