[Arny Krueger]

wrote in message


I have read in a few posts that if you have a multi
speaker setup, surround I guess, it is very important
that all speakers be of the same impedance, or you could
damage the equipment. How true or important is that?

The above statement has just about everything wrong with it. But there is a
germ of truth.

First off, it is unclear as to what it is talking about. Is it talking about
a multi-speaker setup as in a surround system, or is it talking about a
multi-speaker setup as in something like a distributed sound system in a
residence or office?

Secondly, in either case, surround or home/office distributed, it is
relatively unimportant as to whether the speakers all have the same
impedance.

Thirdly, if this is a distributed sound system, the usual means by which
people design the system improperly, is to hook too many speakers in
parallel. Hooking too many speakers in parallel will create a speaker system
whose impedance is impractically low, no matter whether the speakers have
the same impedance or not.

Fourthly, while it is possible that with improperly designed amplifiers, it
is possible that attaching a speaker system, whether an individual speaker
or a number of speakers in parallel, whose impedance is so low that the
amplifier will overheat and/or otherwise burn out. However, a
properly-designed amplifier is supposed to detect the incorrect load and
protect itself.

The germ of truth is that speakers, and combinations of speakers can have
impedance that is so low that they make up an impractical load for some
amplifiers. One common way to create a speaker load that is impractically
low, is to hook up a distributed sound system in an office or home with all
of the speakers hooked in parallel.

If you want to set up a distributed sound system in an office or home, you
either need to learn about the special methods that are used to do that, or
hire someone who knows how to do it right.