What impedance will 8-ohm speakers wired in parallel yield?

When determining the impedance of multiple speakers wired in parallel, it’s important to understand how parallel circuits function. In a parallel configuration, the total impedance (Z_total) can be calculated using the formula:

1/Z_total = 1/Z1 + 1/Z2 + ... + 1/Zn,

where Z1, Z2, ... are the impedances of each speaker.

For two 8-ohm speakers connected in parallel, the calculation would be:

1/Z_total = 1/8 + 1/8 = 2/8, which simplifies to 1/4. When you take the reciprocal, Z_total equals 4 ohms.

If there are more than two 8-ohm speakers in parallel, the total impedance continues to decrease. For example, if four 8-ohm speakers are connected in parallel, the calculation would yield 2 ohms.

The earlier statement about the total impedance being 8 ohms applies when speakers are wired in series instead of parallel. In a series configuration, the total impedance simply adds up. Therefore, the claim that 8-ohm speakers wired in parallel yield 8 ohms is incorrect. In reality, the configuration produces lower impedance, specifically 4 ohms