Installation manual

Community WET Series II - Operation and Installation Manual - Page 15

Know Your Amplifier

Not all amplifiers can safely drive loads below 4 ohms. Very low impedance loads may cause the amplifier to

overheat which may lead to device failure. Even if the amplifier is quite stable driving a low impedance load,

the cable loss will be greater, the damping factor is reduced, and if the amplifier were to fail, a larger portion of

the sound system would be taken off-line.

C-TIP: Keeping the loads at 4 ohms or higher will lengthen the life of your amplifier(s), while improving

the reliability and overall sound quality of your sound system.

Below is a table that gives a quick look at the effect of wire size on line loss. These numbers assume that the

amplifier is producing a constant 48 Volts at its output terminals, which is equivalent to 288 watts into 8Ω or

576 watts into 4Ω:

Size Length Load Z Loss in dB

#10 AWG 100’ 8 Ω -0.42 dB

#10 AWG 200’ 8 Ω -0.83 dB

#10 AWG 100’ 4 Ω -0.83 dB

#10 AWG 200’ 4 Ω -1.58 dB

#12 AWG 100’ 8 Ω -0.66 dB

#12 AWG 200’ 8 Ω -1.28 dB

#12 AWG 100’ 4 Ω -1.28 dB

#12 AWG 200’ 4 Ω -2.39 dB

#14 AWG 100’ 8 Ω -1.03 dB

#14 AWG 200’ 8 Ω -1.95 dB

#14 AWG 100’ 4 Ω -1.95 dB

#14 AWG 200’ 4 Ω -3.55 dB