Installation manual

Community WET 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 -0.42 dB
#10 AWG
200’ 8 -0.83 dB
#10 AWG
100’ 4 -0.83 dB
#10 AWG
200’ 4 -1.58 dB
#12 AWG
100’ 8 -0.66 dB
#12 AWG
200’ 8 -1.28 dB
#12 AWG
100’ 4 -1.28 dB
#12 AWG 200’ 4 -2.39 dB
#14 AWG 100’ 8 -1.03 dB
#14 AWG
200’ 8 -1.95 dB
#14 AWG
100’ 4 -1.95 dB
#14 AWG
200’ 4 -3.55 dB