¿Cuál es la diferencia entre los parlantes para auto de 2 ohmios y 4 ohmios?

Cuando busque altavoces para automóvil, uno de los parámetros que notará es la impedancia de 2 ohmios o 4 ohmios.

Pero, ¿cuál es la diferencia entre altavoces de 2 ohmios y de 4 ohmios?

La principal diferencia entre los parlantes para autos de 2 y 4 ohmios es la cantidad de energía que extraen del amplificador. Los altavoces de 2 ohmios requieren un amplificador más potente que los altavoces de 4 ohmios. Gracias a esto, los altavoces de 2 ohmios suenan más fuerte que los de 4 ohmios, pero los sonidos que producen son de menor calidad.

En el siguiente artículo, encontrará más información sobre cómo elegir la impedancia adecuada para los altavoces de su automóvil y cómo combinarlos con amplificadores.

¿Qué es la impedancia en los altavoces del coche?

La impedancia es la resistencia del cable de la bobina móvil contra la corriente que fluye desde el amplificador. La gran mayoría de los altavoces para automóviles se fabrican con una impedancia de 2 o 4 ohmios.

Aunque puedes encontrar excepciones, como Kicker CompRT 10″ subwoofer con una impedancia de 1 ohmio, será difícil encontrar altavoces o amplificadores de coche de más de 4 ohmios, debido al bajo voltaje de 12 V.

Kicker CompRT 10″ es una excelente opción cuando busca “golpes” fuertes y no tiene mucho espacio para un woofer profundo. Está disponible en Amazon y si quieres probar su verdadero poder, haz clic en este enlace y comprueba el último precio.

Cuando ve 4 ohmios en el altavoz, no significa que su impedancia sea constante de 4 ohmios. En realidad, este valor cambia constantemente, ya que depende directamente de la frecuencia actual del altavoz y puede ser tan bajo como 0,3 ohmios o tan alto como 30 ohmios.

La impedancia será mayor para las frecuencias más bajas, y para las más altas será menor. Esta es una de las razones por las que las bobinas de voz en los tweeters son tan pequeñas.

Para resumir, el valor de 4 ohmios colocado en el altavoz es la "impedancia nominal" que representa el promedio de todas las impedancias el altavoz ha sido diseñado para funcionar.

Debido a que la impedancia del altavoz está relacionada con la potencia, cuanto mayor sea la impedancia, menor será la corriente que fluirá desde el amplificador. Eso significa que un amplificador que funciona con altavoces de mayor impedancia estará menos cargado.

Por ejemplo, un altavoz de 100 W y 4 ohmios consumirá 100 W del amplificador de 4 ohmios, mientras que un altavoz de 2 ohmios obligará al mismo amplificador a producir 200 W. Como resultado, el amplificador puede sobrecargarse, lo que puede provocar un sobrecalentamiento del amplificador o daños adicionales.

Si desea obtener información sobre el sobrecalentamiento de los amplificadores, escribí un breve artículo al respecto, así que échele un vistazo. .

Los altavoces de baja impedancia pueden obligar a los amplificadores a trabajar demasiado .

Como resultado, su fusible puede fundirse o el circuito de protección se activará y el amplificador se apagará para proteger otras partes del sistema de audio. En casos extremos, un amplificador sobrecargado puede explotar.

Cuando diseñamos el sistema de audio del coche, tenemos que hacer coincidir la impedancia de los altavoces con los amplificadores. Pero, debido a los muchos tipos de instalación diferentes en el audio del automóvil, no siempre es posible tener todos los componentes con los mismos 2 o 4 ohmios.

Más adelante en este artículo, veremos diferentes combinaciones de impedancia.

¿Por qué los altavoces del coche tienen diferentes ohmios?

A menudo nos preguntamos por qué algunos altavoces tienen 4 ohmios y otros 2 ohmios. Esto depende principalmente de los requisitos de los altavoces en cuanto a la calidad de los sonidos producidos y la eficiencia.

La única constante en los altavoces del coche es el voltaje, mientras que la potencia y la impedancia dependen una de la otra. En el caso de altavoces coaxiales o un sistema de componentes , el amplificador del coche, cuando se conecta al crossover, reconoce las impedancias de todo el conjunto y no de los altavoces individuales, que pueden ser diferentes en la realidad.

Los altavoces de 4 ohmios demandarán menos corriente del amplificador que un altavoz similar de 2 ohmios . Al mismo tiempo, una impedancia más alta significa menos distorsión en el amplificador y un flujo de corriente más estable; sin embargo, cada vez más amplificadores modernos pueden permanecer estables mientras entregan grandes cantidades de potencia a los altavoces con baja impedancia.

La principal ventaja de tener menos impedancia es que proviene más potencia del amplificador, lo cual es importante dentro de un automóvil ruidoso. El ruido de la carretera o del viento debe compensarse con el mejor rendimiento de los altavoces, y aquí es donde los altavoces de baja impedancia funcionarán mejor.

¿Puedo usar un amplificador de 2 ohmios con altavoces de 4 ohmios o viceversa?

En la mayoría de los casos, debemos apuntar a que la impedancia de los altavoces coincida con los amplificadores, por lo que cuando tenga un amplificador de 4 ohmios, compre todos los altavoces también de 4 ohmios. Pero cuando ha diseñado un sistema de sonido con todas las resistencias correctamente calculadas, estos valores pueden ser diferentes.

You can also connect 2-ohm speakers to a 4-ohm amplifier, but in order not to damage it, remember that 2-ohm speakers should have half of the amplifier’s RMS power. Otherwise, the amplifier will be overloaded with different impedance, and transistors can even blow.

For example, when you have a 2x120W amplifier working at 4 ohms, you can pair it with either 120W 4 ohm speakers, or 2x60W 2 ohm speakers . Both sets will drive the same current from the amplifier, but the 4-ohm speakers will make a better sound.

Can I MIX 2 Ohm and 4 Ohm Speakers?

Most cars have installed two pairs of speakers in front and at the back, but do they have the same impedance? The vast majority, yes.

When we install 4-ohm speakers, they can be from a different brand, have different sizes or power, and also impedance can be different. However, this is rare.

When you wire 4-ohm front speakers and 2 ohm rear speakers to the 4 channel amplifier, you have to be careful with the power level of these 2-ohm speakers to not overload transistors and not damage the amplifier.

Another point to consider is the volume level of these speakers. As we already said, 2-ohm speakers can play louder with the same power, so in our example, when mixing 4 ohm and 2-ohm speakers, you can hear too much from the back of the car.

If you want to have a different impedance in the front and the back of the car and one amplifier, make sure 4-ohm speakers have twice as much power as 2 ohms. In this case, you will ensure leveling out amplifier output to all channels.

It is much easier to manage different speakers’ impedance, when your amplifier is designed to support 2 and 4 ohms on different channels , then you have to match the power of speakers to the max amplifier output, and you will be okay.

Nevertheless, the best and safest way is to use all speakers in the car with the same (either) impedance. Your system will be stable, and you will not have to make too many adjustments to make it work.

How to Connect a 2 Ohm vs 4 Ohm Subwoofer?

Subwoofers are different, and when you see a typical car audio system, the speaker with a different (usually lower) impedance will be the subwoofer.

They can work with 4, 2, or even 1 ohm in some cases and also can have either one or two voice coils, so the number of variations in subwoofer connections is much higher than for the typical car speakers.

The most significant factor in the subwoofers is their ability to create loud and strong bass, and that requires a lot of power. The more powerful the subwoofer, the lower impedance it will have.

A 2-ohm subwoofer will play louder than 4 ohms with the same power, but how strong bass will be generated also depends on the enclosure type.

If you want to make a really loud bass in your car, buy a 2-ohm subwoofer and a large power station to supply enough current. However, with the impedance reduction, you also reduce the quality of the bass, so you have to prioritize either music quality or loudness.

A similar approach is for subwoofers with dual voice coils. Although you physically have one speaker, the connection with the amplifier is the same as for the two independent woofers. Depending on how you will connect it, you will determine the overall resistance of the dual voice coil subwoofer.

When you connect both 2-ohm voice coils in series, the impedance will double, and it will become one 4 ohm speaker, or when you will wire them in parallel, the impedance will be divided and will be 1 ohm.

To decide about subwoofer impedance, you have to decide which bass quality you want to achieve, and this is the starting point. If you wish to hear hi-end perfect kicks but with a moderate volume, go for a 4-ohm subwoofer.

By doing so, you can still connect several subwoofers in the car and further increase the quality of the lowest sounds.

On the other hand, if you want to create thunders in your car and make it shaking with every kick, you should consider a 2-ohm subwoofer or even 1-ohm. And for even more bass, you can connect multi subwoofers in parallel to reduce impedance and make them play even louder, but this approach is right when the decibels are the only priority.

Can I Replace 2 Ohm Speakers With 4 Ohm Speakers?

Generally, you should be fine when replacing 2-ohm speakers with 4-ohm speakers. But keep in mind that 2ohm and 4ohm speakers have different power requirements.

4-ohm car speakers usually have a lower wattage rating than 2ohm speakers because they’re less efficient at converting electricity into sound.

When replacing speakers, we are not always checking impedance carefully, and new ones can be different from old speakers.

This simple overlooking can cause damage when replacing 2-ohm speakers with 4 ohms (or vice versa) that have the same power because they can overload the amplifier. If the amp was not designed to work with lower impedance, such change could cause the amplifier to overheat, or other damages to the car audio system.

In the vice versa scenario, when we will increase the speakers’ impedance, all audible sounds will become quieter, and although you will not damage the system, this change will not make you happy.

Can I Use Car Radio to Power 2 Ohm and 4 Ohm Speakers?

You can use your car radio to power 2 ohm and 4-ohm speakers. But you should know that playing 2ohm speakers on a 4ohm amp will eat up more power than usual because 2 Ohm speakers require more power to play at the same volume as the 4-ohm speakers.

Preguntas frecuentes

How Many Ohms Are Car Speakers?

The most common car speakers are 4 ohms. However, there are also lower impedance car speakers available with either 3 ohm or 2 ohms.

We know from the Ohm law that the lower the number of ohms, the easier it is for electricity to flow through.

In other words, a 2-ohm speaker will require less power from your amplifier than a 4-ohm speaker to produce the same volume.

What Does Ohm Mean in Car Speakers?

The impedance of a car speaker is a measure of how much the speaker resists the flow of current.

A lower impedance speaker will require less power from your amplifier to produce the same volume as a higher impedance speaker.

Can You Run 4 Ohm Speakers at 2 Ohms?

Technically you can connect 4 ohm speakers to the 2 ohm amplifier, but the volume will be lower than if you connected the same 4 ohm speakers to a 4 ohm amplifier.

How to Wire 4 Ohm Speaker to 2 Ohm Amplifier?

The best way to wire 4 ohm speakers to 2 ohm amplifiers is to wire the speakers in parallel.

This will result in a 4 ohm load on the amplifier, which is the recommended load for most car amplifiers.

This method however is common only in the case of the subwoofers, unless you use two separate 4 ohm speakers per each 2ohm channel in the amplifier.

What is Better, 2 Ohm or 4 Ohm Speakers?

Some people prefer the sound of 2 ohm speakers because they tend to have more bass, while others prefer the sound of 4 ohm speakers because they tend to have more treble.

Choosing speakers of any impedance is ultimately a personal preference and also depends on the amplifier you are using.

Can I Mix 2 Ohm and 4 Ohm Speakers?

Speakers of different impedances can be mixed but not within the same pair of channels.

For example, you cannot connect a 2 ohm speaker to the left channel and 4 ohm to the right channel.

This is the same logic as for the car wheels. You do not put different wheels on the same shaft.

It is however possible to use 4 ohm speakers at the front and 2 ohm speakers at the back of the car, but they have to be connected to different amplifiers.

One multichannel amplifier will not support 4 ohm and low impedance speakers playing at the same time.

If you are running 4 ohm speakers at the front of your car and 2 ohm at the back, you will need two amplifiers, one for each set of speakers.

What Does 4 Ohm Mean in Speakers?

4-ohm speakers are the most common type of speaker found in cars.

A 4-ohm speaker will require more power from the amplifier to produce the same volume as a 2-ohm speaker.