Most main task when turning on the speakers, it is important to connect them correctly so that none of them is overloaded, since overload can easily damage any speaker. It is important to know and follow the rule that states that power should be supplied to the speaker either lower than or equal to the rated (design) power. Otherwise, sooner or later even the most excellent and branded speaker will fail.

Let's look at the simplest way to connect speakers - in series, let's look at the diagram:

When the speakers are connected in series, their resistance is summed, so we get a total resistance of 32 ohms. This is a fairly large resistance, so if you connect it to an 8-ohm ULF output, then due to the high resistance, the current through the speakers will flow low and they will not sound loud. The amplifier and load will not work effectively.

For speakers, the total resistance is calculated using this formula and in our case we get 2 Ohms. You cannot connect such a composite cascade to an 8-ohm ULF, otherwise the amplifier will simply burn out, so let’s look at the most common method

This example of connecting speakers is already suitable for an 8-ohm amplifier. By analogy, you can assemble a composite speaker for any required resistance.

In addition to the above, when connecting several speakers, it is advisable to take into account the polarity so that they work in phase (in coordination). To do this, the manufacturers indicate the polarity (“+” and “-”) on the terminals. In the case of monophonic sound reproduction, polarity can be neglected, but with stereophonic sound reproduction, coordinated inclusion plays a very significant role. Because it is required that the diffusers of each speaker oscillate synchronously.

If the speakers do not work in harmony, then distortion and displacement of the sound picture will occur, since sound waves during propagation will partially compensate each other, and during in-phase operation, sound vibrations will be summed up, creating a real and most complete sound atmosphere.

When the speakers are connected in parallel, their positive “+” terminals are connected together and connected to the “+” audio output of the ULF. We connect the negative one in the same way.

When connected in series, the phasing of the speakers will be slightly different.

When assembling and adjusting acoustic devices yourself, you should remember that if you use low-pass or high-pass filters, they can change the phase of the signal to the opposite one.

Typically, the basic configuration of a speaker system without any quirks can satisfy all the needs of the average user. After all, the system is, as a rule, selected immediately for specific needs - for example, so that the power is enough to listen to music in a specific room. However, in some cases it may happen that the characteristics of the existing acoustics are no longer sufficient for the given operating conditions. Then the user begins to look for ways to upgrade the system at minimal cost.

Certainly, the best option there is a progressive improvement - for example, replacing an old stereo pair with a modern one multi-channel system. If financial capabilities do not allow you to buy a new expensive set of acoustic devices, it becomes interesting how to increase the number of speakers in the existing system. And here the question may arise: “Is it possible to connect another pair of speakers to the one already in use?” Answer: no, the speakers are not directly connected to each other. But with some reservations. In what situations can connecting speakers to speakers become possible?

Methods for assembling a speaker system

Strictly speaking, the speakers are connected to each other in any case - otherwise the integrity of the system, necessary to create uniformity and unity of the sound environment, would not be ensured.

Connection details depend on the type of speaker system. It happens:

• stereo – has two front speakers that receive a common signal from the two front channels;
• multichannel – receiving a separate signal, one for each speaker.

In the first case, connecting the speakers to each other is either not required if different speakers are located in a common housing - for example, in the case of a tape recorder or radio, although this also occurs in conventional stereo pairs for a computer, or the speakers are connected simple connection secondary device to the main one via a regular cable with a 3.5 mm plug. Remember: the main column is the one on which the main outputs, controls and indicator lights are located. From the second there is only one wire coming off - the same one with which it is connected to the main one.

A multi-channel system can involve both direct and indirect connection of speakers. In the second case, the speakers are combined only through the receiver or the sound card sound source - a device that divides the overall signal into separate channels. This scheme is used, as a rule, when using active-type columns. If the speakers are passive and an external audio amplifier must be used, the circuit becomes more complicated. Typically, in this case, special speaker cables with terminals are used, which, unlike plugs, are not connected to connectors, but to two separate terminals.

Just like on a battery, the terminals have different poles - plus and minus, which should not be confused so as not to break electrical devices the first time they are plugged into the network. Any person should remember this from physics lessons. From there, you need to remember that electronic devices can be connected in two ways: serial or parallel. When connecting speakers to each other in this way, it is important to remember the need to match the electrical parameters - basically, the resistance indicator of all devices. The speakers must have the same impedance, and their sum should not exceed the impedance of the sound amplifier.

Series connection of speakers

As is known, when electrical devices are connected in series, their resistances are summed up. This property can be used to reduce output characteristics - for example, when connecting auxiliary speakers (rear or side), which do not require high power. As for the maximum number of speakers connected in series, this parameter should be calculated based on their own resistance. When summed up, the indicator should not exceed the maximum permissible resistance of the amplifier - most often it is 16 Ohms, a higher number is practically impossible to meet.

As the name of the method suggests, the devices must be connected one after another, forming closed circuit. The wire from the positive terminal of the amplifier goes to the plus of the first speaker, the wire from the minus of the first column goes to the plus of the second, and the minus of the second is connected to the minus of the amplifier. Everything is extremely simple.

If more than two columns are connected, the circuit is exactly the same, only it has more steps. The main thing is to go from the plus of the amplifier to its minus, combining only opposite poles, with the exception of the beginning and end of the circuit.

In some cases, a serial connection is the only way possible variant. For example, you have two passive subwoofers with a resistance of 4 ohms and an amplifier with two channels of 100 W each. Such an amplifier, as a rule, cannot function if the signal supplied to it has a resistance of less than 2 ohms - this is exactly what it will be if the speakers are connected in parallel. However, when connected in series, the resistances of both subwoofers will add up, and as a result, a signal with a resistance of 8 ohms will be sent to each channel of the audio amplifier. This is an almost ideal indicator - the limit of 16 ohms is still far away, and there is no fear of device failure due to lack of resistance.

It is worth considering that when connecting several speakers to one amplifier channel, maximum power It is divided equally among all devices, taking into account the resistance. So, an amplifier with a power of 100 W and a minimum resistance of 2 Ohms will deliver 100:2:2 = 25 W to each of the two speakers.

When the speakers are connected in parallel, all manipulations with physical parameters occur in a mirror order: the resistance drops and the power increases. But the columns in this case are not directly connected to each other, so this point will be discussed in another article.

Knowing the intricacies of all the ways to connect speakers to each other and other participants in the speaker system, it is easy to accurately calculate all the real parameters of the devices used.

It’s good if the installer has the opportunity to use a channel-by-channel amplification circuit. However, in most cases this is considered an unaffordable luxury, and during the installation of an audio system, in nine cases out of ten there is a need to load, for example, a two-channel device with four speakers or a four-channel device with eight.

Actually, there is nothing scary about this. It's just important to keep in mind a few basic ways to connect speakers. Not even several, but only two: serial and parallel. The third - series-parallel - is a derivative of the two listed. In other words, if you have more than one speaker per amplification channel and you know what loads the device can handle, then choosing one, the most acceptable circuit from three possible ones, is not so difficult.

Daisy chaining of speakers

It is clear that when the drivers are connected in a series chain, the load resistance increases. It is also clear that as the number of links increases, it grows. Typically, the need to increase resistance arises to reduce the output performance of acoustics. In particular, when installing rear speakers or a center channel speaker, which mainly play an auxiliary role, they do not require significant power from the amplifier. In principle, you can connect as many speakers as you like in series, but their total resistance should not exceed 16 Ohms: there are few amplifiers that can handle higher loads.

Figure 1 shows how two drivers are connected in a daisy chain. The positive output connector of the amplifier channel is connected to the positive terminal of speaker A, and the negative terminal of the same driver is connected to the positive terminal of speaker B. Then the negative terminal of speaker B is connected to the negative output of the same amplification channel. The second channel is built according to the same scheme.

These are two speakers. If you need to connect, say, four loudspeakers in series, then the method is similar. The “minus” speaker B, instead of connecting to the amplifier output, is connected to the “plus” C. Further from the negative terminal C, a wire is thrown to the “plus” D, and from the “minus” D the connection is made to the negative output connector of the amplifier.

Calculation of the equivalent load resistance of the amplification channel, which is loaded with a chain of series-connected speakers, is carried out by simple addition according to the following formula: Zt = Za + Zb, where Zt is the equivalent load resistance, and Za and Zb, respectively

resistance of speakers A and B. For example, you have four 12-inch subwoofer heads with a resistance of 4 ohms and a single stereo amplifier 2 x 100 W, which cannot tolerate low-impedance (2 ohms or less) loads. In this case, connecting woofers in series is the only possible option. Each amplification channel serves a pair of heads with a total resistance of 8 ohms, which easily fits into the above-mentioned 16-ohm framework. Whereas parallel connection of speakers (more on that later) will lead to an unacceptable (less than 2 ohms) decrease in the load resistance of both channels and, as a result, failure of the amplifier.

When more than one speaker is connected in series to the same amplification channel, the output power will inevitably be affected. Let's return to the example with two 12-inch heads connected in series and one 200-watt stereo amplifier with a minimum load impedance of 4 ohms. To find out how many watts the amplifier can deliver to the speakers under such conditions, you need to solve another simple equation: Po = Pr x (Zr/Zt), where Po is the input power, Pr is the measured power of the amplifier, Zr is the load resistance at which the measurements of the real power of the amplifier, Zt is the total resistance of the speakers loaded at this channel. In our case it turns out: Po = 100 x (4/8). That is 50 watts. We have two speakers, so the “fifty dollar” is divided into two. As a result, each head will receive 25 watts.

Parallel connection of speakers

Here everything is exactly the opposite: with a parallel connection, the load resistance drops in proportion to the number of speakers. Grows accordingly output power. The number of loudspeakers is limited by the ability of the amplifier to operate at low loads and the power limits of the speakers themselves, connected in parallel. In most cases, amplifiers can handle loads of 2 ohms, less often 1 ohm. There are devices that can handle 0.5 ohms, but this is truly a rarity. As for modern loudspeakers, the power parameters range from tens to hundreds of watts.

Figure 2 shows how to connect a pair of drivers in parallel. The wire from the positive output connector is connected to the positive terminals of speakers A and B (the easiest way is to first connect the amplifier output to the “plus” of speaker A, and then pull the wire from it to speaker B). Using the same circuit, the negative terminal of the amplifier is connected to the negative terminals of both speakers.

Calculating the equivalent load resistance of the amplification channel when connecting speakers in parallel is somewhat more complicated. The formula is: Zt = (Za x Zb) / (Za + Zb), where Zt is the equivalent load resistance, and Za and Zb are the speaker impedance.

Now let’s imagine that the low-frequency link in the system is again assigned to a 2-channel device (2 x 100 W per 4 ohm load), but operating stably at 2 ohms. Connecting two 4-ohm subwoofer heads in parallel will significantly increase the output power, since the load resistance of the amplification channel will be halved. Using our formula we get: Zt = (4 + 4) / (4 + 4). As a result, we have 2 Ohms, which, provided the amplifier has a good current reserve, will give a 4-fold increase in power per channel: Po = 100 x (4/2). Or 200 watts per channel instead of 50 obtained by connecting speakers in series.

Series-parallel connection of speakers

Typically, this circuit is used to increase the number of speakers on board a vehicle in order to achieve an increase in the total power of the audio system while maintaining adequate load resistance. That is, you can use as many speakers as you like on one amplification channel, if their total resistance is within the limits we have already indicated from 2 to 16 Ohms.

Connecting, for example, 4 speakers using this method is done as follows. The cable from the amplifier's positive output connector is connected to the positive terminals of speakers A and C. The negative terminals of A and C are then connected to the positive terminals of speakers B and D, respectively. Finally, a cable from the negative output of the amplifier is connected to the negative terminals of speakers B and D.

To calculate the total load resistance of the amplification channel, which operates with four heads connected in a combinatorial manner, the following formula is used: Zt = (Zab x Zcd) / (Zab x Zcd), where Zab is the total resistance of speakers A and B, and Zcd is the total resistance of speakers C and D (they are connected in series to each other, so the resistance is summed).

Let's take the same example with a 2-channel amplifier operating stably at 2 ohms. Only this time, two 4-ohm subwoofers connected in parallel no longer suit us, and we want to connect 4 LF heads (also 4-ohm) to one amplification channel. To do this, we need to know whether the device can withstand such a load. With a series connection, the total resistance will be 16 Ohms, which does not suit anyone. With parallel - 1 Ohm, which no longer fits into the parameters of the amplifier. What remains is the series-parallel circuit. Simple calculations show that in our case one amplification channel will be loaded with standard 4 Ohms, while driving four subwoofers at once. Since 4 Ohms is a standard load for any car amplifier power, then no losses or gains in power indicators will occur in this case. In our case, that's 100 watts per channel, equally divided among four 4-ohm speakers.

Let's summarize. The main thing when building such schemes is not to overdo it. First of all, with regard to the minimum load of the amplifier. Majority modern devices They cope well with 2-ohm loads. However, this does not mean at all that they will work at 1 Ohm. In addition, at low loads the amplifier's ability to control the movement of the speaker cone is reduced, which most often results in "washed out" bass.

All three examples given above concerned exclusively the low-frequency section of the audio complex. On the other hand, theoretically, on one two-channel device you can build the entire speaker system in a car with mid-bass, midrange and tweeters. That is, with speakers playing in different areas of the frequency spectrum. Therefore, you will have to use passive crossovers. It is important to remember here that their elements - capacitors and inductors - must be matched with the equivalent load resistance of a given amplification channel. In addition, filters themselves introduce resistance. Moreover, the further the signal is from the passband of the filters, the greater the resistance.

In order to fully enjoy the sound of a car speaker system, it is not enough the right choice equipment. An important aspect high-quality sound is and correct installation speakers to the amplifier. How to connect speakers to an amplifier in a car? If the installation of a subwoofer and amplifier is calculated based on power and location, then the connection diagram car speakers to the amplifier has a number of additional nuances that play an important role.

Scheme development

The connection diagram depends on the number of amplifier inputs, the location and power of the speakers, and the presence or absence of a subwoofer.

Power amplifiers are:

• two-channel, designed to connect only a pair of speakers;
• four-, used to connect two speakers and a subwoofer or four (there is also a diagram for them serial connection four pieces and a subwoofer);
• six-, used for a standard connection of four pieces and a subwoofer.

It is also important to consider the rated power (W, W) and the resistance of all connected equipment (Ohm). They can be found either on device labels or in technical documents. The total connection resistance should not exceed the maximum permissible standard.

There are three ways to connect speakers to an amplifier.

1. Sequentially - speakers of the same type are alternately connected to each other, and then to the device.
2. Parallel - performed by a polar connection directly to the outputs of the device, while their resistance and power may differ.
3. Series-parallel - used in cases where it is necessary to connect two columns with the same resistance and additional ones with other parameters.

Step-by-step instructions for serial connection

IN this option The resistance is summed up and calculated using the formula:

where R is general,

R 1 - first speaker,

R 2 - second speaker.

In this case, R 1 must be equal to R 2, otherwise the speaker system will wear out quickly, and the expected sound effects will not live up to expectations. Using this scheme, you can connect as many speakers as you like, but their R value should not exceed the maximum permissible R of the amplifier. It is also worth considering that the more speakers are connected in series, the less sound power will be output.

1. Negative 1 is connected to the positive channel of column 2.
2. Positive 1 is connected to the negative terminal of the device.
3. Negative 2 is connected to the positive output.

The serial connection of three or more speakers is carried out according to the same scheme, where each subsequent one is polarly connected to the previous one, and their outermost contacts are polarly connected to the terminal of the device.

Amplifiers audio frequencies designed for a certain load resistance. This is especially true for tube UMZCHs, but transistor ones also provide the stated specifications within a fairly narrow load range.

When designing group radiators or when it is necessary to connect several loudspeakers to one low-frequency power amplifier, the resulting equivalent impedance must be taken into account.

How to connect speakers?

It is clear that when the speakers are connected in a series chain (Fig. 1), the load resistance Ztot increases. It consists of the equivalent resistances of the heads Zi and is calculated by the formula:

Ztotal=Z1+Z2+…+Zn. (1)

Typically, increasing the resistance is necessary to reduce the output of the amplifier. In particular, when installing rear speakers or a center channel speaker in a home theater, which play an auxiliary role, they do not require significant power from the amplifier.

In principle, you can connect as many speakers as you like in series, but Ztotal greater than 16 Ohms is undesirable, since it will be difficult for the amplifier to “drive” them (the output power will drop). The main thing is to observe the phasing of the heads so that their diffusers always move in one direction (in phase). The terminals of modern heads are usually marked “+” and “-”, but older ones may not have them.
In this case, the easiest way is to take a battery with a voltage of 4.5...9 V and, briefly touching its contacts to the head terminals, observe in which direction the diffuser “goes”. All that remains is to mark the terminals in the same way for all heads. When connecting speakers in parallel (Fig. 2), the load resistance decreases in proportion to the number of speakers.

Accordingly, the output power of the UMZCH increases. The number of loudspeakers is limited by the amplifier's ability to operate at low loads. In most cases powerful amplifiers They can handle 2 ohm loads quite well. The total equivalent load resistance Ztot in this case is calculated by the formula:

1/Ztot=1/Z1+1/Z2+…+1/Zn. (2)

For two heads it is converted to the form.