Speaker Wiring Impedance
Find the total impedance of speakers wired in series or parallel.
About Speaker Wiring Impedance
Series wiring adds impedances, while parallel wiring combines them in a way that always pulls the total below the smallest speaker. Keeping the total load inside the amplifier's rated range prevents overheating, distortion and potential damage.
Formula
Speaker Wiring Impedance
Series = Z1 + Z2; parallel = (Z1 x Z2) / (Z1 + Z2)
- Z
- Speaker impedance in ohms
Worked example
With the default values below, Speaker Wiring Impedance returns Total Impedance of 16.00. Change any input above and every figure here is recalculated in your browser.
Inputs used
- Speaker 1 impedanceminimum 0.1 ohm
- 8 ohm
- Speaker 2 impedanceminimum 0.1 ohm
- 8 ohm
- Wiring typeone of Series, Parallel
- Series
Results
- Total Impedance
- 16.00 ohm
- If Series
- 16.00 ohm
- If Parallel
- 4.00 ohm
Step by step
- 1Values used
- 2Speaker Wiring Impedance
- 3Total Impedance= 16.00 ohm
- 4If Series= 16.00 ohm
- 5If Parallel= 4.00 ohm
Assumptions and limits
- The result is derived only from the 3 inputs listed above. Anything not among them is not part of the calculation.
- In particular, this calculator does not take inflation, tax, fees or charges or compounding frequency into account.
- Figures are rounded for display to 2 decimal places, so totals built from several rounded parts can differ slightly from the unrounded arithmetic.
How these calculators are built and tested is described on the Methodology page. If a figure looks wrong, please report it.
Frequently Asked Questions
How is Speaker Wiring Impedance calculated?
Series = Z1 + Z2; parallel = (Z1 x Z2) / (Z1 + Z2) Series wiring adds impedances, while parallel wiring combines them in a way that always pulls the total below the smallest speaker.
Why does Speaker Wiring Impedance matter?
Keeping the total load inside the amplifier's rated range prevents overheating, distortion and potential damage.
What values do I need to enter?
This calculator takes 3 inputs: Speaker 1 impedance, Speaker 2 impedance, Wiring type. The pre-filled defaults are a realistic starting point — replace them with figures from your own environment for a result you can act on.