Rookie Speaker Question

[mkgrady]

I need to replace a couple of outdoor speakers. They are connected to a typical older receiver in a home. They are 60 watts and 8 ohms. I went on line to look for replacements but find a very limited supply of 60 watt outdoor speakers.

This will surely sound dumb but I have very little sound wiring experience. I'm pretty sure I need to match the 8 ohm rating of the speakers but how much can I vary up or down from the 60 watt value. I am guessing going lower will not be a problem and they just won't be as loud. Will going a little higher be a problem?

I should have looked at the output rating of the receiver but didn't think to at the time and it is too far to go back and look unless its really necessary. BTW these elderly people will not be cranking the sound way up in case that matters.

 

[zbang]

This will surely sound dumb but I have very little sound wiring experience. I'm pretty sure I need to match the 8 ohm rating of the speakers but how much can I vary up or down from the 60 watt value. I am guessing going lower will not be a problem and they just won't be as loud. Will going a little higher be a problem?

The power rating is for power-handling capability, not consumption (sort of like the gauge of a wire). You could connect a 1w speaker, but could also toast it easily. Unless they're really cranking things, anything from 40-80w should do.

 

[mgookin]

I'd go higher. You can put 100 watt speakers. The 60 watts you're using now are compatible with the output of the amplifier. If that amp is putting out 60 watts (or 50 or whatever) you don't want to have speakers below that. You'll have distortion immediately and blown speakers some time thereafter.

 

[GoldDigger]

1. You say a couple of speakers. Is that one stereo pair or are you looking at putting two speakers in parallel on one output? If the latter, make sure you receiver/amplifier can handle a 4 ohm load or else get 16 ohm speakers.
2. It may be hard to find high wattage outdoor speakers. 10-20 watt are a lot more common. As long as you will not be playing rock and cranking up the volume you should be fine.
But you might consider putting in fuses. The problem with fuses for speakers is that the resistance needed for the thermal trip can mess up the sound somewhat.

 

[hbiss]

Yeah, speaker wattage is the amount of power it can handle. It's not like a lightbulb where higher wattage gives you more light.

The right way to do this is to look at the receiver to see the wattage output, (and with consumer gear that is going to be way exaggerated at that). If it can only provide 20 watts per channel you would be wasting money with speakers that will handle 60 watts. On the other hand if it's 200 watts per channel that might be a good reason as to why those speakers are blown. I wouldn't put too much stock in what was there, usually somebody just buys something that the Best Buy salesman says is good.

-Hal

 

[Barbqranch]

Be sure to check the output of the amplifier. If it is 8 or 16 ohms, you are ok w/ normal speakers. If it is a 70 volt output, you need an audio transformer to match it to the speaker.

 

[hbiss]

The OP said it was a "typical older receiver in a home". Let's not confuse things.

-Hal