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Adcom GFA-5802 4 speaker ohm load

3

3-way

New Member
When I 1st bought my 5802 I contacted adcom about the speaker outputs because they were labeled NORMAL & BI-WIRE. I was told by someone at adcom to look at it like A & B speaker outputs on other amps & that the BI-WIRE outputs could be used to drive an additional pair of speakers just like the NORMAL outputs.
But.... If a pair of 8 OHM speakers are connected to the NORMAL outputs AND a second pair of 8 OHM speakers are connected to the BI-WIRE outputs does that result in a 4 OHM LOAD on the amp? Are the 5802's NORMAL & BI-WIRE circuits wired in parallel?
Assuming the above is true, then I've been driving my 4 cornerhorns with 450 watts / ch, roughly 112 watts / speaker, which is OK but a little hard on the amp Correct?
Is there any way to connect four 8 OHM speakers to the 5802 that results in an 8 OHM load on the amp?
If I connect four 8 OHM speakers in series to only the NORMAL outputs (Amp Left (+) terminal to Speaker 1 (+), jumper wire from Speaker 1 (-) to Speaker 2 (+), from Speaker 2 (-) back to the Amp Left (-) that will result in a 16 OHM load on the amp, Correct?
 
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It's a beefy amp rated for 4 ohms, probably would handle 2 ohms just fine.

You are not hurting the amp using it at 4 ohms.
 
Putting speakers in series does not result in all the speakers seeing the same amount of power. There will be a voltage drop across the first one resulting in lower voltage at the second.

I've looked over the owners and service manual. And while I could not find it specifically stated, I think that you are correct and that the main and bi-wire outputs are in parallel.

The amp is made to and fully capable of driving a four ohm load. No need to worry.
 
RVT1K said:
Putting speakers in series does not result in all the speakers seeing the same amount of power. There will be a voltage drop across the first one resulting in lower voltage at the second.
Click to expand...

I read it as four cornerhorn speakers which I presumed meant they're all the same.

On the presumption I presumed correctly ;) two of the same speakers in series should be close enough to say the power divides equally between the two.

If there are two different make/model speakers in series then I'd agree equal power division isn't inherently a reasonable presumption.
 
I’ve been inside mine and the speaker outputs are simply connected together.
That said I do biwire my B&W 801’s and the extra set of outputs makes it a lot easier.
 
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