driver--8ohm vs 4ohm vs sound

[jellymax]

i remember reading here somewhere that speakers are
designed mainly with 8ohm coils, and that to sell
a version in 4ohm means the sound may be compromized
somewhat, but oh well.
if this is true, how much of a difference are we talking?
is the 8ohm always the way to go?

if i was to build 2 1x12 boxes i would get 8 ohm drivers

if i was to build 2 1x15 boxes i would lean toward 4ohm
drivers. just curious if the 8ohms are much better drivers.

i could compare charts & specs, but i'm not to good with that.
i'll bet someone has done it already. anyone?

[smoov]

I was told by a voice coil mfg that that a 4 ohm has heavier guage wire than a 8 and 16ohm is lighter yet...dont know if it makes a difference or not....i would think that a heavier gauge would handle more current...maybe not

[4Mal]

too general ... too subjective. you have to compare specific drivers and the one that sounds better to you might not to me. In any event the differences are going to be subtle at best - ceterus parebus

...and then - it's still apples to oranges as if your reference amp is single channel with 8 and 4 ohm operation, then it may color the results as well.

Here is why I like 8 ohm drivers for the most part.

1. more voice coils = more motors = more piston area = more thermal capacity (in general) - that ability to handle more current ? could just be heat...

2. Regardless of their ability to run at 16, 8, 4 or 2 ohms, amps have a finite capacity for delivering energy. As you get closer to the limit, there is less available headroom. If like me, you like your low end clean and 'round' and punchy - headroom is important. So I am completely un-interested in amps running at 2 ohms in a bass rig. Which makes 8 ohm drivers a fine choice for me.

In my world, 2 ohms would be useful driving more vocal monitors off of a single mix. Maybe even more top boxes though I don't want to play loud enough to require them...

3. Most of the off the shelf bass amps out there operate at 8 or 4 ohms (and yes there are some that drop to 2). With 8 & 4 ohm operation and 2 8 ohm cab's - I'm modular - I can scale my rig to fit the particular gig. 2 good sounding 8 ohm cab's completely works for me.

[billfitzmaurice]

Compare the manufacturer driver data sheets. Of course if you're buying an off the shelf cab and don't have access to the driver data sheets, or any meaningful data for that matter, all you can do is try before you buy.