Thank you psycho -
here's what he said..........
I looked for a link that would sum this up since it seems I've explained this about 100 times. I couldn't find one that that adequately covered things in one post, so here goes. To understand WHY tube amps don't like higher impedances and why they are MUCH more dangerous to tube amps than lower ones, you have to understand what it is in both types of amps that actually does damage.
In solid state amps, the output transistors are connected directly to the speaker load. Since solid state amps put out a constant voltage, the varible that determines power/current is the impedance of the load. Ohms law: P (power)= i (current)/r (resistance). The lower the load (resistance), the greater the amount of current is passed by the output transistors. Current also generates tremendous amounts of heat, which is why if the load is too low, the heat stress on a solid state's output transistors can damage them.
The same rules apply to tube amps, but there is a deciding factor that makes a huge difference. Tubes are extremely high impedance devices, and in order to be connected to a speaker, must be coupled through an output transformer which takes the high voltage/low current output of the tubes and makes a high current/ low voltage output that can drive a speaker. Instead of being constant voltage amplifiers, they are constant current amplifiers.
A transformer is an inductive coil that works by amplifying current and/or voltage. If the transfromer is not connected through a circuit on both its primary and secondary taps, it will feed back on itself and generate a large voltage spike at its connected end. What happens with too high a load connected to the transformer's secondary is that it acts like an open connection and causes feedback within the transformer. Since the primary of the transformer is connected to the plates of the output tubes, this voltage spike hits them first. As long as it doesn't exceed their limit, you're OK, but if it does, you can short them AND your output transformer.
The reason a lower impedance is not so dangerous has to do with the nature of the tubes themselves. If the transformer secondary is connected to a lower than expected impedance, the transformer obeys Ohms law and tries to maintain a constant current, which causes a drop in the voltage of the plates of the tubes and they emit less, so power actually decreases. Some tube amps short themselves to ground when no load is present as a means to protect themslves from inductive feedback. That's as low an impedance as you can get!
That's the short, quick, and dirty, and I can get a lot more detailed if necessary. So if you have any questions, just post them.
:scowl: 
