Originally Posted by
MoparFreak69
If wire in series like I described the crossover ('filter') "should" only affect the tweeter as theory goes that power flows from positive to negative. According to theory the power should flow through the woofer before going through the tweeter. Speakers operated on pulsating DC current so power only flows one direction.
You are no dummy, you sure saved me on the speed-sensitive thing above, but this is wrong. Speakers are fed AC current. Always. Never an exception. There SOMETIMES is a DC bias voltage there, but what makes the speaker cone go in and out is AC. One polarity of the AC causes the cone to go out, the opposite polarity causes it to go in.
As far as impedance values, I am only throwing out a guess, but generally amplifiers can handle more resistance than spec better than less resistance than spec (ie. 8ohm rated amp will run 16ohms fine versus having problems running 4ohms). This is only a general guidline and varies based on specific amp circuits.
Well, that is true. But for maximum power transfer, you want the load impedance to match the source impedance. Which, of course, can't happen at all audio frequencies because the speaker is only "8" or "4" or whatever ohms at a specific frequency. Above that frequency, the speaker tends to be inductive, but at almost all frequencies, a speaker presents a rather complex impedance, both resistive and reactive.
And the amount of air restriction behind the cone (because it limits the cone's travel) will cause the impedance of the coil to change as well. The limits on travel cause, as does the travel itself, interaction between the voice coil's magnetic field and the magnetism of the cone's material as they move in relation to one another.
But a lower impedance than the amp is designed for IS considered "too much of a load" because the lower impedance causes more current to flow - the the amp certainly won't like that. Also, this increased current means more heat dissipated in the output circuit of the amp (current flowing thru resistance means heat, more current, more heat.)