Head Amp

Head Amp

can i do damage to my new guitar amp head by hooking it up to stereo speakers?

I just go a new amp head. I don't have a speaker cabinet yet.so i half assed hooked up a pair of stereo speakers to it. i think it could blow the speakers.(O.K.) but i don't want to do anything to the head. did I ?

There are a lot of unknowns here.

First, does the output impedance of the amp match the load from the speakers? Most amps will work into 16, 8, and sometimes 4 ohms (it should say this on the back of the amp). What is the impedance of the speakers? How are you hooking them up?

Most home stereo speakers are 8 ohm impedance. If you parallel two of them together, you wind up with 4 ohms.

Running an amp into a load that is lower than it's designed to operate with will damage the amp. The output section will try to deliver more power than it's designed for. A good amp will have thermal protection circuits built in and shut the amp down in this situation. A cheap amp will simply burn up.

It would help if we knew exactly what kind of head you are using.

Now, to correct some wrong information.

As long as you are plugging an instrument level device into the amp, you're not going to damage it. Last week, I think I answered 10 posts about plugging a bass into a guitar amp. You won't hurt the amp...it's possible to damage the speakers if you play that too loud, but not the amp.

Finally, it is not a good idea (in fact, it's just bad) to use headphones on the speaker output of an amplifier, especially guitar.

- Headphones are designed to handle 2 watts or less. It's real easy to blow them out this way.

- It's going to sound terrible (probably worse than the stereo speakers). Headphones and stereo speakers are designed to reproduce the full audio range. Guitar cabinet speakers are designed to roll off the high end and boost the mids.

- The chances of permanent hearing damage are too great. And, if the headphones blow while you're wearing them, there's a good chance you'll blow your eardrum out.

I used to think I was immune to hearing loss. After years and years of loud headphones and no hearing protection on stage, I live with a constant ringing in both ears. I really wish I could do things different now.

Good luck.

Greetings from Austin, TX

Ken