We are constantly trying to add new content on our website to try and help the struggling and novice musicians with their PA system.  If you would like to contribute or be a writer for Seismic Audio Tech Help pages, please contact us at the bottom of the page.  If you have any questions that are not listed here, feel free to give us a call.

You can also tryout these pro audio forums below to get great advice.  People will generally answer within minutes.

What size amp do I need to run these speakers?

Just because a pa speaker may be rated at 500 watts, doesn't mean you have to have a 500 watt amplifier to push it. It doesn't matter if you use a 100 watt amp or a 1000 watt amp, as long as you are careful not to distort the speaker. Distortion is usually what will cause damage.

That being said, if you are using a 100 watt amplifier and cranking it to the max, you may be clipping the amp causing distortion. Although the speaker may be capable of handling 500 watts, you could blow it by sending too much distortion through it.

On the other side of that, you can overdrive a speaker with too much power (ex. 1000w to a 500 watt speaker) and that could cause damage to the speaker. In general, if you use clean, undistorted power, speakers will usually be ok.

Use your ears! If you can hear that your speakers are distorting, crackling, popping, etc... TURN IT DOWN!!! Loud is one thing, loud and clear is another. I used to see this all the time in my years in car audio, and it's the same in pro audio. I can't tell you how many times I've gone to a venue and heard some awful sound. Whether it's a dj, band, or often times karaoke... if they would just back off the volume a bit, it would sound so much better and they won't have to worry about replacing their speakers.

What ohm speaker cabinet do I need?

First and foremost, you need to check the specs on your amplifier to see what the lowest ohm load it is capable of handling. Check with your amplifier manufacturer or owners manual for your specific unit. You can use any ohm speaker as long as you don't go lower than your amplifier can handle.

Can these speakers be daisy chained together?

All of our speakers can be daisy chained (or run parallel). Meaning: Hook your amplifier to your first speaker. Out of that speaker, connect another speaker cable into another speaker. Doing so will change the ohm load. IMPORTANT... Be sure what ohm load your amplifier is capable of handling

Example: Let's say you want to hook up two 18" speakers to your amp in bridged mono mode. Your amplifier is capable of handling a 4 ohm load in mono. If the 18" speakers are 8 ohm each, you can hook them up parallel (daisy chained) and it would make it a 4 ohm load. Your amplifier could do that.

If the 18" speakers are 4 ohm each and you hook them up parallel (daisy chained) it would make it a 2 ohm load. Doing that will most likely cause severe damage to your amplifier and most companies will not warranty that type of abuse.

What is the difference in banana plug, 1/4", and speakon speaker cables?

The only difference is the connector. Some amplifiers only have certain kind of outputs. Some might only have binding post connectors (you would need banana plugs), some might only offer 1/4" or speakon (twist lock). If you have a choice, it's just whatever you prefer. A 1/4" isn't going to sound any better or worse than a banana plug or speakon. I personally like the speakon connectors because they lock in place and you know there is a good solid connection. It helps if you are using floor monitors and you don't want to worry about someone stepping on the cord and accidentally pulling it out.

That being said, the heavier gauge wire you use, the better. To insure the best quality signal, I would recommend going with a 14 gauge speaker cable.

Do I need to run an electronic crossover with these speakers?

That depends. Most of our speakers have built in passive crossovers, but our subwoofers do not.

Let's say you have 2 of our Dual 15" speakers (155T) and that's all you are going to use. No, you wouldn't need an electronic crossover. The internal passive crossovers would work just fine. Now let's say you want to add one or two 18" subwoofers to your rig. Now is when you need to add an electronic crossover. It will work without one, but it's not good for the speakers and it will sound awful. In addition to a crossover, you need a separate amplifier for the 18" subs. The crossover will allow you to control what frequencies will go to your subs. Depending on who you ask and what sub cabinets you are using, you will get a number of different answers and there is no "correct" one. Some people like to cross their subs over at 80hz, some 120hz, some 180hz, etc... Use your ears and see what sounds best to you. By using an electronic crossover, you can also determine what frequencies will go to your mains as well. If you are using subs, it's a good idea to cross your mains over about 80hz. That means, nothing lower than 80hz will pass through your mains, this will give you a cleaner sound. Let the subs carry the bulk of the low end.

Does Seismic Audio sell electronic crossovers?

We do not sell any electronic crossovers or amplifiers. We do get asked what we recommend. For the money, Behringer and DBX make a good quality crossover. You can generally find a Behringer around $100-120 and a DBX around $150. Obviously there are some really nice units out there that are more expensive, but our goal here at Seismic Audio is to try to save musicians money and still provide them with quality products.