The Effect Of Wire Gauge On Damping Factor; Selecting Amplifiers - Community VERIS 2 Operation Manual

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TIP: When choosing cable for a situation that requires only two conductors, consider
using 14/4 (that is, #14 AWG with 4 conductors) and wiring each pair of conductors in
parallel, at both ends of the cable. This will provide the equivalent conductance of
#11 AWG, but in a cable that's more easily obtainable and smaller in diameter.

THE EFFECT OF WIRE GAUGE ON DAMPING FACTOR

As significant as power loss can be, the effect of wire resistance on the damping factor of the
loudspeaker/amplifier network is even greater for a given resistance value.
Amplifier designers intend for the output impedance of their amplifiers to be as low as
possible, in order to achieve a high damping factor. However, the laws of physics dictate that
a very low output impedance will cause the resistance of the speaker cable to have a
significant effect on the amplifier/speaker network. Unfortunately there's no way to get around
it.
Example: With five feet of #10 AWG feeding a 4 ohm load, a given amplifier exhibits a
respectable 100:1 damping factor. With fifty feet of #10 AWG feeding the same 4 ohm load,
the damping factor decreases to 10:1, which is likely to be audible as a loss of 'punch' and
tightness in the low frequencies.
Unless the power amplifiers are located directly alongside the loudspeakers (a good design
technique to consider when possible), it will be difficult to maintain a high damping factor
without using impractically large conductors. Therefore, keeping cable lengths as short as
possible, is the most practical and cost-effective way to maintain a respectable damping factor
without incurring undue difficulties.
TIP: Although it's beyond the scope of this manual to test and rate the many specialty
loudspeaker cables sold in audio shops, studies conducted by skilled engineers have
conclusively shown that the majority of such cables offer no real performance
advantages (and in some cases, notable disadvantages) over that of readily available
industrial grade wire.

SELECTING AMPLIFIERS

Amplifiers are a vital part of any sound system's performance capability. As such, they should
be carefully selected for appropriate power output, as well as for other attributes (more on
this later). A table is provided below to help you size your amplifiers' power output capability
to the various models in the VERIS 2 line.
Model
V2-6 Full-range
V2-8 Full-range
V2-6 Full-range
V2-8 Full-range
V2-12 Full-range
V2-15 Full-range
V2-32 Full-range
V2-35 Full-range
V2-210S Subwoofer
V2-212S Subwoofer
V2-215S Subwoofer
Note: "WRMS" = "Watts RMS" = "Watts Root Mean Squared"
Recommended Power
200 to 300 WRMS at 8Ω
310 to 450 WRMS at 8Ω
420 to 600 WRMS at 4Ω
630 to 900 WRMS at 4Ω
420 to 600 WRMS at 8Ω
420 to 600 WRMS at 8Ω
420 to 600 WRMS at 8Ω
420 to 600 WRMS at 8Ω
630 to 900 WRMS at 4Ω
600 to 900 WRMS at 4Ω
900 to 1200 WRMS at 4Ω
VERIS 2 – Operation Manual - Page 21

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