What difference does the ohm make?

[Spaced Out Ace]

Does running the same setup change the sound much that it is noticeable at different ohms?

The only difference with regards to what I am asking is the speaker ohm and setting on the amp would change from 8ohm vs 16ohm.

IE, Marshall JCM800 with a 412 cabinet with Greenbacks.

Say you install speakers in the 412 and wire it up series parallel with 4 8 ohm Greenback speakers and play.

Then you remove the 8ohm Greenbacks and install 16ohm Greenbacks. Test the sound coming out again.

What would the difference be? Any noticeable difference at all, or...?

[ninjaraf]

I haven't exactly tested this myself since my cabs have all been 8 ohms, but in theory the 16 ohm will be brighter and less "blanket" sounding, for lack of a better way to describe it...not that I find 8 ohm cabs to sound blanketed.

[Guitarbilly]

There's definitely a difference but it's subtle. The best way to compare is using a cab like the Marshall 1960, which allows you to use 4ohms or 16ohms with the same speakers.

If you have to actually switch speakers all bets are off because there's variations between speakers of the same model regardless impedance.

But basically, higher impedance is usually tighter and more percussive while lower impedance will be softer and blooming... but it's very subtle. It's not like the amp will sound completely different. But there's some difference in tone and specially in feel.

But that's why a lot of the early Fender heads/cabs where wired at 4ohms only while Marshall went with 16ohms for their cabs, they were going for a specific tone and wired their rigs accordingly.