What is the difference between 70V, 100V and 8 ohm speakers?

70V and 100V systems (constant voltage) are designed for commercial distributed audio—think background music in malls, schools, or hotels. They use a step-up transformer at the amplifier and step-down transformers at each speaker, allowing many speakers to be paralleled without impedance matching issues. The higher voltage (70V or 100V) reduces current loss over long cable runs, making them efficient for large areas. Power is set per speaker via tap settings (e.g., 5W, 10W).

8 ohm speakers (low impedance) are standard in professional live sound and home hi-fi. They connect directly to amplifiers, delivering high current for maximum power transfer and fidelity. However, they are sensitive to cable length and impedance loads: running multiple 8 ohm speakers in parallel drops total impedance, which can overload an amplifier. SSOUNDS line arrays and point-source systems use low-impedance designs (typically 8 or 4 ohms) for high-SPL, full-bandwidth performance in concert venues and events.

The choice depends on application: 70V/100V for long runs, many speakers, and lower power per speaker; 8 ohm for short runs, high power, and audio quality. SSOUNDS engineers recommend low-impedance systems for critical listening and high-output events, while constant voltage suits background music or paging.