On Wed, 29 Oct 2003 16:59:50 +0000 (GMT), Jim Lesurf
wrote:

All current must go through the 80watt speaker which is in series with
the paralleled others.

Erm... Current is not power. They are quite distinct physical quantities,
albeit ones which have a specific relationship for a specific component.

If the 80watter is in series with the others (my interpretation of the
wiring) then all the current passes through it. What power it
dissipates, of course, depends on its own construction.

Thus, it now becomes the limiting power factor,

Afraid that, again, I'm not quite sure why you are saying this. Each
individual speaker unit has no awareness as such of what voltages or
currents or powers any *other* units experience. It only knows about the
potential between its own terminals, and the current that it then passes.

Sure but if the user is trying to pump a lot of power out of the set,
whatever current that is used by the higher-wattage parallel-pair must
pass through the 80watter which is in series with it. Assuming
identical power dissipation for the moment, the 80watter will blow
before the parallel-pair.

further stressed by the non-linear drive imposed on it by the others.

Are you talking about non-linear impedance here? if so, I'm unsure why. My
own comments on what Steven said were based upon things like frequency
dependence, and linear acoustic effects, not signal-level dependence.

Yes, non-linear impedance (non-linear wrt frequency primarily) whose
effects can be exacerbated at higher levels.

I wish I could suggest a solution but I do not know your goals.

I assume that you mean Steven's goals. :-) My own recommendation to him
would be to avoid using dissimilar speakers in series.

Sorry. I didn't see your name at the top. I agree with your
recommendation.

Kal