8vs4 ohm load

[Larry Behm]

The pros and cons of running a 8 ohm speaker out of the back of a N400 vs the called for 4 ohm.

[Stew Crookes]

There's no pros exactly, other than the pro of being able to use a specific speaker that you may wish to use.
The con is that running an 8 ohm speaker from a 4 ohm output will result in slightly less output from the amp.

Speaking of solid state amps only here, going 'one level up' from the posted rating is generally fine, but going down (like using an 8 ohm out > 4 ohm speaker) can be dangerous for certain amps.

[Donny Hinson]

In my experience, if the amp calls for a 4-ohm speaker, you may notice a slightly thinner sound when using an 8-ohm speaker. (That's assuming they're the same brand and model speaker, with the only difference being the impedance.) There will also be a drop in output power, and if you happen to play loudly in a large venue, it will be noticeable, and there may also be a trace of distortion. But, if you play like the vast majority of steelplayers, and use only a small fraction of the amps power, the differences should be barely noticeable.

[Richard Sinkler]

I have NV112 that I put a Travis Toy 8 ohm speaker in to replace the 4 ohm speaker. I notice no real difference in tone or headroom. Probably wouldn't notice much if I did that to my NV400.

[Dave Grafe]

With a solid-state amplifier a lower Impedance load results in higher power but lower damping, which is the ability of the amp to control speaker excursion. With an 8 ohm speaker the power output will be lower but the low end will be tighter and the amp will run cooler relative to 4 ohm performance.