Speaker Mismatch?

[rummy]

Hi,
I have an '04 Mark IV B widebody combo with an 8 ohm Black Shadow speaker. What would happen if I replace it with a 16 ohm speaker? Would it damage or shorten life of tubes? Should I expect less volume? Is it dangerous?
THanks!

 

[MrMarkIII]

Plug the 8 ohm speaker you have into one of the 4 ohm jacks on your combo.
It's the same as plugging a 16 ohm load into the 8 ohm jack.
That will tell you what to expect sound-wise.
Don't forget to report your findings.

 

[benjamin801]

Not dangerous. Slightly easier on your tubes. Slightly less volume.

Note that a mismatch the other way - plugging a lower impedance speaker into a higher impedance jack - can be dangerous to your output transformer, and will work your tubes harder. However, Mesas are pretty impervious to impedance mismatches either way.