Help calculate the load to drive an 8 ohm speaker

[soggybag]

I have a project I'm working on that will drive a small 8 ohm speaker. The kind you might have inside your PC. I want to create a small oscillator with an op-amp or a 555 timer, I haven't decided which yet. If I run everything from 9v should I add an out put buffer stage, with a 386 for example? Or can I drive a small speaker directly?

[brett]

Hi
you can drive 8 ohms with an LM386.
A 555 will need an output buffer.  Try an emitter-follower using a power transistor (e.g. TIP31, MJE3055).
cheers