DA5ES and mixed 4/8 ohms speakers (1 Viewer)

[Joe Barefoot]

I have a DA5ES as a pre/pro, running through 2 Parasound 1205's, with Klipsch RS all around and an SVS sub. My fronts and center are passively bi-amped. I get to demo a pair of Linn Espek fronts and a Trikan center. My question is about the now mismatched ohms rating. The Klipsch's are 8 ohms speakers and the Linn's are 4 ohms. I will still have the 4 RS3 II's as surrounds. I think there is a switch on the back of the DA5ES to select 4 or 8 ohms. Which should I choose? Or does it matter if the DA5ES is used just as a pre/pro? Thanks.

 

[Angelo_Petralba]

Joe-

I don't think it matters what you select at the 5ES side of it because the External Amps will be the ones powering the speakers. You might want to check if the amps are capable of doing the 4Ohm Load.

Just my .02 cents.


Angelo

 

[Paul Clarke]

Angelo is right, as usual. And the 1205's will chew up 4 Ohms and spit it out all day long.

 

[Joe Barefoot]

Thanks guys! Just for grins though, if I didn't have separate amplifiers, which setting would be correct for the mismatched fronts' and surrounds' ohm ratings?

 

[JackS]

Joe- You may be able to get away with running all speakers @ 8ohm, which I think would be perfered. Unless the Linn's present a very difficult load. Your owners manual probably states that the 4ohm switch should be employed using a mixed load. Unless your going to drive your speakers at unreasonable levels. I'm, at present, driving 4ohm bookshelfs in the front with 8ohm in the rear, and I was doing this using a standalone receiver for a long time. No problems here. You may want to try it both ways. If you hear no difference, use the 4ohm setting. There should be a paragraph or two in your OM dedicated to this subject. When in doubt, follow the reccomendations of Sony.

 

[Seth_L]

8 would probably be ok. If the reciever shuts down/goes into protect mode then you would flip the switch.

Seth