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Denon 3802 and 4 ohm surrounds (1 Viewer)

AndyF

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Oct 14, 2002
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How well would 4 ohm surround speakers work with a Denon 3802? (I'd assume high volume would be bad.)

I know the manual says 6 ohm for surrounds, but wasn't sure if I would need to find some kind of matching transformer to create an 8 ohm load for each speaker.

Thanks,
Andy
 

Chuck Kent

Supporting Actor
Joined
May 29, 1999
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You should be ok to go as is. Especially since surrounds aren't typically driven as hard as the fronts are.

One thing that helps any amp or receiver when driving lower impedence loads is to keep the unit as cool as possible. Don't block any of the ventilation holes and if the unit is in a closed environment, use some kind of fan to help circulate the air. You often see ads that show receivers on the bottom of a stack of equipment. Really bad, bad idea...
 

AndyF

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Oct 14, 2002
Messages
35
Thanks.

Just because I'm curious, is there device that would present an 8 ohm load to the receiver while connected to a 4 ohm speaker? I think an L-Pad would do it, but was wondering if there was something else.

Andy
 

John Garcia

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Jun 24, 1999
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It shouldn't be an issue. As was already said, the surrounds are being used much less than the mains speakers, getting mostly burst and subtle cue/spatial sound, so you will not clip or likely even push the receiver very hard (unless these are VERY current hungry speakers).

By modifying the load seen by the amp with an l-pad, you will also alter the sound.
 

JackS

Supporting Actor
Joined
Jan 17, 2002
Messages
634
Mid priced receivers should have no problem driving most 4ohm speakers. A few Years ago I used a Sony DA50es to drive 4ohm Nohr horns as mains for about a year. If you have any doubt about your speakers, contact the speaker company for advise when using with a receiver. The 6ohm rating by Denon is probably a little conservative and a caution all receiver owners should be made aware of. I agree with everyone else, using 4ohm speakers as surrounds should be no problem at all.
 

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