Denon 3802 and 4 ohms speakers (1 Viewer)

[MarkoV]

I own Jamo Concert 8 main speakers and Concert Center.
All 3 speakers are 4 ohms speakers. I was planning
to get Denon 3802 receiver, but I read yesterday
user manual that says all speakers must be above 6 ohms.
Why is that ? User manual also says about dynamic power
8 ohms 140 watts, 4 ohms 210 watts, 2 ohms 240 watts.
Any one has experience Denon with 4 ohms speakers ?
Any other receiver suggestions... I also read Onkyo 787
owners manual and that says also that all speakers must be
above 6 ohms.

 

[Chuck Kent]

Marko: You have discovered one of weaknesses of receivers.
The closer that a speaker's impedence gets to a dead short (zero ohms), the harder it is to drive by an amplifier. For a receiver, this is often much more difficult due to limited space for number of output devices (which can "share" the work) and cooling area required to disipate the heat (that the extra low impedence causes.)
More expensive receivers can get around these problems by adding as many output transistors as they can cram in and using fans to keep things cool. The best examples of these recievers are often THX Ultra rated. THX Ultra amps must by definition be able to drive speakers as low as 3.2 ohms.
But the main question for you is, can the 3802 drive your speakers?? The answer is maybe. It depends on if your speakers do not drop much lower than 4 ohms for any significant amount of frequency range and how loud you plan on playing your setup. The 3802 can cope with 4 ohm speakers, but only to a point. If you constantly play your system to wall rattling levels, it will have some problems.
In the end, talk to your dealer or Denon to see if they have any thoughts on the subject...
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