Rotel 1055 & 4 Ohm speakers (1 Viewer)

[Steve Bracks]

Does anyone know how the Rotel 1055 will handle 4 ohm main speakers . Most of the mains I have auditioned are 4 ohm , with the matching center and surround speakers being 8ohms.
On the back panel of the 1055 it says that minimum speaker impedance should be 8 ohms . Will it handle all of them with the volume up. I also plan to run M&K MX-105 sub , but I don't think this will also affect it , or will it?
Any opinions or experiences would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks
Steve

 

[Mark R O]

Steve - According to Rotel, all amplifiers are capable of
4 ohm loads without penalty. I thought it a bit odd that they do not publish specifications of the 1055's performance into 130 - transformer/filter cap., 775va/28,500mf. In non geek-speak, they are trying to show us the amp has more current capability than needed, it is highly stable at 4ohms, delivers said current quickly, has excellent spkr. control, an over-built transformer and holds in reserve more electricity than the amp can actully use. These are traits found in the strato-buck high end amps, and are traditionally associated with quality.
Once you have the 2 or 3 speaker finalists, call Rotel and ask if they will pose difficulties for the 1055. I'd ask for the above measurements as well, just to have a more complete basis for comparison. But as it stands, Rotel says o.k. Best wishes.

 

[Robert McClanahan]

You should have no problem driving a 4 ohm load with any Rotel Power amp.

 

[Steve Bracks]

I forgot to mention , its the RSX 1055 which is a
receiver .
Steve

 

[Mike_Ch]

Steve,
Most speakers average a sensitivity of around 88-89db (this is measured, NOT specs which are often higher) @ 1watt. Because you get a 3db incresae with each doubling of power, you can see that you can get very loud with a small number of watts. Peaks and dynamic material is what causes more power to be needed, and Rotel amps and receivers are pretty solid in this department from my experience. I believe you should be fine, but if you're still not sure, try out the Rotel with your speakers to see if it drives them properly. Some dealers will let you return the receiver if it does not match with your equipment.
Btw, you wouldn't happen to live in Victoria would you? Our premier is called Steve Bracks too
Cheers,
Mike

 

[Steve Bracks]

Actually I am from Victoria.
What a coincidence , huh?
Steve

 

[Gianni]

I too am interested in the 1055 and noticed the 8 ohm warning. My dealer said it should do fine with 4 ohm speakers but to be sure he contacted Rotel and they said no problem.

I also got an e-mail from Mike Bartlett VP of Rotel North America. Mike said that the 1055 will work across variable impedances. It will drive a 4 0hm load just fine. This unit does not current limit. It puts out about 120w into 4 Ohms and 170w into 2 Ohm. The note on the back of the unit is basically there to satisfy the electrical authority and to protect the company from users asking unreasonable things from the unit.

I auditioned the 1055 with 4 0hm speakers side by side w/ two other more powerful more expensive high quality receivers and it did well.

Also, you can search for the thread by EricT. He did an in house audition with the 1055 and 3 different low impedance speakers and he too thought the unit did very well even at relatively high output levels. He however is choosing to add an amp for the two mains to get some added headroom for music listening.

As long as you use a little common sense the 1055 should work fine.