Speakers may not work on some receivers? Why not? (1 Viewer)

[Martin Fontaine]

I know about the 4 Ohms vs. 8 Ohms issue, but what other factor could make a certain set of speakers not suited for a certain receiver?

I talked to a Paradigm rep yesterday, I'm interested in upgrading my plastic HTiB Speakers to Titans (Mains), Atoms (Rears) and CC170. He told me I'll be fine with my Kenwood 509, but I asked just like that, how much were the Studio 100s and not only are they way over my budget but apparently, my Kenwood would be no good for them, that I could damage it in the long run. Anyone knows why?

 

[aaron campbell]

Hi Martin, Short answer = clipping. That Kenwood wouldn't be able to drive a load like the Studio 100's (which dip below 4 ohms) without causing distortion. I'm sure another member can jump in and explain in more detail.

Aaron

 

[Shane Martin]

I know about the 4 Ohms vs. 8 Ohms issue, but what other factor could make a certain set of speakers not suited for a certain receiver?

Aaron is correct. The receiver would go into shutdown/clipping/protection.

Another reason is more pyschoacoustical and that is sound quality wise. For instance I think Yamaha receivers are bright sounding and they are not a match for Brighter speakers like Definitive Tech, Paradigm and Klipsch.

This is a rather subjective thing though.

 

[Mike Veroukis]

Another reason is more pyschoacoustical and that is sound quality wise. For instance I think Yamaha receivers are bright sounding and they are not a match for Brighter speakers like Definitive Tech, Paradigm and Klipsch.

Hi
As someone who owns a Yamaha HTR-5450 and is planning on purchasing a pair of Studio40's your statement above made me curious. I'm no real audiophile but do like to get the best quality my money can buy. I do have a question though that might help me make more sense of it all... what do you mean by "bright"? How does "bright" sound? I know this is a very basic question but I gotta learn these things.
- Mike

 

[Dave Schofield]

Shane, I've heard the exact opposite thing about Yamaha/Paradigm combos. When I bought my system 2+ years ago, I asked about this sort of thing specifically and was told that bright receivers (such as Yamahas) are a good match with warm speakers (such as Paradigm).

Maybe others can clear this up...

 

[John Garcia]

The Monitor line I would describe as "warm". The Studio line, with a lot of amplification, I feel sound bright, almost harsh (at very loud levels, above ref). "Bright" meaning more emphasis in the upper frequencies, and lacking a smooth, "airy" feel. The studios sound very crisp to me, but still very detailed, and will definitely be affected by the choice of amplification.

I would not expect lower end Yamahas to pair well with Studios, but the top models would likely sound great, but you never know. It's up to the individual's tastes.

 

[Mike Veroukis]

I would not expect lower end Yamahas to pair well with Studios, but the top models would likely sound great, but you never know. It's up to the individual's tastes.

Hmm... Up until now I figured that the lower end Yamaha that I own would match fairly well with the Studio40 which is a big bookshelf, but still a bookshelf speaker. I can see how you'd need more juice for a Studio100 and if I ever decide to go with those I'd upgrade my amp to match it. Of course, your point is well taken and I will be sure to demo the speakers with my own model of amp just to be sure. Thanks.

- Mike

 

[John Garcia]

Actually, even with 105wpc x 6, I would not expect my Marantz SR-6200 to work completely effectively with 40s. I would either upgrade to external amplification, or upgrade to a more powerful receiver.
A friend of mine is running a studio CC and 40s as mains via an SR-19 (120wpc, I believe), and it is pretty amazing, but the highs are a bit harsh when turned up. It's doesn't sound quite like clipping, but I can't tell if it's because they are not getting enough oomph from the amp or not (probably is). That is at levels much, much higher than comfortable listening though...

 

[Shane Martin]

The Monitor line I would describe as "warm". The Studio line, with a lot of amplification, I feel sound bright, almost harsh (at very loud levels, above ref).

I found Paradigm to be quite bright at the top end. They were very fatiguing. I've heard Studio 40's,60's, 100's and the entire Monitor line.

 

[Harry Lincoln]

This is a bit off-topic but what would B&W600 series speakers be classed as (warm/bright). I have a full set of these running off a Yammy DSP-A3090, I love the sound, just curious of how the B&W sound would be described? I'm guessing they would be a 'warm' sounding speaker but I dont have anything to compare them to. Opinions?

I also have a low end Yammie RXV493 (I think) when using this receiver to power the B&Ws the sound is quite harsh at higher volumes compered to the 3090.

I take it the low end Yammies are considerably brighter than the high end Yammie receivers.

Harry.