Stupid Newbie Ohms question (1 Viewer)

[Jordan Forman]

OK, Ubid screwed me, claimed my towers were 8 ohm, and they're 6. Will most receivers (budget) be stable to that low of an impedance?

I was looking at the Denon 1802, the Onkyo 494 and 595, and the Kenwood VR-509.

The rest of my speakers (sats and center) are 8 ohm.

Jordan

 

[Chuck Kent]

Jordan: No speaker is "just" 8 ohms. So, while Ubid may not have printed the impedence correctly, in the end, it doesn't change anything. This is due to the fact that a speaker's impedence changes as it plays various frequencies. Some can be as high as 10 to 20 ohms at some frequencies and as low as 3 or 4 ohms at others. (Some brands don't have as wide of a swing as I gave but there is no hard and fast rule as to which is which.)

Most modern receivers (including the ones you've listed) shouldn't have any problems driving most speakers on the market. The key hinges around 2 things. The louder the you play your setup, the hotter your receiver will get. (This is related to the heat output of the receivers amp section. The heat can also be higher if the speakers the receiver is driving have a lower impedence average.)

Related to the volume/heat thing is how well the receiver is ventilated. Give it plenty of room and don't stack ANYTHING on top of it. (I know all of the pictures show it this way. But good marketing photos have nothing to do with how it should be installed for long term reliability.)

Bottom line, no matter what you end up with, you should be fine. Enjoy!

 

[Jim_Stu]

Jordan,

It shouldn't make any difference. However, if your

concerned, Yamaha receivers have a 'low impedance'

switch.

JRS

 

[Jordan Forman]

No, I know the impedence shifts along with the frequency, it's just that usually, the NOMINAL impedence does matter, at least in the car audio world. Ever try to run a 1 ohm load on a 2 ohm stable amp for more than a minute or two? NOT pretty. I just see 75% of the receivers rated for 8 ohm usage, and 25% rated for 6 ohm, didn't know what the stability usually was, and I wanted to make the right choice BEFORE I bought the damn thing. =)

Now, anyone know when the NEW Yamahas are coming out? The new line looks to be exactly what I need.

Jordan

 

[DonnyD]

Hi again Jordan...

Perhaps I can give you some examples of ohm stuff that will help you out. I gave my son some Energy RVS speakers that are 6 ohm rated and he has them on a Yamaha RV 1105. When we were testing them against my JBL mains which are 8 ohm, we noticed that the Energys had to be turned up a notch or two further than the JBL for them to become a little more dynamic. He has had them for over a year and never had a problem at all. 6 ohms doesn't cause as much trouble for most good recievers as 4 ohm may cause for some lower end receivers.

Most of the good brand name receivers won't have any trouble with 6 ohms but coming from car audio, I understand your concerns. ohms are definitely something you have to know about in car audio, but then again, in HT, you won't be wiring in series or parallel and have to mind the ohms!

The new Yamahas do seem to be interesting. I've had 4 Yamahas so far over the years and now have the RX-V1. IMHO, the Yamaha sound is addictive and I would imagine Denon, Onkyo, B&K, etc users would say the same.

 

[Jordan Forman]

Again guys, thanks a lot for the help. I'm on a few forums, but damn, you guys just go out of your way. Just letting you know it's appreciated.

Jordan