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In Reply to: 4 ohm speakers for use with HT AV Receiver - A No No? posted by Uncle Pete on May 27, 2003 at 22:52:17:
Some AV Receivers are rated for 4 ohm...Off the top of my head:
Harman Khardon
NAD
Rotel
B&K
You don't specify which you have or what you are looking at..One of my favorites (Denon) is not...
One idea would be if the receiver you have has Pre-Outs for external amps you could use an outboard stereo amp rated for 4 ohm and use the receiver's amps section for your 8 ohm speakers...
If this is a new setup then just get something like the Rotel and be done...
Follow Ups:
None of thoes companies you listed rate their A.V. Receivers power into a 4 ohm load.
because HK does not provide those ratings on their summary spec sheets; however, a closer review of the owners' manuals will show that they are capable of driving 4-ohm loads. If I recall correctly, they only caution about speakers that might dip below 2-ohms.
I have the HK AVR525 rated at only 8 ohms.
H/K only rates their receivers for 8 ohms but it is common knowledge that they will drive 4 ohm speakers without too much fuss. As long as the speakers aren't 2 ohm "amp killers", you should be just fine.
Actually, if you go to the Harman Kardon International site, on the English page, you can see the Euro equivalent receivers listed with 4 ohm speaker specifications. For example, their 55 watt per channel receiver (continuous into 8 ohms) will put 110 watts(peak)into 4 ohms. I've also seen independant reviews of H/K AVR receivers where they bench test the power with similar results.http://international.harmankardon.com/international/default.asp?language=ENGLISH
Back the truck up dude. Your asking about 4 ohm speakers, but if i'm reading the posts right, your running MULTIPLE speakers(5?) off the recievers outputs? That my friend could lead to trouble in paradise. You should investigate adding an impedence matching device. Unless you want your amp to shut off frequently. 4 ohm speakers are not a problem for H/K but more than 4 are a problem for any reciever not designed for 5 channels, ok? Is this a 5.1 equipped amp?
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Uncle Pete, since I already know you have the HK AVR525 from our past conversations, here is your succinct answer: Using 4-ohm speakers in your HT system is not a no-no. Espcially since you are using them as your front LR.
So it's OK to run the Front L&R speakers at 4 ohms, the center at 8 ohms and the rears at 8 ohms safely? I checked the link you pointed at and am somewhat puzzled why they rate at 4 in the UK, but not in USA. BTW, the Avance speakers I have are made in Denmark; but then again, the B%W LCR600 S3 center and B&W 301 surrounds are made in the UK.
It really doesn't matter where the speakers are made. The only thing you will notice when running different impedence speakers in surround mode is the 8 ohm speakers are not going to sound as loud at the same volume level as the 4 ohm models. This can easily be compensated for by raising the level of your center and surround channels.
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