Jump to content

speaker ohm's


Recommended Posts

The ohm rating is nominal and will change with frequencies.  Think  of  a water hose.  At lower impedance or a larger diameter water hose the flow of current is easier.  Current drives the speaker and voltage is the pump or force behind it.  Most speakers have a point where impedance is low like the RF 7's and 83's for example.  This usually near resonance of the speaker and the resistance to flow is high.  A 4 ohm load will deliver more current than an 8 ohm load.  Most of the time this is off little consequence in a well designed 8 ohm speaker for example.  Minimal difference in SQ.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

If I recall correctly the 805 has the ability to change the ohm settings as it will go into safety mode as it approaches a specific heat depending on the chosen resistance setting. The 805 runs very hot at the 6ohm setting and will get even hotter on the 4 ohm setting with those difficult loads.

It served me well for home theatre use but IMO lacked severely in the 2ch department.

Choose the 6 ohm setting as others have suggested.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

The 805 runs very hot at the 6ohm setting and will get even hotter on the 4 ohm setting with those difficult loads.

 

You could fry an egg on it. :o  ;)  

 

RO4K,

 

How do you like your Aragon Stage One?

 

I have considered getting one myself many times.

 

Bill

Link to comment
Share on other sites

If 4 ohm is less resistance then why is it a more difficult load?  Seems like it would be easier for the amp to drive and create less heat.  I'm confused.

lower impedance loads start to look like a short to the amp and it will try to dump all the current it has onto the low impedance load and that is your heat, high resistance load give the amp something to push on and they are a much easier loads to drive. Hope that helps. .

  • Like 5
Link to comment
Share on other sites

"What does it even do when you set the receiver to a different setting?"

 

It lowers the voltage the amplifier runs on.

 

"and will get even hotter on the 4 ohm setting"

 

Nonsense, the amp will put out less power, and produce less heat (that's why there is a 4Ω setting).

 

"If 4 ohm is less resistance then why is it a more difficult load?"

 

Because a 4Ω load takes twice the current to drive than an 8Ω load does.

  • Like 4
Link to comment
Share on other sites

to throw a wrench into the mix :P

 

 - my Digital Designs amplifier puts out 600 watts per channel at 4 ohms.  At 1 ohm, available power approximately doubles to 1200 wpc.  And yes, it is 1 ohm stable.  It was making my ears pop and feel a little sick to my stomach running it at 1 ohm.  There was not enough "juice" for my tastes at 4 ohm.  I found a perfect and happy state. currently run it at 2 ohms...

Edited by Matthews
  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

My Onk 717 manual says if ANY of the speakers are 4 Ohm, then set the AVR to 4 Ohm.  Otherwise set to 6 Ohm, which covers from 6-16 Ohm.

 

I have 8 Ohm speakers all around except the center which is 4, so I set the Onk to 4 Ohm.  I've never had any problems, and for the record, my 717 runs warm, not hot.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

djk and Coli have it right.  The impedance switches on AVRs typically limit the power supply to protect itself from overheating.  This results in lower available power and earlier onset of clipping (boo! hiss!).  In the higher impedance setting the amps are able to provide full rated power and, consequently, can and will generate more heat if called on to do so.  

 

Audioholics published an article a few years ago in which they bench tested a bevy of AVRs under both of their impedance settings, and in some cases the differences were significant.  Only a few top shelf AVRs didn't exhibit this hamstringing of the power in the "low" impedance setting.

 

For those with AVRs who wish to use the high impedance (and thus higher risk of thermal damage) setting, consider some $5 insurance:

 

80mm_fan.jpg

Edited by Ski Bum
Link to comment
Share on other sites

How do you like your Aragon Stage One?   I have considered getting one myself many times.
 

 

Bill, the Aragon Stage One is an excellent pre/pro. I have had mine for many years and I haven't been tempted to replace it or its companion 2007. Stereo Direct produces outstanding imaging and it mates well with my Mcintosh 225 amps. I see no need for a tube preamp in my setup. Aragon components were expensive but their durability is beyond reproach. No HDMI but I question whether HDMI would improve the sound quality of the Stage One. IOW, I highly recommend you try one. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

 

How do you like your Aragon Stage One?   I have considered getting one myself many times.
 

 

Bill, the Aragon Stage One is an excellent pre/pro. I have had mine for many years and I haven't been tempted to replace it or its companion 2007. Stereo Direct produces outstanding imaging and it mates well with my Mcintosh 225 amps. I see no need for a tube preamp in my setup. Aragon components were expensive but their durability is beyond reproach. No HDMI but I question whether HDMI would improve the sound quality of the Stage One. IOW, I highly recommend you try one. 

 

 

Thanks for that feedback.  I am loving my NAD T175HD at the moment but have often been curious about the Stage One.

 

I will check the PM you sent me.

 

Thanks,

 

Bill

Link to comment
Share on other sites

What type of power does an Onkyo supply to the speakers? Does it when overdriven just burn the amp? My amp will drive 15 amps into a nail. When facing any impediance the MOSFET's will shut off if there is a danger from heat. I have had my Stax Earspeakers shut down at 3/4ths of its power but never had trouble with any speaker. Are my earspeakers defective?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The 805 runs very hot at the 6ohm setting and will get even hotter on the 4 ohm setting with those difficult loads.

You could fry an egg on it. :o;)

RO4K,

How do you like your Aragon Stage One?

I have considered getting one myself many times.

Bill

Sorry for the delay. I have notifications turned off.

I love my stage one , it sounds excellent in stereo direct. They can be had for a good price. I don't see myself replacing it until I have to. A pre/pro with hdmi would be nice for convience but I'm unsure if I would gain much improvement in sound.

The 8channel inputs allows for the lossless multi channel play back and sounds excellent as well.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • Create New...