Help! I'm frying my big-a$$ receiver with 4-ohm speakers.

[clean_tones]

I really would appreciate some help and advice.

For years, I had a pair of Forte IIs and a pair of KG2s. When I upgraded my home setup, I got the Yamaha RX-Z9 as my receiver, and I decided to stay with classic Klipsch speakers. So I picked up more Klipsch speakers on eBay from the same era and this is what I have now:

1 - Academy (Center) (Wow! This cost a King's ransom.)

2 - Forte IIs (Main)

2 - KG2s (Surround)

2 - KG2s (Rear Surround)

2 - KG .5s (Presence)

1 - Miller & Kreisel VX-7 Mark II (Sub)

The sound was perfect for me. Great for movies, and great for pure music when playing SACDs or just using Yamaha's simulated nine channel output. I have no doubt you could spend a boatload more money and improve on this system, but I love it. Unfortunately, the receiver gets hot. REAL HOT! I know this receiver is known for the heat it generates, but it kept shutting down. It got so hot, you could hardly touch one section of the top panel. I have very adequate room around the receiver, but no external fans. The shutdown time got shorter and shorter, and I finally brought it in for service because it's hard watching a movie over a four night stretch. Turns out, I have a ground problem which is being fixed. But I still think using the four 4-ohm speakers (KG2s) is not a good long-term solution, as I just found out that Yamaha only recommends a maximum of two 4-ohm speakers hooked up to this receiver. I suspect I was generating more heat than people refer to when they talk about this receiver's heat generation. Please offer any help you think is appropriate, but here are the options I've considered:

Swap out all four KG2s for smaller 8-ohm speakers. Are the KG .5s big enough for the purpose of acting as Surrounds and Rear Surrounds? Is there another Klipsch choice available with the same feel?

Keep the KG2s for Rear Surrounds, and swap out the Surround KG2s with Forte IIs?

Add a fan (hopefully super quiet like the Z-Fan) to cool down what I have and keep the heat from damaging the components if I keep the KG2s?

And while we're at it -- would you upgrade the sub and/or add another one? The Klipsch have decent bass so I don't rely just on the sub for bass.

Any advice would be very appreciated.

Thanks.

[Guest " "]

1.) is there a setting (switch or menu) to config for 4ohm speakers?

2.) had this problem as few years ago....I bought 5 russ audio transformers...these look like light dimmers....each was rated at 60 watts...but 100 watt ones are available...so I connected each 8 ohm transformer to my reciever output on the input side of the transformer and connected each speaker to it's own transformer on the xformer output side. the transformer loads the amp at 8 ohms......reguardless of the speakers you use. I put them in a nice box, and place the box in my audio rack.

the specs for the transformers were amazing...10hz - 50khz +- 1 db.

[clean_tones]

Thanks for your response.

I can configure the impedance settings in the receiver for 6 or 8 ohms, but not 4 as far as I know. I have read elsewhere that you shouldn't select a non-8 ohm setting since it's supposedly for UL purposes and degrades the fidelity of the speaker. I don't know if this true, but if Yamaha suggests only one pair of 4-ohm speakers at a time, I'm inclined to go with that or add fans to keep the heat down.

[colterphoto1]

How LOUD are you listening to your movies? What -db setting is it on your amp? If you are drawing that much wattage that the receiver heats up and shuts down there might be a problem in the receiver. My RXV2400 has an internal fan which is thermally activated- does yours?

If you are just asking too much of the receiver in terms of output, you could either get more efficient speakers (I swapped in LS for CW's for 6db more loudness) or get an outboard amp to take care of the mains duty. Taking the load of the main LR off of the reciever might be just enough to allow it to power the other 5 channels adequately without overheating.

Michael

[Colin]

use the six-ohm tap

add an amp to drive the mains

[clean_tones]

I don't rattle the windows, but it's loud enough to enjoy the movie and dialogue. Usually, it's around -20db. There is a problem (ground wire) in the receiver that is being fixed now, which is one reason why it shuts down. But it still runs too hot.

I'm thinking the best bet is going to more efficient speakers. What 8 ohm Klipsch speaker would you use to swap out the KG2s for the four surrounds? Preferably with a similar cabinet size and ones that would blend with what I already have.

[clean_tones]

I'm trying to avoid adding another amp unless that's the only way.

Thanks.

[Cal Blacksmith]

I am running two Forte 1s as mains, Academy center, H1s as surrounds

and Quintets as rears. My Yamaha RX-V 750 is set to mixed speaker resistance

and though there is a fair amount of heat generated in my CLOSED component

cabinet as I also have a HTPC in there (the back is drilled for ventilation though)

I have yet to get it hot enough to shut down the receiver. I had a shorted

speaker wire that would trip the self protection circuit though and now that I

repaired the wire, I have no shutdown problems at all. I would guess the temp

in the cabinet hits about 105 F. Not ideal I know but there have been no

problems yet in either the receiver or the HTPC.

My setting on the receiver is normaly -25 to -20

[Guest " "]

Sounds like you have everything under control. If the amp is hot to the touch (light bulb hot) , I would investigate the temp and determine what the temp is in the amp is and how close to or past the temp ratings of the capacitors you are at. capacitor life is shortend by heat.

[Buckeye_Nut]

I wouldnt swap out speakers. My suggestion would be to set your

speakers to small during movies, and add an external amp to drive your

mains. That should fix your problem in a jiffy.

Good luck

[Spkrdctr]

Fixing your reciever should also fix your overheating problem. I'd wait until you have it repaired and use it a few times. Your problems should be gone. Let us know what happens.

[clean_tones]

Thanks for your response.

I got the repaired receiver back (bad ground) but it stills run very hot (you can lay your palm on the hottest section, but it's not a pleasant experience), even though I didn't connect one pair of the KG2s (4 ohm). Therefore, I just ordered a Z-Fan to sit on top of the receiver and pull air through it to cool it off. If it stays cool after I get the fan, I will hook up the pair of KG2s that is now dormant and see what happens.

The good news is that it doesn't turn itself off, so presumably the very hot temperature is still within Yamaha's spec for auto shutdown, but I'm not comfortable letting the capacitors cook under that kind of heat.

Does anyone have a recommendation for an external amp for the mains if I have to go that route, one that won't degrade the fidelity of the system? Or, to my original question, what similar 8 ohm speakers could I get to replace a pair of KG2s? I'm now looking for a pair of Forte or Forte IIs to act as my Surround speakers but that seems like overkill for that chore.

Please share comments on any of these points if you would be so kind.

By the way, I am not complaining about the Yamaha receiver. It is absolutely awesome -- just hot!

George

[Guest " "]

Thanks for your response.

I got the repaired receiver back (bad ground) but it stills run very hot (you can lay your palm on the hottest section, but it's not a pleasant experience), even though I didn't connect one pair of the KG2s (4 ohm). Therefore, I just ordered a Z-Fan to sit on top of the receiver and pull air through it to cool it off. If it stays cool after I get the fan, I will hook up the pair of KG2s that is now dormant and see what happens.

The good news is that it doesn't turn itself off, so presumably the very hot temperature is still within Yamaha's spec for auto shutdown, but I'm not comfortable letting the capacitors cook under that kind of heat.

Does anyone have a recommendation for an external amp for the mains if I have to go that route, one that won't degrade the fidelity of the system? Or, to my original question, what similar 8 ohm speakers could I get to replace a pair of KG2s? I'm now looking for a pair of Forte or Forte IIs to act as my Surround speakers but that seems like overkill for that chore.

Please share comments on any of these points if you would be so kind.

By the way, I am not complaining about the Yamaha receiver. It is absolutely awesome -- just hot!

George

have you thought about the hi-grade matching transformers. they show up on ebay pretty cheap. there are 30w, 60w, and 100w versions.

I picked up a few 60 watt versions for 10 bucks each. they provide an 8 ohm load to my amps, reguardless of the speakers I use. the ones I bought were made by RUSS. the spec's was 10hz - 50hz +- 1db.

[kfalls]

Wow! You shouldn't be running into problems with this receiver. Yamaha's are great at handling lower impedances. They are one of a very few receivers who provide power ratings in 8-6-4ohms. I have a Yamaha RX0V2095 @100W./ch. I have a pair of KG4s (4ohm) two pairs of the RS-3 surround speakers, a KV3 center and two powered subs. Even at only 100W/ch I rarely need to turn the volume up past the 9:00 position. I can see where a grounding issue would cause some problems, but if you're still having issues after the repair you need to look deeper. There was a thread awhile back about this receiver. I believe it was a Canadian version. They were having all kinds of problems and getting very little help. You may want to search for the thread, it could help you in your quest for answers.

[Mikekid]

Hi there.

I have been using a Yamaha RX-V3000 receiver for a few years now. Occasionally, I play at very loud, concert type levels. When I do this, the internal fan comes on. This receiver gets quite hot at that point, but I have had no problems with it at all over the years. As soon as I turn it down a bit, the fan turns off, and the chassis cools down no problem.

I think you should be fine running your current speakers.

Take care,

Mike

[clean_tones]

Thanks to all of you who responded to my request for help. I thought I would share with you what solution I took and how it turned out. I really do appreciate your comments.

I got the receiver fixed. It had a bad ground wire which is what was causing it to shut down. When I got the receiver home, I disconnected one pair of 4 ohm speaker (KG2s) to give the receiver a break but it still ran very hot, but at least it didn't shut itself down. This receiver just runs too hot to make me feel comfortable for long-term use, so I put a Z-Fan on top of the unit to cool it down. At first I was skeptical, it didn't seem like it was pushing enough air around to make a difference, but it really did cool the receiver down to a practically no-heat-at-all level from a hand-burning experience previously.

I also replaced one pair of KG2s (my Surrounds) with Fortes, which complemented my Forte II Mains nicely.

The net result is that everything is running cool, sounding great, and I had to fork over the not insignificant cost of the Z-Fan ($249) and the Fortes off of eBay.

The listening experience for music (SACD and CD), movies, and video games is unbelievable. When I listen to a SACD I really appreciate the Klipsch because the SACD format on Pure Direct doesn't feed the sub-woofer but the Fortes and the Academy Center have enough bass to push a truly nice sound.

Thanks again.