6ohm and 8ohm speaker. will the difference be that bad? [Archive] - Audio & Video Forums

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keviinmc
12-09-2005, 01:02 AM
the other day i bought a Kef model 90 center channel speaker on ebay. afterwards i realized it was 6ohms. my other speakers are kefs, but they are all 8 ohms. my HK receiver is rated at 8ohms in stereo and surround......will the difference mess up my sound. from what i understand, as long as the speaker has less ohms that the receiver, then itll be ok. is this correct?? basically what im concerned about is my speakers not matching up well. any input would be appreciated. thanks

kevin

markw
12-09-2005, 03:21 AM
That's why receiver manufacturer's give you individual control over each channel.

kexodusc
12-09-2005, 04:32 AM
If I understand your question right, you're worried about impedance.
Generally you don't want speakers of lower impedance (ohms) than your speakers rating, but your H/K receiver shouldn't have much trouble with even 4 ohm speakers.
6 ohm speakers aren't much different from 8 ohm, and are probably just rated more honestly than most 8 ohm speakers. I wouldn't worry about this too much, but if you play really, really loud music when all channels are active, pay attention to the heat generated by the receiver. If you find it getting super hot, might want to cut back a bit.

zepman1
12-09-2005, 08:00 AM
As mentioned, you technically should not run speakers of lower impedance than what your receiver/amp is rated for or you risk overheating the amp. In reality 8 ohm speakers can and do run below the 8 ohm specified at certain times. The 8 ohms is only an average rating. I run 6 ohm speakers on my 8 ohm receiver and have done so for the past 4 years with no problems. I have had it very loud for extended periods with no problems at all.

HK makes a quality amp and should have no trouble with the 6 ohm speakers. Jyst keep an eye on it to make sure it doesn't get too hot. You may need to adjust the levels of your speakers since the impedences don't match, but no big deal there.