4 ohm speakers too much for old school receiver?

[Tarheel_]

i want to place a pair of floorstanders in my living room. I have an older system which is special to me...a '87 Technics receiver, separate EQ, album player, CD changer, etc....all Technics.

Well, i'm using in walls and they sound great, but i ran across a local deal for a pair of PSB Silver i's. Price is fair and they match my entertainment center (high WAF). This is truly a audio only setup.

They are efficient at 89, but at 4 ohms i'm worried about the receiver. For various reasons, i don't want to upgrade the equipment...just the speakers. Volume will range much and it's in a very large room with vaulted ceiling.

What do you think?

[Tarheel_]

This is stated in the owner's manual...

Rated minimum sine wave RMS power output 20 Hz-20 kHz both channels driven 0.09% THD 40 watts (8 ohms)

[frenchmon]

Hey Tarheel you down in Chapel Hill?

I would not blast them at loud levels...and if you find it getting hot, I would turn it off. You might be better off getting some 8 ohms to take full advantage of what the reciever can do. There is a dealer over off Glenwood down the street from Target on Lynn that sells used gear. Its right next door to another audio store that sells Brand new audio. I forget the name of the stores. You might find a good deal on some used speakers. He deals with a lot of Quad gear. Check him out. HE even takes trade ins.

[blackraven]

Buy a higher power used receiver such as a 2ch Onkyo or Harmon Kardon. You can usaully find deals on refurbished HK 3380, 3490 and Onkyo tx 8555's

[Tarheel_]

Hey Tarheel you down in Chapel Hill?

I would not blast them at loud levels...and if you find it getting hot, I would turn it off. You might be better off getting some 8 ohms to take full advantage of what the reciever can do. There is a dealer over off Glenwood down the street from Target on Lynn that sells used gear. Its right next door to another audio store that sells Brand new audio. I forget the name of the stores. You might find a good deal on some used speakers. He deals with a lot of Quad gear. Check him out. HE even takes trade ins.

Thanks for the tip...i live an hour from CH....used to work around those parts...i'll try to locate the dealer. Leaning toward a 8 ohm speaker now, but dang the Silver I's look nice and i heard the Image line years ago and loved their signature. Since it's local I figure i can demo them in their house.

[frenchmon]

Thanks for the tip...i live an hour from CH....used to work around those parts...i'll try to locate the dealer. Leaning toward a 8 ohm speaker now, but dang the Silver I's look nice and i heard the Image line years ago and loved their signature. Since it's local I figure i can demo them in their house.

I use to live in Raleigh Durham but now live in St. Louis. There is also two Audio shops on Glenwood that sell trade-in. Audio Advice and Audio Video Excellence. You might want to try both of them for their used gear. But they mainly sell new stuff.

I think the store off of Glenwood is called Advanced Audio...check all of them out...some god stuff.

[Mr Peabody]

Older receivers were not designed for 4 ohms and most today really aren't either. It takes current to drive a lower impedance load and most receivers are not. The exceptions are Onkyo and older HK. If you did use a 4 ohm speaker nothing would happen immediately, it could eventually go into protection on a high demand passage or as Frenchmon stated begin to get very hot. I'm not familiar with PSB but I suspect they may be a bit too much for a 40 watt receiver. I don't know how you feel about their looks but you may want to give a listen to a pair of Klipsch, 8 ohms and will get loud with small power.

[TheHills44060]

I'd go for the Silvers...they are great speakers especially if you are getting a good deal. See how the receiver handles them and if you think it isn't up to the task then it may be time to upgrade it anyway. Limiting your search to just 8 ohm speakers seems silly.

[Pat D]

I think the sensitivity rating is probably a little optimistic. I haven't located any measurements for the PSB Stratus Silver-i, but the impedance likely goes below 4 ohms. I own a pair of PSB Stratus Minis and their impedance goes below 4 ohms, and the same is true for the Stratus Gold-i: there are reviews of both on the Stereophile site.

http://stereophile.com/floorloudspeakers/704/index8.html

http://stereophile.com/standloudspeakers/629/index4.html

So I would take it a little easy using a 40 watt Technics receiver, and if it gets hot or clips, I would turn down the volume, as frenchmon and Mr. Peabody have suggested. We use an 75 watt Yamaha A-V receiver to drive the Stratus Minis for TV and movies, but an A-V receiver usually has plenty of current when operating in stereo; also, we don't really listen terribly loud.

The PSB Stratus speakers are quite good, but I think that to get the best out of them, one needs an amplifier which can supply some real current. Your receiver will probably work well enough to a point. The Stratus Series speakers are also older designs, and one might look at the PSB Image towers, which some have suggested are better.

[thekid]

This is stated in the owner's manual...

Rated minimum sine wave RMS power output 20 Hz-20 kHz both channels driven 0.09% THD 40 watts (8 ohms)

If the owner's manual does not state any specs for 4 ohms then its telling you the unit should'nt be run with 4 ohm speakers or probably even 6 ohm. As a recent convert to Klipsch I would second Mr. P recommendation because they are very efficient. While older gears stated wpc is often understated versus much of the stuff out their today my guess is that might not be true of your Technics which I am guessing is from the 80's. As mentioned by others it would most like struggle with any power hungry speakers.

[Tarheel_]

Dang...i was afraid the little receiver that could..could not.

I've had this receiver since 1987 and have a lot of memories with it. Not wanting to upgrade the equipment. This system is just for background music. i'll keep an eye open for something else.

side note: I leaned on my neighbor and he and I installed a Klipsch 5.1 system and he loves it, but they are not my (listening) style. Good suggestion though!

[Hyfi]

If the owner's manual does not state any specs for 4 ohms then its telling you the unit should'nt be run with 4 ohm speakers or probably even 6 ohm. As a recent convert to Klipsch I would second Mr. P recommendation because they are very efficient. While older gears stated wpc is often understated versus much of the stuff out their today my guess is that might not be true of your Technics which I am guessing is from the 80's. As mentioned by others it would most like struggle with any power hungry speakers.

Interesting since I have a HK AVR-635 that only mentions 8 ohms in any documentation yet has no trouble driving Dynaudio 42s at 4 ohms.

[thekid]

Interesting since I have a HK AVR-635 that only mentions 8 ohms in any documentation yet has no trouble driving Dynaudio 42s at 4 ohms.

You can certainly run any speaker through any receiver. The question just becomes how long you can do it before you have an issue with either the receiver or the speaker. I don't know enough about either of your pieces to know if you could be hurting them. Receivers that are pushing speakers with lower impedenance than what they were designed to run tend to run hotter especially if asked to push loud volumes over a period of time. Excessive heat is the bane of many receivers and amps. Speakers not getting enough power based on their minimum requirements can also have problems over a period of time. Again I don't know enough about your gear or how you use it so you could be okay or long-term you could be asking for trouble. You might try asking HK additional questions if the manual does not mention anything about running 4 ohm speakers. It could just be a simple omission.

[blackraven]

The newer HK models are high current, usually rated at 45 peak amps and are rated at 4 ohms.

http://www.harmankardon.com/EN-US/Products/Pages/ProductCompare.aspx

[Mr Peabody]

There's a big difference between a HK receiver and a Technics. HK has always been high current and discrete circuitry. Not sure how true to this they stayed on their HT receivers but the older stereo beyond a doubt. I can be certain but I'd bet the Technics is not discrete and I'm sure it's not high current. Keep in mind there would have been a big price difference as well. Also, keep in mind it takes current to drive and control low impedance speakers.

The Technics may give sound but I doubt it would drive the PSB anywhere close to their potential.

Don't count out all Klipsch. Some of the Best Buy stuff isn't so good but they do have models that are. Unless it's the horn sound then you may have an issue with Klipsch in general.

I understand they aren't that attractive but you may want to look at Cerwin Vega. JBL probably still makes 8 ohm speakers. I just don't know of many efficient budget speakers. For just background I'd just watch craigslist for something cheap and decent.

[Pat D]

Dang...i was afraid the little receiver that could..could not.

I've had this receiver since 1987 and have a lot of memories with it. Not wanting to upgrade the equipment. This system is just for background music. i'll keep an eye open for something else.

side note: I leaned on my neighbor and he and I installed a Klipsch 5.1 system and he loves it, but they are not my (listening) style. Good suggestion though!

You had said: "Volume will range much and it's in a very large room with vaulted ceiling."

Now you are saying "background music." For background levels and maybe a bit more, the old receiver should be OK. Can you try it out with the speakers and see just what it will do?

[Mr Peabody]

I noticed crutchfield has picked up PSB, they offer a 30 day return.

[Tarheel_]

You had said: "Volume will range much and it's in a very large room with vaulted ceiling."

Now you are saying "background music." For background levels and maybe a bit more, the old receiver should be OK. Can you try it out with the speakers and see just what it will do?

to be clear...the Technics receiver now is hooked to a speaker selector and plays in wall speakers in multiple rooms and on the deck. Volume is limited because the Tech. cannot handle it...if i were to add full monitors i want the volume to increase...thus, the need to find a suitable speaker to compliment my needs.\

in other words, i want to add a pair of speakers with bass to my living room and have the ability to power speakers in other rooms...not at the same time though.

[Poultrygeist]

My Kenwood integrated has been driving a pair of 4 ohm ADS L710s since 1978. I recently gave the Kenwood to a friend and now drive the 710's with an even older Marantz. I also drive some outdoor 8 ohm speakers with the Marantz's remote connections with no problems.

[Mr Peabody]

Beyond a doubt 4 ohms can be a test to an amp or receiver's build quality. Speakers give 4 or 8 ohms as a "nominal" impedance rating, actually the impedance takes broad swings depending on program being played. A stable 4 ohms, not one that swings much below 4 ohms, will not be as difficult as a speaker whose impedance may dip to 1 ohm. If a speaker dips you better hope the amp driving them either has current in reserve or good protection circuits.

[Tarheel_]

Beyond a doubt 4 ohms can be a test to an amp or receiver's build quality. Speakers give 4 or 8 ohms as a "nominal" impedance rating, actually the impedance takes broad swings depending on program being played. A stable 4 ohms, not one that swings much below 4 ohms, will not be as difficult as a speaker whose impedance may dip to 1 ohm. If a speaker dips you better hope the amp driving them either has current in reserve or good protection circuits.

I couldn't agree more that is why i passed on the Silvers. I really wanted them, but it would blow my (close to heart) Technics and then i'm stuck looking for used equipment and then the great deal on the PSBs is gone.

Gotta love/hate the upgrade bug...in my experience there is no substitute over floor standers!

[MikeyBC]

I own Silvers and unless your running your amp at very high levels for long periods of time you would have had absolutely nothing to worry about. The minimum impedance is 3.76 ohms at 27.5 hz. The Silver is a fairly easy load. Measurements are in this test report. http://www.audioxpress.com/reviews/media/1101colin.pdf

[Tarheel_]

I own Silvers and unless your running your amp at very high levels for long periods of time you would have had absolutely nothing to worry about. The minimum impedance is 3.76 ohms at 27.5 hz. The Silver is a fairly easy load. Measurements are in this test report. http://www.audioxpress.com/reviews/media/1101colin.pdf

Thanks Mikey, the Silvers are still available and the owner also swears they can be powered with moderate power.
I'm trying find time to drive the hour and demo them. I do have a newer Sherwood AVR lying around and may be able to use it.

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