Please help! Audio noob seeks better opinion!

Well. I feel conflicted right now. I picked up a pair of Yamaha NS-20T's today at the local dump, but right now I have a pair of Kef C75's, which I can't bear to throw away.

The plot thickens. Right now, I only have an amp that is supposed to drive 8 ohms. The Kefs take 4 ohms, while the Yamaha's take 6.

1. What are the better speakers? I feel like the C75's are "the speaker that God forgot," as they're not even listed on the Kef "museum" page. Or are they something special?

2. Is my amplifier going to die in a horrible fit of agony one day?

3. What should sound better, Audio Technica AT3482P, or AT92E?

4. Am I wasting my time on all of this? Is it ALL junk?

5. IS JOE GRADO NOTHING BUT A CHARLATAN?

1- Don't know. The pair that sounds better is the better pair to keep.

2- 6 ohms - pushing your luck, but don't sweat it unless you're really gonna slam the volume at a full 5:00 position. 4 ohms is ALARM time.

3- Again, don't know. Others will offer their opinion on this one.

4- Not necessarily. It's not junk unless it's broken beyond repair.

5- No.

Don't try to use them together by any means. I have the same KEFs and though they have a good sound, they have had numerous driver problems. I'll never bother with a C series KEF again. Keep the Yamahas for a later time; it's not like you have a bundle tied up in them. If you drive those KEFs hard enough, the cones will separate from the voice coil, like I've had happen to three drivers in my C series KEFs, and you'll need something to replace them with.

Not knowing which receiver you are using I must make a sugestion. Perhaps one of the best ever small/ budget combos I have ever heard was a NAD 7040 and those yamaha 20t's. That was a package that delivered well beyond what I would have expected, I never did run that NAD with my C55's but I am sure it would have sounded pretty good as well. The yamis would be my daily drivers until I found a receiver a little more stout and then give them both a chance to win your heart.

How does one tell if the cone is separated from the voice coil? Also, what will happen if my amplifier is overloaded? As surprising as this may seem, I don't think I've blown an amp I've owned before.

There are bound to be other ways of telling that your amp is overloaded, but here are some of the things I listen/watch for.

The sound is not punchy enough. This happens with some amps that just are not powerful enough to drive the speakers well. At best, the amp/speaker combo will sound bad. At worst... read on.

Your amp may stop working. Check the fuse in the amp. If you are lucky you only have to replace the fuse.

You hear a shrill shriek from your speakers... You had better be able to compete in the Olympics 100 Meter sprint, because that's how fast you have to be to save your tweeters, and possibly your amp. This is called clipping.

The sound stops in one of your speakers... Chances are your speaker is OK.. but you just fried one channel of your amp.

Smoke comes from your amp and/or speakers. OK, there is no doubting it now, you overloaded your amplifier. The good news is, you have a perfect opportunity to replace your speakers and amplification with units that are more suitable. The bad news is, you will never hear the end of it from SWMBO (She who must be obeyed).