2 ohm rated solid state amps

[jessearias]

Most high quality solid state amps will do 4 ohm loads no problem. :yes:

Does anybody know any manufactuers of vintage amps that will do 2 ohm loads? :scratch2:

Soundcraftsmen comes to my mind.

 

[KentTeffeteller]

McIntosh models with autoformers do 2 ohms safely all day long.
Bryston most likely does.
Krell most likely does.

 

[SPEC2man]

Mark Levinson 23.5 ...

 

[sebrof]

Sunfire

 

[Hyfi]

maybe not vintage but my Odyssey Stratos is rated down to 2ohms.

 

[Jon_Logan]

Crown Macrotech

 

[SoCal Sam]

Having a rating (FTC?) is different from being able to drive a 2 ohm load. Many amps are capable of doubling down at 4 ohm but only a few can double down again at 2 ohm.

 

[EWizard]

Many Pro Audio amplifiers can do 2 ohms.

 

[ThaddeusSmit]

As I build 2-way speakers with a 3 ohm nominal impedance, this question has been my biggest issue for the system's overall design. At this point I'm looking at a QSC 1802 to start, with the potential of bi-amping if I hate the sound of pro audio with the Faital drivers. Any issues with a high-wattage pro amp for the bottom end and a low power SET amp for the highs?

 

[Chris Brown]

One thing you have to consider is that the ohm rating of a speaker is simply an average. My 8-ohm L100T speakers dip down to 5.7ohms at their lowest IIRC. So consider that a 4-ohm load will still present dips below 4-ohms. A 2-ohm load will still present dips below 2-ohms - but there isn't much left below 2-ohms.

Any amp that claims to be 2-ohms stable is probably employing some vicious current limiting protection just to keep itself alive.

 

[jaguar06]

Yamaha MX-1000U is rated as stable down to *1* ohm. Would I drive any of mine at 1 or 2 even though I've driven them hard and never seen protection kick in? No. I love them too much to cook them.

 

[moray james]

building a power supply which will allow an amp to be stable into such a low impedance is large and expensive if you use a linear supply. There are more than enough amplifiers that can do this but none of them sound very good when they do it, not saying they will sound bad but they won't sound near as good as when they are driving a decent load. From a speaker point of view I don't see low impedance loads as any kind of a realistic plan. Why not look into the high efficiency speakers that are available? Easier to drive dynamic and realistic sounding and much less expensive to drive so you have far greater options when it comes to amplifier selection and sound quality. Just my 2 cents. Best regards Moray James.

 

[for_p1]

building a power supply which will allow an amp to be stable into such a low impedance is large and expensive if you use a linear supply. There are more than enough amplifiers that can do this but none of them sound very good when they do it, not saying they will sound bad but they won't sound near as good as when they are driving a decent load. From a speaker point of view I don't see low impedance loads as any kind of a realistic plan. Why not look into the high efficiency speakers that are available? Easier to drive dynamic and realistic sounding and much less expensive to drive so you have far greater options when it comes to amplifier selection and sound quality. Just my 2 cents. Best regards Moray James.

Some nice speakers have impedance dips down to 2 or even less ohms. Common examples are Thiel 3.7 and most Martin Logans.

 

[JoeESP9]

Some nice speakers have impedance dips down to 2 or even less ohms. Common examples are Thiel 3.7 and most Martin Logans.

Agreed. I buy speakers based on their sound not their load impedance. I'll add, most of the high efficiency speakers available (DIY or otherwise) don't please my ears.

 

[ThaddeusSmit]

building a power supply which will allow an amp to be stable into such a low impedance is large and expensive if you use a linear supply. There are more than enough amplifiers that can do this but none of them sound very good when they do it, not saying they will sound bad but they won't sound near as good as when they are driving a decent load. From a speaker point of view I don't see low impedance loads as any kind of a realistic plan. Why not look into the high efficiency speakers that are available? Easier to drive dynamic and realistic sounding and much less expensive to drive so you have far greater options when it comes to amplifier selection and sound quality. Just my 2 cents. Best regards Moray James.

my speakers are both efficient AND low impedance because of the double bass bin design and wiring the two 15" woofers in parallel. The Faital driver I'm using for the top end is rated as 109db 1W/1m and the bottom end should be around 100db. I just have a LOT of speaker to drive and since they are DIY, don't fit into the standard commercial mold.

 

[fhawk618]

Krell, Aragon, some Mc's, Levinson, Bryston, some Rotels and Parasounds, Carver Sunfire and Lightstar... I have three pair of Kappa 9's that bottom out at 0.7 ohm... I know which ones are stable down there...

Actually, even my DBX BX-3 is rated as 2 ohm stable, although I've never tried it...

 

[floorsweeper]

Belles.............

 

[Hyperion]

Sansui AU-11000A will handle 2Ω loads - but no lower.

 

[cdfac]

with a speaker that efficient, you may not have have much to worry about since you're never going to use more than a few watts. it would help to see the impedance vs. frequency curve of the finished product -- do you have that?

 

[jimfet]

I ran Koss model 1A stats for 30 years. They were known for dipping down to 1 ohm. I only went through 2 amps in that amount of time. Age probably had more to do with it than the 1 ohm dip.