4 ohm impedence

[ozoneeater]

I have a receiver with a set operation of speaker configuration where I can set for 4 ohm up to 16 ohm. Now I know that one can not run an 8 ohm amp using 4 ohm speakers. But can run 8 ohm speakers on a 4 ohm amp with no problems.
When running a 4 ohm amp with 8 ohm speakers, is there power or clarity advantage rather than just setting the amp at 8 ohm.

 

[89grand]

With receivers that have selectable speaker impedance, you will generally be the best off using the selection that matches the speakers impedance. You can often get more power by say using the 8 ohm setting and running 4 ohm speakers, but the other way around, using the 4 ohm setting with 8 ohm speakers will most likely result in less power to the speakers.

I believe those settings alter the rail voltage, so it's not beneficial, to have it lowered for no reason, which is what the 4 ohm setting would do with 8 ohm speakers.

 

[crazy_andy]

I have a receiver with a set operation of speaker configuration where I can set for 4 ohm up to 16 ohm. Now I know that one can not run an 8 ohm amp using 4 ohm speakers. But can run 8 ohm speakers on a 4 ohm amp with no problems.
When running a 4 ohm amp with 8 ohm speakers, is there power or clarity advantage rather than just setting the amp at 8 ohm.

it will be exactly the same, what is relevant to your amp/receiver power output is the speaker(s) impedances by itself, even if you turn the switch 4 ohm it will produce the same amount of power as if the switch were on 8, if you really want to run 4 ohm wire 2 of your speakers in paralel to one channel and then you are running a true 4 ohm load from it, you can run 4 ohm speakers on an 8 ohm amp, wire 2 in series to one channel and it is fine, you can combine speaker impedances by wiring series or paralel to match your amp/receiver safe impedance loads, it is also used when you have a really really powerful amplifier and don't want to damage speakers, say, a 2x600 watt rms, power amplifier (8 ohm) running 8 100 watt rms 8 ohm speakers will play them with safe power margins if wired 4 speakers per channel, 2 series 2 series then it will be 16 ohm per pair, wiring those 2 pairs paralel will be 8 ohm final speaker impedance per channel, you cannot also wire a 4 ohm load to a 8ohm amplifier because you would be draining the power supply(ies) to current loads that exceed what it was designed for, transistors also do not like that strain, it will probably work at moderate volumes with them, but once anyone pops the volume up it will heat like hell and shut off to protect amp damage, altough sometimes when it shuts off you have already blew a transistor off...be safe, do not stress them as if you were trying to jumpstart a truck with a small car battery (some car batteries are capable of that but they make 4 or 5 starting cycles and they are depleted)..

 

[hopeless]

Those speakers really need a better amplifier. Sonys are famous for notoriously weak amp sections. The receiver will drive it, but it won't be happy about it, likely sounding a bit weak and congested.

Keep it low volume, start saving

 

[kwkshift]

Hopefully after 12 years, he figured out a solution.