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Yamaha A 500 Integrated Amp and Speaker Compatibility

B

Billiam1962

Member
I have a Yamaha A 500 Integrated from 1983 that I just matched up with a pair of used Jamo E 800 bookshelf speakers that I bought this week. The sound when bi wired is incredible for a speaker that retailed for $400 a pair in its day.

But... I just noted the A 500 is rated for 8 ohm speakers and NOT 4 ohm speakers which the E 800's are. This is according to the A 500 manual. No mention is made NOT to use 4 ohms but NO mention is made that they are compatible either.

Details are below:

https://www.cnet.com/products/jamo-e-800-speakers/

http://www.classic-audio.com/yamaha-a500-p-543.html

Is it safe to use this amp with these speakers or should I shop for an amp specifically rated for 4 ohm speakers?
 
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Uh, the A 500 Manual makes no mention of 4 ohm speaker use. I did mention that in the initial message. I simply posted the link for the amp to show its specs. That being the case I don't know why the genuine A 500 manual would not make mention of the use of 4 ohm speakers.
 
Don't over think it and you're right the official owners manual does not mention 4ohm. All that is going to happen is the amp is just going to work a little harder with those speakers. As long as your not turning the volume up to 11 you'll be fine

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From the Yamaha site "Specs for A-S500"

High Dynamic Power/Channel (8/6/4/2 ohms) 130 / 150 / 185 / 220 W

Any amplifier that has a 2 Ohm rating for power will handle 4 Ohms just fine. I also notice that there is a 6 Ohm RMS rating in the manual. Running two pair of 4 Ohm speakers is probably a bad idea. A single pair should be no problem.
 
Thanks. No plans to crank the volume with them. My typical listening level is probably about 9 o'clock with this amp. No plans to use two pairs of speakers either. Bi Wiring is more effective IMO at improving the listening experience.
 
JoeESP9 said:
From the Yamaha site "Specs for A-S500"

High Dynamic Power/Channel (8/6/4/2 ohms) 130 / 150 / 185 / 220 W

Any amplifier that has a 2 Ohm rating for power will handle 4 Ohms just fine. I also notice that there is a 6 Ohm RMS rating in the manual. Running two pair of 4 Ohm speakers is probably a bad idea. A single pair should be no problem.
Click to expand...

Wrong amp. The amp I am using is the A 500. Built and sold from 1982 to 1984 if I recall correctly.
 
That amp will be fine with one set of 4 ohm speakers. Just don't connect 2 sets of speakers to it. That would cause less than a 4 ohm load, and might damage your amp.
 
Thanks DB. No plans to do so. My other speakers are Mirage OM 10's and Castle Conway 3's and I briefly tested them both with this amp but I preferred the sound I got from bi wiring those speakers with this amp as well. Have found the Tube Cube 7 I own can run both towers much better than the E 800's. Will be swapping the speakers around with that amp from time to time. Dedicating the Jamo's with the Yamaha now. Great match!
 
I have late model Yamaha equipment that specifically states a recommended use of 8 ohms or more. My RS 201 easily works with my 6 ohm rated Pioneer BS22LR speakers in my 10x11 study. I would stay away from driving 4 ohm rated speakers. With 4 ohm speakers the current will be high and heat will be generated. Will it blow? Your guess is as good as mine, but I found that heat is the enemy of long term use.
 
johnda. According to the Yamaha website your RS 201 is rated down to 2 ohm speakers. Plenty of wattage to run 4 ohm speakers if you choose based upon what I know now. I am running my Jamo E 800's at the 9 o'clock position on the A 500 amp and I don't seem to be having heat issues with the amp.
 
Thanks Racer. Yes, I have this manual and it is a bit ambiguous as far as using 4 ohm speakers. They don't seem to recommend them but they don't seem to discourage their use either. I decided to send an email to Yamaha to see what they recommend. I noted amps and receivers from the 90's forward from Yamaha seem to be compatible with 4 ohm speakers.
 
Spent some time looking at the manuals for the new Yamaha AS 301 and the older AX 596 integrated amps. It appears each of these amps is 4 ohm friendly. Have noted the cheaper Yamaha receivers are probably not.
 
Front looking at the manual page above they recommend no lower than 6 ohm speakers if you're driving two pair at once which seems to say it's happy with a 3 ohm load, minimum.
I wouldn't worry a bit about running 4 ohm speakers on that amplifier.
The A-xx00 series of amplifiers are one of the odd integrateds out there that are stout enough to drive low impedance dance speakers. Reading old magazine review articles on my A-1000, they did full power tests at 2 ohms and the amp had no issues.
 
I received a reply from Tech Support at Yamaha. They do not recommend using my Jamo speakers with the A 500. While he didn't elaborate as far as the specific reason, he did say it is risky using a 4 ohm speaker with this amp. My guess is that since it could end up running at 2 ohms at times, that may be the reason. Thankfully I can still use the A 500 with the Mirage OM 10's which are 6 ohms or the Castle Conway 3's which are 8 ohms.

I want to stick with Yamaha since the speakers match up really well with the Yamaha sound. That being the case should I purchase a new amp like AS 301 or should I stick with a used older piece of gear like an integrated from the 90's or late 80's that is 4 ohm friendly?
 
That’s odd that they’d say that but it is what it is.
I really like that series of amplifiers. You can always move up to the A-700 or A-1000. Neither will have any issue driving your speakers.
 
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