Buckeye..you know my system and how it's wired. Should I be taking the straps off my center and rear speakers???
Try the center channel with and without the straps. By utilizing a separate amp for the mains, you reserve all the power in the Denon to drive the center and rears. Leave the straps on the rear. There's only two drivers in the RTi6.
Please explain again when damage happens when you do and don't remove the jumpers. I am sure others want to know as well.
Not removing the jumpers leave your speakers at 4 ohms. 4 ohms is generally too difficult a load for most receivers to handle. Removing the jumpers turns each section of your speaker into separate 8 ohm units. 8 ohms is ideal for a receiver to power speakers safely, as well as efficiently. Unless your receiver specificallly states it is capable of driving 4 ohm speakers, I would recommend against it.
There is no magical point when damage occurs to an amp or speaker. You increase your risk of damage to the amp when driving difficult loads for long periods of time (4 ohms; or 6 ohms at low spl's). Denon recommends point blank not to run 4 ohm speakers with their receivers - any of them. You risk damage when the unit overheats. Ventilation is key in keeping electronics running smoothly. Heat sinks can only dissipate heat, not eliminate it. The larger, heavier units generally equipped with large power supplies and transformers also come with large heat sinks. These heat sinks are adequate, but in no way compare to separate monobloc amps which sometimes outweigh receivers two to three times at similar wattage.
When a circuit board gets too hot, solder joints may fail. A protection mode will kick in, and shut down the unit. Do not attempt to turn the unit back on. Feel the top of your unit. If it's too hot to touch, let it cool down. Make sure you have plenty of ventilation around the unit - top, sides, and rear. Never place components on top of a receiver or amp. And always have open ventilation in the rear if at all possible. If not, add a small fan.
As far as speaker damage goes, if you plan on playing them at reference levels, reduce the treble and bass. Set the tone controls to flat. You will blow more tweeters running too much treble. The highest frequencies tend to distort quickly. Distortion is what damages drivers, especially tweeters. An underpowered receiver or amp will do more damage to speakers than will one with substantial power. If you've ever heard a high end reference system, you know the noise floor is absolutely silent. It seems these systems never get "loud," yet when you try to converse, it's almost impossible. When playing an entry level system at high volumes, it's loud, but with a high level of distortion. There is no quiet noise floor. Here comes the distortion, and blown tweeters.
