6 ohm speaker 8 ohm reciever

[chuck10553]

i realize this is a question that is probably posted a lot but i figured id ask to make sure... so will be getting a yamaha rx-v663 which i believe is rated at 8 ohms and the speaker package im getting (all yamaha ns series) are rated at 6 ohms... will this work without screwing up my reciever in some way... i asked a dude at best buy and hes said it could but i figured i would ask the professionals any info on this would be great!
thanks

 

[jamie2112]

The amp will be fine with 6ohm speakers. The yamaha 663 should be able to drive them with no problem.

 

[speakerman39]

i realize this is a question that is probably posted a lot but i figured id ask to make sure... so will be getting a yamaha rx-v663 which i believe is rated at 8 ohms and the speaker package im getting (all yamaha ns series) are rated at 6 ohms... will this work without screwing up my reciever in some way... i asked a dude at best buy and hes said it could but i figured i would ask the professionals any info on this would be great!
thanks

As Jamie mentioned, the 663 will be able to drive a 6 ohm speaker just fine. However, it will make the receiver run a bit warmer too. Should not cause any real trouble. No worries for the most part.

Cheers,

Phil

 

[fmw]

To clarify the 8 ohm spec. is not a physical characteristic of the receiver. It is a safe rating. What it says is that the amplifers produce their rated power output into that impedance. Virtually all of them will drive a load 1/2 that impedance but they aren't rated for it out of conservatism and, probably, legal advice. The manufacturer is saying that, if you use 8 ohm speakers, the receiver will behave as specified. As others have said, using 6 ohm speakers won't be an issue.

 

[Midcow2]

Your AVR has a 6 ohm setting

i realize this is a question that is probably posted a lot but i figured id ask to make sure... so will be getting a yamaha rx-v663 which i believe is rated at 8 ohms and the speaker package im getting (all yamaha ns series) are rated at 6 ohms... will this work without screwing up my reciever in some way... i asked a dude at best buy and hes said it could but i figured i would ask the professionals any info on this would be great!
thanks

from page 28 of your owner's manual:

Setting the speaker impedance
Caution
If you are to use 6 ohm speakers, set “SP IMP.” to
“6Ω MIN” as follows BEFORE using this unit. 4 ohm
speakers can be also used as the front speakers.

 

[fmw]

from page 28 of your owner's manual:

Setting the speaker impedance
Caution
If you are to use 6 ohm speakers, set “SP IMP.” to
“6Ω MIN” as follows BEFORE using this unit. 4 ohm
speakers can be also used as the front speakers.

I might not understand this correctly but I think this switch merely reduces the amplifier's potential output power. I think it is something like a governor on a truck engine. This switch is probably there for people who might abuse the equipment by trying to amplify a rock band in an auditorium with 4 ohm speakers. On a truck you can control the speed with the accelerator. On an amplifier you can control the volume with a knob. The switch shouldn't be necessary in a normal home audio environment.

 

[chuck10553]

well thanks to all for their advice... it has been well recieved :-D

 

[subskate]

Just as a question along the same lines, does it matter if you have a 6Ω receiver and 8Ω speakers? thats the only thing I need to sort out now

 

[TLS Guy]

Just as a question along the same lines, does it matter if you have a 6Ω receiver and 8Ω speakers? thats the only thing I need to sort out now

No, but the amp will not develop its full rated power if it is six ohms. The problem is that no speaker is 4, 6 or 8 ohms. The impedance is all over the map with frequency, and the manufacturers continue with this specification that is not very helpful. What they should publish is the impedance and phase curves, then we could answer these questions. Without it, it is a wild guess.

 

[Seth=L]

from page 28 of your owner's manual:

Setting the speaker impedance
Caution
If you are to use 6 ohm speakers, set “SP IMP.” to
“6Ω MIN” as follows BEFORE using this unit. 4 ohm
speakers can be also used as the front speakers.

Using the 6 ohm setting is not optimal. Leave the setting at 8 ohms regardless for the best performance. Setting it to 6 ohms actually activates a current limiting feature that reduces your overal power output. It's a safety feature for people that can't seem to keep from turning the receiver up to distortion levels and beyond. I assume the OP isn't deaf and would like to enjoy music rather than have his "buds" come over and show off "how loud" his system is while exclaiming "Doesn't that sound awesome" when in fact it sounds like a dying cat because of all the distortion.

Sorry, got a bit carried away there, I just can't stand people that think loud distortion sounds good.

Edit: I didn't read FMW's post until after I made mine, so I guess we basically said the same thing.

 

[timone]

On speaker impedance setting

I asked yamaha about that because I have a mix of 6 and 8 ohm speakers in my home theatre and I was concerned enough after reading the manual. The manual gives you a feeling that if this impedance setting is not set correctly, your receiver will explode They advised me to use the 6 ohm setting. As to the reason why, I don't know.

 

[fmw]

The reason is pretty simple. The switch will help protect the equipment if it abused. So, if you are planning to amplify a rock band in an auditorium with it, it will probably go into protection mode sooner on the 6 ohm than the 8 ohm selection. As I said, lawyers have as much input as engineers in product design. If you want to use the 6 ohm switch, nobody is stopping you.

 

[TLS Guy]

I asked yamaha about that because I have a mix of 6 and 8 ohm speakers in my home theatre and I was concerned enough after reading the manual. The manual gives you a feeling that if this impedance setting is not set correctly, your receiver will explode They advised me to use the 6 ohm setting. As to the reason why, I don't know.

The 6 ohm setting will limit the current, and make it clip sooner. Remember the quoted impedance of speakers mean practically nothing. Most, these days have significant dips, no matter what the specs say. Yamaha are protecting themselves. Basically most receiver amps, are not very good. Making amps these days that are not comfortable driving at least a four ohm load is a disgrace, and there ought to be a lot more shouting about it than there is.

High current output devices are now cheap, and this nonsense is corporate penny pinching to the extreme. If we could give 99% of the marketing guys pink slips, there more be more than enough money to build decent output stages.