Different ohms

[dapack69]

Could someome please tell me what would happen if I set my receiver to 4 ohms compared to the 6 I have now. All my speakers are 6 ohms and am just curious what would happen if I set it to 4 ohms.

 

[skers_54]

The 4 ohm setting reduces the current the receiver is able to output. It's an added layer of protection for inexperienced users to prevent the receiver from clipping. The same thing can be accomplished if you keep the volume reasonable and employ some common sense if you hear clipping. It's best to leave it in the 6 ohm mode to ensure you don't limit your output.

 

[dapack69]

Thank you for the answer. I don't have to worry about clipping as I won't go over 75% anytime soon.

 

[JerryLove]

The volume knob is not neccessairily an indicator of availbale power.

 

[Lordoftherings]

On your Onkyo TX-NR1007, just stick with the 6 ohm position, you'll get most of it, huge dynamic headroom.

In the 4 ohm position, see post #2 (current limiting = faster clipping).

 

[lsiberian]

Thank you for the answer. I don't have to worry about clipping as I won't go over 75% anytime soon.

This is kind of a misunderstanding of how receivers work. The volume knob simply controls the gain on your amp. If you have a strong signal come it will be louder than a quieter signal. Not to mention many movies have peaks of +20db. Still clipping is ok as long as its only on the peaks.

 

[highfigh]

The volume knob simply controls the gain on your amp.

The gain is generally fixed- the volume controls the level going from the preamp to the power amp (think of separates). A separate power amp may have controls on it for adjusting the amp's sensitivity but most don't vary the actual gain.