Is Denon Correct About This?

[John Lohmann]

A "Tier 2" engineer I have made contact with at Denon/Marantz said some things that kind of go against a few standards I always thought were gospel (with regard to AVRs and impedance/sensitivity). Primarily:

Low sensitivity makes it difficult to drive. Low impedance actually makes it much easier to drive. But you have to be careful because the increase in power going to lower impedance speakers can be dangerous if it suddenly becomes too much power.

And:

Yeah. This is a common misconception. Regardless of which setting you choose the receiver is going to present the same amount of power, but lower impedance speakers will be able to use more of it. The 8, 6 and 4 Ohm setting is just there to tell the receiver what to expect. It does change how some of the power handled, but I am not clear on exactly what is different. I just know the same amount of power is available either way, but if you do use the recommended setting with lower Ohm rated speakers you are less likely to have the unit over heat and suffer potential damage as a result.

And:

If all of your speakers are 8 Ohms, then you can safely ignore this setting. If even one of them is 6 or 4, then you should be using it.

I was under the impression -- and someone please correct me if I'm wrong -- that low impedance makes a speaker MORE DIFFICULT to drive, not easier, as he suggested. With regard to the ohm settings, he provided that response after I asked about always keeping an amp/AVR on 8 ohms regardless of what's connected -- he's claiming that it's a misconception that AVRs should always be kept at 8 ohms (if selectable) so they always put out the most power. I was always under the impression that setting should ALWAYS be 8 ohms, but he's saying if ONE of my speakers are 6 or 4 (which none are, as far as I am aware), that ohm selector should definitely be taken OFF 8...

Any thoughts on this?

 

[Verdinut]

A "Tier 2" engineer I have made contact with at Denon/Marantz said some things that kind of go against a few standards I always thought were gospel (with regard to AVRs and impedance/sensitivity). Primarily:

Low sensitivity makes it difficult to drive. Low impedance actually makes it much easier to drive. But you have to be careful because the increase in power going to lower impedance speakers can be dangerous if it suddenly becomes too much power.

And:

Yeah. This is a common misconception. Regardless of which setting you choose the receiver is going to present the same amount of power, but lower impedance speakers will be able to use more of it. The 8, 6 and 4 Ohm setting is just there to tell the receiver what to expect. It does change how some of the power handled, but I am not clear on exactly what is different. I just know the same amount of power is available either way, but if you do use the recommended setting with lower Ohm rated speakers you are less likely to have the unit over heat and suffer potential damage as a result.

And:

If all of your speakers are 8 Ohms, then you can safely ignore this setting. If even one of them is 6 or 4, then you should be using it.

I was under the impression -- and someone please correct me if I'm wrong -- that low impedance makes a speaker MORE DIFFICULT to drive, not easier, as he suggested. With regard to the ohm settings, he provided that response after I asked about always keeping an amp/AVR on 8 ohms regardless of what's connected -- he's claiming that it's a misconception that AVRs should always be kept at 8 ohms (if selectable) so they always put out the most power. I was always under the impression that setting should ALWAYS be 8 ohms, but he's saying if ONE of my speakers are 6 or 4 (which none are, as far as I am aware), that ohm selector should definitely be taken OFF 8...

Any thoughts on this?

Have a look at the info contained in this link:

Setting the A/V Receiver Impedance Selector Switch

This article explores the purpose and function of the impedance switch found on some A/V receivers. Tradeoffs of following manufacturers recommended settings are also discussed. YouTube video inside.

www.audioholics.com

 

[John Lohmann]

Thanks, Verdi.

 

[lovinthehd]

A "Tier 2" engineer I have made contact with at Denon/Marantz said some things that kind of go against a few standards I always thought were gospel (with regard to AVRs and impedance/sensitivity). Primarily:

Low sensitivity makes it difficult to drive. Low impedance actually makes it much easier to drive. But you have to be careful because the increase in power going to lower impedance speakers can be dangerous if it suddenly becomes too much power.

And:

Yeah. This is a common misconception. Regardless of which setting you choose the receiver is going to present the same amount of power, but lower impedance speakers will be able to use more of it. The 8, 6 and 4 Ohm setting is just there to tell the receiver what to expect. It does change how some of the power handled, but I am not clear on exactly what is different. I just know the same amount of power is available either way, but if you do use the recommended setting with lower Ohm rated speakers you are less likely to have the unit over heat and suffer potential damage as a result.

And:

If all of your speakers are 8 Ohms, then you can safely ignore this setting. If even one of them is 6 or 4, then you should be using it.

I was under the impression -- and someone please correct me if I'm wrong -- that low impedance makes a speaker MORE DIFFICULT to drive, not easier, as he suggested. With regard to the ohm settings, he provided that response after I asked about always keeping an amp/AVR on 8 ohms regardless of what's connected -- he's claiming that it's a misconception that AVRs should always be kept at 8 ohms (if selectable) so they always put out the most power. I was always under the impression that setting should ALWAYS be 8 ohms, but he's saying if ONE of my speakers are 6 or 4 (which none are, as far as I am aware), that ohm selector should definitely be taken OFF 8...

Any thoughts on this?

I think your "engineer" is out of his league.

 

[Mike Up]

Sounds more like a call center drone.

Ohms law, low imedance will draw higher current. High current draw is harder on receivers and why there are separate power amplifiers. Impedance switch lowers the rail voltage, so less current is needed. In the end a large power cut from the rated per channel power output. These are called Nannys that Gene likes to talk about.

Low sensitivity speakers ~ 85db to 86db 1 watt/1 meter and/or low impedance speakers, 4 ohm, are hard to drive to loud levels for most receivers.

My Polk TL1s are right around 85 db in room while polk rated them at 89 db. I only have them in my smaller media room as main speakers. I do use them in both my main and media center theater systems for surround speakers. They are tiny, 2-1/2" woofer and 1/2" soft tweeter.