Speaker impedance dips lower than my H-FI SYSTEM MINIMUM OHMS REQUIRED

[jamseda]

1. Hello,I have B&W D302 PRISM speaker with these SPECIFICATION
2. Frequency response: 72Hz-20kHz, ±3dB. Sensitivity: 91dB/2.83V/1m. Nominal impedance: 8 ohms (3.2 ohms minimum). Power handling: 25-100W continuous.
3. it be safe if I Use the speakers with PHILIPS FW C390 hi-fi stereo with these specifications?
4. AMPLIFIER
   Output power …………………………….. 2 x 120 W MPO
   ………………………………………………………….. 2 x 60 W RMS(1)
   Signal-to-noise ratio …………………….. ≥ 67 dBA (IEC)
   Frequency response …………………….. 50 – 15000 Hz
   Input sensitivity
   SPEAKER MINIMUM 6OHMS
5. My main worry is the speaker's minimum dip of 3.2 OHMS,..Will it damage the PHILIPS FW C390 WITH A MINIMUM 6OMHS REQUIRED?
6. KINDLY ADVICE

 

[TLS Guy]

1. Hello,I have B&W D302 PRISM speaker with these SPECIFICATION
2. Frequency response: 72Hz-20kHz, ±3dB. Sensitivity: 91dB/2.83V/1m. Nominal impedance: 8 ohms (3.2 ohms minimum). Power handling: 25-100W continuous.
3. it be safe if I Use the speakers with PHILIPS FW C390 hi-fi stereo with these specifications?
4. AMPLIFIER
   Output power …………………………….. 2 x 120 W MPO
   ………………………………………………………….. 2 x 60 W RMS(1)
   Signal-to-noise ratio …………………….. ≥ 67 dBA (IEC)
   Frequency response …………………….. 50 – 15000 Hz
   Input sensitivity
   SPEAKER MINIMUM 6OHMS
5. My main worry is the speaker's minimum dip of 3.2 OHMS,..Will it damage the PHILIPS FW C390 WITH A MINIMUM 6OMHS REQUIRED?
6. KINDLY ADVICE

Those speakers very likely will blow up that amp. It is is totally dishonest to rate those speakers as 8 ohms, they are around four ohms in the real power band, and have adverse phase angles.

This is the impedance and phase angle curves of your speakers.

That amp is part of a Philips mini system and totally unsuitable to drive those speakers.

If you are going to get into higher end speakers you need a much more robust amp.

In general B & W speakers are renowned for being a hard drive.

My guess is that the specs of that Philips amp are grossly inflated especially the power specs.

 

[jamseda]

Thanks for your response TLS

 

[jamseda]

What If I used them in series connection will it be safe? in the mean time as I try to find 6Ohms high end speakers?

 

[TLS Guy]

What If I used them in series connection will it be safe? in the mean time as I try to find 6Ohms high end speakers?

Don't use them in series.

It is your amp you need to change. That unit is not designed for high end speakers.

The other point is that you can not trust manufacturers speaker specs. If you can't find and impedance curve somewhere on the net, assume they are nearer four ohm than eight.

So, you best solution is an amp stable to four ohms of good quality.

 

[PENG]

What If I used them in series connection will it be safe? in the mean time as I try to find 6Ohms high end speakers?

You will be fine with those speakers if you don't crank the volume up too high (desktop use would be fine, they are small enough for that). The trick is, as soon as you can hear distortions increase, turn it down. Just don't expect to realize the full potential of those speakers.

 

[jamseda]

@PENG sure thanks for your advice

 

[lovinthehd]

I have trouble calling any B&W speaker "high end" myself. Overpriced perhaps, and hard to drive by reputation. These are relatively low end speakers in their lineup of models in any case, and probably not worth buying a special amp for. Use them as normal without trying to crank them to high volume and you're likely just fine.

 

[jamseda]

I have trouble calling any B&W speaker "high end" myself. Overpriced perhaps, and hard to drive by reputation. These are relatively low end speakers in their lineup of models in any case, and probably not worth buying a special amp for. Use them as normal without trying to crank them to high volume and you're likely just fine.

Just to be on a safer side?what if I connected them in series to get 8 Ohms with a dip of 6.4 ohms?will that have any effect or damage to the Philips system I intend to use them on?

 

[everettT]

Just to be on a safer side?what if I connected them in series to get 8 Ohms with a dip of 6.4 ohms?will that have any effect or damage to the Philips system I intend to use them on?

How about just not hodgepodge a system together? Asking people for help doing so rarely works out and the correct advise is to do it right. You can find inexpensive amps that will be able to drive that load at a medium volume.

As Loving mentioned that isn't a high end speaker but B&W's entry level, which was always confusing that they'd make it a difficult load but they do in almost all of their speakers have the exact same issue in the exact same band.

 

[MrBoat]

The system is not half bad, matched with the provided speakers and is pretty loud and fun to listen to on it's own. A pretty decent value seeing it's essentially portable, and with delivery workers who balk at lifting heavier objects, and able to be presented on a shelf at any number of budget consumer stores. I rocked one of those systems for 2 years when my main system became a bit. . . too clapped out. Not to mention the one I had held 5 CDs and had a remote. It cured the itch for loud, and low enough distortion music. It alo had some tone controls with it, IIRC. For mainstream music it was pretty well figured out.

Here in the U.S., they are available for a small price used, from thrift stores and the like and I'd rather just buy the whole system outright with the original speakers and use it for what it is worth. They have their place.

 

[jamseda]

The system is not half bad, matched with the provided speakers and is pretty loud and fun to listen to on it's own. A pretty decent value seeing it's essentially portable, and with delivery workers who balk at lifting heavier objects, and able to be presented on a shelf at any number of budget consumer stores. I rocked one of those systems for 2 years when my main system became a bit. . . too clapped out. Not to mention the one I had held 5 CDs and had a remote. It cured the itch for loud, and low enough distortion music. It alo had some tone controls with it, IIRC. For mainstream music it was pretty well figured out.

Here in the U.S., they are available for a small price used, from thrift stores and the like and I'd rather just buy the whole system outright with the original speakers and use it for what it is worth. They have their place.

Thanks for your response sir,highly appreciated

 

[jamseda]

How about just not hodgepodge a system together? Asking people for help doing so rarely works out and the correct advise is to do it right. You can find inexpensive amps that will be able to drive that load at a medium volume.

As Loving mentioned that isn't a high end speaker but B&W's entry level, which was always confusing that they'd make it a difficult load but they do and almost all of their speakers have the exact same issue in the exact same band.

Sure,thanks for your response

 

[lovinthehd]

Just to be on a safer side?what if I connected them in series to get 8 Ohms with a dip of 6.4 ohms?will that have any effect or damage to the Philips system I intend to use them on?

Why give up stereo? Is it so important to push the envelope? Reasonable use of a volume control goes a ways. Or get more appropriate gear.

 

[Kingnoob]

1. Hello,I have B&W D302 PRISM speaker with these SPECIFICATION
2. Frequency response: 72Hz-20kHz, ±3dB. Sensitivity: 91dB/2.83V/1m. Nominal impedance: 8 ohms (3.2 ohms minimum). Power handling: 25-100W continuous.
3. it be safe if I Use the speakers with PHILIPS FW C390 hi-fi stereo with these specifications?
4. AMPLIFIER
   Output power …………………………….. 2 x 120 W MPO
   ………………………………………………………….. 2 x 60 W RMS(1)
   Signal-to-noise ratio …………………….. ≥ 67 dBA (IEC)
   Frequency response …………………….. 50 – 15000 Hz
   Input sensitivity
   SPEAKER MINIMUM 6OHMS
5. My main worry is the speaker's minimum dip of 3.2 OHMS,..Will it damage the PHILIPS FW C390 WITH A MINIMUM 6OMHS REQUIRED?
6. KINDLY ADVICE

maybe consider getting an avr??or stereo receiver etc any device…
Your shelf system may run these speakers, how loud and for how many years til you run into problems I can’t say. You may not have any issues except at higher volume .
Maybe add a sub also ?
Funny I made a system out of old hifi speakers I had laying around and a mini sub it doesn’t sound half bad. Do you have the original shelf system speakers ?
My Sonys the duel woofer model are newer then b& w prism 1997.

 

[jamseda]

maybe consider getting an avr??or stereo receiver etc any device…
Your shelf system may run these speakers, how loud and for how many years til you run into problems I can’t say. You may not have any issues except at higher volume .
Maybe add a sub also ?
Funny I made a system out of old hifi speakers I had laying around and a mini sub it doesn’t sound half bad. Do you have the original shelf system speakers ?
My Sonys the duel woofer model are newer then b& w prism 1997.
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Hello,I don't have the original shelf speakers,but I have Philips Sub of 3 ohms,how do I go about adding the sub?

 

[j_garcia]

All of those plastic faced, boom box style speakers are garbage anyway.

From the pics of the back, there are some RCA jacks, which could be outputs that could be used with a sub. There do not seem to be any labels on them even in the service manual, so it is very hard to say if you can add a sub or not.

If you are looking to go the direction of a real 2.1 system, I would save up for a receiver and ditch the Philips before buying a sub.

 

[BMXTRIX]

At the end of the day, you should be on Craigslist looking at used older AV receivers. You can often pick up models that don't have a HDMI input on them for well under $100. You can pick up some VERY high end models, for almost nothing, when they don't include a HDMI input. This means you can get really excellent performance from an AV receiver, for not a lot of cash. This makes them excellent for stereo audio connections with good power, for literal pennies on the dollar from new.

For example: https://washingtondc.craigslist.org/search/nva/sss?query=av receiver&sort=priceasc#search=1~gallery~0~0

Not sure where you're located, or what your financial situation is, but there are a number of receivers for under $100, all of which would be awesome for stereo and basic surround sound setup, if you wanted to go that route.

 

[Kingnoob]

Hello,I don't have the original shelf speakers,but I have Philips Sub of 3 ohms,how do I go about adding the sub?

The online manual probably tells you how to use it , in the meantime I’d look for cheap used avr . Wouldn’t expect much from the sub how big is it ? Any pics of it and model number ?