What would you buy for $400?

[allen_in_texas]

Low impedances can be damaging to amplifiers. The ultimate in low impedance would be a short across the output terminals. If your ąmp does not have protection circuitry against such abuse, it would probably be destroyed if one attempted to use it that way.

That's exactly what I needed to understand this. Well stated.

 

[slipperybidness]

Practically speaking, the lower the resistance/impedance of the speaker, the more amp power available for output.

The proper way to say this is "the lower the resistance/impedance of the speaker, the more power (current) the speaker will DRAW from the amplifier.

 

[slipperybidness]

Then why do they have warnings like this one?

Note: Do not use with speakers that are lower than 8 ohms nominal impedance.

It tells you that the amp is not capable of sustaining impedance loads of less than 8 ohms. I.e. lower ohm ratings of the load indicate a "bigger" load that the source will "see". And they are telling you that you will fry the amp if you overwork it.

 

[slipperybidness]

Perhaps a trip to wikipedia would help here.

Here is a key piece of info:
The real output impedance (Z[SUB]source[/SUB]) of a power amplifier is usually less than 0.1 Ω, but this is rarely specified. Instead it is "hidden" within the damping factor parameter

And, this should clear up your other question:
The actual output impedance for most devices is not the same as the rated output impedance. A power amplifier may have a rated impedance of 8 ohms, but the actual output impedance will vary depending on circuit conditions. The rated output impedance is the impedance into which the amplifier can deliver its maximum amount of power without failing.

Output impedance - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

[Pupp]

I'm always good for looking at Ebay for some great deals. You can either spend less money than your target budget, or get higher quality gear and stay within your budget.
In my case, I kind of ended up splitting the difference, but still ended up about $1000 under my budget. Course with Ebay, its rather luck on getting a great deal or two, or just saving enough to make you feel like you still saved at least some money over getting something from a local dealer. In my case, I got an awesome deal on the sub woofer, and a decent, if not great deal, on the 5.0 speakers.

 

[Mark of Cenla]

I would get another Sherwood receiver. I would also check out Sony SS-B3000 speakers. Audio Review.com gives them a rating of 4.67 out of 5. They say, "...these are what you want if you only have $100 to spend on speakers." That leaves you about $200 for a turntable. Good luck. Peace and goodwill.

 

[allen_in_texas]

After much thought and searching and waiting for prices to drop, I ended up going with Imcloud's preferred suggestion, almost verbatim. I've had the setup for a couple of weeks now and, wow, it's exactly what I was hoping for. I really appreciate all the thoughtful advice everyone gave. For the final tally I eeked by just under my $400 price point, and still got everything I wanted. The camelcamelcamel site was a great help. You see that some items switch between two prices, and if you're patient, you can wait for the low one: Pioneer SP-FS52-LR Andrew Jones Designed Floor standing Loudspeaker (each) | Amazon price tracker / tracking, Amazon price history charts, Amazon price watches, Amazon price drop alerts | camelcamelcamel.com

Audiotechnica LP-60: $89
APA 150 (used): $130
Pioneer FS52's: 2 x $87
Total: $393.

A note: the turntable has a built-in preamp. Thanks again to everyone who helped--I appreciate my system very much! Special thanks to Imcloud!

 

[afterlife2]

Enjoy it my friend!

 

[shadyJ]

Looks like you did real good for the money.