powerering 4 ohm speakers

[dstewart559]

Does any one know the proper way to power 4 ohm speakers. Are there receivers that can handle the load or is it better to use an additional amp??
Thanks,
Dan

[F1nut]

Yes, there are receivers rated to drive 4 ohm loads.

[VR3]

There are...

But it is much more cost effective to go seperates

[Frank Z]

Yes it can be done with the proper receiver, or a seperate amp. It really boils down to what your budget is.

[bbeacham]

I have LSI 4 ohm speakers all around, LSi15 front, LSiC center, LSi 7 rears. Using the Denon 3805 it would get hotter than Hades at even low volume levels. It sounded great but the heat seemed abnormal. I kept a fan on it when I used it. I replaced the Denon with a Sony STR-DA5000ES digital amp. This cranks out the power and it never even gets slightly warm. Additionally, the sound is much more clear, open, precise, and detailed as compared to the Denon.

[gregure]

If you're going to go w/ 4 Ohm speakers, you'll need some nice gear. A Denon would be ok, but separates or a really nice receiver would be better.

If you want the convenience of a receiver, look for a B&K 507 or 505 (depending on whether you want 5.1 or 7.1) on clearance. Most places have cleared them out, but you may find one still. I got my 507 for $2300, but list is $3k.

Arcam AVR300 is getting great reviews, and that's a bit over $2k as well.

NAD T773 is a fine unit as well, which would really do your 4 ohm speakers justice. Not sure of the price, but I think it's in the $2k range, perhaps a bit less.

For separates, Outlaw Audio would be the cheapest, but also outstanding quality. The pre 950 is $800 and either the 7100 amp for $900-165 wpc, or the 770 for $1800 at 300 wpc into 4 Ohms.

Also, some new units out right now are getting some attention, and I was told by a local high end dealer that the pre is the best he's ever heard. These are the new Sherwood units, and you can read about them here. (http://www.sherwoodusa.com/nc_cat_hts.html)
That would be a $3k investemnt.

All expensive recommendations, I know, but if you want truly great sound, you have to pay for it. Personally, I don't think the LSi series sounds good on less than adequate equipment, and I would group the Denon in that category. I even found the LSi 9's to sound a little constricted run off a Harman Kardon 7300 receiver, and that costs over $2k.

Hope that helps.

[dstewart559]

Thanks for all of the helpful info. The speakers in question are the Polk in-wall LC80i. I would be using 3 pair for surround sound and was wondering if it would just be easier to go with the TC80i's that have virtually the same specs but are rated at 8 ohms.

[Mjr7531]

what are you going to be using them with?
RTi series? Definatly go with the TC80i's
but if you are going with LSi, go with the original plan and beef up your amp.

[amulford]

Sunfire Ultimate Receiver - 200WPC @ 8 OHMS/ 400 WPC @ 4 OHMS

[dorokusai]

Originally posted by bbeacham
I have LSI 4 ohm speakers all around, LSi15 front, LSiC center, LSi 7 rears. Using the Denon 3805 it would get hotter than Hades at even low volume levels. It sounded great but the heat seemed abnormal. I kept a fan on it when I used it. I replaced the Denon with a Sony STR-DA5000ES digital amp. This cranks out the power and it never even gets slightly warm. Additionally, the sound is much more clear, open, precise, and detailed as compared to the Denon.

That's a strong recomendation for the new Sony ES series, it's nice to hear about it.

Dstewart - You have alot of info available at your discretion here, and on the internet. Solidify you budget, and limit your choices.

[chenj16]

sorry maybe off topic... but I have a question, is HK receiver 4ohm stable? Spec doesn't mention it and I don't find any reviews talked about the impedance.. thank you!

[Sami]

Originally posted by chenj16
sorry maybe off topic... but I have a question, is HK receiver 4ohm stable? Spec doesn't mention it and I don't find any reviews talked about the impedance.. thank you!
Yes they are. At least my 7200 is and it is happy driving 5 LSi7's. Doesn't even get hot on 3 hour high volume movie.

[chenj16]

Thanks Sami, Since I just got a pair of cheap speakers, and noticed that they are 4ohm with 60w power handling and 100w peak sth like that. My AVR-310 is 60w@8ohm, so I'm wonder if I'm safe to powering them, if not, will blow speakers or receiver?

btw, it's a pair of B&W V201 little speakers, I hardly can find any info about this model online...

[Mjr7531]

Originally posted by chenj16
Thanks Sami, Since I just got a pair of cheap speakers, and noticed that they are 4ohm with 60w power handling and 100w peak sth like that. My AVR-310 is 60w@8ohm, so I'm wonder if I'm safe to powering them, if not, will blow speakers or receiver?

btw, it's a pair of B&W V201 little speakers, I hardly can find any info about this model online...

Depends on your volume levels, Depends on your volume levels, and the receiver should go into a protect mode of some sort.

Many people here have been driving their LSi speakers on Denons, which are not 4 ohm receivers by any means, just at quiet levels, also, you can blow speakers at any given amount of power, that is, distortion-laden power, as a rule of thumb, more power is better as it give you more head-room, and clean power to work with. From there on out, use common sense, turn it down when it sounds like crap.

[Whadyasay]

I'm using a Marantz MM9000 5-ch power amp with my Denon 2805 as a preamp/proc, for LSi's all around, and the amp still hardly gets warm. It's a great way to go and you can still find the Marantz's around for very good prices. There are also a bunch of Adcom amps on the used market for great prices. I don't think Denon receiver amps in general are a good choice with 4-ohm speakers, unless we're talking the beastie-models like the 4805 and 5805. By that price point, you'd still do better with separates.