combining 6ohm and 8ohm

[guitarist155]

ok i have a hard question , right now i am using htib speakers that are 6ohms, i am going to upgrade a couple speakers at a time starting with the front LR which will most likely be b&w 685's. the b&w's are 8ohms so i would have 8ohm fronts and 6ohm center and surrounds, my receiver has a setting for 6 or 8ohm speakers but not 6-8ohm. so what i am wondering is, is it ok to mix the ohms of the speakers and what would i set the receiver for. i really don't want to damage the b&w's

[Brian Cash]

does the onkyo 605 have a setting to switch the ohms anyone know?

[Metalheadisme]

I actually saw this question on AVS at one point and if I recall, the response was to set it for the lowest load (in this case 6ohms) so the receiver is ready to handle the highest current draw.

I could be wrong, and crack is our resident guru here, but you may want to read up on AVS about this. Yeah, AVS is the last place one would want to go for Blu-ray info, but it is still a wealth of information for everything else!

[guitarist155]

thanks to all for the responses.

brian cash: how to change the speaker impedance is on page 51 of the 605 manual


lol it also says what to set it for if your combining impedances the manual for my pio 517 didn't say anything about it, gotta love onkyo ( no offense to the higher end pio's)

[Brian Cash]

thank you sir will it make a sound quality deff changing to the correct setting or is it just better for the equipment

[MatrixS2000]

Originally Posted by Metalheadisme

I actually saw this question on AVS at one point and if I recall, the response was to set it for the lowest load (in this case 6ohms) so the receiver is ready to handle the highest current draw.

This is the right answer...you want the receiver to be setup for the lowest load.

Setting it up for an 8ohm load and feeding it 6 is not the same as setting it up for 6 ohms and feeding it 8. When it comes to speaker impedence, higher than rated is ok, lower is not.

[MatrixS2000]

Originally Posted by crackinhedz

a 6ohm speaker can handle an 8ohm load, but an 8ohm speaker was not designed for a 6ohm load, or it would be called a 6ohm speaker.

which is why setting Receiver to 8ohm would cover both sets of speakers.

This is not correct. A speaker does not handle load, a speaker is a load - to the receiver (or amplifier). So the receiver needs to be configured for the lowest load, then giving a higher load will not hurt it.

[MatrixS2000]

Originally Posted by Brian Cash

thank you sir will it make a sound quality deff changing to the correct setting or is it just better for the equipment

No sound quality gains, it just protects your equipment from overload.

[guitarist155]

Originally Posted by Brian Cash

thank you sir will it make a sound quality deff changing to the correct setting or is it just better for the equipment

it will keep your equipment from killing it's self there is a big difference in no sound and sound lol.
but really it depends on which way your going with the settings if you are going from 8ohm to 6ohm it will limit the power to keep it from over heating and if you are going from 6ohm to 8 ohm it shouldn't limit the power so you might get a little more wattage out of it.

edit: wow he got three posts in while i was typing this lol

[guitarist155]

Originally Posted by MatrixS2000

This is the right answer...you want the receiver to be setup for the lowest load.

Setting it up for an 8ohm load and feeding it 6 is not the same as setting it up for 6 ohms and feeding it 8. When it comes to speaker impedence, higher than rated is ok, lower is not.

thats is what i thought, i have used this theory in proaudio for speakers of the same imp but i have never mixed speaker impedance. this is all very confusing

[guitarist155]

ok in the onkyo manual i found this "6 ohms: Select if the impedances of all
speakers are between 6 and
16 ohms."

[crackinhedz]

Originally Posted by MatrixS2000

This is not correct. A speaker does not handle load, a speaker is a load - to the receiver (or amplifier). So the receiver needs to be configured for the lowest load, then giving a higher load will not hurt it.

your absolutely right. I had a brain fart.

I was thinking backwards.

[richteer]

Originally Posted by crackinhedz

your absolutely right. I had a brain fart.

I was thinking backwards.

Probably too much Easter chocolate! :-)

[crackinhedz]

Originally Posted by richteer

Probably too much Easter chocolate! :-)

...too much Jesus Wine.

[David Craig]

Originally Posted by guitarist155

ok in the onkyo manual i found this "6 ohms: Select if the impedances of all
speakers are between 6 and
16 ohms."

I have a Yamaha receiver. I believe the manual said to use the 6 ohm setting for a mix of 6 and 8 ohm speakers. The 6 ohm speakers will take the power that the amp is expecting and the 8 ohm speakers will take a bit less power.

Other than that, you might have to reconfigure the sound levels on all speakers to get the right balance but the equipment will be OK.

[MatrixS2000]

Originally Posted by crackinhedz

your absolutely right. I had a brain fart.

I was thinking backwards.

No worries, you have so many posts helping people out that everyone appreciates your input.

[guitarist155]

Originally Posted by MatrixS2000

No worries, you have so many posts helping people out that everyone appreciates your input.

definatly

[gearyt]

Originally Posted by crackinhedz

your absolutely right. I had a brain fart.

I was thinking backwards.

I kow... You're build upside dowm..
Your nose runs and your feet smell

[crackinhedz]

Originally Posted by gearyt

Your nose runs and your feet smell

I know you are but what am I

[kingofgrills]

Just remember to calibrate your sound levels after adjusting your load settings for both 6 and 8 ohm speakers. You'll notice an improvement in your overall surround experience. If you don't have a sound meter, I'd recommend picking one up. Radio Shack carries a couple of decent models.