6 ohm Speakers on an 8 ohm Reciever

[tarletonaggie]

I have a Harmon Kardon AVR 247 reciever with some cheap yamaha 6 ohm speakers that i got for christmas and when watching a movie sometimes the speakers distort and I was wondering if the speakers are bad or if it is a 8 ohm to 6 ohm problem or if my reciever is screwing up. I just don't want to spend the money on new speakers if the reciever is going out. The speakers also seem to distort more when I listen to HD audio from my PS3.

[ozzman]

Originally Posted by tarletonaggie

I have a Harmon Kardon AVR 247 reciever with some cheap yamaha 6 ohm speakers that i got for christmas and when watching a movie sometimes the speakers distort and I was wondering if the speakers are bad or if it is a 8 ohm to 6 ohm problem or if my reciever is screwing up. I just don't want to spend the money on new speakers if the reciever is going out. The speakers also seem to distort more when I listen to HD audio from my PS3.

Cheap speakers are just that CHEAP.
Do you have an older receiver around that you can hook up your speakers too.Just to see if it is the speakers? My guess it has nothing to do with ohms

The way i look at it is if its a hum its the receiver if it distortion its the speaker It sounds like there's damage with the speakers,but ive been wrong before



Here's his receiver

http://www.harmankardon.com/product_...prod=AVR%20247

[lojack1976]

I just got that same receiver, and from reading the manual I didn't see it stated anywhere that it will run 6ohm speakers. I wouldn't use anything other 8ohm speakers with this receiver since it isn't designed for 6ohm. Yamaha speakers aren't anything special, but they are decent budget speakers. The problem is that nearly all of their speakers are 6ohm and they even pull a lot on receivers that are rated to run 6ohm speakers making them run hotter.

I hate to break it to you but you need to just suck it up and buy some new speakers. You don't have to break the bank, but you need to buy some quality speakers. There's no need to have a nice receiver with mediocre speakers anyway. I'm budget conscious and I can't resist a good deal. I just got a great deal on an Energy Act6 speaker package on Ebay. Its brand new and I got it for $199 shipped! This same set used to retail for $899. Check out THIS item number on Ebay. You can make an offer of $160 and get it for the same price I did. Check it out.

[Twitch9]

running a 6ohm speaker on an 8ohm load will do no damage to either speaker or receiver, it sounds like it's a speaker problem.

[lojack1976]

Originally Posted by Twitch9

running a 6ohm speaker on an 8ohm load will do no damage to either speaker or receiver, it sounds like it's a speaker problem.

I don't think it would be ideal either since they will definitely be pulling more current. I have an Onkyo 605 which is rated for 6ohm use, but I definitely wouldn't do it. The receiver runs hot enough at 8ohms for me. I'm certainly no expert, but wouldn't those Yamaha's be a bit underpowered by this receiver anyway? When I considered buying a cheap Yamaha set for my bedroom I vaguely recalled them not being very efficient. Wouldn't that result in distortion at louder volumes if they are underpowered? Just curious. Anybody running Yamaha speakers that can tell me more about them?

[callas01]

Try this and then save up for a decent sub, check out the acoustic audio thread in the subwoofers section. I would say it is a speaker problem that you are having too, and personally, I don't know if short term there would be an issue running those speakers you have on the reciever you have, but there could be long term effects, and I don't personally believe in running things that don't match up. I feel better safe then sorry.

[ITPhoenix]

I had a cheap 8 ohm receiver hooked up to cheap 6 ohm speakers and it blew up an amp channel. If you want the receiver, don't use those speakers.

I'm sure the HK is much nicer than the receiver I had; however, I wouldn't risk it. At the very least, the current increase, as noted above, might cause you to trigger a protection device in the amp (fuse, clipping, etc.).

[callas01]

Originally Posted by tarletonaggie

I have a Harmon Kardon AVR 247 reciever with some cheap yamaha 6 ohm speakers that i got for christmas and when watching a movie sometimes the speakers distort and I was wondering if the speakers are bad or if it is a 8 ohm to 6 ohm problem or if my reciever is screwing up. I just don't want to spend the money on new speakers if the reciever is going out. The speakers also seem to distort more when I listen to HD audio from my PS3.

you know come to think of it I saw a switcher type thing that let you run speakers at one ohm and your reciever at another, I saw it while making a sales call at a place that did cabinets, but they expanded into HT products too. I think it did 3 or 6 speakers.....

Does anyone know what I am talking about? I think I will make another appearance there and try to get the name and stuff....

[Y-SO-BLU-RAY]

o i c what u were talking about now

[Squozen]

I hooked my 4- and 6-ohm speakers to the cheapest piece of garbage receiver and ran with no problems for over a year. I'd say the speakers are probably just rubbish.

One possibility is that you've adjusted the levels of the speakers up when doing a calibration, which might be overloading the amp's preamp section.

[ozzman]

Originally Posted by tarletonaggie

I have a Harmon Kardon AVR 247 reciever with some cheap yamaha 6 ohm speakers that i got for christmas and when watching a movie sometimes the speakers distort and I was wondering if the speakers are bad or if it is a 8 ohm to 6 ohm problem or if my reciever is screwing up. I just don't want to spend the money on new speakers if the reciever is going out. The speakers also seem to distort more when I listen to HD audio from my PS3.

I also suggest for you to look at your Treble and Bass settings in the reciever .Turn them down you might have them cranked . See if that helps with the distortion .

The truth is ,i have a funny feeling your going to shop for speaker soon.

let us know if you have tried these suggestions.We can't help you if you don't reply back

[tarletonaggie]

Sorry I havent been replying back I have been very busy writing a couple of papers for school, which thankfully are my last papers of the semester.
I did manage to get the distorting down a little bit by messing with the crossover in the receiver. I will prob be buying a new center channel speaker and was wondering if yall could give me a couple of good budget speakers as I am in college and have very little money at the moment. Thank yall for all of yalls help.

[David Craig]

I believe the 6 ohm speakers will work OK with an 8 ohm receiver.

The speakers will draw a bit more power and you might need to have the volume knob set a little higher than if they were 8 ohm speakers.

Nothing should malfunction. You are safe.

[Big Daddy]

Originally Posted by David Craig

I believe the 6 ohm speakers will work OK with an 8 ohm receiver.

The speakers will draw a bit more power and you might need to have the volume knob set a little higher than if they were 8 ohm speakers.

Nothing should malfunction. You are safe.

The low impedance speakers will draw more CURRENT (not more power) and you should do the opposite of what you suggest. If the receiver/amplifier cannot handle low impedance speakers, then you should turn the volume down to avoid over-heating.

If we know the value of the load resistance, we can derive the current flow by measuring the voltage. The receiver/amplifier acts for the most part as a voltage source. If there is a source voltage of 20 volts and if the loudspeaker has an impedance of 8 ohms, then the power delivered by the receiver/amplifier can be calculated from Ohm’s law:

P = V . I, and since I = V / R, P = V^2 / R

Where:

P = Power in Watts
V = Voltage in Volts
I = Current in Amperes
R = Resistance or Impedance in Ohms (Ω)

P = V^2 / R = (20) . (20) / 8 = 50 Watts

If the same 20 volts source voltage is applied to a 4 ohm loudspeaker, then the power delivered by the receiver/amplifier will be:

P = V^2 / R = (20) . (20) / 4 = 100 Watts

As the impedance drops, the demand for current to be delivered by the amplifier increases. So, if you change from an 8 Ohm speaker to a 4 Ohm speaker, the current doubles when the voltage is held constant. Therefore, if you choose a low impedance speaker (4 Ohms nominal), make sure that your receiver/amplifier can supply the current that will be necessary to drive the speaker at high listening levels.

For additional information, read Impedance & Sensitivity of a Speaker. It has a sticky in Speakers section.

[David Craig]

Originally Posted by Big Daddy

The low impedance speakers will draw more CURRENT (not more power) and you should do the opposite of what you suggest. If the receiver/amplifier cannot handle low impedance speakers, then you should turn the volume down to avoid over-heating.

If we know the value of the load resistance, we can derive the current flow by measuring the voltage. The receiver/amplifier acts for the most part as a voltage source. If there is a source voltage of 20 volts and if the loudspeaker has an impedance of 8 ohms, then the power delivered by the receiver/amplifier can be calculated from Ohm’s law:

P = V . I, and since I = V / R, P = V^2 / R

Where:

P = Power in Watts
V = Voltage in Volts
I = Current in Amperes
R = Resistance or Impedance in Ohms (Ω)

P = V^2 / R = (20) . (20) / 8 = 50 Watts

If the same 20 volts source voltage is applied to a 4 ohm loudspeaker, then the power delivered by the receiver/amplifier will be:

P = V^2 / R = (20) . (20) / 4 = 100 Watts

As the impedance drops, the demand for current to be delivered by the amplifier increases. So, if you change from an 8 Ohm speaker to a 4 Ohm speaker, the current doubles when the voltage is held constant. Therefore, if you choose a low impedance speaker (4 Ohms nominal), make sure that your receiver/amplifier can supply the current that will be necessary to drive the speaker at high listening levels.

For additional information, read Impedance & Sensitivity of a Speaker. It has a sticky in Speakers section.

I'll never argue with a guy called Big Daddy.

Thanks.

[jleholeho]

Hey guys,
please advise me with this issue:
what´d be the better combination? - Pioneer VSX-1020 + Pioneer S-V50-G 5.1 speaker set
http://www.pioneer.eu/eur/products/6...0-G/specs.html
or
JAMO S 426 HCS3
http://www.jamo.com/na-en/products/s...3-description/
+ JAMO 200W woofer

I can get either of them for reasonable price, just unsure about the impedance and performance..Pioneers are classic 8 ohms whereas JAMOs are 6 ohms, though the VSX-1020 should run them both..
thanks

[5seconds]

I'm partial to Jamo, so that would be my recomendation, though I would go with a Subwoofer from Elemental Designs, SVS, HSU etc over the Jamo. I would jump at that speaker package though!

I have had 2 sets of 6ohm speakers (all Jamo) hooked up to 3 different Harman Kardon recievers (AVR 135, AVR 254 and AVR 2600) and all worked flawlessley. I even wrote to H/K early on to ask about how their recievers drive 6 ohm speakers, and their reply was:

"Thank you for your inquiry. Harman Kardon receivers are designed to work best with speakers rated at 8 ohms. All Harman Kardon Audio/Video receivers can handle MOST 4 and 6 ohm speakers on the market today. However, there are some manufacturers' speakers that have a minimum impedance WELL BELOW the 4 and 6 ohm nominal impedance, when being fed a signal. In this situation, the receiver will attempt to protect itself by having the fan turn on. In the extreme case, the unit will protect itself by shutting down, and go into standby mode. This is an indication that the speaker in question is not compatible with our receiver.

*Note: The continued use of the receiver with speakers that cause it to shut down can result in eventual failure of the receiver, which is not covered by the warranty.*

If you are concerned with using the speakers with this receiver, you can purchase an Impedance Matching Speaker Selector Box, which will allow you to connect any speakers to this box, while the receiver constantly sees a specific load (these boxes come in different values, i.e. 4/6/8/16 ohms). You can find these boxes in most electronics parts stores or online at http://www.russound.com or http://www.nilesaudio.com/mobile.php. "