@hoosierinohio Ah ok. I see that the impedance is 4 ohms. Is that what u are referring to ? So I would need to hook them up to 4. Ohms for maximum performance.
4 8 or 16 ohms.
Hi group I just purchased the Audio Research REF 750s mono amps. On the back for the speaker terminals are 3 sets of binding posts. 4 8 and 16 ohms. I will be using B&W Matrix 800 speakers. I believe they are 8 ohms but not 💯 sure. I looked in the manual but can’t find anything about ohms. Someone said to me it does not matter what ohms I connect my speakers to. He said just use the ones (ohms) that sound best. Does that seem right to do ? I don’t want to damage my speakers or amps. BTW if it matters I will be using an Audio Research REF 6SE pre amp.
Showing 10 responses by tattooedtrackman
@elliottbnewcombjr Thank you Elliott. I appreciate it. 👍 |
@rodman99999 Ty Rodman. I definitely will !! 👍 |
@fundsgon 😂😂😂🤷♂️🤷♂️🤷♂️ |
@larryi Thank u for another great explanation of this. I very much appreciated it. 👍 |
@curiousjim Thank you Jim. I’ve heard those other words also from my wife. 😂 |
Thank you everyone for this explanation of ohms. I’ve been putting together sound systems since I was a teen but never bothered or had the need to understand this until now. One of my friends just gave me another example of this. I think it was a good one too so I will write what he wrote. Short answer try 4 and 8 ohms. The difference between 4 8 and 16 is how much electrical energy there is to drive all the speakers. 4 ohms is a heavier load than 16 ohms. A 4 ohm speaker will extract more power from your amplifier than an 8 ohm speaker , about twice as much. Think of pushing a heavy ball up a hill. The load. The woofers take the heaviest load and take the most power to move. Most box speakers like B&W are 8 ohms settings overall but dip to 4 ohms. Other types of speakers like 16 ohms. That’s why the amp has different settings. If u connect just the two 800 bottom woofers it needs 8 ohms. But if u connect the top two woofers also it is twice the load so 4 ohms is needed. The bass should be strongest with 4 ohms. But u should also try 8 ohms. With 8 ohms the highs might sound clearer u will hear more detail but the bass will be leaner. If u put it on 16 ohms it will really sound lean. It’s all subjective to the music u like and what u prefer. So try 4 and 8 ohms. You need to understand with a tube amp it works harder with 4 ohms. The tubes will have the least life in hours. It is opposite to the Krell FPB 600 u had. With the Krell design 4 ohms is easier. But it still sucks a lot of power and 16 ohms is harder on a Krell amp. Just different designs. Your speakers actually dip to 2 ohms at some frequencies. The Krell was made for the 800s and provides a very punchy bass. It will be interesting to see how the ARC amp compares. It’s not about how much wattage but the quality of watts. You can drive the 800s with a 100 - 200 watt amp. Hope this helps. |
@ieales No I didn’t audition them never heard them live before but I read a lot about them. I’ve wanted them for years |
@ieales Yes I did buy them used. Previous owner put on 600 hrs on tubes and only had to bias them one time. I also bought a brand new set of matched (40) KT150s brand new from the seller that was bought from Audio Research. |
@atmasphere Thank you very much for your feed back. It is most appreciated. |