4 Ohm Speaker with an "8 Ohm Minimum" Reciever


I recently put together a small system consisting of a NAD L54 receiver and a pair of Totem Dreamcatchers. The Dreamcatchers are a 4 Ohm Speaker. The NAD Manual states that the speakers should be 8 ohm minimum. Of course, I did not now this until I purchased everything and had all the components delivered. I would hate to sell the speakers, but I am worried I will damage the receiver.
If I use the system, am I risking damage ? The room that the system is in is very small, and the system will be played at low levels. Thank you.
red68

Showing 1 response by sfar

I don't know if this is useful in your situation but I used to have a pair of older Monitor Audio 4-ohm speakers that worked quite well with a Parasound amp. When I switched speakers I sold the Monitor Audio's to a friend who planned to use them in his new house.

When he hooked them up to his inexpensive multichannel receiver it almost immediately shut down every time he turned it on. Fortunately, the receiver had an overload protection circuit. I went over to have a look and noticed he was using 18 gauge lamp cord for speaker cable. When we replaced it with the same 12 gauge cable I had been using it worked fine and he's still using the combination several years later. The speakers were just pulling too much juice through too small a wire and the resistance was causing major overheating.