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4 OHM speakers with an 8 OHM amplifier?

Hey all,

I came across some interesting speakers... they are bang & Olufsen from the late 60's.. I discovered they have SEAS drivers which I hear are not bad?

Here's my question... they are rated 4 OHMS..

My Conrad Johnson MF200 is rated at 8 OHMS.. 200 watts.

Is this safe or OK to try?? Will it damage my amp?

I am holding off on even trying such a thing until I get the right answers..

I sent an email to CJ but they are in the middle of a move...

Any and all insight would be GREATLY appreciated!

Thanks!!!!
128x128joethekid72
6 responses Add your response
atmasphere's avatar
atmasphere
11,794 posts
 
Be careful with the volume control! Those B&Os were probably not expecting to see a lot of power- power was really expensive in the 1960s...
unsound
7,329 posts
 
It will probably be OK. Not knowing whether or not that 4 Ohm rating for these speakers is nominal or minimal, or what the sensitivity of the speakers are, how large the room is, or what volume levels you seek in that room, or perhaps to a lesser extent what the previous components in the chain outputs are, it's hard to make guarantees. While c-j has made some very nice sounding ss amps, they haven't been textbook examples of ss output into lower impedances compared to some of the competition.
mechans
3,048 posts
 
Yes, no problem, go for it. I would caution you however to make sure the woofer surrounds are intact.
mofimadness's avatar
mofimadness
4,982 posts
 
Agree with Bdgregory. Absolutely no problem with that amp into those speakers..at all.
skootb
68 posts
 
stereophile measurements on the MF200 at 4ohm:

http://www.stereophile.com/content/conrad-johnson-mf-200-power-amplifier-measurements
bdgregory
1,712 posts
 
the MF200 is a solid state amp that should be fine driving 4 ohms, maybe even 2 ohms.
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