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4 ohm vs 8 ohm taps

I just had my CJ MV75A1 tube amp rebuilt and the tech put on new binding posts and put the 4 ohm taps on them. I always thought 8 ohms was the most common but I dont know much about this subject. Two two sets of speakers I would use with the amp are either my Vandersteen 2CIs or my Klipsch La Scalas which with the new crossovers are 8 ohms . My other amps are all running the 8 ohm taps right now. I could use enlightening on this whole subject. Carl
solarcarl
inpepinnovations1e75
395 posts
 
No, Eldartford, the person saying that attaching an 8 ohm speaker to the 4 ohm tap will cause distortion because the tubes will 'see' a different impedence than if the speaker were attached to the 8 ohm tap, is wrong! When in doubt, use the lower tap, the worse that will happen is a loss of ultimate power transfer, but with lower distortion.
Respectfully, Bob P.
eldartford
4,262 posts
 
inpepinnovations@aol.com...Have a nice day.
tubesandthiels
1 posts
 
I have a similar situation. I have a CJ MV60 with a 4 ohm tap and 8 ohm speakers. I called Conrad Johnson and they advised me that in most cases, the 4 ohm tap sounds better.
solarcarl OP
3 posts
 
I just answered my own question. I compared taps and sound quality and in my case the Vandy 2CIs sounded vastly better on 8 ohms with a fuller sound and more bass punch. Thanks for all the feedback on this subject.
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