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Impedance Matching - Tube Amp/Speakers

Hi, I am not technical guy, so excuse my questions. This weekend my friend did check bias on my VTL ST-85, which I recently did buy, and he also measured my speakers Dunlavy SM-1. Multimeter showed him that they are 4 ohm spekares (althought, on paper, they should be 6 ohm). He told me that this is not good combination - 4 ohm speakers and tube amp. So, is it safe using VTL ST-85, or tube amps generally, with 4 ohms or 6 ohms speakers? I am really confused because I like sound, but also dont want damage my amp or speakers.
arzach

Showing 2 responses by almarg

almarg's avatar
almarg
9,670 posts
 
What you are reading with the multimeter is the speaker's impedance at a frequency of zero Hertz, or in other words its DC resistance. That will differ significantly from its impedance at audio frequencies, which is what matters.

According to this review "impedance is shown as 3 to 10 ohms, with 6 ohms nominal, which should be an easy load for most amplifiers to drive." I don't think there is any cause for concern, especially given that the amp is rated to drive 4 ohms continuously, and is specified for a recommended load of 3 to 8 ohms.

Regards,
-- Al
almarg's avatar
almarg
9,670 posts
 
Guys, according to the Stereophile review linked to above there is only 1 output tap, "optimized" for 5 ohms, with power output being specified for 4 ohms. Some photos of the rear panel that can be found via Google's image search function appear to confirm that there is only 1 tap.

Unsound, thank you most kindly!

Regards,
-- Al
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