Same watts at 8 and 4 ohms?


I'm in the market for an integrated amp and trying to sort through tech specs. My understanding of the tech aspects of hi-fi gear is limited. Looking for some clarity in regard to watts-per-channel specs.

It is my understanding that wpc at 4 ohms is typically 1.5x -2x the wpc at 8 ohms.

But I'm seeing a number of respectable mid-fi integrateds with the same wpc for both 8 and 4 ohms. The NAD 388 is one and I think this is true for several of the Cambridge Audio units at a similar price point ($1500-$2000).

The NAD features make a point of saying " 4-ohm stable for use with a wide range of speakers". 

Would appreciate any insight to what these specs mean and what 4 ohm stable really means to me. My speakers are 4 ohm speakers.

Thanks,

George
n80

Showing 10 responses by djones51

I  think the two you mentioned  either NAD C388 or Cambridge 851A would work with those speakers. The Bryston you mentioned is 140 at 8 Ohm and 200 at 4 Ohm if that drives them loud enough for you then the others would. If you use Crutchfield you get a pretty good trial time. 
Most amps you've mentioned are class D so George will do what he does bash class D using a Behringer PA amp as his usual suspect for all class D. If you want boat anchors you're all set but with your criteria of placement and price  most small discrete integrated amps will be class D. There are a few AB the Micromega M100 is class AB in a small package as well as a few others. The NAD C388 should work fine with your speakers. The little 316Bee you mentioned measures 4 and 8 Ohm the same, it's the way they use their power supply with the modified Ncore amps. McIntosh uses autoformers on some integrateds they measure the same watts into 2,4,and 8 Ohms. George won't like the McIntosh either. Here's specs on the 316Bee notice the same 40w at 4 and 8 Ohm. 

  • Continuous output power into 8 ohms and 4 ohms
    40W (ref. 20 Hz-20 kHz at rated THD, both channels driven)
  • THD (20 Hz – 20 kHz)

<0.03 % (250 mW to 40 W, 8 ohms and 4 ohms)

  • Signal-to-Noise Ratio
  • >95 dB (A-weighted, 500 mV input, ref. 1 W out in 8 ohms)
    >97 dB (A-weighted, 500 mV input, unity gain in 32 ohms)
  • Clipping power (at 1 kHz 0.1 % THD)
  • >45 W in 8 ohms
    >60 W in 4 ohms
  • IHF dynamic power
  • 8 ohms: 90 W
    4 ohms: 120 W
    2 ohms: 170 W

Baconboy you can take it for what it's  worth, I’ve read reviews of the NAD C388 driving maggies and other hard to drive speakers. I used the C388 with some Ohm Walsh 2000 and it handled them with ease. You should probably check some maggie threads and see what others use.
The Aerial speakers are not that hard to find an amp for, your criteria limits your choices but you should find something appropriate. If memory serves Crutchfield paid return shipping on a preamp I tried about a year and half ago. I hate doing returns but the with no B&M stores close I've resorted to it a couple of times.
If you haven't found anything yet TMR has a NAD M10 under $2K smaller sleaker design in their Master series. 
With NAD it’s their power supplies and the way they rate. They use 4 Ohm all channels driven over full 20hz-20khz spectrum at certain distortion. They should also show a dynamic rating which will vary by Ohm. For the C388 it’s 250 8 Ohm, 350 4 Ohm and 400 2 Ohm. 4 Ohm speakers need more power from the amplifier than 8 Ohm, the main thing is good power supply in the amp. 
I have 86dB sensitive speakers but they are easy to drive the impedance doesn’t dip below 5.7 Ohm  so it’s somewhat about impedance. I can play these speakers at deafening levels and not tax my 200 W at 8 Ohm integrated amp.
Your speakers don't look like they would be difficult to drive. They only reccomend and amp of 50 watts or higher. I haven't seen measurements of the 6t but stereophile has the 7t looks like it stays mostly between 4 and 8 Ohms. 

Frequency Response 35 Hz to 25 kHz ±2 dB, -6 dB at 30 Hz
Sensitivity 90 dB for 2.83 volts at 1 meter on axis
Impedance 4 ohms, 3 ohms minimum, low reactance
Power Requirements 25 watts minimum, >50 recommended
Woofers Dual 5.9″ (150 mm) with cast magnesium frames, special papyrus blend cone. copper pole sleeve, dual magnets, 1.25″ coil, long and linear Xmax
Midrange 4.8″ (123 mm) with cast magnesium frame, special papyrus blend cone. copper pole sleeve, dual magnets, 1.00″ copper clad aluminum coil
Tweeter 1″ (25 mm) with thick machined aluminum plate, soft ring-dome design with machined wave guide, dual-magnets, 1.00″ coil, copper pole sleeve
Crossover Fourth order acoustic Linkwitz-Riley, 600 Hz and 4,000 Hz crossover frequencies, 2 physically separate networks
Don't know about the sonos but nowadays don't most amps go into some kind of protection mode before blowing up.?