6ohms vs 8ohms?

Question

I am looking for a new receiver. I already have speakers, but they are rated for 6 Ohms. The receivers I am looking at are all 8 Ohms. Is this important?

Answer 1

It is the speakers and not the receiver that determine Ohms. What I mean to say is that the receivers specifications are telling you what the power is IF you have 8 Ohm speakers. It is NOT telling you that the receiver has an 8 Ohm amp. If you dig deeper into the manual, usually on the last couple of pages, you will probably see rating for watts at different Ohm ratings. At 6 Ohms your receiver will put out more power but with more distortion (although it probably won't be noticeable until you hit very loud levels). Drop the Ohm level too much and you drop below the amps ability to remain stable and it shuts off (preferably) or catches fire.( maybe.)

The specs most receivers show are for 8 Ohms because that is the most common speaker resistance.

Answer 2

Your 8 Ohm source will feed the 6 Ohm load just fine. It's not perfect but will not damage anything assuming you don't push it close to 100%.

  Good luck!

Answer 3

It should be okay.  As long as your speakers don't have a minimum rating below 4 Ohms.  Most receivers nowadays, even though they may be rated at 8 Ohms, are compatible with the majority of "6-Ohm nominal" speakers.

If you want to be on the safe side, find a receiver that offers a rated power into 4 Ohms, and you should be in the clear.  Other than that, if you do end up getting a receiver that says "8 Ohms only" check it when you have the volume up to make sure it doesn't get too much warmer than when you have the volume at normal levels.

Just to note, most receivers have a protection circuit just in case you do overdrive the on-board amp.  So if your receiver goes into protection mode, it could very well be that your speakers are drawing too much from the receiver.

Happy listening!