Amp speaker ratings 4 ohm issue
NeilGabriel
Posts: 1,487
I am trying to use one of my power sources for some Lsi9s, or pick up something new/used. I have a Carver CM-1090 and the manual gives it a rating of 100 watts into 8 ohms and 150 into 4 ohms. Great, I can use it for the 9s. Wait, on the back of the amp, it says minimum of 8 ohms for A or B speakers, 16 ohms for A+B. So, why does manual give a 4 ohm rating?
Any suggestions on used 4 ohm stable receiver or int. amp that I can pick up for a reaonable amount to run these speakers?
Any suggestions on used 4 ohm stable receiver or int. amp that I can pick up for a reaonable amount to run these speakers?
Post edited by NeilGabriel on
Comments
-
No idea about the Carver, that's kind of strange. If I were to guess, the 4 ohm rating is probably there as an indication that it can play 8 ohm nominal speakers with weird impedance curves.
As for other amps, the usual candidates apply, Carver and Adcom both offer you the 200 wpc that you'll want for little dough.Lovin that music year after year.
Main 2 Channel System
Polk SDA-1B,
Promitheus Audio TVC SE,
Rotel RB-980BX,
OPPO DV-970HD,
Lite Audio DAC AH,
IXOS XHA305 Interconnects
Computer Rig
Polk SDA CRS+,
Creek Audio 5350 SE,
Morrow Audio MA1 Interconnect,
HRT Music Streamer II -
NeilGabriel wrote: »I am trying to use one of my power sources for some Lsi9s, or pick up something new/used. I have a Carver CM-1090 and the manual gives it a rating of 100 watts into 8 ohms and 150 into 4 ohms. Great, I can use it for the 9s. Wait, on the back of the amp, it says minimum of 8 ohms for A or B speakers, 16 ohms for A+B. So, why does manual give a 4 ohm rating?
Any suggestions on used 4 ohm stable receiver or int. amp that I can pick up for a reaonable amount to run these speakers?
Carver has a rep of being pretty beefy. I say experiment a little bit and try it out to see how it does with the LSi's using your usual listening level, room and position. If it cooks or trips the protection several times or just sounds off then you know you need to move up the ladder.
H9"Appreciation of audio is a completely subjective human experience. Measurements can provide a measure of insight, but are no substitute for human judgment. Why are we looking to reduce a subjective experience to objective criteria anyway? The subtleties of music and audio reproduction are for those who appreciate it. Differentiation by numbers is for those who do not".--Nelson Pass Pass Labs XA25 | EE Avant Pre | EE Mini Max Supreme DAC | MIT Shotgun S1 | Pangea AC14SE MKII | Legend L600 | BlueSound Node 3 - Tubes add soul! -
Carver has a rep of being pretty beefy. I say experiment a little bit and try it out to see how it does with the LSi's using your usual listening level, room and position. If it cooks or trips the protection several times or just sounds off then you know you need to move up the ladder.
H9
I'll second this. I'm thinking you'll be just fine. -
Thanks a bunch. I still need to drive a few hundred miles to get the Lsi9s. Was thinking I would hook up some 8 ohms speakers in parallel and see what happened with the Carver.
-
So, I hooked up a pair of 8 ohm speakers in parallel and cranked up the Carver. I ran it low and then as loud as I could stand (well, loud anyway) for about 15 minutes...and it played fine, nothing popped, cracked, shut down....the amp was warm, but not much....the sound was good...clear, no clipping, etc.......so I'm good to run some 4 ohm speakers with it?
-
That would depend on what you mean by "run".
Remember, a Bentley is a super fast... luxurious... expensive car. But if you constantly do donuts in it, you'll break something.
That amp and the LSi9 should be a superb match. If you blast Pantera at 110db and then complain about something breaking... well... we'll horsewhip you.
Congrats, and enjoy! That's a mighty fine setup you've got there from what I can tell so far.
