help this noob

PolkFan1
PolkFan1 Posts: 130
edited December 2009 in 2 Channel Audio
I have a harman kardon hk3480 receiver. it says it can do 4ohms however there is no selector switch or anything to change the impedence. on the back it just says speaker 1 8ohm and speaker 2 8ohm...do i just plug in the 4ohm speakers and thats it?

also... i was looking at 6ohm speakers , particularly monitor audio silver series.how do i go about driving these? i cannot find any receivers or amps that say they do 6ohms..its always usually 8 or 4...
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  • wutadumsn23
    wutadumsn23 Posts: 3,702
    edited December 2009
    You should have an option to change the Ohm setting in your AVR's menu. Speaker setup or something to that effect. Most companies deal with 4 ohm and 8 ohm since those are the 2 most common these days, but any AVR will power a 6 ohm speaker if it has an option to power a 4 ohm speaker. If you are able to change the settings around see if it has a 6 ohm setting, if not just use the 8 ohm one. Welcome to Club Polk.

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  • Pauly
    Pauly Posts: 4,519
    edited December 2009
    The AVR handles the loads... Hook em up and jam out


    Pauly
    Life without music would♭
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  • PolkFan1
    PolkFan1 Posts: 130
    edited December 2009
    Wouldn't it be safer to run 6ohm speakers using an amps 4ohm setting?

    If I were to use the 8ohm setting wouldnt the 6ohm speakers be overworking the amp?
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  • thuffman03
    thuffman03 Posts: 1,325
    edited December 2009
    If says it can handle a 4 ohm load then it should without any issues.

    specs that I found are:

    120 Watt - 8 Ohm - 20 - 20000 Hz - THD 0.07%
    150 Watt - 4 Ohm - 20 - 20000 Hz - THD 0.2%

    IMO no need to worry about 8, 6 or 4 ohm.
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  • cnh
    cnh Posts: 13,284
    edited December 2009
    Pauly's right that receiver is 4 ohm capable and does not need to be switched into that mode as I understand it....it'll play whatever you hook up to it....and remember that 8 ohm loads themselves are not stable they will dip below, etc..

    cnh
    Currently orbiting Bowie's Blackstar.!

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  • gdb
    gdb Posts: 6,012
    edited December 2009
    If you're going to drive 4 separate speakers, I'd suggest using only 8ohm ones, I think it'll be easier on the receiver. Do you have the manual ??
    Here's a review with specs:

    http://reviews.cnet.com/av-receivers/harman-kardon-hk-3480/4505-6466_7-30920363.html
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  • PolkFan1
    PolkFan1 Posts: 130
    edited December 2009
    i dont want to drive 4 separate speakers. I was looking into new speakers and came across 6 ohm ones. However, I was confused because I wasnt sure what to set the receiver's impedance to. There is no switch or button I can press at all , I looked everywhere. Guess I will just keep in on the 8ohm as suggested.
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  • Pauly
    Pauly Posts: 4,519
    edited December 2009
    if your just gonna run a pair of speakers only it should handle with a problem unless you are abusing your volume knob. :)


    Pauly
    Life without music would♭
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  • PolkFan1
    PolkFan1 Posts: 130
    edited December 2009
    what the heck...just got email from hk from same question i asked them..

    Thank you for your email. Unfortunately, 6 ohms speaker will not work with HK 3480.



    Sincerely,

    Rupesh

    HCG Customer Support
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  • cnh
    cnh Posts: 13,284
    edited December 2009
    Sounds like Rupesh (in Bangalore) needs to read his English manuals a bit more thoroughly....I don't know of an AVR that won't drive a 6 ohm load??? Can't think of one off hand!

    cnh
    Currently orbiting Bowie's Blackstar.!

    Polk Lsi-7s, Def Tech 8" sub, HK 3490, HK HD 990 (CDP/DAC), AKG Q701s
    [sig. changed on a monthly basis as I rotate in and out of my stash]
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  • rallyshark
    rallyshark Posts: 417
    edited December 2009
    +1
    Rupesh = Dumbass
    You will be just fine running 4,6,8 ohms:)
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  • dudeinaroom
    dudeinaroom Posts: 3,609
    edited December 2009
    If that thing has a switch/setting for 4 ohm speaker, you will want to switch it to 4 ohms you don't cook the output stage. You can run 8 ohm speakers on 4 ohm equipment, not the other way around. Switching it to 4 ohms will cut the voltage to the transistors or mosfets so they do not burn up. the power ratting should stay the same or be a little better depending on how much voltage they cut. Just remember the lower the nominal ohm rating the harder they are to drive.
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