No, Chris; the people who ran a lab test on the 606(see the excellent
HomeTheater Magazine lab test and review)don't "know" of this 4 ohm problem either. Note the substantial power measured into 4 ohms at the more realistic 2-channels driven standard measurement. Many owners report using similar receivers with satisfaction on speakers more difficult to drive than the M80s.
In my view it's an excess of caution to allow the choice of receiver to veto the choice of speaker. A problem shouldn't be assumed that may never develop if the equipment is used sensibly.
John, can you please "dumb down" the HomeTheaterMag review results for me? Is "two channels driving 8-ohm loads, reaches 0.1 percent distortion at 115.3 watts and 1 percent distortion at 141.4 watts. Into 4 ohms, the amplifier reaches 0.1 percent distortion at 162.9 watts and 1 percent distortion at 222.1 watts" a good thing?
One thing I didn't take into account is mixing 4 ohm(M80) and 8 ohm(QS8, VP150) speakers together in a surround sound setup. Is that even possible with my receiver? My inner voice is telling me to lean towards M60s at this point. At the same time it's wondering why M60 owners more often than not tend to eventually upgrade to M80s...
Oh well... I think I'll take Jay's advice and plan a road trip to Axiom and let my ears decide. As soon as we get some good weather here in Toronto, that is... Maybe June???
