Axiom Home Page Forums General Discussion Technical Questions M60 or M80- the ohms thing!

I am about to get my first 'real thing'. I am torn between the M80 with 4ohms and the M60 with 8ohms. Here are my questions and comments:
(a)Does the ohms determine the type of receiver you buy? Can someone brief me about the effect of ohms on receivers? I thought the lower 4ohms would be 'soft' on receivers but I am reading that it might heat receivers up and destroy them.
(b)Which receivers are best with the M80 and
(c)are there any significant differences in sound quality between the M80 and the M60? I do not want to change speakers in the near futre and I want the best at once.
Thanks

Kay,

The Ohms rating on a speaker effects how diffucult it is for an amplifier to push current through it, or how "resistive" of a load the speaker is. A 4 Ohm rating has the potential to be a problem for lower end amplifiers and could cause them to shut down. The M80s are a fairly efficient load and are said to be an easy 4 Ohm speaker to drive.

That being said, it seems that the Denon, H/K, and Yamaha receivers can be used with the M80s without any issues. I have a NAD receiver that drives a 4 Ohm load with no issues, and would also add Arcam and Rotel to your audition list if you have the budget.

I can't help on the M80 versus M60 issue, but if you plan on the M80s, stick with a good name receiver and you should have no problems. Regards,

Hi Kay,

Large tower speakers with many drivers like the M80s often have a 4-ohm impedance. A 4-ohm load causes more current to flow through the output transistors so they run hotter, and it makes greater demands on the power supply of A/V receivers that have five or seven built-in amplifiers. Impedance has nothing to do with sound quality. It is an electrical characteristic.

Consequently, I recommend only Denon, Harman/Kardon and new NAD to drive the M80s. I'm still skeptical of the new Yamaha 1400 & 2400 because we don't have enough feedback yet. Many other brands will not drive the M80s without protection circuitry shut-down or severe current-limiting, which limits the output power of the receiver to a fraction of its usual output.

The M60s are an easy 8-ohm load that any A/V brand will drive with no problems. The M80s have a very similar tonal balance to the M60s, but somewhat greater deep bass extension and output. They will also play extremely loud in big rooms and have huge power handling (700 watts per channel or more).

Regards,

make sure you're not getting the m80 just because it's 20 numerical spots above 60. that does_not_mean it's better than the 60.

not only should you match speakers with your equipment, but also with the size of your room. some m80 users mention that they listen to more stereo sources than home theatre sources.

Yes, the size of your room should be taken into consideration when deciding between the M80s and the M60s. If you have an average sized room with normal 8 foot ceilings, the M60s should suffice. If you have a really large room with a cathedral ceiling, the 80s might be a better choice.

As Alan (our resident expert, by the way) points out, the 60s will allow you more options when choosing a receiver. With the 80s you have to be a bit more careful to get a receiver that can do the job.

I'm a strange case as I live in a small apartment (400sq feet including bathroom, closets and kitchen), but I have

M80's
VP150
QS8's
EP350

the reason why is these speakers will be with me for 5 to 10 years and i will eventually have a large place. There's no harm in having a speaker that is too big (you can jsut turn the volume down). But a speaker that is too small will sound thin.

I am running a Denon 1602 to power these speakers. Its newer model (1604?) retails for maybe $600 CAD. I have NEVER experienced a circuit shutdown even if I play the M80's set to large for a few hours. (that means all bass will play through themain speakers. a Small setting sends bass below 80hz to the subwoofer).

M60's and M80's do sound almost the same... and they sound absolutely amazing. The B&W equivalent costs about $5000.

kay, did you look here to see if there is an opportunity for you to have a local audition? Also, you might want to contact Amie to see if she can halp arrange an audition. I think hearing these is the only way to get you off the fence (I'd suggest the M60s BTW; the M80s play louder and need a really big room to breathe properly)

ravi, you've got to show us a picture of how you crammed all those speakers into your apartment.

Pete - this assumes that the speakers, Ravi AND the camera all fit in the apartment at the same time. This place sounds like the architectural equivalent of panty hose.

can i post a pick here?
i have one of the front, but not of the QS8's

the pic has to be on a webserver first. If you e-mail me, I can host it for you.

Thanks Alan.