Would you hear a big difference? No. Indeed, I'd be surprised if you heard any difference. Remember, in retail store comparisons, when there is even a slight difference in playback volume between two pieces of electronics, the louder will be perceived as "better". It's a cunning trick of some salesmen to steer naive customers to brands on which the salesman makes more commission. And playback comparisons in stores are almost never equalized in level, or conducted with instantaneous comparisons. If these conditions are not met, the comparison is largely invalid.
In my experience, Yamahas and Marantz receivers have no problem driving lower impedances. There may be other aspects of the receivers that may sway your decision.
Alan Lofft
Axiom Resident Expert
