I have been back after a long break with no additions to my HT but I am again getting the itch to upgrade. I currently have a Yamaha RXV2700 which has been an excellent piece for my HT but I was worried how it would work with a 4 ohm load. I did test my infinity's paired to make a 4 ohm load and I did not have any problems. After all this time I have proof that the RXV2700 can handel a 4 ohm load even though Yamaha never put any 4 ohm ratings on anything. It appears that "Into 4 ohms, the RX-V2700 was able to deliver continuous power levels at a
whopping 272wpc x 1 and 230wpc x 2 with less than 0.1% THD + N." This was take from the following article
http://www.yamaha.com/yamahavgn/Documents/YEC/AH_Yamaha_RXV2700.pdf writen by Audioholics I knwo it is not alot of power but I am no longer scared of the M80's LOL but would like more power .
Later Phil
The nominal 4 ohm rating stated by manufacturers means nothing in and of itself. Like most things with this industry, standards are lacking or don't exist. There is no standards in place which manufacturers have to adhere to when measuring or publishing loudspeaker impedance. You can't assume that since one brand of speakers can handle the receiver another 4 ohm nominal rated speaker will too. One set of speakers could be rated at a nominal 4 ohm with impedance minimums at around 4 ohm. Another could be a much harder speaker to drive rated at 4 ohm and having multiple impedance minimum's below 4 ohms dipping in the 2 range in the lower frequencies.
You really have to look at the impedance or better yet impedance and phase vs frequency to get a good idea on how demanding the speaker will be and the interaction with a receiver/amp. Unfortunately these type of specifications are rarely published.
Education can go a long way because when consumers see 4 ohm rated speakers they naturally freak out, but what they should be really worried about is the impedance minimum's and where they are occurring. This is one area that could use a lot of work with setting proper standards in place on specifications for all manufacturers to adhere to. It might also help decrease some of the panic that ensues and allow consumers to make better and more informed purchasing decisions.
