Axiom Home Page Forums General Discussion Technical Questions how has onkyo 609 and M80?

Well, I've run a mix of M80s (4 ohms), QS8s/4s (ie 6 and 8 ohms) and a VP100 (8 ohms) on a midrange Harman/Kardon for 10 years or so without it melting.

Also, I've read LOT of these questions and answers. If'n you don't want advice from random people, don't ask...

So ... something could go wrong? Would make sense not to do it then, wouldn't it? It's not an inexpensive piece of equipment to replace.

You say there are people here who used the M80's mixed with 8 ohm speakers ... with the high end Onkyo?

Actually, I wasn't asking for advice ... I was giving it ... to the original poster. Also, an Onkyo is not a Harmon Kardon.

Something can always go wrong no matter the brand. The receiver, any receiver, has no clue what ohm the speakers are. It is the resistance to the load of the receiver, the lower the ohm rating the less resistance.

If I were to spend that kind of money on a unit and it couldn't run a 4 ohm load I'd return it for a refund.

I understand that something can go wrong. No one's making a receiver today and calling it the Titanic after all. However, if the manual ... and a representative from the company ... suggests not doing it, it would make since not to, don't you think? Or, is it "Damn the ice, we're unsinkable! Full speed ahead!"

And, the Onkyo definitely can run a 4 ohm load ... just not mixed with 8 ohms.

Hi NikonShooter,

Please take the time to read this article. It will answer all your questions in great detail!

http://www.audioholics.com/education/amplifier-technology/impedance-selector-switch-1

Cheers!

People do it all the time. Most of the receivers can handle it. If not, they'll just shut down temporarily. Usually no harm done. I'm not running a 4 ohm load, but I am running 2 sets of 8 ohm for L and R and C channels in parallel with a Pioneer Elite model.

If the receivers couldn't run the 4 and 8 ohm loads at the same time, then they couldn't run the M80s and QS8 surrounds at the same time.

Thanks for the link, BlueJays1. Interesting article. Even more interesting comments there. And, an interesting See Also: article ... the first one. The articles are definitely not addressing the situation I described though.

Nikon, I understand you're not inclined to listen to what you perceive as non-experts on the internet, but understand that impedance curves are just that--curves. So at any given time, two speakers on different channels, even if they have the same nominal impedance of say 8 ohms may well be presenting a different impedance to the amplifiers in the receiver. Note "amplifiers" plural.

I would wager that very few people have 4 ohm speakers on all 5/7/9/11 channels. And I have never once heard of a receiver or speakers being damaged by mixing impedance. Many people whose knowledge on the subject I respect (including Axiom employees) have said categorically that there is no problem. If you're not comfortable with what you're hearing from Onkyo, return it. Or buy M80s for all channels. Or M60s instead of M80s.

I ran 8 and 6 ohm speakers with an Onkyo 707 until I got the VP160.