I recently purchased a Sont ES reciever to go with my Axiom speakers. Sony says if any one speaker is less than 8 ohms to use the 4 ohm setting. I have four M60s (8 ohms) and a VP150 center(6 ohms) so I set the receiver on 4 ohms. Is this the best way to set the receiver? What is the advantage or disadvantage of using the 8 ohm setting vs the 4 ohm setting????

Can you set the ohm setting differently for each speaker? If you can, do so.

Assuming you can't, which is likely the case, leave it at 8 ohms. The impedence rating is a bit of an average, not an absolute value. The actual impedence varies consistently.

You can experiment at lower volumes with the different settings, but my experience tells me it will work better at 8 ohms.

No, there is only one setting on the amp for all the speakers. All speakers can be set at either 4 ohms or 8 ohms.

If you have it set wrong it will probably just trip the fault circuitry and turn off. If your receiver starts turning itself off at high volumes, you know you need to change it.

Hello mvoelte,

Leave the switch at 8 ohms. Depending on how Sony implements its protection circuitry, putting the switch to 4 ohms could impose substantial limits on output power to all the channels, which some manufacturers do to keep excessive current flow at 4 ohms from overheating the output stage and shutting down the receiver. Some receivers rated at 80 or 100 watts into 8-ohm loads produce as little as 30 watts into 4 ohms because of current-limiting circuitry.

Normally, any receiver that drives 8-ohm loads won't have problems with one 6-ohm load.

Regards,