Need some advice matching speakers to amp

[M0nk]

Hi everybody,

I’m new here, and this my first post. I’ve been a longtime lurker on this site tho, gotta say i find this place to be insanely helpful.

Anyway i’ll get to the point. I’m a little worried, i just purchase a pair of Elac DBR62 (mainly cuz amir spoke so highly of then), and i’m really hoping they’ll work well with my current amplifier, a Yamaha AS-701.

The Elacs specs state theyre 6ohm speakers, and the Yamaha is a 8 ohm amplifier. It (the amp) has a switch on the back to set it to low power (4-6 ohm if i remember correctly) but i’ve read here and else where that it’s best kept on the high power (8ohm) setting.

What should i do? Will i endanger my amp or speakers by keeping the receiver/amplifier set to high?

Also i saw somewhere that the Yamaha delivers 120 watts at 6ohms, and that the Elacs have a recommended max watt of 120. Am i cutting things too close?

For the record none of my equipment is kept in an enclosed cabinet— theres plenty of airflow in general. Hope that paints the picture .

Thanks a ton to anybody who sees this.

M0nk

 

[bargainguy]

Welcome. If your Elacs are nominally 6 ohms, I'd set the impedance switch at 8 ohms and not push the amp too hard. You should be fine.

Use of the lower impedance setting (more power, BTW, not less) is best reserved for demanding speaker loads. I don't think your Elacs qualify.

The biggest thing to worry about with any amplifier is driving it into clipping, because that's where you can fry speakers. Keeping the switch at the higher impedance setting helps prevent this. You really have to be pushing it to get into clipping, though. At normal listening levels, this generally doesn't apply.

 

[M0nk]

Thanks i appreciate the advice

 

[Steven Holt]

Keep your settings where they are on the amp, and don't turn the volume knob past 2 o'clock. You'll be fine and congratulations on those speakers!

 

[M0nk]

Thanks steve

 

[Beave]

Here's a link to the Elac DBR-62 review with a plot of the impedance: https://www.audiosciencereview.com/...-debut-reference-dbr-62-speaker-review.12232/

The concern is the high magnitude excursions in the impedance phase (it gets below -50 degrees in one region and above +50 degrees in another region).

Without measurements, we don't know how well your Yamaha amp will handle that load.

But most likely, you will be totally fine except at pretty high (or really high) listening levels. I can't define that better without measurements. If you hear strain, turn it down. Otherwise, you should be fine, so enjoy and don't worry about it. And, yes, leave the switch at 8 Ohms.

 

[JStewart]

According to the manual with only the 6ohm Elacs connected Yamaha recommends the High setting. If you want to know more about what that switch is actually for and doing there’s this:

Setting the A/V Receiver Impedance Selector Switch

This article explores the purpose and function of the impedance switch found on some A/V receivers. Tradeoffs of following manufacturers recommended settings are also discussed. YouTube video inside.

www.audioholics.com

Great speakers. I have a pair and really like them.

 

[M0nk]

Thanks everyone thats super helpful. I will be leaving the switch in the high setting thanks for that article explaining the switch. Im reading it now, and it seems good. Definitely will be listening for distortion and turning it down when/if i encounter it. I generally dont listen too loud anyway so as not to drive neighbors crazy, but i’m also not trying to buy new equipment anytime soon. Appreciate all the advise. You all are the best

 

[Bernard23]

Thanks everyone thats super helpful. I will be leaving the switch in the high setting thanks for that article explaining the switch. Im reading it now, and it seems good. Definitely will be listening for distortion and turning it down when/if i encounter it. I generally dont listen too loud anyway so as not to drive neighbors crazy, but i’m also not trying to buy new equipment anytime soon. Appreciate all the advise. You all are the best

FWIW: I have same speakers and use the less powerful Yamaha A-S501 amp to drive them. We have a large lounge to fill, and I occasionally like to listen loud, as in 90dB+ To date, I've not noticed that the Yamaha is having any difficulty at all (this is an SPL at which you can't really hear anyone talking to you unless sat right next to you and raising their voice)