Receiver/Amp for 4-ohm Elac Uni-fi UB5's

[teej]

I've always wanted to audition these Elacs, and when they finally went on sale recently I bit the bullet. They arrive tomorrow.

However, my receiver is a Sony STRDH770 which is only rated up to 6 ohms. Is this going to be an issue? While the receiver is 7.1, I generally only run 3.1 for TV and movies and 2.1 for music. I also have a powered sub which, I'm told, helps. Will the Sony blow up?

I've been told everything from "you're fine" to "just don't play them too loud" and all the way up to "you're going to fry your receiver!!" I know it has a protection circuit but I am still concerned. Plus I don't want to compromise the performance speakers if I can help it.

Worst-case scenario, if the Sony is a problem I'll use the Elac's in my 2-channel office setup and simply add an amp, but which one? I also ordered a Fosi Audio amp ($80) that should be able to drive the Elacs according to the specs. I'm a little leery at that price point, though. Or maybe a new receiver? Apparently the Denon X1400h can drive 4-ohms. So many choices!

Thanks, fellas.

 

[jhaider]

I wouldn't drive 7 of them with that AVR, but 2 or 3 should be fine.

 

[RayDunzl]

Minimum RMS Output Power (6 ohms, 20 Hz – 20 kHz, THD 0.09%) 90 W + 90 W

So, for 4 ohms, if the limitation is current:

And if current is not the limitation, but the voltage is:

The speaker claims a sensitivity of 85dB for 2.83V.

If the limitation is current (as above), then the decibel limit would be 85 + 14.76 = 99.76dB Spl

If the limitation is voltage (as above), then the decibel limit would be 85 + 18.29 = 103.29dB Spl

(both of those are wear hearing protection loud if continuous)

With two speakers add up to another 6dB Spl for 105.76 or 109.29

(The above are all arm-waving but hopefully defensible values)

---

Right now I'm listening to TV cable news. A pair of males barking at each other, and maybe a commercial in there. 68.2dB averaged and 86.3dB peak Spl

You should be ok unless you're maxed out.

My little JBL active speakers claim 50W.

I could turn it up some.

Now it is annoyingly loud as well as just annoying.

---

I figure they us 6 Ohms in the specs now since they got tired of trying to explain the difference between 4 and 8 Ohms, and just split the difference.

4 Ohm speakers are common.

I've been told everything from "you're fine" to "just don't play them too loud" and all the way up to "you're going to fry your receiver!!"

I'll side with the "don't worry about it" folks for reasonable usage.

 

[amirm]

Don't worry about it. The protection circuit in the Sony should kick in and shut things off momentarily if there is an issue with heat or current limiting.

 

[teej]

You guys are a huge help - thanks a ton!

Fun fact: I messaged Andrew Jones directly and he actually responded! He agrees they should be fine. From Andrew:

"The receiver is rated at 140W per channel at 0.9% distortion....ie just below clipping. I don't think it should have a problem driving the speakers."

I also picked up a pair of Debut B6.2's as they are dirt cheap right now ($150/pair), so we are going to have a shootout this weekend with a few friends using these two Elac pairs and my existing Boston Acoustics A25's. Excited to see how they all perform.

 

[amirm]

Let us know how the shoot out goes.

 

[teej]

The Debut's arrive today, and I'll be shooting out all weekend.

The Uni-fi's came in on Wednesday and I have been playing the heck out of them. It should come as no surprise, though, that my AVR gets hot. Real hot. Haven't tripped the protection circuit yet, so that's good. It's still hotter than I remember it getting. I'm going to push them a little extra this weekend and make sure these will do for long-term regular use.

Hooking up the Debut's tonight. I don't expect nearly as much heat from the receiver given these are more efficient.

 

[teej]

Okay... Elac Uni-fi UB5 VS Debut 6.2:

As much as I usually poke fun at such things, I found myself pulling out a lot of the same cliché words speaker reviewers tend to lean on when writing this.

The Uni-fi UB5's arrived first, and I hooked them up directly to my Sony STRDH770 receiver and started putting them through their paces. I started simple, playing my "testing" playlist via Bluetooth so I could switch quickly between genres and specific parts of songs, followed then by vinyl and SACD's, and finally a Blu-ray movie. Most of the time I was listening I was expecting to trip the protection circuit on the receiver. I was maybe even TRYING a little to trip it as I was pushing the Elac's pretty hard. It never tripped once. It got HOT, hotter than I remember it ever getting, for sure, but the circuit never tripped. The receiver handled everything perfectly, even at uncomfortable listening volumes.

As for the speakers, they are just insane. Bright, booming bass but not overpowering, clear separation between the highs and mids thanks to that concentric tweeter. Even my wife was pretty much blown away by them. It was the kind of experience I usually only have in the Magnolia room at Best Buy, surrounded my multi-thousand-dollar floorstanders I could never afford. Downright blissful.

These are bookshelf speakers, and the left speaker really is, quite literally, on a bookshelf. This was a concern for me given the rear port, but I positioned it several inches from the back of the shelf and didn't have nay problems with the bass. The speakers are also about a foot higher than ear-level and forward facing (not in the "golden triangle" configuration) due to room limitations, but despite these potential issues I found them very forgiving in terms of placement.

The Debut 6.2's arrived two days later. I was expecting there to be a difference, but not as much of a difference as there actually was. The Debut's are great speakers, but not in the experiential realm of the Uni-fi's. They were smooth and effortless but with noticeably less punch on the low-end as well as less separation. My wife used that word, "punch." She meant it as a compliment which is saying something - she generally gives no f---'s about audio, but even she was insisting I re-connect the Uni-fi's after only a few test songs with the Debut's. After switching back to the Uni-fi she gave an audible, "oh, yeah." This is hard-won from my Iron Lady of the WAF.

I moved the Debut over to my office where they sit on my desk in an isosceles triangle oriented directly at my ears. I've been considering a small sub to put there, but now I feel like I don't need one. The bass is more than sufficient, and they are fabulous for 2-channel listing, especially at near-field and especially especially for $150. I am beyond pleased with them.

Overall when listening to the Unifi's I felt like I was listening to a pair of powerful active powered monitors. The Debut is certainly a lot more passive (they are both passive speakers, of course, but it's harder to tell with the Uni-fi.) and smooth. Both had respectable bass, but the Uni-fi give an extra punch that, while not necessarily lacking in the Debut's, we missed when it wasn't there.

I'm keeping both. And I bought the Elac SUB3010 to replace the P.O.S. Polk PSW10 I use now in my main setup. Very excited to see what it can do.