I have a Pioneer 56TXi receiver with a 5.1 speaker setup. My Left Center Right speakers are M&K LCR-750THX and my surround speakers are M&K SS550's. I was wondering which setting on the receiver I should use since the front 3 speakers are 4ohms and the 2 rear are 8ohms. My choices are 6-8ohms or 8-16ohms. It appears to work with both without problems, but I don't want to overload or overheat my receivers' amp.
Also would I have to calibrate them differently? The rears sound a little loud after I recently used the MCACC. I usually use the test tones in my receiver and my SPL meter and calibrate them to 75db.
The switch sets the current limiting for the receiver. You want as much current as the amplifier can turn out, so set the switch to the highest setting. You shouldn't have to do any recalibration.
No, although this may be difficult to believe, Jan is incorrect. Set the switch to the 6 ohm setting. It's the closest to the speakers' impedance.
Jan was correct in one thing - you want the most curent the amp will deliver. For the most current you need the lowest impedance setting...
Strictly speaking of course, you should not be using 4-ohm speakers with this amplifier. If you experience any problems such as overheating you will need to change either the speakers or the amp.
Also, if the amp suffers catastrophic failure, I believe the failure would not be covered under warranty since you have purposely gone against the manufacturer's instructions.
The best thing to do is to call Pioneer and clarify the issue.
"Jan was correct in one thing - you want the most curent the amp will deliver. For the most current you need the lowest impedance setting... "
'Splain this please, Frank. I've never owned an amplifier that required current limiting to drive any speaker I've ever owned but I was under the impression the "4-6" (lower setting) is where limiting occured. In a situation where no problems are evident with either setting, I would always opt for the highest possible current delivery. Only when shut down was consistent would I go with limiting current drive and therefore the ability of the amplifier to respond appropriately to the speaker's needs; and then I would move the switch only after trying multiple other solutions.
As somewhat of a newbie, I assumed that if I bought all THX Select speakers there wouldn't be a compatibilty issue with a THX Select AVR, but I was wrong. I've never had any problems with it in the 6-8 setting, and the speakers sound awesome, but then again I've never really touched the AVR to see if it was running hot. I recently was re-calling my system and wanted all my i's dotted and t's crossed so that's why I was wondering which would give me more volume without damage, but I think I may play it safe and use 6-8 so I don't cause any damage. I don't have the budget to get a new AVR, but I didn't see a lot of AVR's that advertise 4ohm use. And I couldn't afford a seperate amp and processor.
