Speaker/AV receiver impedance - Yamaha RX-V375

[Napalmhardcore]

Hi,

I have a Yamaha RX-V375 (UK version) that I have paired with a pair of Wharfedale Diamond 10.0 speakers. I've been toying with the idea of upgrading my speakers. My eye was caught by the Monitor Audio Bronze 2 speakers.

In the manual of the RX-V375 it states that non USA and Canada models are 6Ohm which perfectly matches the 6Ohms of the Wharfedales. However the Bronze 2 speakers are 8Ohm impedance

Now I've done some searching and all info I've found indicates that if the impedance rating of the speaker is higher than that of the amp/receiver, it will not cause damage but will require the volume be set higher to drive the speaker at the same volume compared to if the impedance of the amp/receiver and speakers were matched. What I cannot find is any info regarding the performance of an amp with a given impedance driving speakers with a higher impedance rating. Will it have a negative affect on the sound (for example decreased dynamics etc)?

I don't want to purchase nice speakers and have them perform poorly due to my AV receiver not being suitable to drive them.

 

[kanewolf]

Your research is accurate. If the AMP is rated for lower impedance than the speakers everything is safe. You may have to turn up the volume, but that also depends on the sensitivity of the speakers.

 

[Napalmhardcore]

Your research is accurate. If the AMP is rated for lower impedance than the speakers everything is safe. You may have to turn up the volume, but that also depends on the sensitivity of the speakers.

Sorry for the late reply (I forgot to turn on email notification for this topic). Do you know if this will have any negative effect on the sound at all? As mentioned, I wouldn't want nice speakers to by held back by an inappropriate receiver powering them.

 

[ien2222]

No, sound quality won't be affected by it.

As an fyi, though companies give a impedance ratings for speakers, they do not constantly play at that rating. It'll fluctuate depending on the frequencies being played; for instance your Wharfdales could play as low as 4 ohms or as high as 24 ohms depending on the content. Impedance rating simply means that for the most part, it's not really going to be much lower than that during normal operations though there can be dips below it.

Edit: Just for curiosity I looked up the impedance curve for the Wharfdales, didn't find the 10.0 but for the 10.1 it varies between just under 4 ohms to almost 16 ohms:
http/www.stereophile.com/content/wharfedale-diamond-101-loudspeaker-measurements#iskM4RutrTCYURlD.97

 

[Napalmhardcore]

No, sound quality won't be affected by it.

As an fyi, though companies give a impedance ratings for speakers, they do not constantly play at that rating. It'll fluctuate depending on the frequencies being played; for instance your Wharfdales could play as low as 4 ohms or as high as 24 ohms depending on the content. Impedance rating simply means that for the most part, it's not really going to be much lower than that during normal operations though there can be dips below it.

Edit: Just for curiosity I looked up the impedance curve for the Wharfdales, didn't find the 10.0 but for the 10.1 it varies between just under 4 ohms to almost 16 ohms:
http/www.stereophile.com/content/wharfedale-diamond-101-loudspeaker-measurements#iskM4RutrTCYURlD.97

When researching the topic I did come across a couple of articles that explained that impedance isn't as simple as I've made it out to be but in all honesty, while I got the gist I couldn't fully comprehend it.

Thank you for the answer. I appreciate it