Hi all, noob here.

I'm looking in to A/B speaker switching to bring speakers to my outside patio. I've read on here that with an AVR without dedicated a and b zones you really need to pay attention to the impedance level of your avr and speakers. That it's important to have the second set of speakers be 8 ohms and a receiver that can go down to 4.

I have an Onkyo HT-S894 that claims a power output of 8 ohms at 11W/ch x 5 channels. So I would think it's not advisable, but it also claims a "dynamic power" of 4 ohms at 170W/ch. Does anyone know what dynamic power is, and if it is advisable to use it with an A/B switch to run speakers out to my patio?

Thanks in advance.

I would just make certain both pairs of speakers are 8ohm speakers and then not really have to worry about the receiver's specs or capability. Will you use them simultaneously that often or not?

I would just make certain both pairs of speakers are 8ohm speakers and then not really have to worry about the receiver's specs or capability. Will you use them simultaneously that often or not?

I think most of the time the usage would be independent of each other. So if I only use one set at a time I would be ok on impedance? Would a good A/B switch help protect the impedance factor anyway?

Does anyone know what dynamic power is, and if it is advisable to use it with an A/B switch to run speakers out to my patio?

Thanks in advance.

Dynamic power is the peak power an amplifier will deliver for a very short moment (a few milliseconds) lsuch as during musical peaks, versus its continuous power. It is not something you "can use with an A/B switch."