Quote:
Originally Posted by drainyoo /t/1526053/speakers-and-amp-pairing#post_24573882
Hi, I'm a newbie to the audio world, and I'm setting up a simple system. I currently have a Braun Atelier A1 amp with 2 x 55 Watts at 8 Ohms, and I'm interested in purchasing the Pioneer SP-BS22-LR speakers, which are 80 watt at 6 ohms. Will I have any issues with this pairing? My main concern is the amp since it's from the 80s, and a little rare. I don't want to damage it in any way.
Will I be ok, or should I find speakers that are 8 ohms and similar wattage?
Thanks for the help.
The 80W rating of the speakers is the MAXIMUM power they can safely handle, not the power required. A 30 or 40 watt amplifier is enough for most speakers.
Just because a tire is rated for up to 130 MPH, that doesn't mean you have to put them on a car that can go 130 MPH.
You amp has plenty of power for those speakers; no problem. Your typical listening level will require only a few watts.
The impedance rating of a speaker is only an approximation/average, since the speaker actually has different impedances at different frequencies.
To really understand the impedance of a speaker, you need a GRAPH of its impedance vs. frequency.
Stereophile did an article on those speakers, and you will find the impedance graph for them at the end of the article. I suggest that you look at it and print it for reference.
Their impedance actually varies from 4.5 ohms at 250 hz to over 20 ohms at several other frequencies.
A typical speaker could have an impedance of 5 ohms at 80 Hz, 18 ohms at 600 Hz, and 7 ohms at 3kHz etc. etc.
Every speaker system is different.
Its pretty arbitrary whether the manufacturer calls it an 8 ohm or 6 ohm speaker or whatever.
