Mixing speaker impedance on Onkyo SR-606

by Teddy
(Jakarta, Indonesia)

Will there be any problem if I combine 4 ohm (front) and 6 ohm (surround) speakers in a 5.1 set up? I'm worried that mixing the impedance of my speakers will give a problem to my AV receiver.

My AVR is an Onkyo SR-606.

Thanks

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Hi

Well, it's not ideal, but you should be ok.

If all your speakers have the same impedance then there is less chance of putting your AV receiver under unnecessary strain.

However, the most important thing is that your receiver is designed to handle the impedance of all the speakers.

The manual for the Onkyo SR-606 says North American models only support a speaker impedance from 6-16 ohms. All other models around the world support 4-16 ohms.

Therefore, as long as you don't have the North American model, then you will be fine with all your speakers. If you do have the North American version, then don't use the 4 ohm speakers.

It is also important in the setup menu to set the receiver to 4 ohms - and not leave it at 6 ohms (page 42 of the manual!).

The difference in impedance may cause a slight difference in volume between speakers - but this will be corrected when you run the automatic speaker setup.

Follow the links below to get a better understanding of the different speaker and amplifier specifications that you will come across.

All the best.

Paul (Site Editor)

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