# Impedance



## Dell (Sep 3, 2013)

I am in the process of setting up my first surround sound and i notice my Onkyo amp is saying between 6--16 ohms but my active sub is saying 22 ohms can i still use it with my amp.
Thanks in advance Dell


----------



## robbo266317 (Sep 22, 2008)

*Re: Impeadance*

What model is your sub? 
Most active subs connect to the sub out on the receiver and have a high impedance ~47 kΩ.
Normally speaker impedance is only an issue if it is too low, I would hook it up as you are unlikely to damage anything.


----------



## Dell (Sep 3, 2013)

*Re: Impeadance*

Mt sub is part of this kit Jamo A102HCS6


----------



## Kal Rubinson (Aug 3, 2006)

*Re: Impeadance*



Dell said:


> Mt sub is part of this kit Jamo A102HCS6


It is 22K and should be compatible with the typical sub-out signals on most AVRs.


----------



## onlineN (Nov 11, 2013)

*Re: Impeadance*

New to the forum and lucky to find this thread. 
I have the VSX-LX70 Pioneer amp. and the Crystal Audio THX-3d12 5.1 speakers. Front (L+R) speakers are 4 ohm while the amp. accepts from 6ohm and above . I set the Pioneer to 6 ohms. Am I loosing something in quality? Should I make other adjustments? Please help me understand..


----------



## lcaillo (May 2, 2006)

*Re: Impeadance*

No, you are not losing anything at all. Just be mindful that pushing the receiver hard may result in overheating or shutdown. Make sure it is well ventilated and that you don't push it to the point of distortion or strained dynamics. Running hot over time can limit the life of electronics, but listening at moderate levels should not be a problem with good ventilation.


----------



## onlineN (Nov 11, 2013)

*Re: Impeadance*



lcaillo said:


> No, you are not losing anything at all. Just be mindful that pushing the receiver hard may result in overheating or shutdown. Make sure it is well ventilated and that you don't push it to the point of distortion or strained dynamics. Running hot over time can limit the life of electronics, but listening at moderate levels should not be a problem with good ventilation.


Thank you for your answer. Even if i never pushed the receiver to its edge, still I'm wondering why I have to turn the volume to -20 to get the appropriate and average sound (not loud and not quiet)


----------



## Rick R (Dec 3, 2013)

*Re: Impeadance*



onlineN said:


> Thank you for your answer. Even if i never pushed the receiver to its edge, still I'm wondering why I have to turn the volume to -20 to get the appropriate and average sound (not loud and not quiet)


Bit late to the party here but hopefully the OP will see this. I have had the Pioneer VSX-LX70 for a long time until recently was my main AVR, now in the den and listening to it now. It was originally paired with some 4 Ohm maggies for the mains (they of course provide a constant 4 Ohms) and never a problem. Later paired with full 7 channel complement of Mordaunt Shorts quoted as 4-8 Ohms. Having lost the left surround channel a couple of times I became suspicious and contacted Mordaunt Short. Their reply was a little complex but boiled down to if the speakers were bi-amped then the impedance would be 8 Ohms if however the shorting links were installed and the speakers driven conventionally with a single amp then the impedance per speaker would be 4 Ohms.

Like you I then set the LX71 to 6 Ohms. 

First there was no loss of quality :sn:, all this setting mainly does AFAIK is adjusts the protection settings, I assume an output impedance adjustment is made as well but don't know for sure. My first impression was that somehow there was a wider and more atmospheric sound stage, I suspect a touch more detail was the main reason for this.

The loss of the left surround channel did not re occur but being a belt and braces kind of guy I found out there was a firmware update for this receiver, it requires a computer and an older type CD/DVD player. If you have not done it and feel capable of doing it I have posted a link below to a site run by a fellow Pioneer owner who is very experienced with all things Pioneer. There are full instructions which are quite easy to follow if you have a little technical know how (it is fairly bullet proof and won't load if you get it wrong) and about four separate firmwares to install (mainly I think to combat the DTS bomb) the only one I did not install was the update for the ethernet mine seems OK and my philosophy is if it ain't broke don't mend it:innocent:. Of course if you decide to do the upgrade then it is your responsibility, if you don't feel competent get someone who knows to do it for you.

Finally a few comments on the actual receiver which is the European equivalent of the Pioneer Elite 94THX. This really is a nice piece of kit and was top of the range when first released and IMHO it is a true Pioneer built to very high standards unlike some of their more modern AVR's where the lightweight power supply unit would give me cause for concern.

The LX70 does not run hot at all, even after a full blast of 7.1 Transformers the hottest part of the case is under 30 degrees centigrade at the hottest point (top right rear) using an infra red thermometer.

You mention the volume needing set to -20dB for normal listening. This is not far amiss and you have a further 32dB to full volume (max being +12dB). But a lot will depend on the efficiency of your speakers, the size of the room, your hearing and how far you sit from your speakers. But most importantly and the item that has the most effect on the volume setting is the source material. I find that Dolby encoded DVD and Bluray require more volume than DTS encoded material (even when both DTS and Dolby are included on the same disc). Typically Dolby encoded sound tracks require me to set the volume between -25dB and -19dB and DTS encoded tracks normally between -30dB and -24dB although I found the BD Hostages needed more. Similarly for music the older original CD's from the likes of Dire Straits, Pink Floyd, Queen, KD Lang, Norah Jones etc recorded at normal undistorted levels require somewhere between -25dB and -20dB compared to some of the more recent CD's including some remastered albums where the recording levels are so high they have actually in some cases introduced some clipping distortion :unbelievable::hissyfit: here I find a volume setting of -30db can be too loud and I hate listening to distortion a curse on all sound engineers that do this. (all this is true for my new Denon 4520 too, volume setting requirements being very similar with the same speaker set).
On a personal note I avoid any CD that has been remastered like the plague.

Criticism of this fine receiver from my point of view are very few. It could have done with an easier method to update the firmware is one the other is the surround effects are quite subtle if left set at the MCACC settings there is no doubt they are there but not so distinct as the Denon 4520 although having said that both AVR's lift your ears with sound tracks like those from the Transformers and Super 8.

So all told I don't think you have a problem and you are in possession of a nice, well built and very competent AVR. If you ever think you are pushing it to the edge then wear a hard hat the ceiling is likely to come in :hsd:.

As promised links to the firmware page scroll down till you see VSX-LX70

http://www.pioneerfaq.info/index.php?question=Firmwares&type=AVR

Hope all the above helps


----------

