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A "blind" speaker recommendation based on specs...

I currently have a box-stock Peachtree Nova that I purchased back in April. I purchased a separate unit at the same time and sent it off to Canada for MEGA-MODS! Basically a 5 month/$5k with all the bells, buzzers whistles. Burson op-amps, all new resistors, caps, high-end next-gen WBT jacks/posts, Furutech IEC inlet, new tube, tube base, internal wiring, volatage switching removed, internal shielding et al. The whole enchilada! And yes, I do know there were & are other options out there. Pardon if my choice wouldn't have been "your" 1st choice.

Now, without mentioning names I'm wondering if I should keep my existing speakers which were new in April or at least consider an upgrade I've been researching closely. In order to maintain some semblence of subjectivity I'll keep speaker proper names out of this and list specs only in an effort to keep things honest/objective.

The Nova is a hybrid integrated SS amp/tube preamp with an honest 80wpc into 6 ohms.

My current speakers are high-end (for a bookshelf) on factory stands, 8 ohm with 88db sensitivity. The speakers I'm considering are also bookshelf on their own 200lb stands, vulgarly spendy uber high-end 4 ohm with 87db sensitivity.

Disregarding getting into speaker-to-speaker sound quality, how much harder/hotter is the integrated/hybrid likely to run with the 4 Ohm/87db setup than it does with the 8 Ohm/88db setup? Significant? Dramatic? Negligible?

TIA

salinas212

Showing 1 response by magfan

magfan
1,583 posts
 
even more important than impedance, at least to a stable amp design, would be the phase angle of the load.
B&W? Stereophile may have tested and measured these. Impedance mins at large phase angle indicate 'worse' load.

If the proposed speaker is better in this regard, at least electrically, it'll be a better match.

Example: Your amp would probably be OK with 4 ohm resistors, but NOT ok with an '8 ohm nominal' speaker with dips to 3 ohms, and 45degree phase angle at that frequency.
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