Can all amps drive a 4 ohm load?


My second silly question in as many days. I'd really like to know though. Can all amps drive a 4 ohm load to some extent, or will some only work with 8 ohm speakers?

I'm using an Audio Aero Prima integrated at 40wpc, and there's no mention of the power output into 4 ohms at all. I'd like to take it over to a friend's place to try it out on his maggies, but I don't want to blow anything up.

Thanks!
lousyreeds1

Showing 1 response by sfar

I sold a pair of Monitor Audio 4 ohm speakers to a friend who tried to drive them with a consumer grade receiver. When he used the 12 gauge speaker wire I'd included with the speakers everything worked fine but when he moved the speakers further away and tried to connect them with zip cord the receiver would shut down soon after the music started.

My theory was that the combination of the higher current demand of the speakers and the higher resistance of the skinny wire was tripping a protection circuit in a receiver that just couldn't handle the load. I'm sure the problem was that the inexpensive receiver didn't have the current capacity and I doubt that would be a problem with a higher quality amp.