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KEF LS50 Metas paired with Marantz PM7000 (not PM7000N)?

Will this pairing work well enough? I’m interested in purchasing a set of the new KEF LS50 Metas for my study. Marantz states for this amp (95W per channel) not to go with speakers with nominal impedances below 8ohms. I’ve heard tell that even though KEF states 8ohms for the LS50 Metas, that they are more like 4ohms in their demand. I had used the PM7000 on my Vienna Acoustics Beethoven Baby Grands, and the amp didn’t quite do the job. The speakers never demanded so much from the Marantz that the protection circuitry had to kick in, but there was something noticeable in the sound. I also think that I may have clipped one of the midrange drivers with this pairing, but the damage to that driver may have just been coincidental. I eventually bought a Peachtree Nova 300 for the Baby Grands, and that pairing sounds great. Anyway, I digress. Back to the LS50 Metas. Any potential damage with this pairing and will I get nice sound in my fairly small (~9’x10’) study? Thanks.
jwhite

Showing 1 response by mastering92

mastering92
870 posts
 
Nominal impedance matching is important when pairing amps to speakers. As you mentioned, there can be fluctuations in the impedance as the speaker is playing.

To provide some perspective, in my very early audio days I used a 4 ohm speaker with a receiver that was rated at 8 ohms and up. The receiver would play - then clip - and eventually shut off by itself. I have owned power amps in the past that were rated at 4 - 16 ohms. I could pair anything with them and never have a problem.

Impedance is a measure of electrical resistance. A well-designed amplifier would be able to handle drops and peaks.

Check out - Emotiva BasX A-100. Really amazing value for the money.

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