Panasonic digital amps and 4 ohm speakers


I've been looking at buying one of the new Panasonic XR digital receivers (SA-XR50 or SA-XR70), but the XR50 specifies 6-16 ohms. Anyone tried using one of these (or the older XR45) with a 4 ohm speaker?

I've got some GMA Europas on order, and was hoping to mate them with one of the new Panasonic receivers. Any reason not to?

My room is only 12 x 19, I listen mostly to 2 channel, and mostly listen at low to moderate levels. Definitely want to be able to crank it up every now and then, though. Thanks for any help.
ragan
Yes Mborner you are missing something!!Where have you been for the last 6 months? LOL
No it is not the end to all sound.But the little Panny is pretty damn good.Especially if you like neutrality and high resolution with good PRAT. I have simplified it by calling it a powered dac that plugs directly into your speakers.This isn't a run of the mill receiver with built in Dacs. This is a pure digital amplifier.Digital amplifiers make it possible for the audio signal to stay in its pure digital form through the complete audio signal chain to greatly enhance sound quality. In a pure digital amplifier, (one with a digital input ), there is no need for Digital to Analog Converters in the audio signal path. Digital Amplifiers actually synthesize the desired output signal directly on the speaker terminals, thereby creating a high-powered digital-to-analog converter.

It also is a zero feedback design.The new XR70 which everyone is waiting on ...including me. Is a fully digital receiver that features HDMI* (High-Definition Multimedia Interface), which helps simplify the connection to other audio/video sources and provides high quality audio and video playback.

I took this from a consumer report on the unit.
HDMI transmits digital and audio signals at speeds of up to 5 Gigabytes per second without compressing them. It supports high-definition images up to 1080p, and high quality, multi-channel audio formats such as DVD-Audio all through single wire digital connections. This produces extremely pure sounds free from noise and signal degradation and allows for high quality audio and video with fewer cables. The small, user-friendly connector is suitable for a wide range of components, such as a set-top box, DVD player, and A/V receiver and a digital television. Result: the consumer can derive all of the benefits of home theater without sound and picture degradation or complicated wiring.The SA-XR70 reproduces sounds up to 88 kHz and drives them with a flat, wide power bandwidth that extends to 100 kHz. This provides rich reproduction of the ultrahigh frequency range that affects the musical ambience and mood.

There are no transformers in these receivers.They use switching power supplies. These switching supplies can switch on and off up to many 100,000 times per second.They are supposedly 98% efficient..where as the average transformer based analog amplifier is roughly 40 to 50 percent efficient.The unit only draws 120 watts max but can output roughly 75 wpc.
There is no hum or hiss...infact you can turn these amplifiers up full volume and you will not here anything with your ear pressed against the speakers.It's a TI(Texas Instrument) based digital chip used in the Panny.It has a muting circuit built in, so if there's no pulse wave form to see then there's no sound.Texas Instrument bought the Toccata team that designed TACT digital amplifiers($10,000) from TACT audio. The version of this chip in the Panasonics was designed to be cost effective.

The negative side... it is only for digital based audio systems. Also it will take a cd recording and tear it apart! If it's not recorded well..you will certainly know it. You can easily tell if the engineer did his job or fell a sleep at the board. With well recorded cds..like Chesky recordings the sound is quite amazing.If you like a tube sound then this unit is probably not for you.It is unforgiving and gives you only what it reads off the cd ..no colouring.On the other hand if tube equipment was used in making the recording as with Sara K recordings. It will sound like you plugged up a tube amp.

Even though the cd player is only a transport when using the little Panny. The sound varies from player to player.Some are more up front and some have more of a laid back sound. I see a lot of guys using the Phillips with great results.By the way the power cord retailed for $400.00 ..I bought my Panny just a tad over $200.00.
I bought it as my first AV receiver for a 2-channel HT system. I use it only for audio, not for video switching. It gets a digital source from DVDs but an analog source from my TiVo box, which takes the Comcast digital cable signal. I'm happy with the sound even on the analog side. Very clean, neutral, not all harsh, a touch sweet even. Then again, I'm so thrilled to have something better than the sound from my TV's built-in speakers that probably anything would sound good to me. (I get excited about seeing Mercedes commercials "in HT".)
Drubin no need to make excuses about liking this combo. It is a very good combo... as others have discovered. If you compare it to some other combos within in this price range and to some degree above you will discover it's a damn good combo! I wish I could have started out with a system like this combo... it might have saved me some money!

Happy Listening!
Goodmood1, I have a lot of rock cd recordings from the mid 80s. Most of them are not the best recordings. I'm sure I'm not the only one with early REM or U2 albums ect... on cd. With a lot of this kind of music in my inventory, it sounds like the digital receivers are something we should stay away from. Am I wrong on this notion? Or would it be more foolish to drop 5 grand on an analog setup (preamp and amp) at the dawn of digital? Thanks.
Hello Kclone..well to be honest if you need to smooth over some recordings this isn't the receiver for you. I guess in a perfect world having a high resolution system and one that plays the mass market recordings would be best.With the advancements in technology I don't think I could talk myself into spending 5 grand on a preamp and a ampilifier.
But then again I am a cheap SOB.LOL

If you have one system and everything sounds the same. Something is wrong. No two cds sound the same.Also in some cases no two recordings sound the same on the same cd.
As little as the Panny cost it would be fun to swap it out sometimes with a nice analog preamp/amp combo when you get that itch.My next purchase will be for a Eastern Electric combo.
The Eastern Electric Minimax preamp and the their 70 wpc tube amplifier that hopefully will be released soon. I am one that believes simpler is better.Whether it's digital or analog.