the 4 ohm rating

Why do they still make tube amps? They are less powerful and more prone to 'problems' than solid state amps(in general).

To me, a speakers numbers rate right up there with amplifier numbers...pretty much meaningless. It all comes down to how a speaker or amplifier designer's work sounds to you. Yes, some 4 ohm load speakers will limit some choices in amplifier designs, just as choosing some tube amps will limit some speaker choices. The key is synergy. If you like the sound of a speaker, you will find an amplifier to drive it easily. If you find amps that you love, you may consider changing speakers to suit it better.

I have 4 ohm speakers, I bought them because they sound terrific, period. I've found an amp that drives them effortlessly (Clayton M100 monoblocks). 100/200 wpc into 8/4 ohms of pure Class A biased power. My amps are current hungry monsters that actually feed off of lower impedence speakers. In a review, the reviewer recommended using 4 ohm speakers to get the best performance out of these amps. I agree.

So in my case, I found a pair of speakers I loved, bought them, and then found the best amp to drive them. I know some will buy an amp that they love, and then buy speakers that will support them (particularly SET fans). There's more than one way to skin a cat.

Cheers,
John

Sirspeedy70680
Thanks for the tip,sounds like you have ONE nice pair of speakers.Hope to find a pair
George

Ran Spica TC-50's for over a decade with 3 different amps never a problem at 4 ohms.
Now using (the most inefficient speakers I've ever had)Chario Academy 1's at 4 ohms, not a problem at all and not hurting my amp (Eagle 4) at all.

Here is what one speaker designer has to say about designing 4 ohm speakers
"Thiel speakers have long suffered a reputation for being power hungry. Jim Thiel admitted that most of his speakers sport 86-87dB sensitivities and are 4-ohm loads. He could easily transform them into 8-ohm loads, but he prefers to avoid the concomitant loss of sensitivity by 3dB. He also uses 4-ohm loading since most well-designed solid-state amplifiers will double their output power into such loads. Why purchase this amp capability only to leave it unused?"

taken from http://www.soundstage.com/yfiles/yfiles200107.htm

Even if your amp can drive a more demanding load it will still work a bit harder doing so,as compared to an easier one.Think 4 cylinder vs 6 cylinder engines.The fact is that the internal circuitry will still run cooler on an easier load,and common sense dictates that there has to be a sonic advantage to doing so.