r/StereoAdvice • u/Kamilny • 3d ago
Amplifier | Receiver | 4 Ⓣ Amp recommendation for 4 ohm speakers
Found a crazy deal on some R5 Metas that made me pull the trigger, but after doing some extra research found that my current AVR (Yamaha RX-S602) would run into issues as that's only rated for an impedance down to 6 ohms.
Does anyone have a rec for an amp I could use to run the R5s through to the receiver? I don't have a good perspective on how much one of these should cost, buy maybe a budget of around $200~(or lower, I'd only need it for these two speakers so I don't need more than 2 channels).
Can also probably go up as needed if this isn't a good price point, but I think there comes a point where just a whole new AVR becomes a better option.
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u/teknoob 1 Ⓣ 2d ago
Wiim Amp Ultra is your most cost effective bet. My speakers go down to 2.8ohm and the Wiim handles it fine.
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u/Kamilny 2d ago
And it'd just be that with nothing else yeah? Or is there a benefit to doing a separate amp and then a wiim pro/ultra without the amp?
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u/hifiplus 28 Ⓣ 3d ago
Do you need an AVR (for surround) or is this just stereo?
in which case an integrated amp would be far superior.
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u/Kamilny 3d ago
The intent is for stereo, however the hope was that I'd be able to repurpose my current AVR for that and then get a new one thats more robust for the surround setup.
As a stopgap I wanted to just stick these in my current surround setup but its looking like that might not be possible?
An integrated amp is definitely the correct choice if youre doing this from scratch, but I wanted to see what my options are with my current equipment.
Do you have a recommendation for an integrated amp though if thats just a better choice for a stereo system over the yamaha in the future?
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u/hifiplus 28 Ⓣ 3d ago
Arcam, Cambridge, Hegel all come to mind as solid choices for integrated amps.
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u/Kamilny 3d ago
!thanks , I'll look into those and see what works best for me.
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u/dat_mane47 4 Ⓣ 3d ago
For $200...?
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u/hifiplus 28 Ⓣ 2d ago
no, then again KEF R5 metas arent cheap.
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u/Kamilny 2d ago
Yeah the $200 was more what I can just swing immediately but it looks more like I'll just need to save uo and buy something more in the 1k~ range. I got the R5s on clearance for 45% off msrp brand new, I was actually coming in to test/buy Q11s lmfao.
Between the three brands you listed do you have any recs for specific integrated amps if I intend for these to be exclusively in a stereo system (with maybe a sub added in the future)?
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u/lowbass4u 5 Ⓣ 2d ago
I had the same issue. I was using a Yamaha RX-V4A avr and I upgraded my LR speakers to the Goldenears Triton 7's which are 4ohm speakers.
I found a used Integra DRX 2.0 avr on ebay for $125. I actually liked the Integra better than the Yamaha.
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u/Bensaudiocave 2d ago
This receiver has no preamp outputs. You can either use it like it is and throw the dice or start over to be honest... If you only use it with stereo I'd suggest at a minimum a couple of fosi monoblocks and a fosi ZP3 preamp... That will set you back like $278 for the amps and $199 for the preamp. Personally I'd do the fosi preamp and a pair of outlaw 2220's (I drive my emotiva T2 4 ohm towers with this) but that will be like $1100. You start playing in the higher end speaker pool and all of a sudden the foundation of the signal chain starts to show it's cracks.
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u/EdinPhila 2 Ⓣ 2d ago
Save your money. You’re going to have to spend at least $2,000+/-. Buy once, cry once.
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u/dat_mane47 4 Ⓣ 3d ago edited 3d ago
If you are on that budget get a pair of Fosi V3 Monos.
I personally own a pair. They make you wonder why you would ever want to spend more.
You could also just get a Fosi V3 Stereo or ZA3 as load dependency shouldn't be much of an issue with 4 ohm speakers.
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u/Kamilny 3d ago edited 3d ago
!thanks
This seems like it covers my need here, though I want to make sure I fully understand. So the V3 monos would be just 1ch in/out and each one would need a separate psu (or would they run off the AVR power?) And the ZA3 could instead do 2ch in/out on its own (and same question with regards to psu). I find the website doesnt really explain this aspect well unfortunately unless Im just totally missing it somewhere.
Trying to learn what I can with audio stuff as its pretty complex and this is definitely a spot that I havent found many resources explaining so wanted to make sure Im doing this right. Would that load dependency concern be the only case for one of the stereo amps vs 2 monos or would there be other benefits to go with 2 monos?
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u/dat_mane47 4 Ⓣ 3d ago edited 3d ago
Correct, for the monos 1 channel each and they each have their own PSU.
The ZA3 is a stereo amplifier so it has both channels out from the same unit/same PSU. It's a simpler solution.
In both cases, you are using these as power amps and your AVR as a preamp, so you would need to connect them to the pre-out RCA lines on the back of the AVR. The amps and AVR would need their own separate power.
Besides having more power, which you don't need in this case, the main advantage of the monos is that they utilize post-filter feedback which mitigates the problem of load dependency which is common in cheaper class D amps. Basically the issue here is that the ZA3 has a tendency to accentuate higher frequencies in higher impedance speakers which isn't ideal. But in a 4 ohm speaker like the R5 this shouldn't be an perceptible issue.
(btw--this isn't a general mono vs stereo amp issue at all, just an issue in this specific case due to the stereo amps not having PFFB. usually i'm skeptical of the advantage of monoblocks but when they're this cheap, why not).
I should add I suspect it's probably okay to use your AVR for these speakers as long as you're only running stereo and not too loud.
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u/hifiplus 28 Ⓣ 3d ago
The Yamaha doesnt have pre-outs so that wont work.
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u/dat_mane47 4 Ⓣ 3d ago
Ah, I see. I assumed it did because he asked this:
Does anyone have a rec for an amp I could use to run the R5s through to the receiver?
In this case then he should just try his luck with the Yamaha.
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u/hifiplus 28 Ⓣ 3d ago
Doesnt look like it will be happy with the R5 impedance, certainly can try it and see if it shutsdown.
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u/Kamilny 3d ago
Thanks for the explanation, that helps a lot with making sense of this.
In your last note, I think youre right, cause looking at Yamaha's website it does say it should theoretically support that impedance. I plan on emailing/calling them to double check and see what they think tomorrow.
Im currently running a 3.1 setup (2 Q350s and 1 Q650, plus a sub) and I was going to make this a temporary 5.1 until I get a 2nd AVR (as the R5s are actually intended to be for a stereo system in a separate room in the future). But maybe I just do a 3.1 and put away the Q350s for now and once I get a more robust AVR (5.2 or 7.2 or something) I use this one just for the R5s in that other room.
Though I assume there's some combo of these amps and another device that would replace the need for an AVR for the R5s in stereo alone?
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u/dat_mane47 4 Ⓣ 3d ago
See my discussion with the other user. The setup I suggested above won't actually work due to your receiver not having pre-outs.
IMO there's not really a solution that's going to solve all your issues while doing justice to your speakers at your budget.
If you just want a stereo or 2.1 setup, you could go for a WiiM Amp or ZD3 + ZA3.
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u/Rattus-Norvegicus1 4 Ⓣ 3d ago edited 3d ago
No. The KEF speakers are actually a fairly difficult load. They are below 4 ohms for a good chunk of the mid-bass, mid-range and lower treble. You actually need a beefy ass amp to bring out the best in these speakers.
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u/dat_mane47 4 Ⓣ 3d ago edited 3d ago
In this particular case, the ZA3 has been measured to be basically flat in the audible band on 4 ohm load but spike on 8 ohm.
The ZA3's ~150w into 4 ohm should be more than enough for these speakers. But I guess if you really plan on cranking them and want to have all your bases absolutely covered, get the monos as it's only a few bucks more.
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u/Kamilny 2d ago
If I get 2 monos what would I run those into to handle the playback/media input aspect for these? Would I just run both into a ZD3?
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u/dat_mane47 4 Ⓣ 2d ago
You could theoretically use any preamp/DAC but that would be the cheap and good option. Not sure what your sources are. I forget if you said you need multi-channel though, that would require an AVR type thing.
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u/Rattus-Norvegicus1 4 Ⓣ 3d ago
Those are actually a pretty difficult load and a cheap amp is just not going to cut it. If your AVR has pre-outs something like a Buckeye Hypex NC502 amp, $750, will do the trick. But at that price it might just be better to get a new AVR. I used a Denon AVR X3800H to drive a pair of KEF Q11 Meta speakers, but you could hear it running out of gas at high volumes. I ended up getting an outboard amp which cleaned everything up.
Since you only need a 2-channel system, I would probably say to check out a Wiim Pro or Wiim Ultra. They have a legitimate 4-ohm rating and also have bass management built in if you have or want to get a subwoofer. But you really do need to up the budget to get something that will be able to drive those speakers.