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Is it hard on my amp to be driving 4 ohm speakers?

I'm a poor audiophile. My gear is very old. I have a Sugden A 28 amp and Epi M201 speakers. The speakers have a switch on the back that only gives you the choice between 4 and 16 ohms. The amp is class A, so it runs hot to begin with. The speakers don't seem to be very efficient, requiring lots of volume for best sound. I've searched for info on my amp with no luck. I'm guessing it's around 35 wpc into 8 ohms. AND I'm also assuming it would be a bad idea for the amp to set the speakers at 16 ohm. Am I right? Is my amp designed to handle driving 4 ohm speakers at high volume?
trapezoid
auxetophone
114 posts
 
I would listen to whatever setting sounds better. It's hard to predict what that will be, especially without knowing what circuit gymnastics are involved on making the 4/16 switch.

If you want to baby the amp above all, try measuring the heat sink temp after extended playing at each setting. I believe this uses a simple bias scheme not unlike Krell's sustained plateau bias, so it will run somewhat hotter at high volume by design.
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trapezoid OP
6 posts
 
Auxetophone - yes, you're right - I do want to baby my amp most of all.
Elizabeth - yes, I must play the music loud enough to make the speakers talk with all their glory.
Thank you both and I'll do it at 16 ohm. And I may also get a smaller, 8 ohm pair of speakers some time!
auxetophone
114 posts
 
Probably I wasn't clear. You will have to turn the volume higher into 16 ohms to get the volume you want, since more voltage will be required. Your model of amp's bias doubles at some volume level or another - it's not a typical class A design in that respect. Put the two together and this MIGHT mean that your amp works much harder (twice the idle current) into 16 ohms at your listening level. If you care, you can check the temperature after playing loudly for a while at each setting. If you don't care, play it by ear.
trapezoid OP
6 posts
 
Yes, you're right. I have tried 16 ohms and not only do I have to turn the volume higher, but the music sounds muffled. At the 4 ohm setting the sound is clearer and louder. I'll just have to leave the speakers at 4 ohm until I eventually get a smaller, more efficient pair of 8 ohm speakers.
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