Same watts at 8 and 4 ohms?

hi,

I have a few thoughts, no answers,

1. consider selling those speakers now, then pick new or used speakers and amp together

I am a proponent of efficient speakers (close to 90db/w/m or above, they are) and nominal 8 ohm rather than 4 ohm, certainly not a fan of even lower (they are low).

Efficient speakers need less power, which puts you in position to need a lower cost amp. If you ever want to try a tube amp, the higher the speaker’s efficiency the better to help keep cost/size/heat down which also increases placement options.

2. features, remote volume and include remote balance. a very small balance tweak can make a surprisingly large improvement. you might want tone controls,

3. low volume listening is likely, so: automatic boosting of bass as volume is reduced is important to retain involvement. Enjoying a Jazz bassist, lower volume, bassist will progressively disappear, unless you compensate for your/our ear’s reduced ability to hear bass tones as volume reduces.

The industry stupidly named this optional control ’loudness’. It should be named ’low volume boost’. It needs to be properly implemented if automatic, or at least have a remote bass control you can adjust (then consider, how does it get back to normal? reset when power off/on? visible indicator?)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Equal-loudness_contour#:~:text=The%20Fletcher%E2%80%93Munson%20curves%20are,the%20Acoustical%20Society%20of%20America.



4. separate ’control unit’ (similar but not a pre-amp) for remote functions, then use ANY amp.

i.e. I use this discontinued remote control unit to give me remote volume/balance/automatic loudness compensation/input selection.

https://www.usaudiomart.com/details/649391586-chase-technologies-rlc1-remote-line-controller/images/1694271/

that one is sold, they come up for sale occasionally.

note: no pre-amp needed for any line level input. I use my preamp for phono, the preamp is then 1 of the 4 line-level inputs to the remote line controller, and then it outputs to ANY amp with no features. you could simply have a separate unit for phono eq now or in the future.

???? anybody know ??? currently available units available to do this.

Elliott, thank you for the thoughtful response. I will take it all into consideration.

However, right now and against the prevailing wisdom here is what I am going to do and why.

I am going to order the Sonos Amp for my birthday next month. Here is why:

Class D, 125w into 8, 200 into 4 and "4 ohm stable" for whatever that is worth. Right now I'm satisfied with 75w into 8 from an old Onkyo AV unit. The Sonos AMP will be a step up from that I suspect. If so I can live happily with it.

It is small, runs cool, nothing else will need to be attached to it since I can ditch the Sonos Connect and use it elsewhere. That means it will be discrete and out of sight and make my wife happy and be controlled entirely by my cell phone or hers. And that is important! She will use it if it is no more than using the Sonos app. And if she uses it then there is buy-in and that is good.

It comes with a trial period with free return shipping so no risk if it turns out to be a huge mistake.

It has balance, simple EQ and fairly effect "loudness" switch for low volume listening. Even with the Onkyo and even at low volume the bass via Sonos with loudness on sounds very pleasing to me.

If the Sonos Amp plus the Aerial 6Ts just don't work out I can try the Aerial 5Ts plus the JL Audio sub with the Sonos Amp but I would rather not since I'm not fond of subs and that is more room clutter to make my wife unhappy. The 5Ts and the sub are still for sale right now.

Sounds like a reasonable plan to me.  Please do report back on the outcome.

When a manufacturer claims x Ohms stable, all they are saying is that the amp won’t start oscillating (and perhaps blow up) when presented with such a load. It does not suggest how it will otherwise power, perform or sound into such a load. 

I'm good with the not blowing up part. That's a feature that I find reassuring. ;-)

Also, from what I am able to understand from this thread is that since I am not likely to ever use more than 50% volume and usually around 30% I should not be taxing the amp to any degree.

The Onkyo does not get any warmer than would be expected at these volumes.

Bottom line: If it sounds worse than the Onkyo then it goes back to Sonos at no cost and falls into the live-and-learn category.

I do understand that this amp is beneath the 'dignity' of these speakers.  And it does bother me a little bit.....I don't know why. Kind of like putting Prius tires on a Ferrari. It would still do a lot of what a Ferrari does well....but not what it does best.

And I don't want to sell the speakers. They cost me nothing and one of these days I might find an application for them in which they can be driven properly.