Mac's BAD MATCH for 802D's?

Just a question about using the 4 ohm taps. I have 802n's with a mac 352. Is this something I should try? Or can I damage the speakers.

You will not damage your speakers Larry and you should try it. I am not the foremost expert on this, but having owned N803's and 802D's, McIntosh told me to use the 4 ohm taps with these B&W's.

Someone can correct me if wrong, but the advantage of these different taps is for better impedance matching with your speakers and although B&W states these speakers in question as 8 ohms, they behave more like 4 ohm speakers, yes?

Yes. The problem is, from an amp's perspective, low impedances are hard to drive - not the high ones. Many (conventional dynamic box) speakers have a low impendance in the bass and a high impedance in the upper mids and highs. The average is a very rough 8 ohms so that is what is published in the manuals and brochures.

However, all the amp really sees is that 4 ohm bass impedance! So technical people will say, use the tap that corresponds to the lowest impedance of the speaker. In 90% of cases today this is about 4 ohms - especially true for B&Ws.

In the old days, speakers had a much higher impedance. There are several complicated reasons for this but to keep it short, they would often average 8 or even higher. If you look at old tube amplifiers, they all have 16 ohm taps and some even have 32 ohm taps! With the advent of cheap high-power solid state amplifiers in the 1970s, speaker designers gained some freedom and have since settled on a much lower typical impedance curve (again, for many reasons). This is why modern tube amplifiers only have 4 and 8 ohm taps - 16 ohm speakers are basically extinct and REAL 8 ohm speakers are not far behind.

Arthur

Brianmgrarcom you are correct about what you said, most people don't know this.

I dropped by my freinds who I had mentioned in my first thread who has the Mac 501's and 2200 pre. with the 802D's. Well a freind of his was over and they had a Mac 1000 pre hooked up, unbeleivable. I have a VTL 7.5 and Audio Research Ref3 that I am going to be bringing them over to do a comparison. I couldn't stay for long today so we all agreed to get together tomorrow and do the demo so my freind gets to listen to this 1000 all night. I have to say what I heard was the best I have ever heard his system sound like.

Tommorow will be real interesting.

John his friend has the new EMM all one piece cd player which I have been wanting to hear, I have a Audio Research Ref7 that I will be bringing along also with some cables of course.

Virtual Dynamics, Stealth Sextet digital, Anniv Purist Purist cables.

I really am looking foward to this, I actually want to go over and start right now.

I'll post again once done.

That is quite a line up of gear Dev and sounds like a fun time!