Is it OK to use ST35 with 6 ohm speakers?

[mhtn]

Hello,
I recently got me a pair of Jamo speakers which had impedance 6 ohm. Since my ST35 was originally configured for 8 ohm operation, is it safe to use it with the Jamo's? I tried this set up and it sounded great with a lot of authority for a tube amp but I'm not sure if the low impedance will damage the tube amp or the speakers in the long run.

Please advise.

Thanks,
Martin

[Ty_Bower]

Won't hurt a thing. Even speakers which are rated "8 ohm" are never a constant 8 ohm impedance across the whole frequency band.

[mhtn]

Thanks, Ty_Bower, for the quick response.

This set up surprised me in term of bass extension. It seems to me that I got deeper and tighter bass with my ST35 than with my Marantz SR6003 (100 wpc). How could this be??? The Marantz is a solid state with much more power.

Thanks,
Martin

[Ty_Bower]

The Dynaco Stereo 35 is a pretty good design. Some argue it is the best amp made by Dynaco. Raw power isn't everything. Damping plays a role, too. By (slightly) underloading the amp, running an average 6 ohm load where 8 was expected, you might extract a little more power from the amp at the cost of slightly higher distortion. Push/pull amps tend to lean towards the even ordered harmonics, which our brains are programmed to hear as somewhat pleasing. Maybe you're getting just a touch of 2nd order distortion in the output. It could be enough to explain the sound which you feel you like. It's kinda like Accent season salt - it "wakes up the flavor".

If you like it, just enjoy it! :)