Running 2 Ohm Speakers with 4 Ohm HU?

[Byros]

I recently replaced my '00 non-monsoon
factory HU with a Sony CDX-GT610UI USB HU,
it made a nice difference, then I replaced
the rear factory speakers with a pair of JBL GTO637
speakers and that made a huge change in how
everything sounds and I like it very very much.

The simple question is:
Will my HU fail in the long term due to "ohm mixing"?

Lately I've been reading that you shouldn't mix amplifiers and speakers with different ohm ratings, since there's a chance the Amplifier or Head Unit could overheat and fail.

My current setup is as follows:

4 ohm - Sony CDX-GT610UI (17W RMS x 4)
4 ohm - A Pillar Factory Tweeters (2)
4 ohm - Front Door Factory Speakers (2)
2 ohm - Rear JBL GTO637 3-Way Speakers 60W (2)


I just love the way the car sounds and
wouldn't want to touch anything else unless absolutely necessary, it's been running like this for 2 weeks
with no problems whatsoever.

Both Crutchfield & CarDomain websites suggest
that these JBL 2-Ohm speakers are compatible with
my 4-Ohm Sony HU, JBL's site even recommends them as a replacement for the 2000 New Beetle 2 DR COUPE, but makes no comments whatsoever about "ohm mixing".

Any ideas?

Links:
http://www.xplodsony.com/xplod/headunits/CDX-GT610UI
http://www.jbl.com/car/products/prod...px?prod=GTO637
http://www.crutchfield.com/S-UapkEze...00&I=109GTO637

[afinley]

in general, its bad.

with less resistance, your amplifier (in your HU) is drawing in more amperage. the more power creates more heat. more heat creates you shopping for a new HU sooner or later.

of course, if you dont get stupid and drive around with it on blast all the time, or keep everything pegged to +15 and dont think twice about the banging noise from your speakers, you may never have a problem.

if you notice your HU is hot to the touch, or CDs are when you take them out, turn it down! just having lower resistance speakers will not blow anything up. running a ton of amperage through your HU, and the heat is a sign that things are about to stop working.

also, there is nothing wrong with "ohm mixing." if your amp can play 2ohms, let it. if it can't, don't.