Home Theater Receivers and 4 ohm speakers?

TL;WR*: What's with receivers not being able to power 4 ohm speakers anymore? And Do I need a newer receiver to pass 4k video via HDMI to my TV?

So with my basement rec/family/kid room being almost finished, I was thinking about the audio side of things. We have a couple of video gaming systems and a blu-ray player so I'd like have the receiver switch video signals via one HDMI cable going to the TV. Mostly so I don't have to get 3-5 HDMI cables long enough to fish up through the wall. Plus it's a mess.

I'm not super concerned about a high end receiver with a ton of options, and I only really like the two main full range speakers and two small surrounds. I have my home built tube amps for when I'm pretending I can hear the audiophile stuff .

The rub is that newer receivers don't power 4 ohm speakers and I have a nice pair of floor standing Polk speakers. I have old receivers (non-HDMI) that do 4 ohms just fine (even down to 2 ohm!), but once the HDMI switching enters the situation, now the receiver cost go up usually above $300.

An additional concern I have is the TV we bought is a 4k display. Lots of the older HDMI receivers don't appear to be able to pass 4k (correct me if I'm wrong.) So that bumps me up another hundred or so to get HDMI switching, the ability to drive 4 ohm speakers, and pass 4k.

Opinions? Thoughts? Jeers?

*TL;WR is 'Too Long; Won't Read'

In reply to RossD:

I am by no means any kind of audiophile.

I've just worked through a similar solution, though I don't have the 4 ohm issue to work with.

I used this: https://amzn.com/B00V84S2F

though it was much cheaper when I bought it than what they are surrently showing for a price. It's set up passing three HDMI sources through to the TV, and is 4K capable, though my TV is not.

It's kind of fun playing the the network connectivity part of it. I can remote control it from anywhere I've got a connection to my local network-- turn it on/off or turn the volume down, etc.

In reply to Karacticus:

Your link doesn't seem to get me anywhere other than the Dogs of Amazon. (Which was kind of entertaining.)

Run of the mill receivers dont run 4 ohm drivers because there aren't many 4 ohm speakers really. 4 ohm speakers are pretty high-end, I guess they figure if you have 4 ohm speakers, you can afford a more expensive receivers.
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In reply to RossD:

Here's another try at the link--

https://www.amazon.com/Pioneer-VSX-45-5-2-Channel-Receiver-Bluetooth/dp/B00V84S2F2/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1472586867&sr=8-1&keywords=vsx-45

In reply to DrBoost:

I guess I didn't know that now days 4 ohms speakers denotes high end equipment. The Polk speakers don't seem that high end but I bet they are at least 10 years old.

Also, opinions on the Denon AVR-S710W: http://www.accessories4less.com/make-a-store/item/denavrs710w/denon-avr-s710w-7.2-ch-x-80-watts-networking-a/v-receiver/1.html

In reply to Karacticus:

Only good down to 6 ohm speakers.

The Denon AVR-S710W shall be delivered Tuesday. Thanks guys for your input.

You might want a preamp/preprocessor to handle your video and audio routing, and then send those into your tube amp for the speakers. Finding a darn good amp is hard enough. Having it be compromised by video sources and multiple inputs and the latest HDMI spec of the day seems like a hassle.

Find a good amp and stick with it forever. Occasionally replace your preamp as your needs change.

How about: http://www.outlawaudio.com/products/975.html

RossD wrote: The Denon AVR-S710W shall be delivered Tuesday. Thanks guys for your input.

That looks very interesting. I would love a update once you get it set up.

RossD wrote: The Denon AVR-S710W shall be delivered Tuesday. Thanks guys for your input.

My input doesn't matter now, but I like Denon stuff. After you've owned it for a while, let us know what you think.
Did you buy from accessories4less?

In reply to Kylini:

I don't think any of my homemade tube amps warrant preamp that cost $550! That's why I started building tube amps, because I'm usually a cheap bastard. Plus I was looking around $300 mark for an home theater receiver so that pre-amp is above my budget.

Although I do have audiophile leanings at times, so I'll file the Outlaw Audio 975 away for later.

RossD wrote: In reply to Kylini: I don't think any of my homemade tube amps warrant preamp that cost $550! That's why I started building tube amps, because I'm usually a cheap bastard. Plus I was looking around $300 mark for an home theater receiver so that pre-amp is above my budget. Although I do have audiophile leanings at times, so I'll file the Outlaw Audio 975 away for later.

Fair enough. Some receivers have pre-amp outputs too, so you can have your tube amp do the heavy lifting on your nicer speakers.

Hope you like the Denon!