I'm not too interested whether an amplifier can momentarily cover a 4ohm/3ohm/2ohm load etc, but whether it can do so over a normal listening session, and sometimes in weather like this. You have to have faith in your equipment to be able to "use it and forget it", you don't want to be worrying whether it is going to overheat, or start producing negative characteristics because it can't handle what you want it to do.
For the last few weeks (except for when I was at the show), I've been listening to Magnepan Magneplanar LRS speakers, which state 4ohms, but the Stereophile review states they act more like 3.3ohms, and dip to 2.8ohms. Initially I was using a Bel Canto E1X integrated, even though I haven't used this amp with anything like this before, but it seems to handle Perlisten speakers pretty well, that drop to similar impedances. After I got the Hegel H390 back off loan, I swapped for that, knowing they double in output when the impedance halves, and knowing it can handle 2ohms easily. I honestly wouldn't trust something not much bigger than a pan Apple TV box to remain stable when the going gets tough. If anything goes wrong, I don't want to lose any expensive drivers! From what I'm told, Class D amps can let go dramatically, and take everything with them.
I'm always on the look out for amps that can handle low impedances, but I'd need to read solid data on its abilities in that respect to be able to trust it. The £2k figure I mentioned was a rough one, and for the most part, I'd say it's likely higher. Class AB amplifiers need big components to deal with it, so won't be cheap, and I'm not generally convinced that Class D can handle it properly, as even the Anthem M1 monoblocks which are 1kW into 8ohms and double into 4k don't give any ratings below 3ohms, and that rating isn't in line to show a doubling down towards 2ohms.
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