Confused about dB's, Sensitivity....

[kexodusc]

Sir Terrence,
I totally agree with you...I think we're just making 2 different points...I had on older H/K receiver that was only 20 watts or something...I bought it at a yard sale for 20 bucks, I still have it in my garage and I'm pretty sure it still works, anyway...it was great in my bedroom, but when I put it into a living room, my volume requirements went up and the bass did suffer substantially. I thought it was my speakers, but an upgrade in that department still left me wanting in the bass frequencies.
Lesson learned.

Anyway, we should have audiophile police or something that goes to BestBuy and Sears to advise people not to put their faith (and money) into the hands of part-time salespeople.

Man, if the internet was around in the early 90's I would have saved hundreds of dollars on audio gear!!!

Just out of curiosity, what is the lowest frequency the average human ear can detect?
I've never owned a 40Hz-20,000Hz amplifier, mine have all been 20 to 20...do they really lack that much bass?

[F1]

...........
Just out of curiosity, what is the lowest frequency the average human ear can detect?
I've never owned a 40Hz-20,000Hz amplifier, mine have all been 20 to 20...do they really lack that much bass?

I think it's not like the receiver has no output below 40Hz, but the company try to minimize THD number. 40 - 20K Hz @ 0.09% THD may translate to 20 - 20K Hz @ 0.2% THD or bigger, which doesn't look good.

[kexodusc]

Ahhh...okay...maybe that's the case then, F1, the bass just gets really sloppy below 40Hz. I've just assumed it was cutoff below 40Hz.
Does anyone know if that would make difference if the bass is cutoff below 90 Hz and output through a subwoofer. I have an opportunity to buy a new Sony Receiver for dirt cheap, I was thinking I'd give it to my little brother, he's moving out this year.
If the Sony's really lacking in that frequency range I'll give him my Marantz when I buy my RX-V1400 soon, but it's a pretty pretty bare-bone HT receiver, decodes DTS few DSP's...limit connection options.
Alternatively, he could output the bass from his DVD player straight...it's basic panasonic, I don't know how that would sound.
Anybody have any advice? Thanks.

[spacedeckman]

Sloppy bass isn't due to rating, but could be poor amplifier, speakers, room problem, or a combo of the three.

The Sony is doing what it can with what it has available. It doesn't have a good power supply, nor does it have very good output devices, it doesn't have the best circuit design (designed for fewest parts and high tolerance for component values) to contain cost. That's what makes them a beginners piece, and many people graduate to better stuff.

If your speakers are easy to drive, your room is small, and you are using a sub (and rolling off mains as you stated) you will get the best you can get from it.

Happy listening.

[kexodusc]

So...what you're saying is "how much do I like my brother?"
He's only getting an HTIB kit, my Marantz would be overkill for his purposes, and I could probably hawk it for some good coin on e-bay.
Aw, man, since you put it like that, I'd feel guilty doing that now!

[joel2762]

Kex, human ear detects down to 20 Hz. But anyway. I find the Sony really good. It might not be audiophile quality, but if you can get one dirt cheap, it's definetly worth it. I find mine great. Okay so it might not have the best power supply or whatever, but I really like mine. The four-position button let's you adjust settings easier than any other reciever i've seen. As for the 40Hz-20Khz stuff, My front speakers only go to 50 Hz anyway so the amp's rating doesn't matter, I have a subwoofer and my system goes fairly low, and sounds great with music. IT might not be the best for large rooms but for smaller rooms it's great. If it's dirt cheap, go ahead I say

[kexodusc]

Well, it's not quite dirt cheap, but he's only running a satellite/sub system off it anyway...I can sell my Marantz for about 100 more than it'll cost to buy me this. STRDE845 is the model number I think. That extra hundred is going towards my new Yammie.

He'll be happy with it I'm sure, he's only got a Kenwood bookshelf-system right now anyway.

[joel2762]

He should find it very good like I find mine!

[chimera128]

This was a really good thread. I agree that the question does not get asked enough. Something you might want to do if you are searching for amps is to go look at a couple of McIntosh amps with wattage meters on them. That way you can get an idea of the wattage it takes to drive speakers even if you don't want or can't afford McIntosh products. Also, a lot of the higher power/quality amps seem to have more control over the speakers production of sound. In terms of SONY, I just wanted to say I liked my STR-V333ES, when it worked !! I tried out their new STR-DA3000ES in my home for about a month and took it back to the dealer. It only put out about 110 constant wattage and 120-130 watt peaks. There was also a little hiss in the backround at ALL volumes. If you are considering this model line you may want to stay away till they iron out the Digital Amps

[jackz4000]

will kill your hearing. No doubt about it. I know my hearing would be a little better if I had not been a recording engineer...even though I was careful with the dbs. Most sound mixers need increasingly higher volumes to mix tracks. Many times the client needs to be wowed. So you pump it up. Met alot of senior engineers who mixed by the #'s and experience because their hearing was shot. Continually high sound pressure will make you progressively...deaf.