Receiver auditioning hints, tips and tricks

[Rich-n-Texas]

Well the problem with power ratings is that there are no legal guidelines on how they are stated so most of them stretch the truth.The review that i read on the Yamaha rxv-1800 was on the Sound and Vision magazine website.They tested the power output and there results were that with 2 channels running it came very close to 130 watts, running in 5.1 mode it dropped down to about 100 watts and in 7.1 it fell all the way to 55 watts.It is a good idea to read the lab test results when you read a review for this kind of info.

Actually Bill, now that you mention it, I'm subscribed to S & V, and I did look at the review of the 1800. That 55 watt number you gave me sounded familiar, but I had forgotten where I read it. Here is S&V's comments about it's power output...

Power exceeded its specs by a good margin and bettered 100 watts all around, even with 5 channels driven. The unit's power supply appeared to run out of current when 2 more were added, however, since 7-channel results dropped by nearly 3 dB, to 55 watts — a non-issue in the real world.

The last sentence seems like it wasn't completed, but in any event I probably won't be trying to drive anymore speakers for the foreseeable future.

I checked for the other two but could not find them, the Denon 2307 was on there and it did give better results but it does not mean the 2808 would as well.Most of the mass market producers do this to various extents, not just Yamaha.

I agree that there is no standards body governing manufacturers, and not all test using the same end equipment. I guess you just have to compare one against the other and draw your own conclusions.

Harman Kardon is a noticeable exception as they rate there receivers conservatively so a 55 WPC HK will sound stronger and play louder than a 100 WPC
mass market receiver.The Harmon's have a strong amp section, the mass markets do not.Others that are known for it are Rotel and Cambridge Audio.I have a CA receiver that i use as a power amp and it works great, i feed it my Anthem pre-pro.If you are getting a bluray i would get one that decodes internally and outputs the signal rather than decode in the receiver, it will open up your choices a lot.

bill

Okay, I'll look at more Rotels and H/K's. The problem there is that it's hard to find listening rooms neaby that carry this high-end equipment. The Home Theater Store may; I'll get in touch with them, but I know I won't find any Rotel at Frys or BB.

Edit: There was no separate and detailed test bench results listed on the S&V website for the 1800.