Quote Originally Posted by stereonewbie
But the Yamaha link shows it only has 70 watts per channel and all of the receivers I listed have 100 watts. Dont the Bose speakers require 100 watts per speaker?
Others will chime in, but let me first say it -- pay NO attention to the wattage specs! Those are fraught with all kinds of variability (i.e. was the spec measured using 8 ohms or 6 ohms resistance? did it use a wideband test tone or a 1 kHz tone? was it tested with one channel or all channels driven? was it tested at the onset of clipping or well into the high distortion range?). By tinkering with how the test was done, the specs on one particular model could range from 20 watts/channel (all channels driven into 8 ohms using a wideband test tone up to the onset of distortion) to close to 200 watts/channel (one channel driven into 6 ohms using a 1 kHz test tone with the distortion level measuring at 20%)

This is why so many mini-systems are rated for 100 watts/channel, because if you read the fine print, those specs are doctored up in almost absurd ways just to claim 100 watts/channel. Yamaha's output specs have traditionally been among the more conservatively rated ones. The difference between 70 watts and 100 watts in the actual maximum output level is barely audible.

Bose speakers are rated at 100 watts/channel -- that refers to the MAXIMUM input, not the minimum. Most speakers are rated at a sensitivity level around 85-90 db. That means that ONE WATT will drive a speaker into that decibel range. 85 db is already considered fairly high volume, and it only takes 10 watts more to get into the 95-100 db range, which is very loud (about the level for a typical nightclub).

When assessing a receiver, go by the quality not the quantity.