Watts and what they can do

[kexodusc]

Yeah, Skep would have a page or two of opinion on this...but here's mine.

Hershon:
I have 2 Adcom power amps that are at least 95% identical as far as parts go, the only difference is one is rated at 60 watts/channel, the other is rated at 200 watts/channel.
When I hook them up to my Studio 40's and play a cd or dvd, I can't hear a difference in any tonal qualities or bass or anything like that at most volumes. When I really turn it up loud to volumes that are far too loud for inside my house, the 60 watt/channel GFA-535II starts to reach it's limits on musical peaks in volume, and the distortion alerts light up a bit. You can start to hear the sound quality deteriorate (clipping, etc) but it's hurting my ears and pissing off my fiancee at this point anyway. Those 60 watt Adcom's work great. I have some 40 watt Nad amps that do just as well in my opinion.

It becomes really apparent that I can drive the absolute hell out of my speakers with the 200 watt/channel Adcom GFA-555 II...they'll continue to put nice, clean well defined sound at rediculously loud levels, well past where the 535 stops, and the amp's distortion alerts are not being lit up at all. It doesn't appear to be "strained" or anything. The problem is my Studio 40's can really only handle up to 180 watts or something according to the specs, and even that I think is a stretch...I don't want to test that because I risk damaging them.

So 200 watts would give me room to go even louder than what I consider way too loud for my speakers. At this point, it is useless to me with those speakers. The GFA-535II has 4 or 5 dB of dynamic headroom and since I probably rarely use all 60 watts of it's power, I don't hear any sound problems at all.

Now, I have a pair of great souding speakers with VIFA drivers that I love way more than my Paradigm's, but their sensitivity is probably in the mid to high 80's, I'd say a good 3 to 5 dB lower than my Studio 40's. This means I probably require anywhere from 2 times to 4 times as much power to generate the same volume as my Studio 40's. This might present a problem for a 40 watt or 60 watt amp at higher volumes. I use a Rotel integrated amp that has 100 watt/channel and it goes way more than loud enough while still sounding good for my purposes. But that same 200 watt/channel amp can now only drive those speakers to the same volumes (approximately) as the 60 watt/channel amp can drive my other speakers. (Note: I've never done an actual test to prove this)

Hershon, as far as I can tell, if I use both Adcom amps to drive my speakers to the same volume, then they are both delivering pretty much the same number of watts to each channel. The fact that the 555 has 200 watts/channel is meaningless because it's only sending say 10 watts most of the time, the same as the 60 watt amp to achieve the same volume. The only advantage to the extra power I can tell, is when I continue to turn the volume up and it requires say, 70 watts/channel during peaks, or more...well, the 60 wpc amp has run out.

1 watt is pretty loud. Don't be sucked into spending huge bucks on power that you don't need. But make sure you get enough power!!! In home demos with your equipment is the best, easiest way to make this determination.

[Z3r0]

Srry i didnt get back to you quicker, i went to bed after i posted =/ ne way...

My rear speakers are 88db (operate from 15-150w)

My front speakers are 90db (operate from 10-250w)

http://www.circuitcity.com/detail.js...&oid=81873&m=0

Thats the one i was looking at, im going to my marantz local dealer today so ill c what they have as well.

[kexodusc]

BTW, Z3r0, H/K rates their receivers with all channels driven, and they typically have a bit more headroom than receivers like Yamaha, Marantz, Denon, etc...
That unit is a 45 wpc receiver, My old Marantz was rated at 85 wpc, but with all channels driven it couldn't even hit 45 wpc, so take that for what it's worth. Similarly, I'd be surprised if my new RX-V1400 Yamaha rated at 110 wpc could hit 60 wpc with all channels driven. There's plenty of power in those H/K receivers. Don't let the wpc specs influence your decision (too much).

[N. Abstentia]

Just adding on to the Adcom amps..remember that a receiver rated at 100 WPC could never ever even on it's best day even come close to a seperate 100 WPC amp (as long as it's of high quality..such as Adcom).

If you feel you need more power, buy a seperate amp and not a slightly larger receiver that 'appears' to produce more power. Fact is, it's still a reciever and the amp in it is compromised. Heavily.

[nightflier]

I used to own an old HK20 receiver, and I still kick myself for giving that one away. Just recently I found a great deal on the HK DPR1001 receiver, rated at just 50W, so I figured what the heck, let's see what HK has done lately. I have it set up with a 7-speaker Axiom setup and a SVS sub. The receiver replaces a much more powerfull Onkyo receiver.

While I was changing out receivers I had some time to play around with both and see what they could do. I even set up the Onkyo as a dedicated amp with the HK as a preamp. There are definitely some striking differences between the receivers, but the one thing I am certain of, is that the 50W per channel was more than enough for my surround setup. Onkyo makes an excellent receiver, but the HK is hands-down better. It is more efficient, more dynamic, and more powerfull. I'm not an expert, but it just sounds more detailed and airy, which I think is what the other posts mean by "headroom." I have been a fan of Onkyo for some time (just check my other posts), but the HK is a better value at a lower price. Some people don't like the remote, and it is a bit quirky, but that is a small thing compared the the value of this receiver. The HK 130 is also very well reviewed.

If you need more power, check out the HK 7200, because it is a couple of years old, you can get that model for a fraction of what you would pay for a comparable unit. It sells for around $500, if you can still find it. It has been replaced with the $2000 HK 7300, but there are just few differences.

Anyhow, that's my 2 cents.