Greetings Audioholics

[fightingfish]

Hello,
I'm a newcomer to the world of home theatre. I puchased the Onkyo SR HT800 htib. Since then, I have been planning on how to upgrade it. My first upgrade was purchasing 2 Polk R50's for $70 ea. These are my current L/R speakers, but will be moved to my surrounds in the near future. I plan on getting a csi5 center, and 2 rti8's for my L/R. I hope that my reciever will give plenty of power to these, because I'm not ready to get a processor and amps any time soon. I think that the receiver is capable of 44 Watts minimum continuous power to 5 channels at 8 ohms. That would be enough for casual listening, right?

 

[j_garcia]

Welcome My guess is that package comes with the 50x or 60x series receiver (I saw it listed as 100w). If you don't have a large room and don't normally "crank it" to higher levels, I think it will work. One user here mentioned that the RTis do drop somewhat low in impedance, so it might push the limits of that receiver. You wouldn't need a processor and amps, but if you find the receiver isn't up to the task, a receiver upgrade might be a possibility.

 

[fightingfish]

The receiver is a HT-R550, and is FTC rated as follows:

Rated Output Power (FTC)
110 watts minimum continuous power per channel, 8 ohm loads, 2 channels driven at 1kHz, with a maximum total harmonic distortion of .9%

If I understand this correctly, running 5.1 I would be getting 44 watts minimum continuous power per channel.

*edit* I also plan on bi-wiring the rti8's, and possibly the csi5 center.

 

[MDS]

The receiver is a HT-R550, and is FTC rated as follows:

Rated Output Power (FTC)
110 watts minimum continuous power per channel, 8 ohm loads, 2 channels driven at 1kHz, with a maximum total harmonic distortion of .9%

If I understand this correctly, running 5.1 I would be getting 44 watts minimum continuous power per channel.

How did you come up with 44 wpc - by multiplying 110 * 2/5? That's not exactly how it works.

The spec means that the reciever can deliver 100 watts to any 2 channels at a time. Music is very dynamic and will never require all 5 channels to be driven at the same time.

 

[fightingfish]

How did you come up with 44 wpc - by multiplying 110 * 2/5? That's not exactly how it works.

Yeah that's how I came up with the minimum 44 wpc. I don't know too much about watts, volts, ohms, ect. I was figuring that 44 wpc would be a minimum that any channel would ever get. Not sure how I would convert the FTC rating from 110 wpc on 2 channels to ? wpc on 5 channels.

I do listen to a lot of dvd-a's and dts discs. So having a sufficient power all around is a concern to me.

 

[j_garcia]

Well, the way they inflate their numbers a bit is by reporting the 2ch max output. That output is true for 2ch as mentioned, but usually isn't the case when more channels are in operation. Mutichannel music can absolutely have all of the channels going as well as during movies, so that would be where I would worry...the risk being damaged drivers in the speakers from clipping. Since you say you do a lot of DVD-A and dts-CD, I would want more power long term, but try it out and see how it goes. I've found Onkyo's to be capable of decent power output, including the 50x series.

What I meant by 50x and 60x is that the receivers in the packages are essentially relabeled versions of the separate ones they sell.

 

[fightingfish]

My main concern with being able to power my speakers sufficiently is with clipping. I really don't want to damage my speakers!

Will I notice clipping right away? What will it sound like?

Thanks so far, everyone on this board has been vary helpful.

 

[Seth=L]

I wouldn't busy yourself with Buy-wiring.

 

[fightingfish]

I wouldn't busy yourself with Buy-wiring.

I have come to the same conclusion after doing some research. Bi-amping I have learned is an entirely different story. Obviously, not even owning one amp...this isn't an option for me.

 

[j_garcia]

My main concern with being able to power my speakers sufficiently is with clipping. I really don't want to damage my speakers!

Will I notice clipping right away? What will it sound like?

Thanks so far, everyone on this board has been vary helpful.

You may not notice it right away, and that can be part of the problem. They way I typically describe it is: we've all been in a car with a lousy, probably stock, stereo and naturally turned it up too loud...that crackly and "fuzzy" sound is clipping/distortion.

 

[AVRat]

Your room is relatively small, < 1500 cu. ft., don't worry about it.