Need Help selecting a receiver for my new B & W Home theater system

B

bwbahel

Audiophyte
Hey everyone!

New to the forums here, and seeking your help.

I'm converting one of my upstairs bedrooms into a media room, which is about 13 x 12 feet in dimensions. I purchased the 75 inch 8500 model of the LG TV which I am going to mount to a wall. I am getting this media room for watching sports, movies, and audio. I went to the local magnolia store and really liked the Bowers and Wilkins setup and ended up selecting this brand. This is what I bought as my 5.1 setup. I have also provided the links for each speakers so you guys can see the specs for each speaker.

-CWM663 (the in wall speakers which I will use as the 2 front).

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/bowers-and-wilkins-6-2-way-in-wall-speakers-pair-white/2165054.p?id=1218312456826&skuId=2165054


-CCM663 (the in ceiling speakers which I will use as the 2 rear).

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/bowers-wilkins-6-2-way-in-ceiling-speaker-each-white/3526156.p?id=1218424271210&skuId=3526156

-HTM62 as the center channel

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/bowers-wilkins-600-series-htm62-s2-dual-5-2-way-center-channel-speaker-black/4826038.p?id=1219103673252&skuId=4826038


-Bowers and Wilkins 200W 10 inch sub

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/bowers-wilkins-10-200-watt-powered-subwoofer-black/1290528.p?id=1218247968245&skuId=1290528


My questions:

1. What do you think of this 5.1 setup? Aesthetics is a concern for me and I like the in-wall/in-ceiling look as it looks clean, even though I know that concealing speaker equipment in the wall is not as good as the sound quality that you will receive from floor-standing or bookshelf speakers.

2. I have a Yamaha Aventage receiver already, which is the AX740BL. Here is the link for this receiver:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00J8HV5D2/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o04_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Do you think this receiver would be adequate for this system? It only sends out 90W to each channel, and the speakers put out 100-130W. Should I get a new receiver for this system? Say maybe the yamaha aventage A3050BL (http://usa.yamaha.com/products/audio-visual/aventage/rx-a3050_black_u/?mode=model) ? What are your recs? I don't plan on blasting the system, so will my speakers ever use up to 100-130W of power? Meaning if I play my system at mid capacity, would a lower end receiver function?

3. What are the main characteristics that I need to look for in a receiver? Sorry I don't have advanced knowledge about receivers, but am trying to learn.


Thanks!!!
 
everettT

everettT

Audioholic Spartan
The speakers have a minimum impedance of 4.5 ohms, but without a curve graph to know where that falls it's hard to say regarding the Yamaha. Since your room isn't large it might not be an issue. If It were me I'd go in wall for the front three as that will give you a much better Soundstage, as in ceiling isn't gonna cut it, and if it has to be I'd look for a better value in ceiling for the front 3 cause spending that much for the BWs isn't going to get a good return for your money
 
rojo

rojo

Audioholic Samurai
The speakers have a minimum impedance of 4.5 ohms, but without a curve graph to know where that falls it's hard to say regarding the Yamaha. Since your room isn't large it might not be an issue. If It were me I'd go in wall for the front three as that will give you a much better Soundstage, as in ceiling isn't gonna cut it, and if it has to be I'd look for a better value in ceiling for the front 3 cause spending that much for the BWs isn't going to get a good return for your money
I think you misread OP's list. He's got two in-walls for mains and an enclosed out-of-wall center channel to complete the front stage.

Hey everyone!

New to the forums here, and seeking your help.... I went to the local magnolia store and really liked the Bowers and Wilkins setup and ended up selecting this brand. This is what I bought as my 5.1 setup.
Are you looking for validation, or for advice? If validation, then nice choice I guess. I would've recommended Hsu Research in-walls and subwoofer combo for better performance for less money, but the B&W combo you've decided on looks pretty.

If advice, then at the very least return that subwoofer. $650 is too much to spend on a mediocre 10" 200-watt subwoofer. If you must have a 10" sub to accommodate limited space for placement, the RSL Speedwoofer would be a better performing and less expensive choice. If you can fit a 16" (W) x 22" (H) x19" (D) sub, then go Rythmik LV12R. If you crave thump in your chest, you might prefer an Outlaw Ultra-X12.

2. I have a Yamaha Aventage receiver already, which is the AX740BL. Here is the link for this receiver:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00J8HV5D2/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o04_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Do you think this receiver would be adequate for this system? It only sends out 90W to each channel, and the speakers put out 100-130W. Should I get a new receiver for this system? Say maybe the yamaha aventage A3050BL (http://usa.yamaha.com/products/audio-visual/aventage/rx-a3050_black_u/?mode=model) ? What are your recs? I don't plan on blasting the system, so will my speakers ever use up to 100-130W of power? Meaning if I play my system at mid capacity, would a lower end receiver function?
90 watts should be plenty. Most typical listening is done at 1 - 10 watts or so, and the rest is just overhead for peaks. Doubling power results in an increase of 3dB. So if those speakers, for example, have an 87dB/2.83V/1m output (about 2 watts for a 4-ohm speaker), then at 4 watts they'll play 90dB. At 64 watts they'll play 102dB. That's pretty loud.

3. What are the main characteristics that I need to look for in a receiver? Sorry I don't have advanced knowledge about receivers, but am trying to learn.

Thanks!!!
Just don't get too hung up on wattage. Your priorities might be different from mine, but I look for these characteristics in order from most important to least:
  • reputation for reliability -- Denon, Marantz, Pioneer, and Yamaha are generally the best regarded here
  • connections -- Can I plug all my stuff in?
  • room correction -- Same as above. I prefer the Audyssey room correction offered by Denon and Marantz, but I don't fault anyone who prefers MCACC or YPAO.
  • wattage -- Full-range or at 1kHz? What level of distortion? It's probably over inflated by the marketing department anyway.
  • sparkly gadgety features -- streaming services integration, Bluetooth / wifi, mobile device app, zone 2 pre-out, etc
 
Last edited:
lovinthehd

lovinthehd

Audioholic Jedi
What Rojo said. Plus, speakers don't "put out watts", the speaker sensitivity rating is more useful for determining a sufficient amp for your uses along with an spl calculator; the speaker wattage rating is more often the melting point rather than anything useful.
 
Dan Madden

Dan Madden

Audioholic
Your Yamaha will do fine. However, if you are looking for better AVR audio performance, then I would check out Rotel's line of AVR's. Rotel and B&W marry very well together.
 
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