Speakers for Yamaha rx-397?

[kokeshi]

I have a Yamaha RX-397 receiver. Am I aiming too high to pair it with Ascend CBM-170s? Do you think that this receiver has what it takes to make these monitors sing?

 

[ski2xblack]

Depends on how big your room is and how loud you expect it to be. Those speakers, while rated "8 ohms nominal", dwell much closer to 4 ohms for much of their bandwidth, so they will draw some juice. If you're rocking out in a large room, they may ask for more juice than the Yammie can deliver.

http://myhometheater.homestead.com/splcalculator.html

Play with that and see if you're in the ballpark. If you need louder, choose more sensitive speakers, or get a more powerful amp.

 

[kokeshi]

I'm not really worried about that. (Or should I be?) I'm looking to do a more direct setup in a corner of a very large room. I will be sitting within three or four feet of them. Here's my idea so far:
CPU---> DacMagic---> Yamaha RX-397 ---> Ascend CBM-170
Am I on the right track? Or have I made a strange U-turn?

 

[its phillip]

Should have skipped the dacmagic and rx-397 and gone with a more capable receiver. I think you'll be fine since you'll be so close and presumably at low volumes though.

 

[anamorphic96]

Sitting that close the receiver will probably never use more than a few watts.

I definitely would have skipped the DacMagic and Yamaha though. Something like the HK 3490 or Onkyo TX-8050 would have done the same and offered more flexibility. Plus you would have saved 3 to 500 dollars.

 

[Pyrrho]

Should have skipped the dacmagic and rx-397 and gone with a more capable receiver. I think you'll be fine since you'll be so close and presumably at low volumes though.

I agree completely. A higher Yamaha for the combined cost of those two items would be better.

 

[kokeshi]

Thanks, guys. I didn't actually buy the Dacmagic yet and the Yamama is being used in my kitchen to power some JBL Control Now AWs and a Def Tech Sub. I got all of these items for very low prices thanks to Costco and Ultimate Electronics going out of business. I must have the best sounding kitchen anywhere! So, nothing is wasted.
Thanks for the advice on the receiver.