Will I melt my Yamaha R-S500?

[Adam]

It sounded really good, and loud. I don't always turn it up that loud, but I don't want to risk frying the thing when I do.

Honestly, I think that you're good, then. If you want to buy more gear, don't let me stop you. If you are concerned about the temperatures, you can always use a small fan around the receiver. Some people add computer muffin fans that will turn on with the receiver so that they are always running, or you could just get a desk fan or something to turn on low when you want to crank it up. Cooler electronics last longer, but most electronics need to get pretty hot before their reliability begins to degrade.

 

[Gunn]

That's true- it may be loud but human hearing isn't sensitive to distortion unless it reaches high % and at high SPL, it's even harder to hear. This means, if the recording has a high average recorded level AND large dynamic peaks, the amplifier can clip badly and it will be inaudible. If the music has clean dynamic peaks of 30dB and the amp is running at -10dB, it has to produce a lot more power in order to reproduce that peak. 30dB means 1000x the average power output, which no receiver will do. Going from 75W to 90W will gain absolutely nothing, unless the amp's headroom is extremely high- unlikely.

It's not going to clip and sound like a distorted guitar- the good kind of distortion used for instruments is often considered good her, due to its being asymmetrical, often because one tube isn't biased exactly the same as the other or the amp is of the kind of design that doesn't have a bias setting, sometimes called 'self biasing' and one tube is a bit different from the other.

I would be interested in knowing the actual volume control setting- it could clear up some mis-conceptions.

Had the volume at 8db, but I think it only goes to 15 or 16db. I know in the past I've hear other speakers run with an under powered receiver/amp and the sound was really thin and distorted when the volume was turned up. In my case it wasn't like that at all. I was just surprised by how hot the receiver was, and don't want to fry it.

 

[Gunn]

Honestly, I think that you're good, then. If you want to buy more gear, don't let me stop you. If you are concerned about the temperatures, you can always use a small fan around the receiver. Some people add computer muffin fans that will turn on with the receiver so that they are always running, or you could just get a desk fan or something to turn on low when you want to crank it up. Cooler electronics last longer, but most electronics need to get pretty hot before their reliability begins to degrade.

A fan's not a bad idea. I will give that a try next time I have it turned up. I think I am going to get something better though.

 

[zumbo]

Doubt the Anthem would actually be full retail from a dealer, especially if you could find one as a floor model.

It's a cool piece, and glad I know it's out there. If it weren't for this thread, I wouldn't know they were offering such powerful integrated gear.

 

[mtrycrafts]

Had the volume at 8db, but I think it only goes to 15 or 16db. I know in the past I've hear other speakers run with an under powered receiver/amp and the sound was really thin and distorted when the volume was turned up. In my case it wasn't like that at all. I was just surprised by how hot the receiver was, and don't want to fry it.

Well, if you are going for more volume, you also need to think about your speakers capability.
Also, have you considered hearing loss over time?

 

[highfigh]

Had the volume at 8db, but I think it only goes to 15 or 16db. I know in the past I've hear other speakers run with an under powered receiver/amp and the sound was really thin and distorted when the volume was turned up. In my case it wasn't like that at all. I was just surprised by how hot the receiver was, and don't want to fry it.

What's the total range on the volume control? If you mean it was at +8dB and the low end is shown in negative numbers, like -40dB, -90dB, etc, you had already run out of clean power. Power isn't free. Once the amp runs out of steam, your tweeters won't be long for this world- they're the first to blow when an amp clips (usually). Your receiver has a limit to its output power. Your volume control only goes up to its maximum because some program material is recorded at a lower level than some other material, not so the control can be maxed out. My analogy about mashing your gas pedal to the floor is a good one- if you have a VW Bug, can you tow a bus on level ground? Sure, kind of. Will you accelerate quickly? Not a chance. Will it be able to continue indefinitely, without overheating? Nope!

 

[Gunn]

What's the total range on the volume control? If you mean it was at +8dB and the low end is shown in negative numbers, like -40dB, -90dB, etc, you had already run out of clean power. Power isn't free. Once the amp runs out of steam, your tweeters won't be long for this world- they're the first to blow when an amp clips (usually). Your receiver has a limit to its output power. Your volume control only goes up to its maximum because some program material is recorded at a lower level than some other material, not so the control can be maxed out. My analogy about mashing your gas pedal to the floor is a good one- if you have a VW Bug, can you tow a bus on level ground? Sure, kind of. Will you accelerate quickly? Not a chance. Will it be able to continue indefinitely, without overheating? Nope!

Just checked and it starts at -90db. I realize I was really pushing the receiver, but what I don't understand is why it still sounded really good. In my experience when a receiver is pushed to hard it starts to sound like crap.

Considering it starts at -90db, what would you say would be a safe level to play it at?