Lots of confusion here.
For starters, the wattage on cheap systems like the Sony is always exaggerated. Most upper-grade AV receivers rate their power at XX watts per channel, @ 20-20,000 Hz @ less than 1% distortion. Cheap systems like the Sony rate the power at a single frequency – 1000 Hz – rather than broadband, and with 10% distortion, both of which inflate the figure. Ten percent distortion is unlistenable, which means you’re getting significantly less volume (and wattage) at the maximum level where it sounds clean. Then they total the power of all the channels. I assure you, put the Sony against a good-quality system with a “mere” 100 watts per channel amplifier, and it will blow the Sony away.
Next, you can’t reasonably compare your second system to the Sony, because it consists of speakers only, with no amplifier as the Sony has. Speakers don’t “produce” wattage. They absorb wattage. Thus wattage ratings for speakers indicate maximum capacity, while the Sony’s wattage is output.
With audio, the price-to-improvement ratio is not linear. Paying ten times for the JBL/HSU system won’t get sound that’s ten times better (actually it’s going to cost more because you also need an AV receiver and a DVD player to be fully “compatible” with the Sony). However, it will be significantly better.
Regards,
Wayne A. Pflughaupt
