200w Speakers a problem w/ my budget plans?

[jaymoh]

Hey all,

I'm making my first foray into the whole realm of home theater, and am on a very low budget (i'm a teenager with parents who don't think all this stuff is worth it, i.e. they won't pay) so i'm hoping to make a 5.1 setup out of speakers i have lying around. One pair, large tower 200watt technics is giving me issues. I was planning on buying an entry level denon or yamaha reciever, but obviously, none of these have 200w per channel capabilities. hypothetically if I hooked these technics up, would their power be compromised, or would the reciever itself be compromised? thoughts?

btw... probably will buy a used infocus screenplay 4805 projector on ebay, will need a reciever with component hookups

 

[sholling]

The 200w the speaker refers to is the maximum sustained wattage. What is much more important is the efficiently, which is rated in sound pressure level at a one meter at 1 watt i.e. 90db etc. The reason that this is important is that for every 3db you want to increase the volume you have to double the power. In simpler terms it will take roughly double the wattage to run a 90db speaker versus a 93db at a given volume. See if you can look them up on the Internet.

There are a lot of smart people in this forum. How about you tell us your budget and let's see what everybody suggests. Believe it or not you can put together a pretty good entry level 5.1 system with 5 brand new matched satellites, and a small sub, and a pretty good for the money 100w receiver for around $700-800. No it's not audiophile grade and no you won’t be blowing windows out, but it will get you started.

 

[Nick250]

The 200 watt rating on your speakers tells you have many watts you can feed them before they self destruct. It does not tell you how much power is needed to make loud. Speakers in of themselves have no power (for the most part).

I think you plan for a receiver is right on target.

Nick

 

[jaymoh]

thanks for the quick replies guys...

I'm pretty set on buying a yamaha, but i'm having difficulty choosing between the htr series (5860 or others) or the rx-v559... which one of these would you recommend in regard to handling three video channels (component dvd, vcr, gamecube) as well as my 5.1 setup?

 

[mnnc]

You can use component video cables out of recvr to pj or buy a dvd player with dvi out. You can purchase a dvi to m1 adaptor and send straight digi video to the 4805 by using the m1 port. But as I said you will have to buy a dvi cable and a dvi/m1 adaptor(adaptor=ebay). The other responses are correct. The wattage rating on the spkrs are what the spkrs will handle max. I would suspect in reality that the Technics can handle 50w continuous and transient peaks of 150-200w. The recvr you are interested in will be plenty powerful even for a med size living room/den and handle the components you wish to connect/use. Get a powered sub if at all possible. Set crossover on recvr to 80hz and go from there. Is this equip going to be in your bedroom? If so you will be blown away and find yourself on the streets perhaps earlier than you expected due to the spl's that will be produced in a relatively small room. I know because I put together a 5.1 system for my son's 11th b-day that consists of a Denon 1801 recvr, Boston Acoustics bookshelf/sub combo, hand-me-down dvd player(nice because it was mine), and a ps2 in the mix (10x12 room). He blows us out of the house watching H Potter movies on the old faithful 27in Sanyo. Iv'e threatened to kick him out but...I just turn my system up and drown him out. LOL.

 

[jaymoh]

haha... well this setup's actually going to be in the basement (approx. 11'x17') so i think i'll be relatively safe...

 

[AVRat]

For three component inputs, the 559 (6.1) will work or bump up to the 659 or 5960 which are 7.1.

 

[mnnc]

haha... well this setup's actually going to be in the basement (approx. 11'x17') so i think i'll be relatively safe...

Your recvr choice will be nice for that area of space and even bigger. Strongly consider getting a decent sub. A good 10in sub would do well for that space. You are probably looking at about a $500 investment in a good one that would not need upgrading in another setup. It will be worth every penny. Keep us posted.

 

[jaymoh]

great! thanks for the feedback, i really appreciate it. at this point i'm just searching for the cheapest place to buy an rx-v559...maybe refurb., not sure. i'll definitely revive the thread once everything arrives, i'll probably end up needing some setup tips anyway

 

[AVRat]

Don't know how much you're looking to spend, but here's one option: http://www.etronics.com/product.asp?stk_code=yamrxv559&store=&catid=4118

 

[mnnc]

great! thanks for the feedback, i really appreciate it. at this point i'm just searching for the cheapest place to buy an rx-v559...maybe refurb., not sure. i'll definitely revive the thread once everything arrives, i'll probably end up needing some setup tips anyway

onecall is another great place to shop/buy. Check their closeouts section. As mentioned, etronics are good people. Take your time. Shop around for best you can afford. This is a hot topic in itself however, the importance of components is most often viewed as being the spkrs, preamp/power(recvr), source(dvd player...which will do your cd's as well not to mention other formats), and monitor/tv/pj. In that order. You can spend tons in cables and wire but it's not all that neccessary. Some average 14ga spkr wire should suffice and it won't break you. Put your money into the spkrs and recvr and go from there. These items will last a long time and you can upgrade around those two things with items like a better dvd player, tv, cable upgrades, etc. You will be thrilled with the 4805 pj. I have one and it's impressive for a 480p machine.