amp power question

[mike c]

amp 1 has 120 watts x 5 (rotel 1075)
amp 2 has 200 watts x 2 (rotel 1080)

note: they are of similar price.

can i BI-AMP the front LR speakers in effect giving them 120wpc X 2 = 240w each
plus, i get a free 120w amp thrown in to use on the center

so, that would mean (if your speakers are capable of being bi-amped) the 1075 is more of a bang for your buck than the 1080?

OR is still there an advantage on using a 200wpc x 2 amp over a 120wpc x 4 (de facto bridged)

 

[mtrycrafts]

amp 1 has 120 watts x 5 (rotel 1075)
amp 2 has 200 watts x 2 (rotel 1080)

note: they are of similar price.

can i BI-AMP the front LR speakers in effect giving them 120wpc X 2 = 240w each
plus, i get a free 120w amp thrown in to use on the center

so, that would mean (if your speakers are capable of being bi-amped) the 1075 is more of a bang for your buck than the 1080?

OR is still there an advantage on using a 200wpc x 2 amp over a 120wpc x 4 (de facto bridged)

Firstly, I would not use a 120watt amp on tweeters; easy to over drive them and smoke them.

The only way I see it that you could deliver two 120 watts to the same front speaker is if you could send that speaker's signal from the pre amp out, split the signal and send it to two amp channel's inputs. But my vision is not always 20/20

 

[MacManNM]

amp 1 has 120 watts x 5 (rotel 1075)
amp 2 has 200 watts x 2 (rotel 1080)

note: they are of similar price.

can i BI-AMP the front LR speakers in effect giving them 120wpc X 2 = 240w each
plus, i get a free 120w amp thrown in to use on the center

so, that would mean (if your speakers are capable of being bi-amped) the 1075 is more of a bang for your buck than the 1080?

OR is still there an advantage on using a 200wpc x 2 amp over a 120wpc x 4 (de facto bridged)

You can do that, but your prob better off going with the 200w unit, if you are in need of the power. The 5 ch amp isnt going to deliver 120w/ch into all 5 chan.

 

[ht_addict]

amp 1 has 120 watts x 5 (rotel 1075)
amp 2 has 200 watts x 2 (rotel 1080)

note: they are of similar price.

can i BI-AMP the front LR speakers in effect giving them 120wpc X 2 = 240w each
plus, i get a free 120w amp thrown in to use on the center

so, that would mean (if your speakers are capable of being bi-amped) the 1075 is more of a bang for your buck than the 1080?

OR is still there an advantage on using a 200wpc x 2 amp over a 120wpc x 4 (de facto bridged)

Advantage is more headroom for those loud transitions, though I would be hard pressed to find the average user, use more than 4-8watts per channel at one time. If the use off the amp is for HT then I would go with the 1075 to keep the front soundstage the same. If you want to passively bi-amp using the extra channels then you can.

 

[ht_addict]

Firstly, I would not use a 120watt amp on tweeters; easy to over drive them and smoke them.

The only way I see it that you could deliver two 120 watts to the same front speaker is if you could send that speaker's signal from the pre amp out, split the signal and send it to two amp channel's inputs. But my vision is not always 20/20

You could use a 1Giga watt per channel amp on a tweeter and still be less likely to fry it from over driving than you would if you clipped the sound going to it. The tweeter will never ask or receive 120w, unless you crank the volume to insane levels. I've bi-amped using a 5x200w receiver and never had a problem.

 

[mike c]

i thought rotel claims it can deliver the wattage in its specs ALL CHANNELS DRIVEN

 

[tdeluce]

i thought rotel claims it can deliver the wattage in its specs ALL CHANNELS DRIVEN

You might want to read the following thread:
http://forums.audioholics.com/forums/showthread.php?t=14222

 

[mike c]

You might want to read the following thread:
http://forums.audioholics.com/forums/showthread.php?t=14222

I already did, but I dont think it applies to my situation because
from my understanding, the conclusions from that thread are:

1) it is highly improbable for all channels to use the same big wattage at the same time (whether movies or music)
2) that thread only applies to receivers and not amplifiers which explicitly claim ALL CHANNELS DRIVEN (which people might actually use as zone 1 stereo, zone 2 stereo which in effect WILL need all channels driven)
-especially in my case where i plan to use all 4 channels at the same time into just 2 speakers

 

[tdeluce]

I already did, but I dont think it applies to my situation because
from my understanding, the conclusions from that thread are:

1) it is highly improbable for all channels to use the same big wattage at the same time (whether movies or music)
2) that thread only applies to receivers and not amplifiers which explicitly claim ALL CHANNELS DRIVEN (which people might actually use as zone 1 stereo, zone 2 stereo which in effect WILL need all channels driven)
-especially in my case where i plan to use all 4 channels at the same time into just 2 speakers

Your probably right - both of the Rotel's should have no problem putting
600 watts or 400 watts respectively...

 

[rollinrocker]

Not to highjack the thread but tdeluce, how do you like the sms-1? Does it work as advertised?

 

[mtrycrafts]

The tweeter will never ask or receive 120w, unless you crank the volume to insane levels. I've bi-amped using a 5x200w receiver and never had a problem.

And people do use insane levels. Tweeters blow when the amp is asked for more power across the band. When people increase the volume at clipping without knowing because there is no apparent increase in the lower levels, the tweeter gets increasingly more and more power. Tweeters have a rather low power tolerance in speakers. Yes, I have been shown tweeters that handle a whole bunch but is that what is in the consumer speakers???
In the end, it is power at the tweeters that burns them.

 

[tdeluce]

Not to highjack the thread but tdeluce, how do you like the sms-1? Does it work as advertised?

It transformed a relatively wavy response into a rock solid
flat line from about 16 Hz to about 58 Hz. Sounds much
cleaner but not as loud ( no problem it still is very
loud

I call it my "po man" DD-15

 

[mike c]

Originally Posted by rollinrocker
Not to highjack the thread but tdeluce, how do you like the sms-1? Does it work as advertised?

no problem, i would also like to know the answer to that question.

tdeluce,
before the sms-1 made changes, how was your 16hz response?

 

[tdeluce]

Originally Posted by rollinrocker
Not to highjack the thread but tdeluce, how do you like the sms-1? Does it work as advertised?

no problem, i would also like to know the answer to that question.

tdeluce,
before the sms-1 made changes, how was your 16hz response?

The 16 Hz stayed the same. I had a bump around 25 Hz that was
4 dB in height and a dip that started around 40 Hz that was about
6 dB in depth. Now it is rock solid flat from about 16 Hz to 58 Hz
( the dip now starts at 58 Hz rather than 40 Hz ).