Easy to drive speakers.

P

pearsall001

Full Audioholic
What speakers would you guys recommend as an easy load on an AVR? I have a NAD T765 (80w per channel). It's probably better to stick with 8ohm rather than 4ohm, even though I believe the NAD can handle 4ohm without a problem. And how much of a role does the sensitivity rating play when it comes to power required? My room is 13x32x7 (approx 3000cuft). My main listening will be HT with 2 channel a close second. I want to stick with the AVR & not need to add any amps. I'm currently getting ready to sell off some of my gear & want to start from scratch with a complete package from the same company (mains, center & surrounds). No more mix & matching speakers. I'm pretty much in the process of downsizing my system.

I currently have dual Velo SPL-1200R subs so the low end isn't an issue. I've run bookshelves with superb results, but I'm also looking at floorstanders. My budget for the 5 speaker system will be approx 1.5-2k. Thanks in advance.
 
Pyrrho

Pyrrho

Audioholic Ninja
Sensitivity makes a huge difference in power required. If you look at these two speakers (they are beyond your price range, but they are being used to illustrate the significance of sensitivity):

http://www.magnepan.com/model_MG_201

http://www.klipsch.com/products/details/klipschorn.aspx

we have a difference of 20 dB in sensitivity (not to mention the impedance difference). If the difference were just sensitivity (and not impedance, which makes matters even more different), it would take 100 times the power to drive the first one to the same volume as the second one. In other words, it is possible to buy two speakers such that one is driven to a particular volume level by 1 watt and the other speaker requires 100 watts to achieve the same volume.


But you do have something that is supposed to put out 80 watts per channel, so if you listen at sane volume levels, you do not need the extreme sensitivity of the second speaker above.

My advice is to go out and listen to as many speakers, and as many types of speakers, as you can stand to listen to that are within your price range, and then see if they would be suitable with your receiver. If so, you are done. If not, then you would need to rethink either the speakers or consider getting more power. Most likely, though, you will be fine with whatever you happen to prefer, unless you are wanting to listen to volume levels that are literally deafening.
 
yettitheman

yettitheman

Audioholic General
Klipsch and Infinity have typically been easy driving speakers (in my experience). My old BIC's were also VERY easy to drive, but I don't know too much about their new lineup.
 
F

FirstReflection

AV Rant Co-Host
Your NAD receiver has plenty of power...more than many competing receivers out there. What may have you confused is that your NAD receiver is "only" rated at 80 Watts/channel, while you probably see 100+ Watt/channel ratings all over the place. The thing is, there is no standard for rating amplifier power. It is basically possible to "cook" the numbers to make whatever figure the marketing department would like!

Your NAD receiver is extremely conservatively rated if you go by the common practices of other major brands. Your NAD's "80 Watts/channel" would likely be rated as "280 Watts/channel" by several other major brand name manufacturers!

It's also important to know that in an anechoic chamber, you need twice as much power just to raise the output by 3 dB. But in a real room, you only need 25-50% more power. Another way to look at it is that even if you were comparing 80 Watts/channel vs. 100 Watts/channel - with both ratings measured in exactly the same way - in real world terms, you'd only be gaining 1-2 dB of extra output from those 20 extra Watts.

Bottom line - do not get hung up on Watt ratings. What is important is whether or not your receiver has a strong power supply and a good design. Your NAD does. And you are better equipped to drive lower impedance and/or less efficient speakers than most people!

If you are after full THX spec loudness levels in your room, then yes, you will still need very efficient speakers. But very few people actually listen at an average 85 dB volume level with 105 dB peaks! Most people prefer a good 10 dB quieter, which, in a real room, means you need about 15-20x less power than if you were reaching full THX spec volume levels.

The other factor is how far you are sitting from your speakers. For every doubling of the distance, you need 3 dB more output and about 1.5x as much power in order for it to subjectively sound about equal in loudness. In other words, if you're sitting 10 feet from your speakers, you'd need about 1.5x more power if you moved back to 20 feet from your speakers in order to maintain the same subjective loudness.

All of that said, efficient speakers are almost never a bad thing. Efficient speakers are more dynamic and can more easily provide sudden loud bursts and prolonged loud passages. For you personally, though, you really do not need to worry. So long as you do not select especially inefficient speakers, you'll be just fine :)

There are many great brands out there. For your room size and listening desires, I would heartily recommend that you check out Axiom Audio. Axiom produces excellent, dynamic and accurate speakers for reasonable prices. They would mate very well with your NAD receiver, provide the kind of output and dynamics that could fill your room and also do very well with music, thanks to their accurate and detailed sound qualities.
 
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