Mismatched system help

[bstan]

Re-entry to home theater after 30 year hiatus. Without much thought, I ended up with the following 5.2 setup

1. B&W 707's (50% off at BB in 2021)
2. B&W HTM71 center
3. Inexpensive in-wall Micca surrounds
4. Denon 760 AVR (from Costco)
5. Dual sub - PB1000 and RSL 10s (both bought used)
6. 50/50 for movies/TV and music
7. Listening distance @ 9ft away, somewhat large space, family room open to kitchen w/ 8ft ceilings.

Known issues are that my 8 ohm speakers are known to dip to 4 ohms and have a relatively low sensitivity of 84db, and they are paired with an AVR rated 75W at 8 ohms and does not have pre-amp hookup. I have a very limited budget and cannot afford to blow this up and start over, but am considering upgrade to either the speakers or amp. Seeking recommendation on best first step forward.

 

[PENG]

Re-entry to home theater after 30 year hiatus. Without much thought, I ended up with the following 5.2 setup

1. B&W 707's (50% off at BB in 2021)
2. B&W HTM71 center
3. Inexpensive in-wall Micca surrounds
4. Denon 760 AVR (from Costco)
5. Dual sub - PB1000 and RSL 10s (both bought used)
6. 50/50 for movies/TV and music
7. Listening distance @ 9ft away, somewhat large space, family room open to kitchen w/ 8ft ceilings.

Known issues are that my 8 ohm speakers are known to dip to 4 ohms and have a relatively low sensitivity of 84db, and they are paired with an AVR rated 75W at 8 ohms and does not have pre-amp hookup. I have a very limited budget and cannot afford to blow this up and start over, but am considering upgrade to either the speakers or amp. Seeking recommendation on best first step forward.

Your listening distance being 9 ft, if you listen to 10 dB below reference level you should be fine for now. The issue with the 707 is not so much the 4 ohm dip, but the relatively low sensitivity. Such speakers are likely designed for near field listening anyway and their recommended amp power is 3 -100 W 8 ohms so it is actually not a mismatch according to B&W specs. Setting the cross over to 100 Hz instead of 80 Hz may help a little as well.

In your next upgrade though, on a low budget you should replace the B&W with speakers that offer 90 dB or more sensitive speakers. That Costco Denon doesn't have pre outs so add an external power amp is not an option, and you must that already.

 

[AcuDefTechGuy]

If your system sounds good, just keep what you have and plan on doing a total system upgrade in a few years when you have saved up enough.