Moderately priced amp for Klipsch RP-280f

[Michael J Matthews]

I'm wanting to purchase two rp280f speakers from Klipsch. I'm really tired of the plethora of varying opinions in regards to a suitable avr for these speakers. I want to give these speakers the power they need to increase their lifespan and complement their capabilites. However, i don't really want to spend over $500 on my fledgling avr. Some say i need double the constant power rating of 150w to insure there is a lack of clipping, some say less wattage is perfectly fine. I'm so confused people. I have $30,000 worth of avr's in my shopping cart because i can't get a straight answer out of Al Gores greatest invention, the Internet.

 

[BoredSysAdmin]

With a rated sensitivity of 98 dB/2.83V/m - you should be able to power them with a matchbox sized amp
http://www.amazon.com/Orb-Audio-Mini-Amplifier-Black/dp/B00GOK38OU
This amp which is rated at 10W at 8ohm will power these speakers at 102db if you sit 10ft away is about noise level firecrackers do or on subway platform while arriving train and it's where you'd begin to damage your hearing if exposed at long periods of time.

So, take any receiver which you fancy - and it'll work just fine. I like Denon/Marantz or Yamaha.
Do your homework on what features you need first.

 

[Steve81]

I want to give these speakers the power they need to increase their lifespan and complement their capabilites.

How large is your room, and how far from the speakers to your main listening position?

It's fair to say you don't need a monster amp with these speakers in any case. One thing to keep in mind is that Klipsch speakers are known for how little power they need to reach ear bleeding volumes. As BSA notes, your speakers have a rated sensitivity of 98dB. While that's probably fudged a tad (yay marketing), a receiver that can deliver an honest 50W into 8 ohms and 100W into 4 ohms per channel will likely get you to reference level (short term peaks of 105dB per speaker) assuming your room isn't the size of an auditorium.

 

[Michael J Matthews]

How large is your room, and how far from the speakers to your main listening position?

It's fair to say you don't need a monster amp with these speakers in any case. One thing to keep in mind is that Klipsch speakers are known for how little power they need to reach ear bleeding volumes.
As BSA notes, your speakers have a rated sensitivity of 98dB. While that's probably fudged a tad (yay
marketing), a receiver that can deliver an honest 50W
into 8 ohms and 100W into 4 ohms per channel will likely get you to reference level (short term peaks of 105dB per speaker) assuming your room isn't the size of an auditorium.

Room is fairly small but i mean to utilize these speakers in my future living rooms which will be average. I spoke with a klipsch representative who informed me i should have an avr with at least 100w @8 ohms to two channels. So at this point I'm looking for a fairly priced brand with a good reputation. Trying to get an honest opinion online is like trying to hold back a river with a wine glass.

 

[Steve81]

Well, this site might be what you're looking for in terms of pricing:
http://www.accessories4less.com/make-a-store/category/avreceiver/home-audio/receivers-amps/home-theater-receivers/1.html

This one is probably your best bet in terms of future proofing (HDCP 2.2 for 4K Blu-ray, Atmos, DTS-X) vs power vs pricing. It doesn't quite reach that magical 100W number, but that 5W difference amounts to less than half a dB of output.

 

[lovinthehd]

Even though Klipsch is fairly well known for exaggerating their sensitivity numbers by a few dB, you don't need a lot of amp to get very loud with these speakers even with that in mind (also keep in mind it takes a doubling of power to gain merely 3dB of spl).

However, they do seem to spend some time at low impedance, see the test results here, so if you plan on using these at their upper limits on an ongoing basis perhaps you might look for a receiver that's rated for 4ohms (some aren't and at high levels could conceivably cause the receiver's self-protection mode to trip).

Amp is more based on use rather than the speakers alone. Just what spl levels are you planning on? Have you used an spl calculator? Is this a stereo setup or are other speakers being driven?

 

[Mark of Cenla]

80-90 watts should do the trick just fine. Peace and goodwill.

 

[Michael J Matthews]

Even though Klipsch is fairly well known for exaggerating their sensitivity numbers by a few dB, you don't need a lot of amp to get very loud with these speakers even with that in mind (also keep in mind it takes a doubling of power to gain merely 3dB of spl).

However, they do seem to spend some time at low impedance, see the test results here, so if you plan on using these at their upper limits on an ongoing basis perhaps you might look for a receiver that's rated for 4ohms (some aren't and at high leve
ls could conceivably cause the receiver's self-protection mode to trip).

Amp is more based on use rather than the speakers alone. Just what spl levels are you planning on?
Have you used an spl calculator? Is this a stereo setup or are other speakers being driven?

It would start as a stereo set up with 2 channels driven. I will add more later. I'm not familiar with spl.

 

[tyhjaarpa]

Pick the best receiver in your budget from Marantz/Denon/Yamaha that has all the features you need and you are all set. Don't worry about the watts, they don't matter that much at all. Those speaker ratings you see are maximum watts your speakers can handle. When you listen on normal listening volume you are only using few watts unless your room is huge.

 

[PENG]

However, they do seem to spend some time at low impedance, see the test results here, so if you plan on using these at their upper limits on an ongoing basis perhaps you might look for a receiver that's rated for 4ohms (some aren't and at high levels could conceivably cause the receiver's self-protection mode to trip).

Looking at the graph I would agree they do spend enough time in the 4 ohm territory, but you can consider them 95 dB/2.83V/m instead of 98 dB/2.83V/m for power requirement calculations. So practically speaking you don't need 4 ohm rated receivers as such. Even if you de-rate their sensitivity further by another 3 dB to, say 92 dB/2.83V/m just to be more conservative, they are still relatively easy to drive compared to many 8 ohm nominal speakers.

There really isn't that many truly 4 ohm rated AVRs out there nowadays, certainly not at the OP's stated price range anyway. A few Denon models such as the 4520, X7200WA etc., Onkyo's and others do have the so called 4 ohm rating but they may simply rely on some sort of power limiting schemes via an impedance selector switch. AH actually recommended users to leave such selectors at the default 8 ohm setting.

 

[PENG]

It would start as a stereo set up with 2 channels driven. I will add more later. I'm not familiar with spl.

I think you are getting honest opinions here. If you have to stick to your $500 budget then I suggest you go with Steve's suggestion in post#5. Try to pick one that has multi-channel preouts that give you the option to add external power amplifiers. No one is suggesting you need to add an external amp, but it is nice to be able to regardless especially if you can still stay within budget.

Not a good example, but this one is only slightly over your budget:

http://www.accessories4less.com/make-a-store/item/marsr5010/marantz-sr5010-7.2-ch-x-100-watts-networking-a/v-receiver-bonus-hdmi-cables-100-value/1.html#!specifications

or the older model for $450:

http://www.accessories4less.com/make-a-store/item/marsr5009/marantz-sr5009-7.2-ch-x-100-watts-networking-a/v-receiver-bonus-hdmi-cables-100-value/1.html

 

[lovinthehd]

It would start as a stereo set up with 2 channels driven. I will add more later. I'm not familiar with spl.

spl is the acronym for sound pressure level, i.e. a measure of how loud something is, usually measured in dB (decibel).

 

[lovinthehd]

Looking at the graph I would agree they do spend enough time in the 4 ohm territory, but you can consider them 95 dB/2.83V/m instead of 98 dB/2.83V/m for power requirement calculations. So practically speaking you don't need 4 ohm rated receivers as such. Even if you de-rate their sensitivity further by another 3 dB to, say 92 dB/2.83V/m just to be more conservative, they are still relatively easy to drive compared to many 8 ohm nominal speakers.

There really isn't that many truly 4 ohm rated AVRs out there nowadays, certainly not at the OP's stated price range anyway. A few Denon models such as the 4520, X7200WA etc., Onkyo's and others do have the so called 4 ohm rating but they may simply rely on some sort of power limiting schemes via an impedance selector switch. AH actually recommended users to leave such selectors at the default 8 ohm setting.

Yes, under most circumstances I'd say not a worry for most....but at head-banger levels for extended periods could be an issue....

 

[JOHN FICKEL]

Klipsch are pretty sensitive speakers, although you can power them with a relatively low wattage amplifier, whatever receiver you choose, make sure you have preamp outputs for the main Channel, for future amplification.

 

[JOHN FICKEL]

And if you talk directly to Klipsch, they will tell you always run on 8 ohms... And that's talking directly to the engineers

 

[lovinthehd]

And if you talk directly to Klipsch, they will tell you always run on 8 ohms... And that's talking directly to the engineers

How does one "always run on 8 ohms"?

 

[JOHN FICKEL]

Depends on the unit. My Z9 is hidden within a menu, but you have to do during start up. Every unit is different. Some even have switches on the back.

 

[JOHN FICKEL]

A lot of companies have gotten clever at hiding it from users. Usually they're all set to 8ohms already

 

[lovinthehd]

That's not how most avrs do it; they simply limit output for lower impedance loads, most of us disregard it. Try reading this https://www.audioholics.com/audio-amplifier/impedance-selector-switch-1

 

[JOHN FICKEL]

Ok, I said they are all different. I have to hold down the speaker A button, along with the power button for mine to come up