More power out of my receiver

[guitarplyrstevo]

I might be getting some Polk Audio RTI12's soon from my job but I'm worried that my receiver (Onkyo TX-SR574) wont produce enough power for the RTI12's to really make these towers shine. Is there any way I can get a little more power out of my receiver? I've read on the internet that some amps can do bridging and can have the power from two separate channels and power one speaker. Can my receiver do this? Another thing I have read is that receivers can produce more power by lowering the ohms to lets say 6 ohms. Will this work properly with the RTI12's and if so, how will I change the ohms in the receiver?
Thank you

 

[guitarplyrstevo]

Also if I'm still not getting enough power to the towers, what 600 watt stereo power amplifier would you guys suggest? Keep in mind that I am not trying to spend huge amounts of money; I only spent $110 total for two RTI12's and an onkyo 574.

 

[mike c]

highly unlikely you can bridge a receiver.

setting a receiver to a lower ohm setting will actually limit the power, instead of increasing it.

you don't need 600w.

best budget amps:
Behringer EP2500 (around 300 bucks) tons and tons of power.
Behringer A500 180 bucks 130wpc x 2 - all you need actually

 

[guitarplyrstevo]

highly unlikely you can bridge a receiver.

setting a receiver to a lower ohm setting will actually limit the power, instead of increasing it.

you don't need 600w.

best budget amps:
Behringer EP2500 (around 300 bucks) tons and tons of power.
Behringer A500 180 bucks 130wpc x 2 - all you need actually

Why is it highly unlikely to bridge a receiver?

Also, how would I connect one of those power amps to my Onkyo 574 receiver?

 

[mike c]

Why is it highly unlikely to bridge a receiver?

Also, how would I connect one of those power amps to my Onkyo 574 receiver?

i've never seen receiver's with an option to bridge its channels.

also, to use an external amp, your receiver needs to have pre-outs (Sorry i didn't mention it in my above post)

 

[PENG]

You really can't do anything with the 574 in this case for reasons Mike has mentioned. However, if your room is small enough, the RTi12s will still be okay especially if you use a separate powered sub and crossover at 80 Hz. That way you are not utilizing the extended low frequency capabilities of the RTi's woofers but it will give the 574 a better chance to do a reasonable job until you are ready to upgrade your electronics.

 

[mouettus]

i've never seen receiver's with an option to bridge its channels.

Taken from RX-V1800's manual, page 19:

"To make the bi-amplification connections, use the FRONT
and SURROUND BACK/BI-AMP speaker terminals as
shown below. To activate the bi-amplification connections,
set “BI-AMP” to “ON” in “ADVANCED SETUP” (see
page 120)."

Close enough to bridging?

 

[zumbo]

Taken from RX-V1800's manual, page 19:

"To make the bi-amplification connections, use the FRONT
and SURROUND BACK/BI-AMP speaker terminals as
shown below. To activate the bi-amplification connections,
set “BI-AMP” to “ON” in “ADVANCED SETUP” (see
page 120)."

Close enough to bridging?

NO. Bi-amping with the receiver you mentioned is actually using separate amps, not bridging one. And, while it is using separate amps, it still has the same power supply. So, IMO, bi-amping a receiver(under it's own power) is not going to yield any audible advantage.

Also, OP is not using a 1800.

 

[PENG]

Taken from RX-V1800's manual, page 19:

"To make the bi-amplification connections, use the FRONT
and SURROUND BACK/BI-AMP speaker terminals as
shown below. To activate the bi-amplification connections,
set “BI-AMP” to “ON” in “ADVANCED SETUP” (see
page 120)."

Close enough to bridging?

IMHO, not really, it is true that in both cases, two amps can be (depends on whether you do vertical, or horizontal bi-amp) used to power one speaker. Other than that, the connection methods are different, and their purposes/applications are quite different.

 

[Shadow_Ferret]

Not sure why you need more power. You receiver puts out 80wpc and those Polks have an efficiency of 90db.

I can crank my NHTs with my 80 watt receiver to very loud volumes and they have an efficiency of 86db.

 

[zumbo]

Not sure why you need more power. You receiver puts out 80wpc and those Polks have an efficiency of 90db.

I can crank my NHTs with my 80 watt receiver to very loud volumes and they have an efficiency of 86db.

OP's system may be in a larger area, or they may just want it to smoke your system.

 

[Shadow_Ferret]

I remember when I was a much younger man and volume was everything.

 

[guitarplyrstevo]

Not sure why you need more power. You receiver puts out 80wpc and those Polks have an efficiency of 90db.

I can crank my NHTs with my 80 watt receiver to very loud volumes and they have an efficiency of 86db.

But I've read on the interenet that in order to take full advantage of the RTI12's, you need to run 300 watts to each tower. I'm not sure if 80 watts would be enough to power all the speakers in the tower.

Also, what does efficiency mean? I've always seen speakers efficiency rating but what does it actually mean?

 

[zumbo]

But I've read on the interenet that in order to take full advantage of the RTI12's, you need to run 300 watts to each tower.

We all want to provide 300w to each tower.

 

[audioman00]

Not sure why you need more power. You receiver puts out 80wpc and those Polks have an efficiency of 90db.


I have to chime in here, it's not always a "power" thing. I noticed a lot more detail and realism if that makes sense, the quality of the rotel components in my separate 2ch power amp versus my higher end yamaha receiver makes a major difference in the overall sound quality and ability to burst large amounts of power at one given time over a 20hz to 20khz bandwidth, that of which a receiver cannot do as well. In short the home theater performance AND especially 2ch music reproduction has been dramatically improved since the purchase of a separate power amp. IMO it's the best way to go if you have a picky ear, power is not quality obviously.... the yamaha is indeed an awsome sounding receiver, but it has it's job.....PROCESSING! Now the receiver itself has a lighter load and may just as well be helping the preamp section stay at a steady voltage.... Maybe?

 

[MDS]

Also, what does efficiency mean? I've always seen speakers efficiency rating but what does it actually mean?

It's a measure of how well the speaker converts power into sound pressure level and is actually known as sensitivity.

You'll see it written like this: 90 dB/1W/1M. It means that when fed 1 watt it produces 90 dB SPL as measured 1 meter from the speaker. Speakers with a higher sensitivity rating require less amplifier power to reach the same SPL as speakers with a lower sensitivity rating. A 90 dB speaker will require half the power to reach the same SPL as an 87 dB speaker.

 

[davidtwotrees]

We all want to provide 300w to each tower.

Heck, accudeftechguy wants to provide 300w to the tweeters in his dipole rear presence surrounds!

 

[guitarplyrstevo]

It's a measure of how well the speaker converts power into sound pressure level and is actually known as sensitivity.

You'll see it written like this: 90 dB/1W/1M. It means that when fed 1 watt it produces 90 dB SPL as measured 1 meter from the speaker. Speakers with a higher sensitivity rating require less amplifier power to reach the same SPL as speakers with a lower sensitivity rating. A 90 dB speaker will require half the power to reach the same SPL as an 87 dB speaker.

So is there an average for most speakers? How do I know 90db efficiency is good or bad?

By the way guys, these RTI12's are going in my bedroom which is 9 x 9

 

[AVRat]

If you'll be using it for 2-channel listening you should be fine. But in order to get the 3/7" bass drivers moving robustly requires separate amplification. The issue with that is that the 574 doesn't have the pre-outs for the required connections.

 

[PENG]

So is there an average for most speakers? How do I know 90db efficiency is good or bad?

By the way guys, these RTI12's are going in my bedroom which is 9 x 9

Assuming it is 9X9X8 to 9X9X12 your receiver should be able to do a good job. Try it first and let us know if you like what you hear. 90 dB sensitivity is actually not bad, it is at least average. As to whether 300 WPC will make the RTI12 sound better, I would say that in most cases more power will likely make any tower speakers in the RTI12's price range sound better, especially in a larger room. It is simply a question of how much better and whether the perceived "better" sound quality is worth the extra cost.