Power needs for 5.1 pioneer AJ's??

K

ktgr

Enthusiast
I have a Yamaha RX-V371BL 5.1 a/v receiver powering (4x) Pioneer SP-BS22-LR with the additional (1x) center channel. It has a separate powered sub. I see it's rated at stereo 80 watt rms at 6 ohms. I've recently moved this setup to another area where it needs to fill a larger room. When at loud enough volumes to be loud in this space (turned to ~-12dB) the receiver smells pretty hot. Not smoking hot, no burning, just smells pretty warm even 6 or so feet away. It's fully ventilated and dust free. You can feel it dissipating heat out the top grill but nothing I'd assume to be concerned about. It's not hot to the touch at all.

I bought it new in 2011 so is this just an aging receiver? Or just not enough power for this setup? Is this something I should be concerned about?

Thanks!
 
lovinthehd

lovinthehd

Audioholic Jedi
You could try adding a simple cooling fan in the meantime....check out coolerguys.com for some ideas. Not sure about the smell...especially since you've had the unit a while. Does it sound fine at that volume, tho?
 
K

ktgr

Enthusiast
Thank you for your response, I have a small fan I could rig up. I also have the option to move this setup where it will never get as loud and could live out its life still having purpose lol, I assume it won't have this issue if it's simply trying to push too much power. But I'm still trying to figure out what the actual problem is here so I can fix it or potentially not make the same mistake of under powering if that may be.

It does sound fine at that volume, almost any louder and it would start to hurt my ears. These book shelves that make up the bulk of this setup can handle a power rating of 80 watts each at 6 ohms according to list. If i have a 5.1 a/v receiver at 80 watts stereo I'm only feeding ~30 watts to each speaker correct? Should you get close to the capable power limit of speakers? like should a floor standing speaker really be getting 200 watts to sound best etc? That's always been a bit hazy.

I guess next time i get it really loud I'll test it with a fan and see if the smell persists. Would be nice to know if it's normal heat generation or if I'm actually wrecking it. It sounds and performs perfectly fine at moderate low volumes so I'd hate to have trash my 2nd or 3rd tier listening setup.
 
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lovinthehd

lovinthehd

Audioholic Jedi
Part of the power equation is distance from the speakers as well as your volume level. Is that -12 as setup/calibrated by YPAO? I didn't look up the spec on those speakers for my brief post before but from what I remember they're middling sensitivity-wise (mid 80s IIRC) and can have some low impedance swings so the speakers present not the easiest load for a typical lower end avr's amp section. If it's not tripping the avr's shutdown function it's probably fine, tho a little extra help on cooling would be a good way to go, especially if in a cabinet or rack that retains heat. Got a thermometer gun in the kitchen/garage you can get some measurements of the temp at the case? I'd probably not be worried too much and hopefully that smell goes away after a bit? The radiating heat at 6ft I hope is an exaggeration, tho.

If you do want to calculate some idea of your power load let's check out the speaker spec. Sensitivity is 85 dB (2.83V/1m). Say you sit 9ft away from the speakers, and using this handy dandy spl calculator and ignoring boundaries that 30w for just your L/R/C speakers would yield 96 dB at your seat. If watching a movie that's following the standards that would be roughly -9 on your volume dial (considering reference or 0 is average levels of 85 dB with allowance for peaks to 105dB). I usually don't listen to mine that loud, I'm more at -20 myself most of the time. So your estimate of 30wpc at -12 is in the ball park if you sit at approx 9ft from the mains. If you sit closer then a little less stress on the amp, if further away then more strain on the amp.
 
K

ktgr

Enthusiast
you can't feel the heat 6 ft away, only smell it, that'd be bad lol. you need to put your hand right over it to feel the heat. It's just the first time I can smell it every time it gets that loud. 2x a week for the past couple months in the gym. it sits on a table with free moving air in a temp controlled environment in the mid 60's. I'll try the fan next time and see how if the smell persists.

as someone new to the calculations of db's would there be any difference just using this as a 3.1 instead of 5.1? it's used for music only now so not missing much with surround or not. would these hungry speakers perform better getting more power to each but less total speakers? that's a bit over my head past the actually do it and ear test it method.
 
lovinthehd

lovinthehd

Audioholic Jedi
you can't feel the heat 6 ft away, only smell it, that'd be bad lol. you need to put your hand right over it to feel the heat. It's just the first time I can smell it every time it gets that loud. 2x a week for the past couple months in the gym. it sits on a table with free moving air in a temp controlled environment in the mid 60's. I'll try the fan next time and see how if the smell persists.

as someone new to the calculations of db's would there be any difference just using this as a 3.1 instead of 5.1? it's used for music only now so not missing much with surround or not. would these hungry speakers perform better getting more power to each but less total speakers? that's a bit over my head past the actually do it and ear test it method.
Yeah I read more into that 6 ft description :)

If you free up the power supply from having to deal with a couple channels then it should perform just a bit better but somewhat depends on what you're listening to and how loud as to how much it would matter. Keep in mind the surrounds aren't generally going to have the same demands as mains, altho some multich music mixes sometimes can use the surrounds a bit. The chances that all speakers need the same power at the same moment aren't all that great outside of explosions and such, that's why an all channels driven rating isn't all that important. If you use a multich stereo type setting then I think it'd just sound better with the front three, tho :) With each additional speaker to an extent you're adding power to the system...use that spl calculator at the same power level with differing numbers of speakers for an example.
 
K

ktgr

Enthusiast
I was finally able to test out 3.1 at very loud volumes *for me* through the portable connect off my phone playing flac and I was at +5 volume for a few songs. The smell was noticeably less and it sounded fine. Good enough my for my 3rd listening setup. Either some how 3 speakers drawing around ~50wpc vs trying to push 5 hungry fairly inefficient speakers at ~30wpc made the difference or they weren't used at those volumes for a few years and the non cleanable layer of dust was baked off??? o_O

Thanks for the ideas!
 
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