Speaker and Amplifier matching

S

skytra7

Audioholic Intern
I recently bought two AV amps Sherwood 705i and Yamaha RX-V475. But only the Sherwood amp sounds nice with the speakers I use. I don't know why? So I thought if I posted the power specifications maybe someone can explain why possibly that the Sherwood amp sounded better than the Yamaha when used with my Precision Audio speakers.



PRECISION AUDIO SPEAKERS (CT26):

• Frequency Response: 45Hz-20kHz
• Sensitivity: 90dB
• Nominal Impedance: 8 ohm
• Maximum Amplifier Power: 150 watts


YAMAHA RX-V 475 AMP (produced poor sound with speakers)

• 115W per Channel (8 ohms, 1 kHz, 0.9 % THD, 1 ch driven).

• 80W per Channel (8 ohms, 20 Hz-20 kHz, 0.09 % THD, 2 ch driven).



SHERWOOD 705I AV AMP (Produced good sound with speakers)

• Power Output - Stereo: 80W x 2 (40Hz ~ 20kHz, THD 0.1%) @ 6 Ohm / Stereo Mode.

• Power Output - Surround: 100W x 7 (1kHz, THD 1.0%) @ 6 Ohms, One Channel Driven.

• THD: 0.04%.

• Input Sensitivity/Impedance: 250mv Line (CD, Tape, Video @ 47k Ohm).

• S/N Ratio: 95dB.

• Tone Controls: Bass (100Hz) /- 10dBTreble (100Hz) /- 10dB.

• Frequency Response: Line (CD, Tape, Video) 10-100kHz.


I've heard some Yamaha av amps can be underpowered compared to other brands, so maybe this explains it....but I'd still appreciate it if someone can highlight from the specifications why Sherwood was better sound than Yamaha. Many thanks for reading all this and all help towards improving my knowledge on this issue

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Seth=L

Seth=L

Audioholic Overlord
I would have to assume it's something in the settings of the Yamaha you have that isn't unilateral with the Sherwood.

Can you explain how you set the two of these receivers up?
 
M

markw

Audioholic Overlord
Are you talking about the actual sound of the receivers without any digital processing, or using those sound-altering DSP settings many are fond of?
 
ski2xblack

ski2xblack

Audioholic Field Marshall
Perhaps an overzealous protection circuit in the Yamaha? Dual woofs typically present a 4 ohm load, which may be difficult enough to trigger protection circuitry. That's just a guess, need more info.
 
S

skytra7

Audioholic Intern
Thanks for replies, what I meant is that when both amps are in "direct" mode without processing...but ALSO including when playing stereo or 5.1 media dsp enabled or disabled. Im just guessing and assuming that the Sherwood amp can drive the speakers better but I was wondering if someone would be able to tell just by looking at the power specs to see why that maybe so...

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AcuDefTechGuy

AcuDefTechGuy

Audioholic Jedi
Any difference in SQ isn't because the Sherwood can output more power.

And Yamaha AVR or Amps will output just about as much as any other brands.
 
F

fmw

Audioholic Ninja
OP, I think you need to compare the two with the room calibration defeated in the AVR. There is no reason to think there should be an audible difference between them.
 
Seth=L

Seth=L

Audioholic Overlord
OP, I think you need to compare the two with the room calibration defeated in the AVR. There is no reason to think there should be an audible difference between them.
He mentioned that while running them in direct the Sherwood still sounded better.
 
S

skytra7

Audioholic Intern
Thanks for replies, I thought there would be some science in the specification ratings as to why the Sherwood sounded better than the Yamaha amp. Both amps are budget range so I thought it might be something to do with all things that I don't understand such as power rating, thd, etc . However, even with my layman knowledge I know enough about amps to know that different amps can give varying levels of sound performance even with same speaker. Even my wife who isn't a hifi enthusiast remarked that the Sherwood amp sounded much better and was easy to listen to without straining or fatigue (unlike Yamaha). She said with the Sherwood it feels like that the music comes to your ears, but with the Yamaha you feel like you have to go and meet the music and that music wasn't as detailed. I agreed with her that the Yamaha lacks musicality compared to the Sherwood. The real reason is that I'm looking to replace the Yamaha and I thought I could "science it up" and nail another amp that would work well with my speakers like the Sherwood did.

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S

skytra7

Audioholic Intern
I would have bought the Sherwood again but mine went kaput during a storm and I've heard Sherwood are not known for reliablility. Which is a shame as I really liked it. The Yamaha on the other hand had been through a few lighting storms and is stikk alive and kicking, just a shame it didn't sound add did add the Sherwood. Maybe I need to replace my speakers, to get ones that will play better with the Yamaha?

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S

skytra7

Audioholic Intern
Thanks for replies...Im not a sound engineer but I've bought a few amps to know that each amp had its own personality"and I guess what I'm saying is that Sherwood just seems to drive the speakers to sound better and more "musical" than the Yamaha can (even when both amps are in DIRECT MODE). I was surprised and curious because both amps are on the same bugdet price range but the Yamaha is a award winning amp so I expected to perform better than Sherwood (which generally doesn't have good reputation).

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M

Mark of Cenla

Full Audioholic
I would not compare them in "direct" mode. I would use the room correction and compare each one sounding its best. Is that not why we buy AVR's, for the features? Peace and goodwill.
 
AcuDefTechGuy

AcuDefTechGuy

Audioholic Jedi
Thanks for replies, I thought there would be some science in the specification ratings as to why the Sherwood sounded better than the Yamaha amp. Both amps are budget range so I thought it might be something to do with all things that I don't understand such as power rating, thd, etc . However, even with my layman knowledge I know enough about amps to know that different amps can give varying levels of sound performance even with same speaker. Even my wife who isn't a hifi enthusiast remarked that the Sherwood amp sounded much better and was easy to listen to without straining or fatigue (unlike Yamaha). She said with the Sherwood it feels like that the music comes to your ears, but with the Yamaha you feel like you have to go and meet the music and that music wasn't as detailed. I agreed with her that the Yamaha lacks musicality compared to the Sherwood. The real reason is that I'm looking to replace the Yamaha and I thought I could "science it up" and nail another amp that would work well with my speakers like the Sherwood did.

Sent from my HTC One_M8 using Tapatalk
One spec that does not show up is the Voltage Gain. Some amps have higher voltage gains than others. The higher gain = louder volume. And even a slight 0.5 dB higher volume can translate into better sound quality.
 
AcuDefTechGuy

AcuDefTechGuy

Audioholic Jedi
I would not compare them in "direct" mode. I would use the room correction and compare each one sounding its best. Is that not why we buy AVR's, for the features? Peace and goodwill.
That is a good point.

Personally, I would never buy anything without Audyssey Dynamic EQ (DEQ). I use DEQ exactly 100% of the time. So if I am buying, I would want to know how it sounds with DEQ, not in Direct Mode.
 
F

fmw

Audioholic Ninja
One spec that does not show up is the Voltage Gain. Some amps have higher voltage gains than others. The higher gain = louder volume. And even a slight 0.5 dB higher volume can translate into better sound quality.
Skytra, in this day and age solid state hi fi amplifiers do their job without audibly affecting what they amplify other than to make it louder. The only way to determine whether or not your comparison is valid is to do it again with a level matched bias controlled test. I don't suggest you do that because it is a super pain in the posterior. But the point is that a sighted comparison without level matching doesn't mean much and you shouldn't be too concerned about what you have discovered. If you want a new amplifier just choose whatever floats your boat. It will amplify the sound in a quiet and linear fashion.
 
F

fmw

Audioholic Ninja
I would not compare them in "direct" mode. I would use the room correction and compare each one sounding its best. Is that not why we buy AVR's, for the features? Peace and goodwill.
There is no choice if you are comparing a difference sound quality. They will certainly sound different with room calibration so it is impossible to determine if the there actually is a difference in the amplifiers. What you suggest is fine for a preference test, of course.
 
M

Mark of Cenla

Full Audioholic
For me preference is what it is all about. To each his/her own. Peace and goodwill.
 
S

skytra7

Audioholic Intern
Thanks for all replies I will look into advice given.

Sent from my HTC One_M8 using Tapatalk
 

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