This OK?

[T0mmy1977]

Hi,

I am a newbie to home audio. Are the receiver and speakers I chose below a good combo? I read that under powering the speakers can damage them, but even a $2500 receiver doesn't have the wattage to exceed the speakers I have chosen. The speakers are 275 max watts and the receiver supports 100 watts/channel. Please advise.

Speakers
Polk Audio Monitor70 Series II Floorstanding Loudspeaker

Receiver
YAMAHA 5.1-Channel Digital Home Theater Receiver RX-V367

Thanks!

 

[Matt34]

Hi,

I am a newbie to home audio. Are the receiver and speakers I chose below a good combo? I read that under powering the speakers can damage them, but even a $2500 receiver doesn't have the wattage to exceed the speakers I have chosen. The speakers are 275 max watts and the receiver supports 100 watts/channel. Please advise.

Speakers
Polk Audio Monitor70 Series II Floorstanding Loudspeaker

Receiver
YAMAHA 5.1-Channel Digital Home Theater Receiver RX-V367

Thanks!

Welcome to AH!

First off, your concern about under powering is a myth.
http://forums.audioholics.com/forums/showthread.php?t=46692

That receiver will power those speakers to an unreasonable level, however, I would suggest moving up in the line up to a Yamaha RX-V667 so you have the ability to add an amplifier later on.

I have a similar setup using the Yamaha v663 and polk monitor 70's and added an Emotiva UPA-2 and really enjoyed the combo. They don't sell the UPA-2 any longer but this is the UPA-5 for reference.

 

[oppman99]

I have a similar setup using the Yamaha v663 and polk monitor 70's and added an Emotiva UPA-2 and really enjoyed the combo. They don't sell the UPA-2 any longer but this is the UPA-5 for reference.

I agree with the suggestion of getting an AVR with preouts. I am not aware of the UPA-2 not being sold. As far as I know, it's out of stock until a new shipment comes in. Either way it's nice to have the option to add an external amp for future upgrades no matter the brand you choose.

 

[T0mmy1977]

I have decided to go with the 667 based on your advice. Can you please explain what you mean when you say "That receiver will power those speakers to an unreasonable level"? Too much or too little power? Also, can you please explain simply what the amp will do? Does it boost the watts from the receiver?

Thank you again,
T

 

[Hi Ho]

First off, your concern about under powering is a myth.

It's not completely a myth. Underpowering speakers to the point of clipping the amplifier can damage the speakers very easily.

That wouldn't be a concern with most decent receivers unless one was attempting to power extremely inefficient/low impedance speakers.

I'm guessing that by saying "unreasonable levels", he means they will play very loud. I agree. Those speakers have a sensitivity of 90db. Either of the receivers mentioned in this thread should be capable of running them at quite uncomfortable levels. The 667 with preouts is still a good idea to give you flexibility in the future.

 

[T0mmy1977]

It's not completely a myth. Underpowering speakers to the point of clipping the amplifier can damage the speakers very easily.

That wouldn't be a concern with most decent receivers unless one was attempting to power extremely inefficient/low impedance speakers.

I'm guessing that by saying "unreasonable levels", he means they will play very loud. I agree. Those speakers have a sensitivity of 90db. Either of the receivers mentioned in this thread should be capable of running them at quite uncomfortable levels. The 667 with preouts is still a good idea to give you flexibility in the future.

Thank you for replying. And when would I need an amp? When I upgrade to more powerful speakers?

 

[jliedeka]

The issue with matching a receiver or amp to speakers is that you don't want to clip the amplifiers. That can damage tweeters. For a normal sized room at reasonable levels, any receiver will probably be fine. If you really like to crank the volume, then look for more power.

Adding an external amp can be a good idea if you upgrade to some fairly demanding speakers or you need more power to fill a bigger room. It's also nice if you cross over to the sub at a lower frequency. Lower frequencies need more power to achieve the same SPL as higher frequencies.

If you don't have a huge room and don't play at ear bleeding levels, you probably won't need an outboard amp but it's nice to have the option.

Jim

 

[3db]

Underpowered amplifiers are NOT a myth but it is speaker dependent. I won't go into that. Matt offered an excellent suggestion that you go for a more upscale receiver because the upscale receiver has pre-outs of all channels. The pre-outs enables you to connect to it, a power amp to drive your front main speakers and maybe the center channel. This allows you to be become speaker independent: i.e.: You could pick up some low impedance low senstivity speakers and be rest assured that the power amp will drive them while not clipping the signal. I hope this helps.

BTW welcome aboard .

 

[Matt34]

Yup, that was my bad. I mis-read the article and then didn't even link the correct one at that.

http://forums.audioholics.com/forums/showthread.php?t=47903

 

[T0mmy1977]

So the speakers support 20-275watts and bi amp connectivity. The AVR also supports bi amp connectivity, so I will get an effective power of 180watts per speaker(90/channel x 2). This way the speakers won't be grossly underpowered and I don't have to buy a amp.

Does this sound right to you guys?

 

[bandphan]

So the speakers support 20-275watts and bi amp connectivity. The AVR also supports bi amp connectivity, so I will get an effective power of 180watts per speaker(90/channel x 2). This way the speakers won't be grossly underpowered and I don't have to buy a amp.

Does this sound right to you guys?

bi amping will not yield you and better results (especially with an avr) Just hookem up and go When listening to music at moderate levels you might only use 25w. Its program material with massive swings, ie classical that need extra power. If you want to learn about bi-amping search the AMP and Speaker forums, there will be plenty of fat to chew on.

 

[jliedeka]

The wattage rating on speakers is just a guideline. The low number is to avoid clipping an amp. The high number is the maximum you can safely push into the speakers.

Bi-amping is generally a waste of amplifier channels unless you are using active crossovers. But that's for the advanced class.

Jim

 

[T0mmy1977]

Well, it's up and running and I am very happy with the sound.

Thanks!

 

[3db]

Well, it's up and running and I am very happy with the sound.

Thanks!

What did you end up getting?

 

[T0mmy1977]

What did you end up getting?

YAMAHA RX-V667BL and Polk Audio Monitor70 Series II.

 

[3db]

Congrats and enjoy.