What does the AVR power output really say?

[Buhaj47]

I'm a Yamaha soundbar owner, and started getting interested in AVR/home cinema systems, maybe one day I'll get one. I have a few questions for a start (sorry if it's too many):

• Below is the power output of the Yamaha RX-V6A (I'll use that model as an example). How should I read it in terms of 5.1 or 5.1.2 systems? What would the output power be for each channel then?

• Should the AVR always have more power than the nominal draw from the speaker?
• Could I connect 4 or 6 ohm speakers to the AVR? What impact would it have?
• Under "normal" listening conditions (e.g. movie watching on 20-30% volume), should I pay attention to things like distortion, linearity etc.? I'm asking that as I would be leaning towards a Yamaha unit as an AVR, but saw reports where Denon is picked as a better choice in the 1:1 price range.

 

[lovinthehd]

Gives you an idea of what any one channel can deliver at a given moment. ACD (all channels driven) ratings aren't all that relevant to real world use but can give you an idea of total power supply. Mostly you'll need to find ACD ratings in 3rd party testing, tho. Most of the power needs are for the mains just based on the recording, tho if you use multi-ch stereo modes that can be different. Sensitivity of speakers in various positions can also come into play.

What nominal draw from a speaker that isn't volume related?

Yes, the avr can drive 4 or 6 ohm speakers, as to up to what level is a somewhat separate discussion.

Generally looking at basic spec for distortion and linearity give you a good starting point. Denon has measured very well in some cases (see audiosciencereview.com for some examples). IMO Denon often represents a better value.